CALDWELL, Idaho — After what some would call a contentious past few years at the municipal level, candidates running for Caldwell mayor all say that they will focus on leadership, growth, and transparency if elected.
"There's a lot of misconception out there that the mayor makes all the decisions, and the mayor does not. The council makes the decisions. The mayor votes in a tie, but other than that, the council makes the decisions, and then the mayor implements the decisions," said Jarom Wagoner, incumbent mayor of Caldwell. "And so, I think just understanding the roles of the council members, the roles of the mayor, and then looking at that and [seeing], you know, are we doing what's best for our citizens?"
Click here to hear directly from each candidate about their priorities for Caldwell:
Transparency is top of mind for Wagoner and his two challengers amid several recent lawsuits involving the City of Caldwell and its police force.
"We need better leadership," said Brady Doty, Caldwell City Council president and mayoral candidate. Doty, a former law enforcement officer, says it’s time for a change with a focus on rebuilding trust at City Hall.
"We need better communication with your counselors and better communication with our community, and transparency," added Doty. "Everybody should know what the mayor is doing, what the direction is, where he's trying to lead us to."
Another familiar face will also be on the ballot. Eric Phillips, a longtime community member and veteran who most recently worked with the Caldwell School District on student safety, emphasized the need to rebuild trust.
"What I commonly hear about is, is once again, that lack of trust, right? So right out the gate, that's gonna be my biggest concentration is restoring that trust from the citizens with their government," said Phillips.
Wagoner says the city has made progress addressing those concerns.
"So those are things that we take very seriously and work very closely with our city attorney and with our insurance provider to make sure we're doing everything appropriately," explained Wagoner.
Transparency, he said, is especially important given recent legal challenges the city has faced.
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"As the mayor, the mayor operates the personnel files of the people that we have here. They are the executive officer of the community. So with that, that means that they run the personnel with the advice from our legal staff, HR, and those that need to be involved with whatever decision that they're trying to make," said Brad Doty. "I will continue to support all departments within the city and continue to move the city forward, but it is not rare to see governments sued. It is unfortunate, but it is not rare."
Phillips also addressed the lawsuits, some involving former employees and controversies, stressing the importance of investigating each case thoroughly.
"So, we have a new tort, you know, that came out. So now it's not only been the current department that we've had issues with. Now, if you actually look at the stuff behind that one, is there a wider problem? Is there a more complex issue between multiple departments, not just something that happened in Parks and Rec? There's stuff I'm concerned about with HR, and then there's, once again, the police department," said Phillips who later added. "We have a broken system and I'm willing to admit that."
The candidates also addressed recent development projects, including a hotel built on a previously vacant lot, which sparked public debate.
"You know, that was again one of those decisions that was approved by [city] council that the mayor implements. I did not vote on that decision, but I do think that the hotel is going to be a great benefit to the city, and so it's my job to implement those decisions of the council as the mayor of this city," said Wagoner.
Wagoner highlighted the positive economic impacts that will accompany the new hotel. "It's going to bring in well over $150,000 of tax value to all the entities here in the city of Caldwell and the surrounding [area], so we're excited for that."
Doty emphasized communication and public engagement around projects like the hotel.
"We have more avenues now than we've ever had to notify our public about what's taking place. Our community also needs to get involved, watch what's going on at city council," said Doty. "It is absolutely imperative that we put out factual information and not just opinion on what's taking place with any project, not just the hotel."
Phillips agreed, noting the need for public engagement. "I think if they had been more transparent, been more open, extended the process a little bit more, and opened it up more to citizen comments— I think we could have avoided the chaos, right? And then it ends up costing us a bunch of money when we circle back around to fix the mess," said Phillips.
Each candidate was asked how they feel Caldwell should manage its rapid growth.
Phillips highlighted the need for staffing and infrastructure improvements.
"There's already a series of homes, apartments, and other projects already approved. So, regardless of who wins [the] mayor, they're already approved, and we can't stop them, right? But what we can do is we can mitigate them," said Phillips. "If we're going to grow, we have to make sure we have the proper amount of people staffed throughout the city." When asked about infrastructure, Phillips replied, "I want a solid north-south route down 10th Avenue and maybe one to the east. I want two east-west routes to make sure that people can get around."
Doty focused on smart growth and economic development.
"There's only so much land, so the more we can do with the infill in the city, the better it is," said Doty.
Wagoner pointed to industrial and commercial development alongside residential growth.
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"The amount of industrial and commercial growth that we've seen these last 4 years has been tremendous, and that's boosted by the residential growth. Our goal is to provide quality development for people that want to come in and live in Caldwell. It's all about quality over quantity. We want to have the best parks in the valley. We want to have the best residential developments in the valley. We want the best commercial and industrial in the valley," said Wagoner.
Beyond development, each candidate emphasized the need to connect more directly with the people who call Caldwell home.
"I'm running because I love this community. I'm running because I've gotten to a point where change needs to happen, and I want to help facilitate it. All the way up to the mayor, you're a servant of the community," said Phillips.
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