ADA COUNTY — At the very bottom of Ada County ballots, voters will find the Ada County Highway District Commissioner’s races.
The ACHD Commission District 1 seat covers east of Downtown Boise to Eastern portions of Ada county.
Jim Hansen has been in this seat for about eight years now. He says if he is re-elected, there are several ‘first things’ he wants to accomplish, starting with the impact fee statute, which going into the new year, allows revision to how those resources for transportation are used.
“So, it’s not so much about what we charge in impact fees, but it’s how we use and reinvest those resources into what is a direct impact on that new development,” Hansen says.
He also says some of his projects are continuously moving forward during his current term and would like to see them progress if re-elected.
“What I’ve been pushing for, and I gradually see this change, is the thinking that this needs to be about how to make our community stronger more resilient by the way in which we invest in our transportation system and that means driving walking, biking and taking transit,” Hansen says.
Hansen’s opponent, Kara Veit, is making her ballot appearance this November. She believes she can bring a “fresh and balanced” perspective to ACHD through her 15 years of public transportation involvement experience.
“I’ve worked on very politically sensitive projects that require bringing people with really diverse perspectives and bringing them together. We need to move forward right now with our transportation system and be proactive. I see that missing,” Viet says.
Veit also added that community feedback is at the top of her priorities if elected.
“I really think listening to what the public says and actually applying their input in a meaningful manner is absolutely essential because otherwise, it feels if people are left out of the process and even if they are giving input, people have to be giving input at the correct times otherwise its not meaningful if its not given at the correct time in the process." Veit says.
Both candidates say they will strive for bringing community leaders together when it comes to making decisions that would impact the community.
