November 2023 Voter's Guide
Here are one man's recommendations for local and municipal elections
Welcome to the November 2023 Voter’s Guide from Gem State Substack. These are my recommendations for the local, municipal, and school elections concluding on November 7, 2023.
I will include as many races as I am familiar with. Eventually I’d like to grow this project so perhaps by the May primary next year I’ll be able to cover the whole state. For now, I’ll start in my hometown of Eagle and work outward.
Feel free to bookmark and share this page! Early voting begins Monday, October 23, so make sure your voice is heard. I will be voting early so I can work the polls on Election Day.
I included links to as many campaign websites as I could find — click on the candidate name. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order and endorsements are in bold. Scroll to the bottom for a simple image you can download for reference.
Eagle Mayor
Jason Pierce gets it. He has a deep understanding not only of conservative principles, but of how to maintain those principles in the face of record growth. He understands why cities turn blue, and is working hard to keep that from happening in Eagle. His tenure has been marked by competence, smart growth, and a unifying vision for what Eagle can be.
Pierce is endorsed by the District 14 GOP, former mayor Nancy Merrill, Congressman Russ Fulcher, and Attorney General Raúl Labrador. I humbly add my own voice to that chorus, and give Jason Pierce my complete and total endorsement for Eagle Mayor.
Eagle City Council (Two Seats)
Mary May and Craig Kvamme each have solid conservative principles as well as the experience to implement them. May has served in various positions in local government for a long time, and Kvamme has extensive experience with Urban Renewal and the Two Rivers HOA. They will both be great assets to the council for the next four years. While I appreciate the other three for stepping into the ring, none have the knowledge and experience of Mary May and Craig Kvamme.
Boise Mayor
I was disappointed when Mike Masterson bowed to leftist pressure and returned a small donation from a conservative activist. It indicates that as mayor, Masterson will be extremely susceptible to pressure from the left. Nevertheless, he is the only hope against the socialist incumbent, and perhaps the only person who can stop Boise’s transformation into Portland. Vote Masterson.
Boise City Council District 1
Luci Willits is unopposed, so she won’t even be on the ballot. She has been the only council member even remotely conservative for the past two years.
Boise City Council District 2
Grant Burgoyne and Colin Nash are varying flavors of leftist, with Burgoyne probably being the better choice between the two. However, I found Hillary Smith to be knowledgeable, articulate, and very concerned about the direction in which Boise is heading.
Boise City Council District 3
Chris Blanchard appears to be the front runner among conservative voters, but his social media history demonstrates that he is of the sort that hates Trump supporters, supports abortion, wants gun control, etc. He also appears to support “affordable housing” which is often a Trojan Horse for extreme leftism in cities.
On the other hand, I found Josh Johnston to be knowledgeable and passionate about bringing Boise back from the brink, so I give him my recommendation for district 3.
Boise City Council District 4
Janet Burke is an Ada County GOP PC, but does not appear to have a website. Jordan Morales has a website where he says his top priorities are affordable housing, more room for bicycles, and subsidized childcare. Vote Burke.
Boise City Council District 5
Jeremy Gugino proudly explains that he switched from Republican to Democrat after Donald Trump’s nomination for president, and then he went on to work for the Idaho Democrats as well as Reclaim Idaho. On the other hand, Meredith Stead is endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Voters in district 5 have my sympathies.
Boise City Council District 6
The incumbent Hallyburton is unopposed and therefore will not be on the ballot.
Meridian Mayor
Mayor Simison came up through the bureaucracy, so he has a lot of allies but few solid principles. He signed a proclamation supporting Boise Pride, even as they were under fire for including a children’s drag show; he supported the persecution of Sara Brady; and he does not seem concerned that Meridian is heading toward being Boise 2.0.
Mike Hon, on the other hand, has solid conservative principles and the energy to put them into action, even in the face of media slander. He has taken many slings and arrows the past few years because he has stood up for what is right. I strongly urge everyone in Meridian to vote for Mike Hon.
Meridian City Council Seat 2
Both Hoaglun and Strader are incumbents, forced to run against each other due to Meridian’s new district boundaries. Both Hoaglun and Strader signed the Boise Pride proclamation last year. However, Hoaglun seemed to have a better grasp of the issues at the candidate forum I attended.
Meridian City Council Seat 3
Both candidates seem to have solid conservative principles, but Doug Tayler appears to have more experience and a greater ability to implement them.
Meridian City Council Seat 4
Overton is running unopposed and will therefore not be on the ballot.
Meridian City Council Seat 5
Anne Little-Roberts did not appear at the candidate forum I attended, so I can’t speak directly to her positions or demeanor. However, I was impressed with Todd Ebeling, and I believe he would be an asset to Meridian.
Eagle Fire Commissioner
Brian Simpson
When the third member of the board of commissioners recently resigned, remaining commissioners Brad Pike and Josh Tanner each selected a candidate to fill the open seat. Pike chose Brian Simpson, Tanner chose Nate Murphy, and Simpson’s name was pulled out of a hat. Murphy filed to run, as did Clyde Dornier. Of the three I believe that Murphy has the clearest conservative principles, and he will bring his financial background to the all-important budgeting process at the fire district. He has my unqualified support.
West Ada School Board Trustee Zone 2
I don’t know enough about this race to make a recommendation. Susie Shuetz’s website calls for fiscal transparency, while the incumbent Baclayon approved the 10-year $500 million plant levy, but beyond that I’m not sure. Zone 2 is at the most southern end of the West Ada School District, and I don’t get down there much, unfortunately.
West Ada School Board Trustee Zone 4
This is a tough race to call. Miguel DeLuna is a friend and fellow member of the District 14 Committee, whose conservative bona fides are beyond doubt, however, I have been very impressed with Dave Binetti’s command of the issues. He has an extreme depth of knowledge regarding the operation of the school district and has tangible results regarding fighting mask mandates and woke ideology. The one mark against him is that he voted in favor of putting the 10-year $500 million plant levy on the ballot, which was soundly defeated by voters earlier this year. He says he got the message, but DeLuna and his fellow conservative candidate Tom Moore say that’s not good enough, and he has to go.
I’m going to follow the lead of the LD14 GOP and leave this one to your discretion. The third candidate, Mari Gates, is supported by the local Democratic Party, so defeating her is imperative. I only hope that DeLuna and Binetti do not split the vote.
West Ada School Board Trustee Zone 5
Tom Moore is a veteran naval aviator with degrees in statistics and accounting. He is soft-spoken and levelheaded, and I believe he would bring a valuable perspective to the school board.
Ada County Sheriff’s Office Jail Bond
Tax increases are never popular, and they should never be simply rubber-stamped. When the government comes to the citizen, hat in hand, asking for more of your money, we must make sure it is not only for a good reason, but that it will be a wise and constitutional use of that money.
With that in mind, I was impressed with Sheriff Matt Clifford’s presentation of the issues facing the Ada County Jail, which showed how this bond would not only modernize the jail but also improve safety and security in our community. I trust Sheriff Clifford and his team to make wise use of this money, which if approved would cost most homeowners $10-20 more in property taxes each year. I will be voting in favor of this bond.
Make sure to vote. These municipal races are very important for the direction of our communities. City councils, school boards, and other local elections are where representation works the best. Click here to learn how to find your polling place and where to vote early. The future belongs to those who show up, so I hope everyone shows up this Election Day.
I like the printable voting guide!