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Moscow council hopefuls talk taxes, religion

Six candidates cover a variety of questions at forum organized by League of Women Voters of Moscow
By Garrett Cabeza, Daily News staff writer Oct 24, 2019

About 100 people packed the 1912 Center on Wednesday night to tune into the six Moscow City Council candidates’ views on property taxes, the relationship between religion and government and several other issues in the city and region.

The League of Women Voters of Moscow hosted the candidate forum.

Kelsey Berends, human resources and talent acquisition manager at Emsi; Sandra Kelly, an employee at the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute; Maureen Laflin, a University of Idaho College of Law faculty member; Brandon Mitchell, owner of six Jiffy Lube locations in the region; James Urquidez, owner and operator of Classic Wood Floors and Carpentry; and Anne Zabala, executive director of Backyard Harvest, are the six candidates seeking three four-year council positions currently held by Zabala, Jim Boland and Kathryn Bonzo. Boland and Bonzo aren’t running for reelection.

One of the questions submitted by audience members noted that some residents are concerned Moscow might become a theocracy, and others are worried about hostility to conservative religious views. The written submission asked if the candidates share those concerns and what role the city council has in addressing them.

Berends said she is not concerned. Residents are diverse and share a variety of views, she said.

“That’s something that I love about this city, is the diversity of those viewpoints,” Berends said.

She said as a councilor she would vote in a way she believes would be the best option for all residents.

Kelly said her concerns are focused on communication with one another.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that there is a divide in our town right now, and it can be scary, and it can be intense, and what I want is communication,” she said.

Kelly said people need to be open, willing to debate and listen to one another.

Laflin said Moscow residents have always shared a variety of views on the religious and political spectrum, and there has always been room for them. She said she does not want the town controlled by any particular religion or business.

“I think Moscow is feeling very polarized right now,” Laflin said.

Mitchell also said he is not worried about religion entering Moscow’s government and believes religious views should not be a part of government. He said his decisions, if elected, would be made for the best interests of Moscow.

Mitchell said he believes there is a divide in town but not a huge one.

Urquidez said he does not think religion is dictating city government decisions.

“But there is a big population of Christians in the community that I think need to be represented in city council,” he said.

Zabala said she believes government should be nondiscriminatory and secular. While she is not concerned about religion entering the city governmental sphere, she said people have consistently shared those concerns with her.

Candidates were also asked if Moscow property taxes are too high and, if so, how they would lower them if elected.

Zabala said property taxes are not too high and that this year in particular the council went through the fiscal 2020 budget line by line.

She was the only councilor two months ago to vote against approving the $101.5 million budget. Zabala said she voted no because she thought the city could conserve its foregone taxes, or taxes that were authorized in previous years but never levied, to cover raises for police officers and parks and recreation staff.

Urquidez, Mitchell and Berends said property taxes are too high.

Urquidez said it is good to have frugal councilors.

Mitchell said the taxes are growing at a fast rate and the council needs to control the city’s spending to reduce them.

Berends said closely examining and providing fresh eyes on the budget are ways to keep property taxes manageable.

Laflin said property tax increases alarm people but Moscow has several needs to be addressed, like streets.

“My question is, do we really have fluff in our budget, and my answer to that is I want someone to show me where that fluff is,” Laflin said.

Kelly said Moscow provides a higher quality of life than other cities and while sometimes residents’ property taxes might seem a little higher, she said she does not think they are.

She said the city has done a good job and she is very satisfied with its status.

The final candidate forum before the Nov. 5 election is 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Renfrew Hall on the University of Idaho campus.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza at dnews.com.

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