2 Republican candidates vying to be next Bannock County Commissioner of District 1

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - We are just about a week away from the primary election for both Republicans and Democrats in the state.

Two candidates are running to be the Republican candidates for the first district in Bannock County.

The incumbent and Inkom resident Ernie Moser has held the position for five-and-a-half years.  His opponent is Larry Burden of Downey.

We asked both men why they were running for commissioner.

"There are a few projects that I'd like to see completed,” Moser said. “I feel like we've moved forward as a county since I've been here and I'd like to keep this going in a very positive direction."

"I am running for County Commissioner immediately because we just had a solar discussion on the southern end of the county and it took all the citizens to stand up," Burden said.

The two candidates differ on the use of the Bannock County Event Center and the Portneuf Wellness Complex, which are owned by the county.

"The citizens of Bannock County need to be asked if they want to pay to have the Wellness Complex and the Event Center paid for by them," Burden said.   

"We're always going to have a park, which means that we're going to have the football games, the soccer games, and all the other activities. And we're not going to make money on that facility as a park. But on the parts of it that we can make some funds back and put money back into our budget. We're working very hard on doing that,” Moser said.

Both men also have different opinions on the state of the county's budget.

"We have a 30% tax increase on your property, your home value. We had 10% the next year. We had 15% the next year. What were the plans for that extra money and where did it go?” asked Burden.

"We've had a balanced budget. We didn't take the 3% last year. We took a one-and-a-half percent the year before. We didn't take anything the year before that. So, we're managing the money here in Bannock County," Moser said.

If elected, Burden says he is going to prioritize the south part of the county that District One represents. "My first focus would be take care of people, my constituents in the south and the overall county. We need to have a bigger plan than just the comprehensive plan for the growth we're going to experience because people will continue to move here," Burden said.

For Moser, he believes the job needs someone with great experience. "I thought I'd come in here and be a commissioner and have all the answers. Well, I didn't have the answers. It's a big learning curve." Moser said.