McGimpsey for House 33B
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I’m John McGimpsey, and I’m running for Idaho House seat 33B (the area bounded generally by Bellin Road on the West, Woodruff on the East, Sunnyside on the South, and Iona Rd on the North). I have information about my candidacy at my web site, but I’ll start a thread here answering Joe’s questions:
> What top three issues are you concerned about that these candidates might be able to influence?
The top three issues I’m concerned about that these candidates might be able to influence are
1) cut sales tax on grocery items and balance with a sales tax increase on luxury items like jewelry and RV’s/Cars/Boats/etc. over $25,000
I’m all for exempting sales tax on groceries. But I doubt that a luxury tax would generate the replacement revenue. I could be wrong, of course - I haven’t seen the numbers for that classification of sales. So while I would consider such a tax, we’d probably need to look elsewhere - such as eliminating some of the $500M+ in existing sales tax exemptions.
2) Education: lowering tuition costs at Idaho colleges, a statewide community college system that is responsive to regional workforce needs, taking remedial coursework away from our universities where they are more expensive
This is one of my top priorities. The presidents of UI and ISU (and EITC) have recommended increased need- and merit-based scholarships rather than lower tuitions, but the primary goal is the same - making higher education in Idaho more affordable.
I am strongly in support of establishing a state-wide community college system, including a facility in Idaho Falls. Both remedial classes and the 100-200 level classes that a community college provides would (a) improve the prospects of our children and our families by providing the affordable, accessible higher education needed to compete in a technologically advanced market, (b) more than offset a loss of students for lower division courses at University Place by creating an increased base for the upper level courses, and (c) provide a rich asset to attract businesses with high-paying jobs that require a highly educated work force.
Unfortunately, a community college in Idaho Falls is still a political football for two primary reasons. The first, and to my mind, most easily solvable one, is the turf battle between EITC and ISU over who (if either) administers the community college function (I don’t care either way - I just want to get a community college established!). ISU is, rightly, worried about lost enrollment and lost revenue. I think that will be made up in 3 to 4 years by the increased demand for upper level courses, but during that transition, funds will have to be provided that keep ISU from having to make wholesale cuts.
The second reason, and the less tractable, is how to pay for it. Right now, CSI and NIC are partly (less than 25%) paid for by local property taxes, the balance coming from the state (including liquor taxes). Idaho Falls rejected a property tax levy to create a community college in the early 1990s, and the consensus among those I talk to is that such a levy would fail again. This doesn’t sit well with legislators from Twin Falls or Kootenai Counties - we’re perceived as not wanting to support something they’ve been paying for for years.
The Legislature’s Interim Committee on Community Colleges is scheduled to meet again shortly after the election. I’ve heard from two members that there’s still no consensus on what to do. One of the biggest impediments is that Eastern Idaho hasn’t really spoken with one voice on what we want. The biggest danger for us would be if the Treasure Valley develops their own solution (e.g., spinning off a community college from BSU, or a community college coming in from Oregon). If that happens, the incentive to create a state-wide solution is significantly reduced.
3) shutting down the shooter bull game farms
I believe that shooter bull operations are unethical and new operations should be banned. I’d also like to see existing operations shut down, but need to research the legal issues involved before I can take a definitive position.
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Comments
Vote:
0 
0 Another thing I wanted to say in regards to the manner you have run your campaign, I have been impressed with your door-to-door meet and greets. That takes a lot of time and exercise, and definitely gives physical meaning to the phrase “run for office”.
You may not realize it but you stopped by my house one afternoon. I was away, but my wife listened to your spiel. She is absolutely uninterested in anything political, but she admitted she liked your manner of explaining your positions, and she admitted she agreed with what you said.
The real kicker was receiving the handwritten postcard a few days later thanking her for the time. I thought that was really going above and beyond, and was not something you would ever expect to get from shaking a hand at any political rally.
Vote:
0 0 How can eastern Idaho present a united front in debating the Community College system with those from northern ID, the Mini-State of Ada, or Twin Falls, until there is resolution about who would be in charge of a community college in Idaho Falls? In other words, as long as EITC and ISU are fighting about who is in charge, eastern Idaho stands to loose a chance at a community college altogether, which is what I believe you are trying to say here.
As a potential law maker, how will you faciliate the discussion between ISU and EITC for a consensus and progress? Education is a need in eastern ID.
Also, while the new president of ISU may not like my view, I’m a firm beiever Idaho Falls could easiy become a UAB of sorts. The U.A. at Tuskaloosa doesn’t serve nearly as many students as UAB. I coud easily see if EITC were to become part of ISU-IF, added to the current programs at University Place and the demand for more, plus more students wanting to live in locations other than Pocatello, I can see how the student enrollment at ISU-IF could easly surpass ISU-Pocatello in a few years.
Additionally, with BYU-I offering 4 year degrees, if positioned correctly, more graduate degrees could be offered upper level courses at ISU-I.F., or U. of I - I.F., with less students having to move or make greater transitions than they currently are. So between local employers needs (INL, local healthcare faclities and others), an increased number of 4 year degrees being awarded in Rexburg, I think the scene of education in eastern ID is changing.
Do you think that is one reason why ISU/EITC can’t get it resolved, of which institution would be in charge of a potential Community College in Idaho Falls, is because the possibility of I.F. becoming the choice of more students than Pocatello, for all of their lower and higher college level courses? If so, how can you help.
And just as an FYI, have you ever read City Councilman, Joe Groberg’s, research and subsequent paper about a Community College in Idaho Falls? It was written years ago before Ricks College became BYU-I. But, it may still have something useul to add, or he may, given his original observatons and what he knows now.
Thanks in advance for your answers.
Vote:
0 0 I’ve heard of the power struggle between EITC and ISU-IF, and I think it’s ridiculous. Idaho Falls is a big enough pie for both to exist.
For instance, one thing that bugs me about ISU is the lack of class availability. It happened ten years ago when I went here and it’s the same thing now that my wife is attending.
Unless you’re becoming a nuclear scientist, the class availability in IF is scarce, and many students end up having to start going to Pocatello sooner than need be.
For example, the science classes have more than enough students who need to have to travel to Pocatello for a lab section to start in IF.
For another example, many students take an Art 100 class to satisfy a general requirement, and it’s only offered in Pocatello. The class is merely a slideshow of art and memorize/regurgitate the materials. There’s no reason a section can’t be held here in IF.
I would say we need to support EITC more until ISU realizes they need to start serving us better if they want to get more of our resources.
There is enough pie here for both schools to develop in their own niches: ISU for general ed/liberal arts and EITC for health care/vocational programs.
Perhaps the boundaries need to be set in stone under which the two will operate in IF (charters?) so the two schools quit fussing over who gets what or having delusions of swiping resources, and they know what they can have and the boundaries of which they can work?
Yeah, I get fired up over this subject cuz I see not much as improved in 10 years besides a student union building.
Vote:
0 0 With respect to comment 3:
Thanks for the question! Certainly higher education and a community college are needed in Idaho Falls. I’m not sure what a UAB is (I assume you don’t mean a Unix Appletalk Bridge), so I can’t respond to that.
The presidents of EITC and ISU are talking. As I said, I think the “turf” issue is tractable. I don’t think it has much to do with IF vs. Pocatello, nor do I think it needs brokering by legislators.
The hard part, and the part which needs to be answered first, is funding. And there the issue lies more with Twin Falls and Coeur d’Alene’s support of CC’s with property tax while IF has rejected that option in the past. That’s an issue that the Interim Committee on Community Colleges is dealing with, and I don’t have any special insight into the workings of the Committee . But I do know that when I attended the Committee’s hearing here in IF, it generated very little interest outside the administration of the two schools.
I spoke before the Committee to my experience and reasearch into the need of Idaho Falls, as did the Robb Chiles, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, but it was hard to come away with the feeling that there was widespread community support for taxing ourselves. To me, this means that the eventual solution has to remove property tax from CSI and NIC. I don’t know enough at this point to tell you whether that’s likely to be acceptable.
I’ve read Councilman Groberg’s research, and he spoke to the Committee. He’s still committed to creatiing a CC, certainly.
Bottom line: as a potential legislator I can provide education about the issue to, and feedback from, voters I encounter. As a legislator, one of my highest priorities would be working to craft a consensus bill to create a state-wide CC system with a campus at Idaho Falls. I will wait until the Interim Committee’s report to see what the likely politically realistic alternatives are.
Vote:
0 0 UAB is the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is why I mentioned University of Alabama at Tuskaloosa. I’m not smart enough to know what a Unix Appletalk Bridge is.
I find it discouraging that more people didn’t appear at the meeting you mentioned above. While I can’t remember the time the meeting was held, I hope more people are concerned about education than appeared at the meeting. I do think there are a fair amount, however, that don’t consider it as they are planning on their kids attending a university outside of ID.
Vote:
0 0 UAB is the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Ah, I know nothing about Alabama’s higher education system, so it didn’t click.
The meeting was fairly well publicized - I saw it in the PR and the Chamber paper, and I was told it made the news the night before. The meeting was all day on a weekday, so there were people (including me) in and out, but there weren’t many members of the general public.
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Vote:
1) yeah, actually I realized if we did that then the people who can afford those things would likely just drive a few hours and buy them over the border. good point.
2) that’s a good point about the universities balancing out; if they lose tuition from remedial courses, they gain tuition from the students moving up from community colleges who are better prepared to finish the degree; as opposed the current freshman flush our universities have every year now.