Idaho Falls and Ammon City Election Results – November 2009

Hopefully this is a lesson the anti tax crowd. This is what, three elections now where they have run candidates on planks of cut property taxes and little else and each time they’ve lost. The same ole cut property tax rhetoric isn’t going to get you an election. I voted for Creek and Erhardt but I wasn’t really voting for them, I was voting against Hardcastle and Cornwell. Creek and Erhardt did absolutely nothing to inspire me that they would do a good job, that they actually had a plan, that they knew where they might actually be able to save money, or that they wouldn’t cut services. Had my disdain for Hardcastle and Cornwell been less I would have voted for them. I would have happily voted for Taylor over Creek or Erhardt as he at least seems to have a clue and he doesn’t talk out the side of his mouth to you like Hardcastle and Cornwell do.

So anti tax crowd, take a hint from three failed elections. Saying your going to cut property taxes isn’t a platform, you need more.

While I often don’t agree with you, Anonymous, I think you made a very good point. This election was a needed heads-up for the incumbents- these days, pinching a penny is needed, but it’s all in where the penny is pinched.

While I thought Ehardt ran a good campaign, I think she shot herself in the foot with the child care issue. The law itself was needed, and is popular with parents, and Ehardt could have gained traction by presenting a plan to fine tune it for allowing part-time caregivers, not trashing the whole law.
Creek didn’t come out with any cost saving plans at all, and the picture of him in the paper made him look like Jabba The Hut. I guess that’s a signal to future candidates- if you don’t plan on proposing anything positive, you had better be fairly good-looking.

The local RPCC didn’t help either of these candidates. The fact is folks here like the city race to be non-partisan, simple as that. Lofty Party principles just don’t have much to do with how the garbage gets hauled or how the cops get hired, fired and paid.

And obviously, a new candidate is going to do better if they are a visible civic activist before they get into politics. Cornwell spent a fraction of the total money spent on the campaign, and had no bells and whistles- no websites, or any of the things that politicos think are necessary. She’s just very widely known and recognized, and has been long before she ever ran for office the first time.

Ehardt came across as being likeable and bright, but folks didn’t know anything at all about her, civically, and she had no special civic qualifications.

Barbara depended to much on others for her campaign. I was thinking who was running Barbara or Kaly Shippen?. Here on IdahoFallsToday.com Kaly did most of the promoting of Babara’s canditacy, Barbara should of posted here more. If Barbara runs d for office again she might want to say thanks but no thanks to some of her endorsements and speak for herself instead of thru her staff/team.

To Guest, comment #5: I’m not related to Kenneth G. Taylor, nor do I even know who he is.