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
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 - 00:00:21:19
Helo Hancock
Well, I would now like to welcome Cheri Zao, the second candidate for State Senate District five. She's here with us this evening. And thank you, Cheri, for being here. And why don't you take a minute and introduce yourself to the voters of Kootenai County and explain why you're running for district five Senate seat.
Cheri Zao
Thank you for having me.
00:00:21:21 - 00:00:43:23
Cheri Zao
I've been a resident of Kootenai County for 35 years, and I've seen a lot of changes. And I've also seen, things happen that make me feel like now that I'm retired, I should be stepping up and doing a little bit more to help our community and our kids. And right now, I think that we need to actually have some competition in our primaries.
00:00:43:23 - 00:01:07:01
Cheri Zao
And so I'm running as, a, an option for voters in the primary for a seat for legislative District five. And I think that I can do a good job. And I think that I want to give the voters of Kootenai County the opportunity to decide if I can do a good job and send me to office.
Helo Hancock
Very good.
00:01:07:03 - 00:01:38:20
Helo Hancock
Well, we're going to start with our first question, Cheri, and you'll have two minutes to respond from your view. What was one positive thing that came out of the last legislative session? And what was one negative thing that came out of the last session, and explain to us why?
Cheri Zao
Well, the, the positive view is that, we did make some more strides towards funding our, our, public education.
00:01:38:22 - 00:02:13:00
Cheri Zao
And, Governor Little, has been a strong advocate for helping us improve our infrastructure, for the state as well as in public education. So I was really glad to see that come out of the legislature. And, the other thing that, bothered me was sometimes our legislature, enacted some laws that really infringe upon individual responsibility and took away local control.
00:02:13:02 - 00:02:39:17
Cheri Zao
And I won't mention any specific legislation, but you can find out what that legislation was, that kind of bothered me a bit. if you go to my website. So I don't like it when people take away our individual responsibilities and tell us how we should be doing things. And, so that was my one thing that I'll talk about that was negative.
00:02:39:19 - 00:03:08:13
Helo Hancock
Okay. Thank you. The second question we have for you is how would you assess the relationship down in Boise between the governor's office and the legislature? And if you were elected, what would you do to make that the most effective? It could be for the citizens of Idaho.
Cheri Zao
Well, the primary responsibility of our legislatures is actually to take care of the budget.
00:03:08:15 - 00:03:31:07
Cheri Zao
And it's not up to the governor to take care of the budget. He, will indicate some of his priorities to us, but it is up to the legislatures to actually take a look at the budget, take a look at the needs. and critically assess that. And JPAC is the, committee that is responsible for what I call the big grunt work.
00:03:31:09 - 00:03:59:07
Cheri Zao
And so our legislators are supposed to handle that because that handles what government does for us. And, if they do their job and they present it to the governor, then, the budget gets passed and, things are allowed to function smoothly. But if they quibble over a lot of different things, in the budget, the governor doesn't have any control over that.
00:03:59:07 - 00:04:25:18
Cheri Zao
So the governor doesn't control the legislature. The legislature controls the budget. And. They have to work together to get that taken care of, so that the governor can then execute his responsibilities because he executes. He's responsible for helping us to execute the laws and that they legislate, they can make laws. That's what legislatures to legislate. They make laws.
00:04:25:18 - 00:04:52:02
Cheri Zao
But, the laws that they make or are should be designed to help Idaho, not just special interest groups, but all of Idahoans. And so, they work together, but they both work in their own lands. So.
Helo Hancock
Okay. Thank you. So the final question we have is a is a bit more specific. And you actually touched on it.
00:04:52:04 - 00:05:18:13
Helo Hancock
It involves public education and and you're going to put your teacher hat on for just a second in some ways. And, and we, we want you to grade, how the legislature is done with funding public education in Idaho. So give us a grade and explain the score. You give the legislature.
Cheri Zao
Well, in the past, I wouldn't give them a passing grade.
00:05:18:15 - 00:05:49:00
Cheri Zao
so I'm not going to say that that's an f or D, maybe a C minus. And and that's what their past performance has been. And public education is, a foundation of a great nation. You know, our education is the foundation of a great nation, and public education is, our responsibility, as, members of, of our state to make sure that our kids are adequately educated.
00:05:49:01 - 00:06:21:17
Cheri Zao
And our legislature has not done a good job in making it clear who's responsible for what. And bonds and levies are what I'm going to digress into because. The legislature decided to fund only a certain amount of our public education and then let a little federal dollars come in, and then let the community decide, how to fund the rest.
00:06:21:19 - 00:07:09:18
Cheri Zao
But they made it to where if the community doesn't fund it, then we lose, like 25% or more of the dollars necessary to run an organization. And that's not a way to actually do business. And so, our current system. Creates too much quibbling over, our responsibilities because people don't understand our responsibilities. And so when you have a bond or a levy bond to for buildings, levies are for maintenance and operation and you give people this responsibility and you don't the people don't really understand how it's their actual obligation.
00:07:09:18 - 00:07:39:16
Cheri Zao
They think that it's an ask and that it's not an obligation. And so they go at it, and they argue about it and they cut funding, which is a moral, it really cuts the morale for the people. And so I don't I'm not happy with how they handle that aspect.
Helo Hancock
Okay. Well thank you. And that was the last of our three long questions or longer, segment questions.
00:07:39:18 - 00:08:05:13
Helo Hancock
And now, sure, you'll have an opportunity to share any final thoughts you have about your candidacy or what you would like the voters to know, here and why they should vote for you. And you have a minute to do that?
Cheri Zao
One minute. That's not fair. All right. Folks have been here for a while. I've seen the changes, and I would like to have, an opportunity to work for you.
00:08:05:13 - 00:08:26:01
Cheri Zao
Because I really think that legislatures should listen to their people and try to do the best that they can. Do with the information that their people are giving them and their from their community, and bring their wishes to Boise, and to work on laws that will help the people of their communities. That's what I believe the legislature should do.
00:08:26:03 - 00:08:48:04
Cheri Zao
I also don't like it that when you contact your legislature, as I have done many times, and they never get back to you, and I thought that, you know, we're small enough that we should be able to actually hear back from our legislature if we actually send them, any sort of requests or let them know how we feel about certain laws.
00:08:48:06 - 00:09:09:15
Cheri Zao
And so I want to be that person for you. Or you can contact me and I can work for you to make Idaho a great place, because it already is. We just can make it better for.
Helo Hancock
And you said you had a website.
Cheri Zao
I do.
Helo Hancock
What would you like to share your website with the voters?
Cheri Zao
It's cherizao.com.
00:09:09:16 - 00:09:41:14
Cheri Zao
So cherizao.com. And so you can find out my legislative priorities where I wrote a letter to Governor Little about something I didn't like that he did things along that line about who I am and stuff. And I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to share my website. but I'm kind of excited.
Helo Hancock
Look. Good. And we're we're excited that you joined us this evening and and shared about the things you're passionate about, shared reasons why you're, you're running and and where you're at on your issues.
00:09:41:14 - 00:09:47:09
Helo Hancock
So thank you, Sherry. We appreciate you coming and best of luck to you.
Cheri Zao
Thanks.