Don’t just vote for a letter after a name

Community college trustees are elected based on their qualifications as educators or administrators, not on their political party affiliation. The county elections office recognizes the nonpartisan nature of these positions as evidenced on their website and on the sample ballots they have provided.

But unfortunately, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee has issued a loyalty test for rating candidates for the North Idaho College Board of Trustees according to their own standards. The test poses 10 questions meant to determine if a candidate is devoted to the Republican platform. The test further aims to find out their religious affiliation and their voting record.

The Republicans justify their loyalty test by saying: “We have found that many candidates who subscribe (sic) to be Republicans do not hold Republican values. But nothing in their loyalty test has any bearing on the skills needed to oversee a community college. In fact, at a recent town hall meeting, Republican leaders divulged their real agenda: to disable the teaching of tolerance, diversity and inclusiveness at publicly funded institutions. This not only destroys the integrity of the election; it could gravely damage NIC in two crucial ways.

First, the test asks candidates to prove they are “socially conservative.” The Republican platform clearly defines social conservatism as support for “traditional marriage” and “right to life.” Any trustee who imposes these thinly veiled biases on college policies threatens NIC’s essential accreditation status. Community colleges are forums meant for open learning, communication and debate.

Second, the test seeks to weed out candidates who they define as not “fiscally conservative,” which presumably means opposed to budget expansion. But Coeur d’Alene is a rapidly expanding community. NIC should be able to adjust its budget as needed to keep pace with population growth. By training tomorrow’s workforce, NIC keeps our local economy thriving.

A college trustee’s obligation is to rise above partisan values to balance and serve the needs of all stake holders, including students, faculty & administration. Only by setting aside partisanship can college trustees rise to this higher standard, and thereby ensure that graduates meet the needs of the businesses and communities where they work and live.

When deciding whom to vote for in the NIC Board of Trustees race, voters should consider a candidate’s track record in education, rather than party loyalty, religious preference or views on marriage equality. Voters should support candidates who have taught or coached students, supervised instruction, managed a budget, (and importantly) resolved conflict.

No one should vote for candidates simply because they have an “R” following their name, or because they have scored well on a loyalty test. Vote for candidates whose guiding principles and experience will inform their judgment on issues of critical importance to the continuing health of NIC.

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Evan Koch is chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee.