Jerry Brady Interview

1st Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. I personally agree and disagree with aspects of both Republican and Democrat platforms.

2nd Disclaimer: I took notes during and after this interview. Since the conversation was not recorded, I gave a site business card to the interviewee and offered them to contact me if they felt I misquoted or mischaracterized them.

I didn’t get a chance to interview Idaho’s Democratic candidate for governor at last week’s convention, but his people called me and arranged a time I could meet him at their Idaho Falls campaign office downtown.

I arrived on the hour, but the shop was locked up with nobody around. I crossed the street to talk to someone, then saw Jerry Brady himself approach the office. We introduced ourselves, and made small talk as we went from one coffee shop to another (they were all closing early for the holiday). We finally settled in the Yummy’s shop.

I asked the following question:

Would you call a special session of Idaho’s legislature this fall, as Governor Risch is trying to do? Why or why not?

Jerry responded that he would not call the special session as Risch is trying to do. Jerry said the Republicans are now trying to suddenly and quickly fix a problem they’ve ignored for years. He said he wanted to focus on what we need to do, which includes putting a lid on property taxes. Jerry wants to cap property tax increases at 3%, even if they are for educational purposes. He pointed out that currently the M & O (Maintenance and Operations) budget rises annually regardless of student population changes.

Jerry said Idaho needs more taxing flexibility between city needs, and contrasted high growth areas like Meridian need different things than smaller farm towns with little growth. He said cities should have adaptable development taxes, such as local option taxes, local sales taxes, and local real estate transfer costs. These options would allow cities with growth to pay for their own growth.

Jerry also feels Idaho should increase the homeowner’s exemption, and that the past legislature’s $25,000 increase was only half of what it should have been. Jerry believes the proposed Republican plans (for the special legislative session) are merely shifting taxes from corporations and industries to individual taxpayers. He pointed out that has been the Republican majority’s trend in Idaho’s government.

I asked the following question:

Illegal immigration is a complicated issue, especially in Idaho. What do you plan to do?

Jerry said he would clamp down on large employers who are inviting the illegal immigrants to Idaho. He pointed out there is little difference between the recent debates over Wal-Mart paying low wages and low illegal immigrant wages. Jerry said illegal immigration is a national problem requiring more secure borders and a better system to identify workforce eligibility. He pointed out that several Republican and Democratic administrations have ignored illegal immigration, including Bush’s 2/3 funding cut of workplace enforcement.

Jerry said he was very critical of Congressman Otter’s voting for the bill that would make felons out of not just illegal immigrants, but anyone who helped them like church clergy.

Jerry thinks Idaho’s agricultural economy can sustain itself with legal immigration practices, and pointed to a southeast Idaho organization as an example.

I asked the following question:

Southeast Idaho appeared to lose power in the recent water issue. Instead of recharging the aquifer, Idaho Power saved Boise residents a few bucks on power bills. Do you agree with how that turned out?

Jerry said he was firmly on the recharge side of that issue. He thought Idaho Power exaggerated the costs and scared a lot of people, and that Idaho missed a good opportunity to recharge the aquifer. Jerry said climate change was not an issue discussed much, but that many northwest climatologists predict the coming years will have more rain than snow. Less snow equals less water in spring melts, and so we need to recharge the aquifer for future needs.

I asked the following question:

What is your position on a gay-marriage ban?

Jerry said Idaho already has a gay marriage ban that was passed about two years ago. I asked what the big debate recently was about then, and he replied they are trying to make it a constitutional ban rather than a legal ban. I went on to the next question and later realized I didn’t find out Jerry’s position on the subject.

I asked the following question:

What do you plan to do for education in Idaho?

Jerry said there were two most important things Idaho needs to do in education: focus on early childhood development and create a statewide community college system. Jerry wrote several times in the Post Register about Idaho’s many poorer kids not being ready to learn when they enter school. He said he helped start Partners for Prosperity some years ago, which has an $11 million grant to combat Idaho poverty.

Jerry said research shows early childhood education is a big factor in preventing poverty. He pointed out the relationship between Idaho’s ranking of having low rates of college-bound students and one of the lowest income levels in America.

I meant to ask about his plans for healthcare, but I got distracted in our education discussion. My impression of Jerry Brady is his heart is in the right place for Idaho. I heard lots of well-meaning philosophy regarding his beliefs, but wanted to hear more concrete plans of how to execute his beliefs.

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1. Jerry Shively Interview
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3. Richard Stallings Interview
4. Butch Otter Interview
5. Tom Loertscher Interview