POCATELLO — Changes could be coming to the Pocatello Police Department following the fatal shooting of Victor Perez in April no matter who's triumphant in the Gate City's mayoral runoff election on Dec. 2.

Both candidates vying to succeed Mayor Brian Blad in January, Greg Cates and Mark Dahlquist, suggested significant adjustments within the police department and identified myriad other ways to make Pocatello a better place to live while participating in an Idaho State Journal forum hosted at its studio inside its North Arthur Avenue building on Monday.

The two candidates answered questions for roughly 90 minutes, addressing topics ranging from police reform and airport services to downtown revitalization and city finances. While both candidates share similar views on many issues, they differ in their approaches and the experience they bring to the role.

Both candidates agreed that reform is needed within the police department following the April shooting death of Victor Perez.

Cates, who retired from the department in December 2023 after a back injury and now works as a certified financial counselor at a local credit union, said the sentiment he's hearing from his constituents is that now that Blad's out as mayor the next person who needs to go is Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei.

"The one thing I've heard is that two people in the city have to be removed," Cates said about what needs to change in the wake of the Perez shooting. "One was the mayor, and one's the police chief. The mayor has been removed by vote. Next is the police chief. And after that, this community is ready to start healing and move on."

Drawing on his 16 years with the Pocatello Police Department, Cates identified three critical areas of police reform — hiring qualified officers, revamping training and improving retention. He said he believes inexperienced officers played a role in the Perez shooting.

"When you have experienced police officers that have either moved on or they've been promoted out of patrol, it leaves behind a wake of very inexperienced police officers," Cates said. "Things like what happened on April 5 tend to happen."

Dahlquist, who has served as CEO at NeighborWorks Pocatello for 19 years, said he supports community policing initiatives and suggested the return of geographic sergeant assignments to build relationships with the Gate City's neighborhood associations.

He also proposed creating a registry for households with special situations to better inform responding officers such as children with autism or individuals with special needs.

"The Victor Perez tragedy shocked the city, and we're still feeling the ripple effects," Dahlquist said. "We need to win back the trust and the confidence from the Pocatello Police Department."

Dahlquist said he would conduct employee satisfaction surveys to gauge morale and training quality, and create a public task force to help rebuild community trust.

Cates said he supports the idea of a voluntary registry but noted the dispatch challenges during the Perez incident stemmed from not having an address to work with. He said the department needs better integration of mental health expertise into police training.

Both candidates made commitments to making city government more accessible and transparent, though through different approaches.

Cates said he would make himself more accessible than the current administration, proposing frequent town halls similar to informal gatherings at local coffee shops.

"Not really an official capacity type of meeting, but something that's personal, and we can just talk to the community and figure out how things are going for everybody," Cates said.

He also said he would hire a chief financial officer immediately, noting the city has operated without one consistently over the past five years.

"Since COVID, City Hall has been locked and it's very hard to access our mayor," Cates said, adding that he wants better budget transparency and improved online access to financial information.

Much like Cates' idea for informal town halls, Dahlquist said he would restore the public comment period to the beginning of City Council meetings and allow dialogue between Council members and residents — a practice he said has been limited. He also wants to bring back detailed budget presentations through dashboards and summaries.

"Performance reviews have been taken away citywide," Dahlquist said. "If you want good morale, you need good feedback."

Dahlquist said his four decades of management experience, including an 18-year career at Farmers Insurance before turning around NeighborWorks Pocatello from "financial disarray" to "exemplary status," prepared him for the tough budget challenges ahead.

On economic development, both candidates said the city needs broader community involvement and better utilization of existing resources.

Dahlquist said the city needs to bring the LA Semiconductor plant to full capacity — currently operating at about 20 percent — and involve more private sector leaders in recruitment efforts.

"There's the feeling in Pocatello that they're not being brought to the table, that there's just a small group of people from within that are going out and talking to prospective employers," Dahlquist said. "This needs to be an all hands on deck effort."

Cates said the city needs to let those looking to bring their workforces to the Gate City know that "Pocatello is open for business" while reducing bureaucratic red tape. He proposed developing an aerospace and logistics hub at the airport and partnering with Idaho State University on research and development companies.

"We should bring research and development businesses here and partner them with Idaho State University," Cates said, adding this could create a "homegrown workforce where people graduate already trained to go to work locally."

Cates said his 35-year career as an investigator, including 18 years spent operating his own private company as well as contract work with the U.S. Department of Justice, would help him identify problems in city operations and find solutions.

The candidates diverged notably on their vision for Pocatello Regional Airport.

Dahlquist took a cautious approach, saying the city needs to nurture existing relationships with Delta and SkyWest while working to increase passenger numbers. He said he would request a second hub destination, such as Minneapolis or Atlanta, to differentiate from Idaho Falls.

Cates proposed a more ambitious strategy, saying he would reach out to Southwest Airlines and Breeze Airways to create a unique hub that could attract travelers from Idaho Falls and surrounding areas.

"When you can drive almost as quickly as you can fly to our only hub, it doesn't really push people to fly out of our airport," Cates said. "The only way to compete is by being different."

Both candidates said they want to see downtown development continue while acknowledging financial constraints.

Dahlquist said recent progress has been positive but relocating City Hall downtown, while a good long-term concept, isn't affordable given current budget deficits. He said the city needs more public-private partnerships like the one that created Lookout Point.

Cates proposed a plan to close two blocks of Main Street to create a pedestrian plaza, which also could be funded through public-private partnerships. He said he's excited about the Portneuf River Vision project and suggested easing restrictions on downtown building renovations.

On the broader budget, both candidates identified Pocatello's high tax levy rates as a major concern. Cates said the city needs to reduce spending and find new revenue sources beyond property taxes. Dahlquist said Pocatello has "a revenue problem" that requires bringing in new businesses and development rather than raising taxes.

Both candidates closed by asking for your vote when the runoff election is held on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Whoever emerges victorious will slide into the shoes Blad had worn for the past 16 years before finishing a distant third in a seven-candidate race during the general election earlier this month.

The winner will take office in January.