Steve Smith for Bonner County Commissioner, District 1
Steve Smith’s Platform for Bonner County
Property Rights, Lean Government and Lawful Operations
Protecting Your Private Property Rights
Our founding fathers considered private property to be one of our inalienable rights. The first main pillar of Steve’s campaign, therefore, is protecting private property rights from government overreach.
Steve agrees with the timeless truths of the Declaration of Independence, including that our rights are granted by God and that the proper role of government is to protect those rights. The principle of individual liberty requires that the government protect our liberties, but we should not exercise those liberties in a way that adversely affects our neighbors.
The Idaho legislature has mandated that counties have planning and zoning laws. To comply with Idaho law, therefore, every county needs planning and zoning laws that are consistent with the purposes of the enabling legislation.
Steve believes that county commissioners must find a reasonable balance between the rights of private property owners to use and manage their property and the need for that use and management not to have an adverse impact on neighbors or the community. Because every piece of real property is unique, striking that balance will be heavily influenced by the circumstances of each parcel.
Making Every Tax Dollar Count
Steve believes it is important to maximize efficiency without compromising essential services, to protect taxpayers from unnecessary taxes. Free enterprise is one of the timeless principles of our culture. The government has never taken control of or responsibility for an enterprise that the private sector can do and done it better or less expensively.
Steve believes in watching out for hidden costs. For example, when the federal government offers a grant for a supposedly “free” building, Steve will ask about the costs of maintaining, heating and insuring it, to guard against expenses that often get overlooked and are then passed on to county taxpayers.
Idaho is a Dillon’s Rule state, meaning that county elected officials do not have authority to act unless that authority is expressly granted to the county by the state constitution or by the state legislature through a state statute. When county commissioners make sure Bonner County operates only in its lawful jurisdictional lane, the county will not only be operating lawfully, but will also be less likely to pay for anything outside its legal spending authority. Steve believes that is the right thing to do, and it will save taxpayer dollars.
Safeguarding Bonner County Taxpayers
Steve has invested 47 years in the practice of law, a good share of which was spent providing legal counsel to numerous local governments and public entities. One of his overriding concerns was to ensure that they served the community with lawful and efficient operations, saving taxpayers from having to pay for avoidable lawsuits. His training and experience have prepared him to avoid mistakes in the first place, safeguarding Bonner County taxpayers against the costs of needless litigation.
Legal claims brought against the county carry two major costs. The first is simply the dollars involved in dealing with those claims. Whether a case is settled or goes to trial, the expense is huge. The second cost is the erosion of trust. County citizens need county commissioners who operate transparently and lawfully, and by doing so, commissioners can avoid many of those claims. So, both to avoid the cost of litigating or settling claims and to rebuild trust, it’s time for a change in how county commissioners guard against legal liability.
Steve believes he can bring value to the commissioners’ decision-making process by helping the county avoid needless litigation.