BLACKFOOT — Two Bingham County Republican candidates will face off for the coroner’s office, drawing on their extensive first responder backgrounds but offering different visions for the job.

Incumbent Jimmy Roberts is a firefighter and paramedic with 34 years of experience who also served as a U.S. Navy corpsman attached to the Marine Corps. His motivation for running is deeply personal, and he has made concerted efforts toward reform during his tenure.

Scott O. Tweedy is a lifelong Bingham County resident and first responder since 1999. Tweedy says the coroner’s office has lost its human touch and is running to repair relationships, work with compassion and renew trust.

Roberts points to his extensive credentials and a record of structural change since taking office. In addition to his fire and paramedic background and service as a U.S. Navy corpsman, he completed training at the University of Tennessee’s body farm, St. Louis University School of Medicine’s medical-legal death investigation program and the University of North Dakota. He also completed an investigative internship in the Netherlands.

His motivation for becoming county coroner is deeply personal — in 2004, his father was the victim of a homicide.

“I discovered how bad the coroner system was in Idaho,” Roberts said. “Since that time, I’ve dedicated myself to improving it.”

When Roberts took office, he said the county had virtually no formal death investigation procedures in place.

“There were little to no death investigations taking place and no policies or procedures for how to approach them,” Roberts said.

Since then, Roberts said he has joined the boards of the state coroners association and the Idaho Association of Counties, using both platforms to help shape state-level legislation.

Among his current efforts is a push to establish a state certification standard for death investigators, similar to requirements already in place for EMTs, police officers and certified nurses’ aides.

“In the coroner system, there is currently nothing that says investigators have to meet a specific standard,” Roberts said. “That needs to change.”

Roberts also wants to expand the office’s use of death investigation data to drive community health improvements, identifying patterns in injuries, illness and death that could inform prevention efforts.

“The data we collect in the process of every single death investigation can identify ways to prevent injuries, illnesses and death within our community,” Roberts said. “Being able to turn that data around and actually affect change that makes our community healthier is absolutely the ideal.”

Looking ahead, Roberts said his broader goal remains finding and mentoring the next generation of coroners.

“My goal since the day I came into office has been to find the next generation of death investigators who will continue to strive to provide the best service for the community,” Roberts said.

Tweedy has worked as a firefighter and EMT since 1999. He has worked alongside two deputy coroners and previously managed a restaurant. A fourth-generation Bingham County resident, he has raised his family in the area and says he has strong working relationships with law enforcement, funeral homes, hospitals and local families.

“A lot of people in the community reached out to me and wanted me to run,” Tweedy said. “I thought it over for about a year and decided to give it a shot.”

The stories he heard shaped his central campaign message. Families he spoke with told him they felt interrogated during coroner inquiries rather than supported during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

“I want to bring the human factor back into the coroner’s position,” Tweedy said. “My motto as a firefighter has always been — treat everyone like family, do your job with pride, honor and integrity.”

If elected, Tweedy said his first priorities would be repairing relationships with law enforcement, hospitals and funeral homes and conducting a thorough review of the office budget, which he believes has grown out of control. He also said he would recruit deputies who share his values.

“It’s a human factor,” Tweedy said. “Everybody has had rough experiences and I want to repair those relationships.”

For more information on the May 19 election, visit VoteIdaho.gov.