UPDATE: As of 10:04 p.m. all 53 Bannock County precincts were reporting. For Pocatello City Seat 4, Craig Cooper has 36.07 percent of the votes. Amy W. Manning has 30.47 percent, Barbara Pancoast has 3.52, Kevin Perry has 3.51 percent and Mark Villano has 26.43 percent.
POCATELLO — Three seats on the Pocatello City Council will be on Tuesday’s ballot and the race for seat 4 is a crowded one.
Seeking seat 4 on the council are incumbent Craig Cooper and challengers Amy Manning, Barbara Pancoast, Kevin Perry and Mark Villano.
Running for seat 5 are incumbent Roger Bray and challenger Michael Orr. Candidates for seat 6 are incumbent Gary Moore and challenger Charlene Young.
Seat 4
Cooper is finishing his first four-year term on the council. The former one-term member of the Bannock County Commission is an Idaho State University graduate in business administration and he worked for the J.R. Simplot Co. for 20 years and ConAgra’s fertilizer plant in Blackfoot before going into independent sales.
“I am a conservative in my thinking,” Cooper said at a recent candidates’ forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Cooper joined councilman Jim Johnston in voting against an ordinance to protect members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community when it comes to housing, employment and public accommodations. He stands by his vote and said the ordinance is flawed.
Cooper said he thinks landowner rights need to be respected along the Portneuf River, and the Pocatello Greenway project needs to look at areas besides the corridor along the river.
Manning moved to Pocatello last year after serving seven years as American Falls Mayor and 10 years on the American Falls City Council. She is currently a member of the Portneuf Valley Pride board of directors and a member of the Pocatello Rotary club. She is an Idaho State University graduate.
During Manning’s tenure as American Falls mayor, the city began several large projects including an upgrade to its sewer treatment plant and water system. Manning also worked with state and federal agencies to secure a beautification project for downtown American Falls.
“I’ve had experience working with high-level projects and getting things done,” Manning said.
She has expressed her support for the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance and a desire to see the Portneuf Greenway project completed.
Pancoast is making her first bid for public office. A resident of Pocatello for 22 years, Pancoast is a counselor in private practice and has worked with the Court Appointed Special Advocates group in Pocatello as well as Habitat for Humanity and the Interfaith group.
“I have a good ability to listen to people and work with different groups,” Pancoast said, adding she decided to run for the council because “I wanted to be more proactive in the community.”
When it comes to the Greenway project, Pancoast said she was unsure of the mission and believed in protecting the property rights of people.
Perry is another complete newcomer to the political scene, and said he is running for the council seat because some people encouraged him to do so. A glazer and a mechanic, Perry is a lifelong Pocatello resident. The candidate said he thinks city leadership should take a “common sense” approach to problems.
“I just want to look out for people,” Perry said.
He has expressed his support for the anti-discrimination ordinance, but during a forum hosted by the Pocatello Branch of the NAACP, Perry said he strongly supports the idea of a referendum on the issue, which will go to the voters in May.
When it comes to the Greenway, Perry said individual property rights need to be respected and questioned the cost of upkeep along the Portneuf Greenway.
Villano, president of the Juniper Hills Country Club and a long time owner of Gate City Distributing and Intermountain Beverage before selling the business, is making his first foray into elective politics as well. He is a graduate of Boise State University.
A longtime member of the Pocatello Chamber of Commerce and a committee member for the Pocatello Frontier Rodeo, Villano also served on the Pocatello Arts Council and was a former Pocatello Chief.
“I want to unify city government,” Villano said. “I’ll use common sense.”
Villano supports the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance and is a strong proponent of finishing the Portneuf Greenway after 21 years of work on the project.
Seat 5
Incumbent Roger Bray is a pastor in Pocatello and has been a city resident for the past 22 years. A graduate of Northwest Christian College, University of Oregon, Bray has served with the city’s Interfaith group and a number of city committees as well as a group committed to conservation and wildlife.
“I am positive on Pocatello,” Bray said. “Our challenge is to be a city that addresses the future.”
Bray joined councilmen Gary Moore and Steve Brown to vote in favor of the anti-discrimination ordinance last June. And he has maintained the protection extended to the LGBT community is good for the city, and its reputation as a good place to live.
“Human rights should never come to a referendum,” Bray said during the League of Women Voters forum.
Bray also believes the city has a duty to pursue federal funding when it’s available to help the city’s residents with things like mass transit or public safety.
“It’s our duty to advocate for our community to get federal funds,” Bray said.
Challenger Orr is new to Pocatello politics. He is a graduate of Idaho State University and has worked in agricultural manufacturing for 34 years and owned an international fertilizer company before retiring.
He called Pocatello “a great place to retire” and said he now has the time to serve in city government, where he will put his knowledge of international business and technology to good use.
At two different forums, Orr said he was opposed to discrimination of any kind, but he has given his whole-hearted support to putting the Pocatello city ordinance on a referendum.
“It gives citizens an opportunity to vote their conscience on it,” Orr said.
When it comes to city’s using federal funding, Orr was blunt.
“You can’t fix stupid,” Orr said about the federal government. “We have to be careful about what federal dollars we take.”
Seat 6
The incumbent, Gary Moore, is a retired Pocatello fire chief and has served on the council for two terms. A longtime city ambulance crew member, Moore is also in charge of the county’s emergency services response team in the event of big events like the 2012 Charlotte Fire.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time on the City Council,” Moore said, adding he takes the job seriously and always weighs facts and listens to people before making a decision.
Moore voted in favor of the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance and has called it an easy decision because it was the right one. He also said he hopes people educate themselves thoroughly and not fall for misinformation when the ordinance appears on a May referendum.
Moore said federal funding should be used when it helps the city of Pocatello.
“My role as a City Council member is to do what’s best for the community of Pocatello,” Moore said, adding federal funds used at the Pocatello Regional Airport or for wastewater treatment help citizens and the community.
Challenger Young is making her first bid for public office.
“I’m a retired middle class lady who is knocking on doors,” Young said.
Young has lived in Pocatello most of her life and has worked in real estate and the deli at Albertsons grocery store.
The candidate has said the city needs jobs that provide a decent wage and good schools and streets.
Young said she opposes discrimination, but wants laws that “protect everyone’s rights.” She voiced her strong support for the referendum and suggested more issues should be decided by a popular vote instead of simply by council action.
When it comes to accepting or seeking federal funds for the city, Young said it depends on the type of funding.
“If we have a use for it, then yes, we should accept federal funding,” Young said. She said sewer and water projects were good examples of good uses.
(1) comment
Bray, Moore and all other candidates who support the Ordinance need to answer why it is "good" for our City that women like Elane of Elane Photography, Barronelle of Arlene's Flowers and Melissa of Sweet Cakes By Melissa should be at risk of jail time in Pocatello. If Pocatello had been given complete accurate information, people would know that most of the individuals who are opposed to the law are opposed to blatant discrimination; the refusal to hire, provide housing, etc. BUT, these women business owners who have been harmed by similar laws in their states are NOT engaging in discrimination against the LGBT community.
For example, there’s Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, WA. “This case illustrates the difference between discriminating based on sexual preference and making decisions based on your beliefs about marriage. A policy refusing to serve gay people under any circumstances would be discrimination based on sexual preference. That would also be like segregated lunch counters. In this case, however, Arlene’s Flowers had NO such policy refusing to do business with gay people. In fact, they have employed gay people and had happily and knowingly served gay people for years without any claim of discrimination or hostility. However, this particular event was something they did not want to lend their artistic, professional services to because of their beliefs about what marriage is. You cannot have a policy refusing service to all Mexicans or Japanese people, but you cannot be compelled to do something you don’t wish to do simply because the person asking is Mexican or Japanese.” (http://w ww.fpiw. org /get-involved/team-arlenes. html ). Barronelle had served this gay customer for several years fully knowing his sexual orientation, but when she declined to violate her sincerely held beliefs when he wanted her to arrange flowers for his wedding, she has been sued by him and also had charges filed against her by the Washington State A.G. Where is the fairness in this? Where is the protection of Barronelle’s religious freedom/right of conscience?
Bray, Moore and Chase also need to explain why they think it is OK for someone like Colleen Francis, a transgendered woman, to have legal protection under a similar law to expose her male genitalia to young girls in a locker room at Evergreen State College. A nondiscrimination law allowed this in Washington and will allow it in Pocatello also, IF the prosecutor cannot show "lewdness" along with willful intent. Most transgenders are law-abiding and respectful and would NEVER engage in this activity, but it just takes one messed up person to ruin it for others and this law permits it to happen LEGALLY. Our citizens also need to ask themselves whether they want to allow this ""entryway" law into our cities and our state since it paves the way for LGBT values based policies and laws in our schools and other pro-gay legislation like the current controversial Callifornia AB 1266 Transgender Student Rights Bill which becomes law January 1, 2014.
So, Pocatello, call up Bray, Moore, Chase and the other candidates who support this law. Go to their facebook pages and ask them why they support harming Pocatello businesses like those mentioned above and why they are willing to risk the safety of our women and children due to a loophole in the law for which they can make NO guarantees that some messed up individual won’t take advantage of in the future. Good leaders don’t make laws that are politically expedient, good leaders exercise caution and discernment and look at existing evidence of how these laws are already impacting other states.
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