Jim Addis

With an uncertain economic forecast in Idaho’s future, Rep. Jim Addis said his history in economics and manufacturing will best prepare him to grapple with complex issues like the coronavirus.

“My years in manufacturing taught me how important collaborative problem solving is in tackling large, complex issues,” said Addis, seeking his second term representing District 4, Seat A in the Idaho House. “We had to repeatedly compete with offshore manufacturers, subsidized by their governments, who were trying to take our business and jobs. We were able to succeed, working smarter and harder.”

Addis, who spent 18 years in the family auto businesses Tom Addis Dodge and Lake City Ford Lincoln, now faces his first in-party competition, as he faces Pat “Mitch” Mitchell in the Republican primary. Addis won an unopposed primary in 2018 before defeating Democrat Rebecca Schroeder in the general that year, taking more than 10,000 votes and 56 percent of the electorate.

Addis said he is looking at doing the most good in committees, where he serves on Transportation & Defense, Resources & Conservation, and Revenue & Taxation.

“In Revenue & Taxation,” he said, “[I want to] continue reducing taxes, especially working to reduce property taxes. In Transportation, [I want to] continue my efforts to improve our roads and bridges and reduce congestion. In Resources & Conservation, [I want to] ensure we maximize the use of Idaho’s natural resources — for economic and recreational uses.”

During the 2020 legislative session, Addis played a noteworthy role in the initiative debate, after he proposed changes to the state’s initiative process. Those changes included establishing a single-subject rule, requiring petitioners to inform signatories of how to remove their signatures from the initiative should they change their minds, and imposing additional requirements to those who hire paid signature gatherers. The bill, HB 548, was signed into law in late March.

“This is meant solely for transparency,” Addis said in February, “solely for the integrity of the process.”

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Pat Mitchell, Addis’s primary election opponent, did not respond to repeated requests from the Press for an interview and declined to fill out a candidate questionnaire.

All other candidate questionnaires are published on cdapress.com under 2020 Elections.