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 —
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1. What motivated you to run for this position?
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Soñia Galaviz
- I have been an Idaho public school teacher for more than 20 years. Public education is my passion and my north star at the statehouse. I was first motivated to run for office after COVID and seeing a deliberate attack on schools and teachers by other elected officials. My continued motivation to run comes from my desire to protect public education, elevate the conversations around needs of our students and districts/charters, and serve as someone who is actively in the classroom and can lend firsthand experience and perspective.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson (No active campaign page)
- Did not respond.
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2. What experience has prepared you to serve?
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Soñia Galaviz
- I am running for District 16’s State Senate seat, but I have been serving in the House for the past 2 terms, 4 years. I have direct experience navigating Idaho politics and working across the aisle to get the work done. I am proud of my public service record and the relationship I have with D16. I have been honored to serve as their Representative and will be grateful to represent them again in the Senate, if given the opportunity.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson
- Did not respond.
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3. What do you see as the most significant issue facing your constituents, and how do you plan to address it?
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Soñia Galaviz
Affordability is at the top of mind for many folks. Property taxes, rising fuel costs, rising food prices, and more are making it difficult for a lot of people to make ends meet. Education, healthcare access, and protecting public lands are also important to my district.
As far as addressing rising prices and increased property taxes, we need to look at reinstating the automatic inflationary adjustment, known as indexing. This was removed in 2016 in exchange for a maximum homeowner exemption, now $125K. But with the pace of development and residential price growth in the last 10 years, we have seen the tax burden shift predominantly to homeowners. People can’t afford it, plain and simple.
We also need to look at creative solutions to bring in revenue for the state. We have a habit of cutting taxes, never reviewing corporate tax exemptions, and creating new tax credits, but without solving the problem of revenue loss for the state.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson
- Did not respond.
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4. If elected, what is the first policy you would seek to implement or change?
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Soñia Galaviz
I spend the interim time between sessions meeting with schools, administrators and educators to identify ways to help public education. Every year I bring bills designed to help with our schools, like making it easier for special education staff to come into the K-12 system from the private sector, or working to address the ongoing and substantial school facility needs. Any bill I bring regarding education is always reflective of education stakeholders identifying the issue and working together to design a solution to bring forward.
My seatmate, Senator Ali Rabe, is leaving to lead Gem State Housing and work for affordable housing at a larger scale. I will be delighted to continue to work with her and work towards legislation that tackles the affordable housing issues facing all Idaho communities and thoughtful housing development to accommodate all income levels. I will also continue to find ways to help pay for school buildings without having to go out for a bond, which translates to increased property taxes for Idaho families.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson
- Did not respond.
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5. How would you balance community needs with budget constraints, particularly during times of rising costs?
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Soñia Galaviz
We have no mechanism to review, remove, or sunset the existing tax preferences- cuts, exemptions of rebates. Through these cuts, credits, lowered tax rates and exemptions, Idaho has lost over $4B in state revenue in the past 5 years alone. We had a budget shortfall this fiscal year and a very painful session where roads, healthcare, and services were cut across Idaho. We absolutely need to do a comprehensive review of all tax cuts, exemptions, and rebates and see if they still fit the priorities of the state, if they need to be modified, or removed altogether.
Idaho’s population is growing and so are the needs. If we don’t address our revenue shortages, it’s our state’s people that lose.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson
- Did not respond.
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6. With multiple candidates on the ballot, why should voters choose you?
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Soñia Galaviz
- I am grateful to have 4 years of public service in the Idaho Legislature. Navigating Idaho politics is challenging, but I’m anchored to my “why”. As a public school teacher, I work to prioritize education and the future of our state through the education we give our children. I am a reasonable, hardworking candidate who stays connected to my district, brings thoughtful legislation, and works to find solutions across the aisle.
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Justin "Justice" Mitson
- Did not respond.
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Republican —
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1. What motivated you to run for this position?
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LeeJoe Lay (No active campaign page)
- Did not respond.
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Geoffrey Surbeck (No active campaign page)
- 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.
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2. What experience has prepared you to serve?
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LeeJoe Lay
- Did not respond.
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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.
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3. What do you see as the most significant issue facing your constituents, and how do you plan to address it?
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LeeJoe Lay
- Did not respond.
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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.
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4. If elected, what is the first policy you would seek to implement or change?
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LeeJoe Lay
- Did not respond.
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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.
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5. How would you balance community needs with budget constraints, particularly during times of rising costs?
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LeeJoe Lay
- Did not respond.
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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.
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6. With multiple candidates on the ballot, why should voters choose you?
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LeeJoe Lay
- Did not respond.
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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.
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Looking for more candidate perspectives? Explore full Q&A responses from all contested races across southern Idaho here.
