Idaho Senate District 16 Candidate Q&A: May Primary Election

IDAHO — As part of Idaho News 6’s election coverage ahead of the May primary, candidates in the contested Idaho Senate District 16 races were invited to complete a written questionnaire about their candidacy, priorities, and approach to key issues facing voters.

Their responses are included below as submitted, with no edits except for length when necessary. Candidates who did not respond are noted as “did not respond.”

Candidates are listed alphabetically by political party, then by last name.

Democratic —

Neither Democratic candidate in this race submitted responses by the deadline. Voters can learn more about the candidates by visiting their official campaign pages:

• Soñia Galaviz
• Justin "Justice" Mitson (No active campaign page)

Idaho News 6 will update this article if responses are submitted at a later time.

Republican —

• 1. What motivated you to run for this position?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • I would like to help improve the educational and economic vitality of Idaho, and ensure our State offers a superior quality of life to our next generation. This can be done by lowering the tax burden on citizens, especially young people, and making sure our state government does not become bloated and rife with fraud.

• 2. What experience has prepared you to serve?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • One of the most enlightening experiences I've had in recent years has been as a volunteer board member for Peace Valley Charter School. Now in my fifth year, it has become painfully obvious that Idaho schools face many obstacles due to a lack of funding and the funding formula itself. While money alone does not fix problems in education, a lack of money can ensure many challenges in delivering quality education. I am confident there is a better way to offer educational choices to Idahoans without breaking our strict love of balanced budgets. That is a top concern for me. I have built and sold several companies, operated successfully for many years in the local bar and restaurant industry, and have volunteered many 100's of hours to my community as a leader in youth sports and public education. What most sets me apart from other candidates is my imagination in problem solving, my strong belief in the American system of government, and a track record of making a positive impact on the organizaitons with which I'm affiliiated.

• 3. What do you see as the most significant issue facing your constituents, and how do you plan to address it?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • In conversations with constituents in District 16, growth and quality of life are top of mind for most people. How can Idahoans keep more of their hard-earned dollars? How can we improve food costs and overall cost of living? What can we do about road congestion? My emphasis here is on reducing taxes and shrinking the overall consumption of dollars by the state. Money in the hands of private citizens is much better handled by the people who've actually earned it! We should eliminate sales taxes on food and groceries. We should eliminate sales taxes on second-hand items, including used cars, RV's and boats, because the state has already collected on these items once. We should peg our primary residence property taxes to the price we paid for our homes, not what they're worth today. These three tax revisions will make a significant impact on working families and improve their quality of life going forward.

• 4. If elected, what is the first policy you would seek to implement or change?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • I would like to address the tax proposals listed above as my top priority. Additionally, I would like to see more stringent laws put in place to protect my district from the growing number of sex offenders that have flocked to Boise due to its lax treatment of domicile restrictions.

• 5. How would you balance community needs with budget constraints, particularly during times of rising costs?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • For our community to offer assistance to the needy, we must be very particular about which residents qualify for these programs. We must offer assistance to Idahoans in order for these programs to stay solvent. Social welfare should not be a magnet for people to come to Idaho. We have seen this in other states become completely abused and manipulated. Eliminating fraud will be a very high priority.

• 6. With multiple candidates on the ballot, why should voters choose you?

  • LeeJoe Lay
    
    • Did not respond.

  • Geoffrey Surbeck

    • I am the best, most experienced candidate for this job. I will strive to improve the educational and economic vitality of Idaho, and ensure our State offers a superior quality of life to our next generation. This can be done by lowering the tax burden on citizens, especially young people, and making sure our state government does not become bloated and rife with fraud. I have several decades of experience in finding solutions to difficult problems, and I have a major stake in the future of this state, namely my three children who we hope will stay close by.