Candidate Profile-State Rep. District 4 Position B-Kathy Sims (R)
STATE REP. DISTRICT 4
POSITION B
KATHY SIMS (R)
Date of Birth: May 6, 1942
Profession: Auto and Motorcycle Dealer for 44 years
Education: I.H.M. Academy, Coeur d’Alene High School, North Idaho College/Accounting
Public Service: Human Rights Commission (appointed by Gov’s. Batt and Kempthorne); Auto Dealer’s Advisory Board (appointed by Gov. Kempthorne); National Auto Dealers Association, first woman ever elected to Board of Directors; American International Auto Dealers Association elected to serve as state director; Idaho State Senate, appointed; Idaho House of Representatives, elected
Service Clubs: Sponsor of Woman to Woman International; Rotarian – Paul Harris Fellow; Kootenai County Republican Women; Kootenai County Republican Central Committee Chair; Idaho Republican Party, Vice Chair; 4-H Instructor for motorcycle riding and maintenance
Years lived in Coeur d’Alene: 60
Marital Status: Single
Family: Two daughters and four grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading, travel and golf
I am running for office because I have had many years running a business as a private citizen and I know all too well how burdensome badly run government can be. You want the best professional you can get to run a business efficiently, so that it is productive. The same is true for government.
The three biggest issues are: 1) Efficiency in government. Government tends to grow ever larger and more disconnected from citizens and from rational restraints. That’s why accountability and transparency are essential, otherwise the problems get huge under cover of darkness. 2) Jobs would be next. It’s not the government’s role to create jobs - that is something private industry does. I’ve always been involved in creating and maintaining jobs in good times and some very bad times. 3)Private property rights is also a key issue. There is nothing more fundamental to freedom than the right to utilize your own private property. If the government can take that, they can take anything away.
Primarily I would promote and support legislation that ends the death tax. That would help rein in the government and leave more money in the hands of job-creators. I’m also a proponent of education tax credits so that school choice is permitted to more students. We cannot over-emphasize the importance of an intelligently informed citizenry. I’m aware that we need to ensure a business friendly tax structure so that businesses move here and stay here. We might need to look at land use code revisions at the state level to ensure the protection of people who are invested in the land.
Government should be modeled on business only to the extent that you want the most for your dollar. I have honed my skills in executive decision making based on fiscal reality for 44 years as a small business owner. I’ve employed hundreds of people over the years, and if I didn’t do my job, they’d lose theirs. It’s a big responsibility and one I’ve had to take very seriously. In my line of work, I didn’t just have to figure out how to spend money, I had to know how to make it and keep it for the good of all.
I have always made business and governance decisions based on fiscal reality, not on a ‘wish list’. I have real experience in real world dealings where there was no protective cushion to save me if I made a bad decision. We need serious people who know how government works best to further the progress of the citizens we serve. I am seriously committed to the progress and prosperity of the people of Idaho.