Nurse practitioner running for Fremont County coroner against incumbent
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ST. ANTHONY — The current Fremont County coroner is running to keep her spot from a local certified nurse practitioner.
Brenda Dye, the incumbent, is running against Erin Benson.
EastIdahoNews.com sent a questionnaire to each candidate. Their responses were required to be 250 words or fewer. Dye did not respond to our request for her to answer our questions, so only Benson’s responses are included below.
The candidate who wins the primary will be on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. The primary election will be held on May 19.
For more candidate questionnaires and further information on this year’s primary election, check out East Idaho Elects.
Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work, and any prior experience in public office.
Benson: I was born and raised in St. Anthony, where I have remained my entire life. I began my career in healthcare 25 years ago and have provided direct patient care through all stages of life, developed policies and procedures in healthcare facilities to meet federal standards, and worked in an administrative role in a skilled nursing facility. During this time, I became a CPR instructor through the American Heart Association, providing certification to colleagues in healthcare, high school students, and athletic coaches in Eastern Idaho. After 18 years of bed-side nursing, I returned to school and completed my Master of Science in Nursing degree and am now a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner.
I currently oversee care of patients participating in rehabilitation from illness and injury, as well as provide care for patients with terminal diagnoses receiving hospice services. In addition to my career, I have focused on raising my two children. My family is now in a stage of life that I am able to serve the communities of Fremont County, who have provided so many opportunities for myself and my children over the years, offering my medical expertise to the role of coroner.
Why are you seeking political office within your community? Briefly explain your political platform.
Benson: For some time, I have been exploring opportunities to give back to my community and serving as the Fremont County Coroner seems a natural fit. With my master’s degree in the Science of Nursing, I have extensive education in human anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. With my vast nursing career, I have extensive, first-hand experience with disease processes, related complications, and expected outcomes of illness and injury. I believe this education and experience would allow me to be a valuable partner to law enforcement during death investigations, being able to provide valuable medical insight.
I believe advanced medical education and experience would be hugely beneficial for a coroner to possess, making it possible to accurately identify circumstances when determining cause and manner of death. This is because trained medical professionals can recognize complex physiological failures consistent with disease processes versus subtle signs of a masked violent death. Furthermore, medical knowledge would help a coroner determine which cases require autopsy rather than just an external physical exam, even if homicide is not immediately suspected. When there is a sudden, unexplained death of a seemingly healthy individual, it is crucial that signs of potentially undiagnosed conditions are recognized.
Often people with undiagnosed conditions, such as inherited cardiac conditions, will not experience any symptoms until the first, fatal event. Many of these conditions are autosomal dominant, meaning children of an effected individual would have a 50% chance of also having the condition. Identifying an undiagnosed condition through autopsy would allow the first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, children) the opportunity to be screened and subsequently treated when it is found.
What are the greatest challenges facing people in your county? What is your plan to meet and overcome those challenges?
Benson: The coroner’s role in rural counties, like ours, is very important, but not without challenges. As is true of most rural counties, Fremont County does not have the financial resources to have a licensed physician serving as medical examiner, and fortunately, we do not have enough deaths to keep one busy. However, our county does need someone with the knowledge and experience to recognize medical inconsistencies and when there is reason further investigation at the scene of a death.
A significant issue with the coroner’s office here in Fremont County, and throughout counties in Idaho, is a lack of mandatory standards for death investigations, including a lack of policies and procedures for conducting death investigations and when autopsies should be mandated. The Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) released a report in 2024 outlining just how inadequate Idaho coroner practices truly are, revealing that Idaho has the lowest autopsy rates for unexpected deaths of children/infants and homicides.
I look forward to the opportunity to join other eastern Idaho coroners who have established East Idaho Coroner Coalition to institute standards that align with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views? How do partisan politics play into your role as an elected leader?
Benson: As an elected county coroner, the role is fundamentally non-partisan. When executing the role of medicolegal death investigator, representing the views of constituents of any political affiliation should be focused on evidence-based investigative practices, maintaining dignity of the decedent through proper handling and transportation, and clear, empathetic communication with grieving families. This can be accomplished by prioritizing professionalism, transparency, and compassion over partisan ideology.
What parts of the county budget could use more funding? Where are places in the budget where cuts could be made?
Benson: As was seen through the above mentioned OPE report, funding is a large part of Idaho’s shortcomings regarding medicolegal death investigations. Improving Fremont County Coroner standards will require funding for additional equipment and resources. To accomplish this, I would work to build a meaningful and collaborative relationship with Fremont County Commissioners to establish a budget that allows for appropriate resources for death investigations, including a vehicle for decedent transportation, establish proper office space within the county to meet with colleagues and families, and pursue ongoing forensic investigation training. This is something that will take time and dedication from an invested individual, whose aim is to see best-practices for the citizens of Fremont County.
What specific changes can be made in this office to increase public transparency and access to public information? How will you communicate directly with your constituents?
Benson: To increase transparency and accessibility to public information, the Fremont County Coroner’s Office could transform their traditionally quiet public presence into one of an accessible, open entity, while maintaining all appropriate privacy and sensitivity required with death investigations. This could be accomplished through practices of proactive reporting of department dealings, increased media relations, and participating in community partnership at public events. Communication with constituents can be accomplished through social media presence, town hall meetings, and office hours.
Can you give a concrete example of a policy or budget decision you would support to improve a county service within your first year in office?
Benson: If elected, an important budget decision I would support during the first year in office would be resolving the issue of transportation for decedents. Currently, the Fremont County Coroner relies on law enforcement officers to transport decedents for autopsy with their patrol vehicles. I would like to see a dedicated vehicle for the coroner’s office to be utilized for this purpose.
What experience do you bring that prepares you to manage county finances, and how will you ensure fiscal responsibility?
Benson: I have previous experience in an administrative role in skilled nursing that required budgetary oversight. I participate in developing and maintaining a budget for salaries, patient-care supplies, equipment procurement, and use of outside services when necessary. I was successful at this by prioritizing essential services and supplies over non-essential expenses.