District 4 House candidates spar

COEUR d'ALENE — Differences between the candidates in the race for the District 4 Position B seat in the Idaho House rose to the surface on Thursday.

Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d'Alene, the incumbent, and Paul Amador, her challenger in the May 17 primary, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of about 60 people at the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans' meeting at The Fedora Pub and Grille.

Amador, a 34-year-old political newcomer, said he believes it's time to send new blood to Boise.

"When I've been talking to people in the community, I've heard a lot of discussion about being concerned about the obstinance in some legislators," said Amador, director of program development at the University of Idaho. "They're tired of the same people with the same votes working on the same legislation — doing the same things and expecting different results. If the same people are sent doing the same work, how can you expect different results?

"We need someone there with clear thinking who is willing to listen to all sides, and that is why I am running."

Sims, who has owned Coeur d'Alene Honda for 47 years, has served in the Senate for two years and the House for six. She believes the experience of being a longtime local business owner and legislator are assets to serve citizens at the Legislature.

"I have a voting record and commitment," she said, referring to why she deserves the votes.

Sims has been working on several bills she said she would like to see come to fruition and added that sometimes it takes two or three years for proposals to be bantered before being passed.

She first presented a military retirement pay bill three years ago that she wants to present next session. Twenty-five states exempt retirement pay from state income tax and Sims wants Idaho to become No. 26. Idaho doesn't charge its income tax on military retirement pay for those 65 and older, but it does on tax pension benefits for military retirees younger than 65.

Sims also wants an effort to eliminate the grocery tax to be revived.

"It handles all taxpayers the same," she said, referring to why she opposes it. "Low-income people can barely afford it. There does not need to be a tax on groceries."

Sims said funds from other areas, including $19 million for the historical society, could be reduced to cover the tax on groceries.

"There needs to be priorities," she said.

Amador said he has the energy to bring fresh perspectives to the Legislature and is at the point in his life to do so.

He said he has interacted with a broad range of businesses ranging from the mining to high technology industries during his job at the UI.

"It excites me to bring that experience to Boise," he said. "I believe I have the background and education to help me make good decisions."

Amador said Obamacare has been a "disaster" for the state, but candidates need to stop that rhetoric as it is old news and start finding solutions for the future.

He said he supports fiscally responsible and common sense solutions such as the North Idaho mental health center to health care and medical issues.

Amador said he would support a bill that adds "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" to the state's human rights law.

"I don't believe in discrimination, and I support government staying out of bedrooms," he said.

He said he chose to answer a candidate questionnaire in the Press Voters Guide that asked the question along with others such as whether candidates support raising the minimum wage, increasing gun rights, abortion rights, Medicaid coverage and education spending while Sims and some other candidates did not.

"They're important issues, and candidates should be forthcoming," Amador said.

Sims said she doesn't see "add the words" gaining ground under current state leadership.

"If leadership doesn't want to see it, we won't see it in any community," she said. "Add the words never became a bill."

Sims said she didn't answer The Press questionnaire because it was a "threat."

"Those 12 questions are difficult for most Republicans to answer," she said. "My answer to The Press was that the answer to all your questions is in the Republican platform. I support the Republican platform."

Amador countered: "I don't' see how the questions were liberal. I don't know why you'd be embarrassed to say what your viewpoints are."

The forum also became tense when urban renewal was discussed.

Sims has been on a committee that looks to increase urban renewal accountability.

"What we want more than anything is voter approval of projects," she said. "Are these projects you are willing to fund because 100 percent of it comes from property tax dollars?"

Amador said urban renewal is far from perfect, but legislators should be careful not to restrict it too much.

Urban renewal districts are created to spark economic development for blighted or open areas. Districts have a base tax rate when the district is created. That base tax rate continues to be collected by the county and remitted to taxing entities over the life of the district. As a district is improved, has new construction and increases in value due to improvements, the incremental tax created by those improvements in excess of the base tax is allocated to the agencies to pay for the public improvements that have been made within the district.

"Urban renewal is one of the few tools we have to infuse economic development to solve blight," he said. "We elect people to make some decisions for us, so we don't need to send every question to the voters. My opponent would like to throw urban renewal out the window, and I think that would be a detriment to the community."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a correction.