Idaho's most important elections are won in the primaries. If you want to have a say in how Jerome County is run, you have to vote in the primary.
Projects like SWIP-N deserve real public scrutiny — not a rubber stamp for the connected few. When elected, I will make sure the rules are followed and applied equally.
The rules should not bend for the politically connected and stiffen for everyone else. That is the whole point of having rules.
When a resident wants a setback variance, they are told exactly which code section controls and asked to meet it to the letter. When a well-connected applicant wants approval for a 285-mile transmission line, the standards somehow become flexible, the notice period somehow becomes shorter, and the “public hearing” somehow lands on a date that makes it hard for anyone to show up.
That is not enforcement. That is sorting.
The Southwest Intertie Project–North is a $1.1 billion, 285-mile, 500 kV transmission line built by LS Power subsidiary Great Basin Transmission, terminating at the Midpoint Substation near Jerome. Per FERC filings, ~80% of the Idaho energy on SWIP-N is destined for California. The Jerome County Commission has already remanded the special use permit once.
Idaho Code § 67-6509 requires public notice and hearings before any zoning ordinance is adopted or amended. § 67-6521 defines standing as an “affected person” to challenge a land use decision. “Same rules” starts with actually running the process these statutes describe.
The zoning ordinance binds the connected applicant the same way it binds the homeowner.
Direct written notice to every affected landowner within a defined radius.
Minimum 10 days between full-packet posting and any significant vote. Every applicant.
Conditions of approval enforced equally. Big applicants don’t negotiate them away.
Every claim on this page is grounded in public law, public records, or directly observable public conduct.
"One set of rules. Applied equally. Every applicant. Every time."— Jerry Holton