Ahlquist offers new approach to old issues

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tommy Ahlquist talked about the importance of quality education, health care and small businesses Tuesday afternoon at the Kroc Center.

The event was hosted by the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, with about 40 people in attendance.

Ahlquist lamented Idaho’s tendency to find education solutions for urban school districts and then apply those to its more rural areas.

“We need to reverse that process,” Ahlquist said. “I believe we should be looking to our local communities for solutions rather than having the state come in to fix it.”

He added that teachers need to be deregulated and should not be “teaching to test.”

“Sometimes it seems like we don’t even have clear objectives and goals for our teachers,” Ahlquist said.

Ahlquist also said he’s in favor of school choice, arguing it would allow money to follow students.

His talking points of business and education intersected on the issue of vocational training, something in which Ahlquist said Idaho should invest more resources.

“I’m a big proponent of vocational education, because we need to get Idaho kids into Idaho jobs,” he said.

The physician and real estate developer added that the state should be doing more to meet the needs of businesses already located in the Gem State.

He told a story about how the governor of Montana called a friend of Ahlquist’s whose Idaho-based business had a satellite office in Montana, asking him to bring more business to the state.

“There’s a lot more that we can do to first take care of our own Idaho companies,” Ahlquist said. “Then we can go recruit outside businesses.”

Ahlquist cautioned that he would put the needs of families above the needs of corporations, though.

As for health care, the former ER doctor said he wants to see Medicaid reformed to include policies that drive behavior and more accessible providers in rural areas of the state.

He also touched extensively on the effects of the opioid crisis, some of which Ahlquist has seen firsthand in the medical field.

He called for the issuance of a state of emergency, increased social services, and early intervention to combat the burgeoning problem.

“There’s a stigma of drug abuse, but usually they can’t get off,” Ahlquist said. “That’s how opioids work, by upregulating the receptors in your brain so you need more each time to treat the pain.”

According to Ahlquist, more than 225 Idahoans died in opioid-related deaths last year, one reason why he said he would declare a state of emergency if elected.

Ahlquist discussed transportation issues as well, saying that the budget needs to be used more wisely.

“It costs seven to 14 times more to replace a mile of road than to maintain it,” he said.

He added that the organization Idaho 2020 had commissioned a study that found the state would be $3.6 billion behind on the maintenance of roads and bridges by 2025.

More broadly, Ahlquist said it’s time for change in Idaho, and believes that voters will agree with him.

“The status quo is not good enough,” he said. “It’s time for new ideas and a fresh approach.”