Carl Bjerke - 2024 State Senate District 5 Primary Candidate
Carl Bjerke, a Republican State Senate District 5 primary candidate, has an extensive background in public safety and legislative roles, which he believes qualifies him for re-election. With an associate degree in Respiratory Therapy and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership, along with specialized training in incident command and management from prestigious institutions, Bjerke has built his career on a robust educational foundation. He moved to Kootenai County in 2017, drawn by family ties and retirement plans.
In terms of public education funding, Bjerke recognizes Idaho's constitutional commitment and suggests simplifying the funding formula while exploring creative funding methods to alleviate property tax burdens and enhance school choice options. Communication with constituents, particularly during legislative sessions, is challenging due to the volume of communications; however, Bjerke prioritizes accessibility via text and phone, encouraging engagement outside of session times for policy discussions.
On affordable housing, Bjerke sees a need for local solutions and possible legislative changes to support faster development processes, favoring a task force approach to address the mismatch between job availability and housing. He opposes the Idaho open primary ballot initiative, fearing it could lead to ranked-choice voting, which he views as detrimental.
Bjerke positions himself as a candidate dedicated to public service, touting his legislative achievements and ongoing commitment to improve Idaho through experienced and collaborative governance, making a strong case for his re-election based on a track record of service and a platform focused on practical, localized solutions to state issues.
May 10, 2024
MORE EPISODES
Cheri Zao - 2024 State Senate District 5 Primary Candidate
Cheri Zao, a retired medical professional and Republican candidate for State Senate District 5, presents her views in a recent interview. With an educational background in Chemistry and Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a Medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Zao has been a resident of Kootenai County for 35 years. She criticizes Idaho’s current public education funding as confusing and insufficient, advocating for legislative improvements to make the system more understandable and equitable.
On constituent communication, Zao plans to utilize her website (cherizao.com), which she describes as informative and interactive, in addition to regular email correspondence, town halls, and speaking engagements. She emphasizes the importance of being responsive to constituent needs and concerns.
Addressing affordable housing, Zao identifies the issue as a key motivation for her candidacy. She points to the large-scale purchase of residential homes by private equity and hedge funds as detrimental to housing affordability and advocates for legislation to protect local interests and control.
Zao supports the Idaho open primaries ballot initiative, arguing that closed primaries unfairly restrict independent voters. She believes that open primaries offer a fairer choice to all voters, regardless of their party affiliation.
In her concluding remarks, Zao positions herself as a proponent of conservative values, civility, and community strength, urging voters to support her candidacy based on these principles.
May 11, 2024
Carl Bjerke - 2024 State Senate District 5 Primary Candidate
Carl Bjerke, a Republican State Senate District 5 primary candidate, has an extensive background in public safety and legislative roles, which he believes qualifies him for re-election. With an associate degree in Respiratory Therapy and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership, along with specialized training in incident command and management from prestigious institutions, Bjerke has built his career on a robust educational foundation. He moved to Kootenai County in 2017, drawn by family ties and retirement plans.
In terms of public education funding, Bjerke recognizes Idaho's constitutional commitment and suggests simplifying the funding formula while exploring creative funding methods to alleviate property tax burdens and enhance school choice options. Communication with constituents, particularly during legislative sessions, is challenging due to the volume of communications; however, Bjerke prioritizes accessibility via text and phone, encouraging engagement outside of session times for policy discussions.
On affordable housing, Bjerke sees a need for local solutions and possible legislative changes to support faster development processes, favoring a task force approach to address the mismatch between job availability and housing. He opposes the Idaho open primary ballot initiative, fearing it could lead to ranked-choice voting, which he views as detrimental.
Bjerke positions himself as a candidate dedicated to public service, touting his legislative achievements and ongoing commitment to improve Idaho through experienced and collaborative governance, making a strong case for his re-election based on a track record of service and a platform focused on practical, localized solutions to state issues.
May 10, 2024
Dave Raglin - 2024 State Representative District 4, Seat B Primary Candidate
In an interview, Dave Raglin, a Republican candidate for State Representative in District 4, discussed his extensive background and his plans for addressing key issues in Kootenai County. Raglin, recently retired, has a diverse professional history spanning 38 years across various sectors, including transportation, logistics, and rail industries. He also operates a local agency aiding developmentally disabled adults with his wife.
Raglin expressed concerns about the current state funding for public education in Idaho, advocating for permanent solutions to improve the educational system rather than temporary fixes. He emphasized the need for community and legislative collaboration to address educational inequities and enhance the quality of education.
On housing, Raglin highlighted the local crisis where wages haven't kept pace with rising home prices, making housing unaffordable for many, including essential workers. He proposed a comprehensive strategy involving community leaders, local builders, and non-profit organizations to address this issue effectively.
Regarding constituent communication, Raglin plans to ensure transparency and responsiveness through regular updates, town hall meetings, and a robust social media presence.
Raglin supports the Idaho Open Primary ballot initiative, arguing that it promotes inclusiveness and reduces polarization by allowing independent and third-party voters to participate in primaries.
He concluded by emphasizing the need for unity and shared community values in addressing local issues, advocating for a collaborative approach to preserve the cultural and foundational roots of Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho.
May 10, 2024
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:24:10
Tyrel Stevenson
Well, next we have the pleasure of speaking with the incumbent and the challenger candidates for State Senate District five. We have with us tonight incumbent Senator Carl Bjerke. Thanks for coming by tonight.
Carl Bjerke
It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Tyrel Stevenson
Yeah. if you wouldn't mind taking a minute and, explain to the voters here in Kootenai County and in this, particularly district five.
00:00:24:12 - 00:00:51:00
Tyrel Stevenson
Why are you running for reelection?
Carl Bjerke
Well, my life's been about service. I am the incumbent. Your current senator for district five just got done with the 67th Legislative session. It's in two parts over two years. So we finished up the second part. I've been involved in leadership, in politics, a good portion of my life.
00:00:51:02 - 00:01:15:08
Carl Bjerke
People ask me all the time, at this point, why are you doing this? And I said, it's because I continue to want to serve. In Boise, I'm on, committees, health and welfare and also the joint finance appropriation Committee. So those are two committees that, are quite involved. I'm the vice chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
00:01:15:10 - 00:01:43:20
Carl Bjerke
And, so we handled the budget and, that's a lot to talk about. And I don't have a I have a minute, but, I'm looking forward to continuing the work that I've already started into the 68th legislative session.
Tyrel Stevenson
All right. Thanks. Well, speaking of the session that just ended.
Carl Bjerke
Yes.
Tyrel Stevenson
Could you tell us one good thing that came out of that session, as well as one not so good thing from your perspective?
00:01:43:22 - 00:02:05:03
Carl Bjerke
A good thing for me being on the, finance committee and the vice chair. We made some, some pretty big changes to how we do the budget. Idaho's got a great process for doing the budget. It's somewhat the envy, I believe, of a lot of other states. But this year, we made a kind of a tweak to it.
00:02:05:05 - 00:02:30:17
Carl Bjerke
It's been about 57 years since we've had any really demonstrable change in how we go about doing that budget. And what we did is we broke out the budgets into a maintenance budget separate from what would be the line item, or the, agency asks a portion of the budget. That's a that's a good thing. It's, provided some more accountability and transparency to the budget process.
00:02:30:19 - 00:02:51:16
Carl Bjerke
Negative. it's a little bit harder to come up with that for me. I'm so engrossed in, the process of being on health and welfare and j fact, it starts early in the morning. It goes late into the evening. I just felt a sense of heaviness. it was a little bit more difficult. this half of the session.
00:02:51:17 - 00:03:12:14
Carl Bjerke
Don't know exactly some of those things where you can feel like the tension, you can kind of cut it with a knife sometimes and you can't quite pinpoint it. I don't know if it had to do with, inner political issues within the caucus or, you know, it between the Senate and the House, but a lot of it might have something to do.
00:03:12:14 - 00:03:36:09
Carl Bjerke
Also with the change in the budget process. So although that was, what I consider a positive thing, I think maybe there was some angst, maybe some, folks that didn't feel that maybe that was the best, pursuit and which might have caused some peripheral kind of, you know, upheaval, so to speak. So that it's the best thing on, on one side.
00:03:36:15 - 00:04:04:06
Carl Bjerke
But then maybe, the negative all wrapped up in the changes that we made, with the budget process since.
Tyrel Stevenson
How would you assess the relationship between the governor's office and the legislature? And, how do you see yourself making that relationship, as effective as possible?
Carl Bjerke
I see that relationship as our our founders have designed it.
00:04:04:08 - 00:04:43:01
Carl Bjerke
You know, there's an executive, there's legislative and there's judicial, and we all have a place in a role. again, this budget process kind of proved out to be, us exerting our control as a legislature. We are the ones that appropriate, you know, it's our constitutional responsibility to have a balanced budget in Idaho. And I think to a certain extent, and I understand it from a leadership perspective, if I'm the governor of a state, I look at myself as the the person in charge, that that might not be a completely welcome change.
00:04:43:03 - 00:05:11:03
Carl Bjerke
But I also believe that there's a certain element of friction that happens in politics, and it happens in national politics, and it happens in state politics and local that, you do have to kind of rub things the wrong way every once in a while that you can't just all kind of be walking in lockstep in the same direction because, we don't we don't seek, difficulty and change if we do that.
00:05:11:05 - 00:05:43:20
Carl Bjerke
I see, I had an opportunity to have a photo op with, Senator Melissa Wintrow over a bill that we passed, and it was just, to me, a nice culmination of standing there with the governor and a senator that I supported, a bill that she had moved forward, and I supported, you know, wholeheartedly and that we were able to have, a bipartisan, meeting and a picture taking with the governor.
00:05:43:22 - 00:06:06:18
Carl Bjerke
I think it's important to know that we're all part of a process. We need to respect each other's positions. And if we really care about the state and politics, we will put aside personal differences to work together for the betterment and the future of Idaho.
Tyrel Stevenson
Right. Thanks. Well, as you mentioned, you're on the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee.
00:06:06:19 - 00:06:31:10
Tyrel Stevenson
Spent a lot of time with the numbers. if you had to put a grade on the job that the legislature did in funding public education, what grade would that be?
Carl Bjerke
That's an interesting one because, I, I support public schools. My wife's, on a school board here in, CDA, CDA 71. she supports public schools as well.
00:06:31:12 - 00:07:10:23
Carl Bjerke
There is a part of me that feels that, you know, we also have a constitutional requirement to provide for for public schools, you know, a free common. you know, nothing's free, right? It's, that's the biggest misnomer, but my grade, if you look at what we did in House Bill one and the, special session, what we did with 292 and what we've just done with 521, we've had a at least about a three year history of, what I consider to be pretty good funding, efforts towards public education.
00:07:11:01 - 00:07:52:21
Carl Bjerke
I think it was a 16.4 increase, for the first half, the 67th legislative session. And of course, we made some, some drastic and, changes again this time, you know, through 521. I can't look at that and say that we haven't done good things for funding for education. It would be really hard for someone to convince me that in this three year period of time between the special session and these two halves of the session, where we've given what I see as unprecedented amount of money to public education, you would have a hard time convincing me that we didn't get at least A, B or B plus or an A.
00:07:52:21 - 00:08:21:19
Carl Bjerke
How that goes moving forward. Well, we'll we'll see. I know that it's still, something that a lot of folks feel isn't appropriately funded. There's obviously people talking about levies again. 521 provides a lot of money to help out. yeah. Do facilities maintenance and some of those issues. My hope is that whatever we do when it comes to funding public education is that we hold them accountable.
00:08:21:21 - 00:08:44:08
Carl Bjerke
Especially, with, with results. But at the same time, we'll keep working on it.
Tyrel Stevenson
Education. Education funding is top of mind, and it's going to be for a while. It's a it's a very important issue, to, to a lot of folks. but we really appreciate you coming down and talking to the voters of district five.
00:08:44:10 - 00:09:02:15
Tyrel Stevenson
If you wouldn't mind taking just a minute and offer any final thoughts you might have about, the legislature in this race?
Carl Bjerke
Just that I'm looking forward to a lot of people asked, are you really going to do this again? I don't know. I it's it's a, it's an extension of, of a life of service.
00:09:02:17 - 00:09:42:02
Carl Bjerke
It's important for me to get back in there and continue to fight for all Idahoans. It's, not a glamorous position to be on J fact and health and Welfare has as its, issues as well. But I'm there to to legislate and I'm there to govern and hopefully, what I've shown in this two year period in the 67th legislative session, that I'm a reasonable person whose votes, prove that I have, the best for Idaho in mind.
00:09:42:05 - 00:10:00:23
Carl Bjerke
And, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go down there once again and I'd be asking for that vote. I'd be kind of silly if I didn't at this point, but, I appreciate the opportunity to come down here and chit chat and allow, voters to see a little bit more about what I've done and what I hope to do in the future.
00:10:01:01 - 00:10:06:07
Carl Bjerke
And I appreciate the time.
Tyrel Stevenson
You know, we appreciate it, too. Thank you very much for coming down.
Carl Bjerke
Thank you.