[Vision2020] UI a Central Theme in District 6 Race

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (October 11, 2006) Spokesman Review -

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UI a central theme in District 6 race 
Both candidates want more funds for county's chief institution

Meghann M. Cuniff 
Staff writer
October 11, 2006

In legislative District 6, which encompasses Latah County, the University of
Idaho is considered by many to be the lifeblood of the economy. So it makes
sense that education issues are at the forefront of the district's only
contested legislative race, House seat B. 

Republican L. Roger Falen, a researcher at the UI, is challenging Rep.
Shirley Ringo, a former schoolteacher, for the seat, saying he'll be more
effective than the Moscow Democrat because of his GOP ties.

The money UI received through the state budgeting process last year was
inadequate, Falen said, and he thinks he can do better because of his ties
to the university and to the Republicans in control of the Legislature and
the budget process.

"I think I could probably give better representation in this area than we're
getting now," Falen said.

But Ringo points to her committee opponents and her tenure in the
Legislature as a sign that she can get things done.

As a member of the budget-writing panel, the Joint Finance-Appropriations
Committee, Ringo is directly involved in doling out tax money, meaning she
"can work for better funding for programs to support our district," she
said.

 
Like Falen, one of her main focuses is funding for educational entities such
as the UI.

"We're really having problems with losing some of our excellent professors
and researchers at the University of Idaho because they're getting paid
vastly higher salaries at other institutions," Ringo said. 

She said her three terms in the Legislature have given her the opportunity
to form working relationships with members of the Republican Party -
relationships that can help her get bills passed and get District 6's issues
addressed. Besides, a one-party system isn't good government, she said.

"It does happen sometimes where it's very difficult to get a fair and
complete discussion of issues when the majority party refuses to talk about
them," she said. 

A bill Ringo co-sponsored in the last session that would have raised the
minimum wage by a dollar wasn't even going to be heard in committee until
Democrats staged a procedural protest. It then was rejected in committee.

Ringo said one of her biggest priorities if re-elected will be to increase
the minimum wage, now $5.15 an hour, the same as the federal minimum wage.
She plans to introduce another bill that would go further, increasing the
minimum wage to $7.25 an hour and indexing it to the inflation rate.

"I think it's just disturbing that wages in Idaho are so very low," Ringo
said. "If we are not successful in the next session, I think it will be time
to form some groups and try to get it through initiative."

Falen said he supports higher wages for everybody but is undecided about how
much the minimum wage should be increased.

"You may wind up putting people out of jobs," he said.

Ringo has raised more than $18,000 compared with Falen's approximately
$4,900, according to campaign expenditure reports filed Tuesday.

Along with more money for the UI, Falen said he'd like to work on further
strengthening the state's anti-sex offender laws, such as closer monitoring
of dangerous offenders.

He criticized Ringo for voting against a bill last session that added murder
linked with sex abuse to the crimes that qualify for the death penalty. He
also criticized her for voting against a bill that provided protection from
civil suits for people who hurt someone who's trespassing in their home or
on their property. Both bills passed handily.

"But nevertheless, she's out there on the fringe," Falen said.

Ringo said she supports strict penalties for violent crimes but opposes the
death penalty no matter what the crime. She said she voted against the other
bill because she heard from people in the legal profession that the
protection the bill sought was already in Idaho law.

"Every time we go down to the Legislature we deal with hundreds of bills,
and I really believe we should try to be efficient and not clutter our
system," Ringo said.

The candidates agree on some issues. Ringo voted against the constitutional
amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions, and Falen said he doesn't
think the amendment is necessary. "I'm a Barry Goldwater-type libertarian
that's conservative on economic issues," he said. "I don't think that the
government should be in the business of legislating morality."

Among other issues, Falen said he'd like to do more work to improve the
state's open meetings and records act and do more to protect whistleblowers.


He said he'd also like to introduce a bill similar to Proposition 2, which
mandates the government compensate for any regulatory takings. He doesn't
like the way the measure on the Nov. 7 ballot is worded but supports the
overall concept.

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Shirley Ringo 
Party: Democrat

Age: 65

Hometown: Moscow

Personal: Married, three grown children, one granddaughter

Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in math from Washington State
University

Professional: Retired high school math teacher

Political: Three terms in the Legislature, former chairwoman of the Latah
County Democrats, serves on the legislative budget-writing committee,
commerce and human resources committee and the transportation and defense
committee.

First priority in office: Raise the minimum wage, support public education

Quote: "I just want to try to assure that people in my district and in Idaho
have access to good educational opportunities. I want to try to assure that
everybody has the opportunity to have a career with good pay and benefits."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Vandalville, Idaho

"Politicians are like diapers.  They should be changed frequently and for
the same reason."

- Robin Williams