sharon fisher
For House 21A
Blog
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Glutton for Punishment :)
Posted Mar 27 at 1 PM
I've filed to run for the same seat in 2010!
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More Than a Sign
Posted Oct 22 at 9 AM
I'm beginning to think I should make my campaign slogan "I Show Up."
A couple of weeks ago -- as though they'd sprouted like mushrooms in all the rain we had -- campaign signs for my opponent started popping up everywhere. Every intersection, the middle of every block. I must have counted 50 of them on the way to the Southwest Ada Neighborhood Association Candidate Forum last week.
What I didn't see there, though, was my opponent.
In fact, my opponent was the *only* candidate in District 21 -- including the county commissioner races -- who didn't show up. Even Representative John Vander Woude, who lost to my opponent in the May primary, was there with his lovely wife. But I spent the whole evening sitting next to an empty chair, with a nice big nameplate on it, since he'd told organizers he'd be there.
I had a great time listening to the good people on the eastern side of my district talk about their concerns with annexation -- a situation I face myself -- and I'm told they were impressed by me, too. I'm sorry, for his sake, that my opponent didn't recognize this opportunity for what it was.
I'd like to think that the people in my district require more from their candidates than just sticking up a lot of signs.
Like, showing up.
(But if you do want your very own Sharon Fisher yard sign, follow this link and they'll send you one for free -- you do have to pay for shipping. Or if you want to support my campaign, buy a few! Chip in with your friends!)
http://www.buildasign.com/campaign-signs/Idaho/State-House/Sharon-Fisher
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Statesman endorsement
Posted Oct 14 at 9 PM
I'm happy to report that today I was endorsed by the Idaho Statesman. As the largest newspaper in Idaho and certainly the major source of news in the Treasure Valley, its endorsement was very important to me.
Here's what the Statesman said:
"The Legislature has been high-tech challenged for years. Too many legislators seem unaware of the importance of the technical sector in the state's economic picture.
"Fisher, of Kuna, says her top priority is high-tech - a trenchant choice, considering the recent job cuts at Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard.
"Fisher favors luring tech jobs not through tax breaks, but instead by improving math and science education programs and by adding the kind of urban services businesses expect. Those will be tough sells in 2009 and probably beyond, as lawmakers deal with the slow tax collections stemming from an economic downturn. But it's important to have legislators push the dialogue about the state's role in attracting, and keeping, high-paying high-tech jobs in the Valley.
"Fisher would be a newcomer to the Legislature, but she's no newcomer to the process. Two years ago, she was an intern for the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. More recently, she covered JFAC for the online news site NewWest.Net. Fisher is a pragmatist: as a Democratic lawmaker and a freshman, she doesn't expect to land a seat on JFAC. Still, her familiarity with the budget gives her an edge in this open race."
Or, read it for yourself at http://www.idahostatesman.com/editorial/story/537221.html
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Tale of Two Candidate Forums
Posted Sep 24 at 9 AM
Last week I attended two candidate forums. One was at Treasure Valley Baptist Church, attended primarily by Republicans. The other was at Boise State, attended primarily by Democrats. They were very different, and I learned a lot from each.
I was a little worried about the Treasure Valley Baptist event -- Daniel entering the lions' den, as it were -- but their invitation assured me that everyone would be treated respectfully, and we were. Many church officials made a point of shaking my hand and telling me how glad they were I was there. We all got the same badges, the same gifts, women got the same corsages, and we were all placed at identical tables equitably in the gym.
Besides, there was pie. :) Apple, of course.
I met and talked with a number of people from my district, most of them accompanied by their children, and we had interesting, in-depth conversations on issues. Needless to say, education was a big one, and as the mother of a school-age child, that's a big issue for me, too.
The Boise State event, sponsored by a number of nonprofit organizations in the Valley, was more formal, with submitted questions by the sponsors that we answered. My opponent, who did attend the Treasure Valley Baptist event, was listed in the program as attending, but he didn't show up.
I was disappointed that my opponent chose not to attend. I'm sure it might have been challenging for him to attend an event with predominantly Democrats. On the other hand, I was willing to attend an event with predominantly Republicans, because I know that as a Representative, I *represent* everyone in my district, not just the people with whom I feel the most affinity, and it's important for me to learn everyone's views, not just the ones I already know. I wasn't afraid of the challenge, but looked at it as an opportunity.
What does that tell you about my candidacy? And about the kind of legislator I'll be?
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Listen for yourself
Posted Sep 19 at 5 PM
The Idaho Statesman has posted the raw content of its endorsement interviews, in preparation for its endorsements. Listening to my opponent, I have absolutely no doubt about which of us can provide better leadership to Idaho and to District 21.
Don't take my word for it: check it out for yourself.
Me:
http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/2008/09/16/21/Fisher.source.prod_affiliate.36.mp3
My opponent: http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/2008/09/16/22/Jarvis.source.prod_affiliate.36.mp3 -
Idaho's Crumbling Infrastructure?
Posted Sep 08 at 10 PM
I recently attended two meetings in Boise about road maintenance (the only candidate from District 21 to do so, as far as I saw). As you may recall from the last legislative session, Governor Butch Otter wanted more than $200 million to perform what he said was long-overdue road maintenance.
You may have heard of GARVEE bonds, which are adding new lanes to I84 between Caldwell and Meridian. The difference is that GARVEE bonds are used to build new roads; what the Governor and the Idaho Transportation Department say they need is money to fix the roads and bridges we already have.
$200 million is a lot of money, especially considering the economy. What makes things harder for us is that the economy is bad on a national level as well -- meaning we may be able to get less money from the federal government to help than we've been used to. In addition, Idaho is what's called a "donee" state, meaning we get more money from the federal government for roads than we pay in taxes. Some of the "donor" states are reportedly trying to change the existing formulas so that they get a larger share of the money they pay in.
Some legislators last session were concerned that ITD wasn't making the best use of the money it already receives, so they allocated money for the Office of Performance Evaluation to audit the department. The first phase of that study is due in January. (Here's more information about it: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/ope/ScopeITD.pdf).
Governor Otter suggested a flat $150 registration fee for all vehicles, which the legislature criticized, so he withdrew the proposal.
So here's what I will do:
Look at the results of the audit. I know the head of OPE and he takes his job very seriously. I trust him to give us good results.
Find out where Governor Otter gets his $200 million figure. Is it just based on a percentage of what he says is the value of Idaho roads? Is this the standard way to decide how much money to spend on maintenance? If not, what do other states do? The figure may be accurate, but I want to know what's behind it before I agree that we need to raise $200 million on the backs of Idaho's citizens and businesses.
Once we find out what the figure really should be, and what changes can be made to ITD to make better use of state money, *then* we can look at how to raise the money. ITD has performed a good first step by looking at fees and gas taxes in neighboring states -- not just increasing the fees we already pay, but finding other sources of revenue. For example, wouldn't it make sense for the vehicles that put the biggest loads on the road to pay a larger share? Studies show that a 40,000-ton truck can put more wear on the road than 60,000 one-ton cars. And with increasing pollution levels in the Valley and high gas prices, shouldn't we encourage people to use more energy-efficient vehicles?
Let me know what you think!
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Supporting Idaho's Tech Community
Posted Aug 14 at 3 PM
I'm here in Maine with my daughter for a summer vacation. Maine is dotted with small towns with a population of a couple of thousand, much like parts of Idaho. Yet there's one big difference: Maine is really supporting its high-tech community, and is putting its money where its mouth is. The state is floating a bond issue of $50 million and giving grants to high-tech in order to bring jobs to its citizens. What would it be like if we could do that here in Idaho? Read more about the Maine effort here: http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2962.html -
Kuna Days!
Posted Aug 08 at 11 AM
Typically legislative campaigns around here don't really kick in until Labor Day, but since I'm an overachiever I started in August. Besides, there was no better time than Kuna Days to get to meet my constituents.
As always, I attended the Friday night barbecue and the Boy Scouts pancake breakfast Saturday morning, where I ran into Walt Minnick, who's running for Congress against Bill Sali. He was talking to Blanche Kuhlman, who'd been told she was going to be in the parade but not why -- it turned out that she was chosen Grand Marshal.
The parade was wonderful. We marched with a group of people, including David and Tracy Dineen, their two children, and their two donkeys; David was riding a mule. Kids along the route really loved the donkeys.
I was impressed by how many people came by the booth. I've been hearing for years that "there's no Democrats in Kuna" and it's just not true; they just haven't had the opportunity to express themselves.
Incidentally, if my opponent was in the parade or at the event, I didn't see him. In fact, the majority of the people who ask the name of my opponent go on to say they have never heard of him.
