Butte County commissioner candidates on water, finances and data centers
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ARCO — Two candidates are vying for the Butte County District 1 commissioner seat for a 4-year term in the Nov. 3 general election. Incumbent Republican Blake Van Etten is seeking re-election against independent challenger Madeline Mocettini-Hansen.
EastIdahoNews.com sent both candidates the same questionnaire. Van Etten’s and Hansen’s responses are listed below without substantive edits.
The general election will be held Nov. 3. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more candidate questionnaires and information about the Nov. 3 general election, check out East Idaho Elects. To learn where to vote or what’s on your ballot, visit VoteIdaho.gov
1. Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work, and any prior experience in public office.
Van Etten: I was born and raised in Butte County, and this is where my wife and I have decided to raise our 4 children. I own an insurance agency in Arco and work for Farm Bureau Insurance. I have always tried to be very active in the community, from volunteer coaching in track and field each year to helping coach youth sports and helping with an annual Easter egg hunt in Moore. I have held the current position of commissioner for the last 2 years and am seeking re-election.
Hansen: I was born and raised in Boise Idaho, and I moved to Moore Idaho in 2013. I loved the wide-open spaces and beautiful views of Butte County. I married my husband, Jake Hansen, in 2014 and we have two tough and beautiful daughters. I have a degree in Business Marketing but quit my career to raise our small children.
I spent my extra time volunteering for local organizations. In my time on these committees, I have worked on public improvement projects including the recreation project at the Moore recharge pit and the Moore sport court. I also help put on many events such as The King Mountain Car Show, the Pretty City Committee Fall Festival, and Atomic Days. I would like to contribute to the community at the next level, and I believe I could do even more as Butte County Commissioner.
2. Why are you seeking political office in your community? Briefly explain your political platform.
Van Etten: My platform is simple: I want the people of Butte County to feel that their voice matters. I will always encourage the people of Butte County to bring me their suggestions or concerns, and I will promise to always help be their voice. I also want to be as fiscally responsible as possible with the funds that the county receives from the residents of Butte County.
Hansen: I worry that our inhabitants are aging and that we may not be able to replace the population at a sufficient rate. In the 2020 census, over a quarter of Butte County’s population was over 65 years old. We need to attract residents to our county to utilize our local businesses and be part of our community, or we run the risk of watching our towns die.
I want Butte County to be a place where our children want to stay and where people want to come and live this lifestyle. To accomplish this, I would like to see the citizens of Butte County have a superior quality of life. We already have great outdoor recreational opportunities, and I want those to endure.
What I think Butte County needs is general day-to-day improvements. Simple things like walking paths, children’s recreation, and quality public facilities can improve everyday life for people.
On a larger scale, quality roads, housing opportunities, and common-sense government for the citizens of Butte County are standards that I think need to be maintained. My goal would be to commit to these values to enhance our society and not only survive but thrive!
3. What are the greatest challenges facing people in your county? What is your plan to meet and overcome those challenges?
Van Etten: I feel that one of the largest challenges in our county right now is the proper planning of incoming growth. We are currently working on updating certain aspects of our planning and zoning ordinances and feel that we need to plan ahead to be able to make sure that the growth that comes to our rural area is compatible with what the residents of Butte County would be happy to see.
Hansen: Like most farming areas, water is one of the biggest issues in our valleys right now. We are not immune to the IDWR curtailments and unfortunately diminishing water has restricted agriculture in our area. In my opinion we should not be considered part of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Area of Common Ground Water Supply in the first place.
I have attended meetings and worked in conjunction with some local groups and representatives to work against our inclusion in the aquifer, but I hope to be able to do more.
Locally I have worked on boards who are operating to improve efficiency of providing water to farmers without evaporation and other water loss. These efforts have the end goal of lessening deep well pumping and I hope eventually that the Lost River will be able to flow freely again with more water supply. A free-flowing river is the original recharge and that would allow domestic wells to easily pull from our aquifer again.
4. Do you believe the office of county commissioner should be a partisan position? What role do partisan politics play in the operation of a county government?
Van Etten: I don’t believe that it should matter at a county level. I have often talked about how it shouldn’t matter what party you are affiliated with while working for the county. We don’t have to face the larger issues that seem to cause a divide in parties, and so it’s nice to be able to work with everyone, no matter their affiliation, and come to common ground, even if they belong to a different party.
Hansen: I do not believe that county commissioner should be a partisan position. I believe each county is unique and that nobody knows the issues and is as passionate about addressing them as local people. If representatives are partisan, they unfortunately may succumb to the political theater that unfortunately has taken over much of Washington DC.
If a county representative is worried about aligning with a national party, representatives would be pressured to make party-line decisions instead of decisions that are best for their specific county and the citizens within.
5. What is the status of the budget in your county? What resources are needed to run the county adequately and efficiently? Are there areas that require more funding or areas where cuts could be made?
Van Etten: We are running a balanced budget, but it’s not easy to do in such a small county. There will always be some give and take where more money could be used, and certain cuts could be made. The most difficult part, from my perspective, is the fact that each department needs a minimum amount to function, and for such a small county, it can be everything that we can handle just to scrape by with the bare minimum.
We make it through each year because we have some great employees that always seem to go the extra mile to make the most of their budget and have great work ethics to be able to accomplish the job at hand.
Hansen: From the details I know about the Butte County budget, it is sufficient, but tight, as most rural counties tend to be. The most important asset to Butte County is the people who work for the county in a wide variety of positions.
It is very hard to attract quality local people to work for the county. We have quite a few employees that have decades of knowledge and experience who are, unfortunately, close to retirement. I would like to find a way to provide healthcare benefits to county employees’ families to attract valuable employees who would be similarly qualified and as committed as the current workers.
As far as cuts go, I look forward to exploring the details of the budget. Often expenditures are overlooked simply because fresh eyes haven’t looked at them and questioned them. I know that we have a tight budget, and people are a resource that we can’t be without, but there is overspending in other areas that can be addressed.
6. 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 and the media?
Van Etten: I guess that I’m not too sure what else needs to change for more transparency, seeing how we already follow the open meeting laws. I feel that it’s important to hold true to that law so that any constituents who want to be present have that right to do so. I feel that we are already open to everyone here in Butte County.
I have written a couple of letters to the editor when a large issue was discussed, and I like being able to get my views out to the county by doing that. I believe in being an open book about what is discussed in our meetings and encourage everyone to be more involved and participate in our meetings if they so desire.
Hansen: In small communities misinformation can spread like wildfire. I am a fan of the phrase “say it first, say it loud, say it often.” I think that being proactive in communication is much better than being reactive.
I am very grateful that Butte County still has a local newspaper, The Arco Advertiser. Our citizens rely heavily on that source for news in our area. I think that is a valuable resource for communication between our government and the citizens.
There is also social media. I think that people rely to heavily on it as a means of communication sometimes, but it can be a valuable tool. In our very small county people are often Facebook friends with their government representatives. If nothing else, it is a way that constituents can contact their reps with questions or concerns.
7. What is the role of a county commissioner in the coordination and organization of a county, along with so many other independent elected officials — clerk, sheriff, treasurer, coroner, etc?
Van Etten: Our role is largely to oversee the budget of all departments of the county. Though I would like to be more involved in other areas as well, I have learned that there are times that we are supposed to stay in our lane, as other elected officials have been voted in to run their respective departments.
We are also able to help in enacting resolutions and ordinances within the county to try and help oversee orderly operations within the county.
Hansen: A county commissioner’s main responsibilities are listening to constituents’ needs, management of county finances, rules and regulations, and collaborating with department heads.
I do think it is important for a county commissioner to have a comprehensive understanding of each department within a county and especially how the financing works within each one. My job would be to allocate a budget which other department heads and elected officials would then work within to achieve their duties.
It is important, therefore, to know the different requirements of each department and coordinate with the competent people who already know how to do their job.
8. What experience do you bring that prepares you to manage county finances and county personnel? How will you ensure fiscal responsibility and a happy, well-cared-for workforce?
Van Etten: I have always owned my own businesses and worked for myself, and at times in my career I have been the only employee. While working as the sole employee of a business, it is easy to see all the different aspects of that business from the bottom to the top. It teaches you to be very careful with every dollar spent.
Through the years of building a couple of businesses, I have learned to be fiscally responsible and use that in helping me make the decisions for the county.
As for the workforce, I feel that the large majority of the workforce is easily called friends instead of just employees. I care for each of them and hope the best for them, and I hope that through my interactions with them, it shows. Without our employees at the county, we wouldn’t be able to function, and so I am always more than happy to listen and try to assist in helping with their concerns.
Hansen: Finances and budgeting have always been something that I enjoy. I am detail oriented and I like to be thorough. I have a business degree and that included finance, budgeting, and economics classes. I can read a financial plan well enough to ask pertinent questions and find solutions to budgeting problems. I have always been fiscally responsible, and I would bring that character trait to the county.
I am a people person and genuinely enjoy making connections with people. That coupled with a dynamic personality would, I believe, make me approachable by citizens including county personnel. I have worked at places where morale was low and places where it was high. Addressing problems before they escalate, and sincerely listening and working to find solutions can make all the difference.
I am also passionate about getting healthcare benefits for the families of our county employees.
9. What is your position on the construction of data centers in your county? What benefits could they bring? Or how would they be detrimental to the county?
Van Etten: That is a very controversial topic and is somewhat difficult to put down on paper. I have had a lot of conversations with county members about this topic, and it can be difficult because it’s easy to see both the benefits and the detriments that they can bring.
This would be a topic that I feel would require a lot of research and be handled very carefully. It would be something that I feel would have to be brought up in a public forum for everyone to be able to share their thoughts and feelings and ultimately fight for the voice of the county members.
If it came down to having a data center in Butte County, I would want to make sure that it followed a very strict list of rules to make sure that it would serve as a benefit instead of a detriment to the county.
Hansen: In our county water is always an issue. Because of the limited resources and the already constrained distribution of water, a data center could be disastrous to our county. The power usage of data centers could be problematic as well. Even a small data center could more than double the amount of power used in the Lost River Valley.
However, some data centers are now bringing their own power with them. A potential benefit of a data center could be if they built a power source for themselves and allowed the extra energy to be used locally. I don’t think that the technology currently exists that would allow a data center to be built in our county without being a drain on local assets.