STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Ned Burns and Mike Pohanka have faced each other om a contest for the District 26 Seat A in the Idaho Houe before. Burns won by 37 votes in 2022 or a margin of 0.1 percent
Now they’re facing off again for the seat that serves Blaine, Lincoln and Jerome counties.
The two squared off last Thursday at the Mountain Express’ Pizza and Politics held this year at Mountain Humane. They found some commonalities and they found issues on which they disagreed.
Ned Burns, 47, is a realtor livingin Bellevue. He has served three years in the Idaho House of Representatives. Before that he served as Bellevue mayor and on the Bellevue City Council. He said he understands the range of issues in the district from agriculture to tourism, having been raised in Twin Falls.
“I vote for the entire district, not one section,” he said.
Mike Pohanka, 67, also grew up in Twin Falls. He worked for Idaho Power Company and as a professor of economics at the College of Southern Idaho. He also has served as executive director of Jerome 20/20 and with such organizations as the Jerome and Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce organizations.
PRIORITIES:
Burns said his priorities include fully funding public schools with well-paid teachers and creatively addressing water issues to recharge aquifers, modernizing water canals to better move water from reservoirs to farmers and funding revolving loan accounts so srural towns can upgrade water and wastewater faciities without being overburdened by the costs.
He also is adamant about protecting access to public land for recreationalists, hunters and fishermen and Investing in such infrastructure as roads, bridges and high-speed internet. Finally, he cites the need to build homes across all price points to provide affordable housing.
Pohanka said he wants to make sure that Idaho’s graduating seniors are able to take on tomorrow’s challenges, whether academic or technical. He also wants to fight drugs like fentanyl and make sure the Idaho Transportation Department is adequately in order to better maintain deteriorating highways, such as the one running through Bellevue.
Protecting water resources is vital as water is Idaho’s lifeblood for agriculture, and recreation, he says. And Idaho needs to do more to address infrastructure, including repaving highways 75 and 93 and providing a third bridge over the Snake River near Twin Falls.
ON EDUCATION:
Burns cited the need to make sure rural schools are better funded and the classrooms small in size. He noted that his vote was the deciding vote to kill a bill that would have provided vouchers for private and religious schools. Using tax dollars to fund private and religious schools takes money away from public schools that are already underfunded, he said, and it violates the Idaho Constitution.
Pohanka said he also opposes school vouchers, noting that the budget doesn’t come close to addressing the needs.
PROPOSITION ONE:
Burns says he fully supports Proposition One and believes in respecting the will of the people. The current closed primary system which was put in place in 2011, keeps Independent and other voters who are not affiliated with a political party from participating in elections, he said. “Personally, I don’t think that it would be complicated to implement.”
Pohanka said he’s opposed to the bill, noting that Idaho’s Secretary of State has said it will take $40 million to implement, although proponents contend that’s not the case. “A lot of people are having trouble understanding the ranked choice voting,” he added.
ON LAST SESSION HOUSE BILL 710 LIBRARY BILL, WHICH REQUIRES PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO CENSOR “OBSCENE MATERIAL” OR FACE FINES:
Burns said he does not support his fellow legislators’ decision to restrict access to library material. “It’s an attempt to scare people and let the government tell you what you can and can’t read,” he said.
Pohanka did not say whether he would support rescinding it but, rather offered an explanation of how books deemed obscene would be reviewed and moved to an adults-only section
LAVA WIND RIDGE PROJECT:
Burns said he supports efforts to produce clean energy, but (Lava Ridge) is “a bad project in a bad place.” He noted that the project has faced overwhleming community opposition in addition to unanimous opposition of Idaho legislators, and Idaho’s federal delegation. And he says the project will be detrimental to the Minidoka National Historic Site, the land, the aquifer, and winter range for thousands of mule deer. It would also mean the loss of grazing permits to cattle ranchers.
Pohanka said he also opposes the project. He worries, for instance, about how high the turbines would be the project’s potential for destroying the aquifer.
PROVIDING RESTRICTED LICENSES FOR UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS:
Burns favors such licenses because he contends that the education applicants would have to undergo to get the licenses would help them understand the rules off the road thereby cutting the number of accidents. It would also increase the rate of insured drivers, he said.
Pohanka, a chaplain for the Idaho State Police, said having restricted licenses would help law enforcement know who they are dealing with when they make a traffic stop.
ON THE ABORTION TRIGGER LAW, WHICH MADE IDAHO’s ABORTION BAN ONE OF STRICTEST IN THE NATION:
Burns favors repealing the ban. “We’re Life-flighting one woman a week for critical life-saving care because of pregnancy complications.” Current abortion laws have caused more than 22 percent of the state’s OB-GYNs and fetal medicine specialists to leave the state due to fear of loss of licenses or jail time. “If they’re able to practice without fear, they will come back to the stage.”
Pohanka said he is pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother.