5/25/08 - Idaho Statesman

McDavid will represent her constituents

Secure our future, vote for Saundra McDavid.

I would like to encourage the citizens of District 14 to elect someone who will faithfully represent their opinions in the Idaho Senate. Saundra McDavid is the people's choice and the only candidate with the courage and determination to stand up for the rights of the people and the courage to say "no" to increased taxes and unfettered growth. Stan Bastian is on the record as supporting a gas tax increase. Chuck Winder already has. According to the Idaho transportation Web site, his most notable accomplishment is increasing the gas tax by 4 cents. What good are improved roads if we can't afford to drive on them? We do not need another real estate developer or career politician in our Senate. Saundra supported Eagle residents when we were faced with Sen. Bastian's $7.2 million LID taxing scheme. She wants property taxes lowered and grocery taxes eliminated. View all of her positions on the issues on her Web site at www.saundramcdavid.com. The clear choice for Senate in District 14 is Saundra McDavid. Please support her on May 27.

KAY SHERER, Eagle

McDavid will protect open space and choice

In the race for Idaho Senate District 14, candidates Saundra McDavid, Stan Bastian, and Chuck Winder are all capable individuals. However, having reviewed and heard them discuss their positions, I am supporting Saundra McDavid.

Of the three, I believe Saundra will be the most passionate advocate for those issues which are most critical to our community: preservation of open space in the Foothills; removing the state's and other big government entities' stranglehold on the freedom of local municipalities to make their own decisions regarding road, sidewalk, bike paths and other local projects; ensuring that desperately needed transportation funding is not wasted nor allowed to die on the floor of the Legislature; preventing unreasonable hikes in real property tax; protecting small businesses from oppressive taxes on business property; elimination of the grocery tax; and, the protection of family values and the safety of our children.

I believe Saundra will not accept the status quo in the Legislature, which frequently, as a result of contentious infighting, results in nothing being done on some of Idaho's most critical issues.

MICHAEL HUFFAKER, Eagle

Vote for McDavid instead of politicians

Vote for Saundra McDavid on Tuesday, May 27.

It is time to have representatives who will be the voice of the people they represent. It is time to choose someone other than career politicians. It is time to bring new and fresh ideas to the Senate. It is time to vote for the candidates who will protect your interests, instead of those who only represent the special interests who support their campaigns. It is time to vote for Saundra McDavid for District 14 Senate.

Please vote on Tuesday, May 27.

AL SHOUSHTARIAN, Eagle

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5/21/08 - Idaho Statesman, By PATRICIA MINKIEWICZ

Say no to new taxes:McDavid for Senate

Those of us living in the heavily populated District 14 have a chance this month to elect Saundra McDavid of Eagle as our new Idaho state senator. Let's do so! Incumbent Senate candidate Stan Bastian so far has accomplished next to nothing in the way of defending the needs of those of us in District 14. We need someone in the Senate to represent us with a strong, reasoned voice, not the incumbent who represents a string of compromises and an unpopular voting record on the Eagle City Council last year. Bastian also helped to create an Eagle Local Improvement District (LID) in order to circumvent his constituents' right to vote on the city's imposition of a $7.2 million tax assessment within his district. Say "no" to increased taxes.

McDavid proved her mettle in the recent close Eagle mayoral election: Smart, knowledgeable, willing to state on the record her concerns about adequate water resources, integrity of the Foothills, ramifications of mismanaged local growth, and the ever-rising variety of taxes that burden families in District 14.

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5/16/08 - Idaho Statesman, By Saundra McDavid

District 14 Doesn't Need More of the Same

Is election to the state Legislature a rite of passage for career politicians? If voters continue to elect representatives who have spent their political life making deals with special interest groups and other politicians, we will continue to get the legislators that we have today who will continue their efforts to ensure nothing ever changes.

The Idaho Statesman news editorial board has chosen to endorse the incumbent candidate for state Senate District 14, a candidate who in 2007 helped to circumvent the people's right to vote in an attempt to force a $7.2 million tax on the people he was supposed to be representing.

In choosing not to endorse me as a candidate, the newspaper's editors stated that I have a "strong populist streak." Political journalist William Safire defines a populist as a person who is attuned to the needs of "the people." Since the term "populist" is not used by the newspaper to describe the other candidates for the Senate District 14 seat, one may conclude the editorial board believed the candidate who obviously supports "the people" is somehow less worthy of a vote.

In stating that I "lack experience," the editorial board implied that my career as an attorney and a law professor appears to mean nothing when evaluating the "experience" of a potential lawmaker. True, I have no experience raising taxes, I have no experience pandering to special-interest groups at the expense of the wishes of the people I am supposed to represent, and I have no experience in political double talk. Overcrowded schools, congested roads, worsening air quality, and skyrocketing property taxes are all areas that other candidates may claim as products of their "experienced" leadership.

What I do have is a conviction to bring the people's voice to the state Legislature and a determination to bring more accountability to the residents of District 14. I have the courage to stand up for what I believe in, as demonstrated in the close Eagle mayoral election campaign last year. I have the ability to vote according to the wishes of the residents of District 14, not the special-interest groups who fund my opponents' campaigns. I have the strength to cast my vote in the state Senate for the principles of less taxation and less government.

A change in leadership is needed. Vote for Saundra McDavid for the state Senate, District 14.

Saundra McDavid, a Republican, is a Senate candidate in legislative District 14.
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4/24/08 Idaho Statesman Voter Guide

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4/23/08 Idaho Statesman Video

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4/14/08 Diary Of A Mad Voter: Nathaniel Hoffman

Googling Idaho Candidates
By Nathaniel Hoffman, 4-14-08

The use of Internet technology by candidates should be an old story by now.

But in Idaho it runs the gamut from former state Rep. Henry Kulczyk’s apparent afterthought to the full Web 2.0 treatment at saundramcdavid.com.

The majority of Idaho candidates do not even have Web sites, let alone MySpace or Facebook profiles. With primary elections just over a month away, it is a challenge to find out anything online about the majority of the contenders.

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3/21/08 KIVI - Channel 6 Boise

Idaho Statesman Editor Kevin Richert "sees a number of other interesting races like the one between former Eagle City councilman and current state Senator Stan Bastian and Challenger Saundra McDavid. It's a race that really started during the hotly contested Eagle Mayoral race this last year."

http://www.kivitv.com/global/story.asp?s=8053399

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3/16/08 Idaho Statesman By:Kevin Richert, Editorial Page Editor

"The best of the May 27 GOP legislative primaries, based on the first few days of candidate announcements and filings:

1. Senate, District 14 (Eagle area). Saundra McDavid vs. incumbent Stan Bastian. McDavid nearly won a race for Eagle mayor last fall by criticizing the growth decisions made by Eagle city leaders - including Bastian, a former City Council member. Expect a contentious race centered on state growth-related issues."

http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/story/325076.html

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3/12/08 Boise Weekly

"Saundra McDavid is taking another shot at politics.

The former candidate for mayor of Eagle has registered to run for the District 14 Senate seat currently held by Republican Stan Bastian.

McDavid lost a run-off election earlier this year to Phil Bandy after a hotly contested race. "

http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=311946

IDAHO STATE ISSUES TO ADDRESS IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO ADAPT TO THE GROWING POPULATION AND CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS

INCREASE THE LOCAL AUTONOMY IN CITY PLANNING AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT.
* Allow cities to set local taxes to fund improvements within cities.
* Allow cities to assess development impact fees based upon the true costs of the infrastructure and services needed to accommodate the development.

OVERHAUL THE PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT SYSTEM.
* Resist basing property tax increases on fluctuation in the real estate market. Such a basis creates a hardship on
Senior Citizens and those on fixed incomes, and punishes those who live in an area the longest.
* Property Taxes should be set at the time a house is purchased, with increases capped each year.
* Develop additional ways to raise money to support the needs of a growing population.

SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS.
* Develop ways to encourage the use of mass transit systems in our communities.
* Every dollar collected from vehicle registration fees and taxes on gasoline should go directly into the construction and maintenance of roads, highways, roadway bridges, and public transportation
* Support the audit of the Idaho Department of Transportation.

FIND NEW WAYS TO SUPPLEMENT CURRENT FUNDING FOR EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS.
* Establish the issue as a State priority and support additional funding from the State.
* Resist shifting the burden of supplemental funding to Sales Taxes.
* Provide State funding relief to the large and growing Meridian School District in District 14 which consistently is underfunded by millions of dollars.

ATTEND TO FAMILY VALUES AND THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN.
* Idaho remains the only State in the nation with no system for reviewing childrens’ deaths. The Senate this year passed up an opportunity to create this legislation.
* The Senate also failed to pass a law to require stricter licensing for Day Care personnel and facilities.

CONTINUE EFFORTS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL JOBS FOR IDAHOANS.
* Focus on attracting technology and media companies to Idaho.

ADVOCATE FOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.
* Provide incentives to those companies that voluntarily use “clean” alternative fuels, and those that research new fuel technologies.
* Increase efforts to provide public transportation options that use “clean” fuels, particularly on main corridors.

REFORM ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT.
* Dual-Office Holding is the practice of one person holding two elected government offices at the same time. This is prohibited by 27 States and Idaho is not one of them. The Idaho Attorney General maintains that as long as there is not a conflict of interest, then Dual-Office Holding is acceptable. However, there is no way to prevent abuse of that assumption. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing the salaries, compensations, and pensions of dual-office holders.

[A District 14 recent example of Dual-Office Holding abuse occurred in Eagle City. Current State Senator Stan Bastian was elected from District 14 while he was serving as elected Eagle City Councilman, and he chose to maintain both compensated offices during 2007. Ignoring consistent objections of the residents, he joined Council members to push through the creation of a Local Improvement District (LID) in Eagle in order to avoid a Bond election. At the same time, as State Senator he campaigned at the Capitol against the passage of a State Bill that would prohibit cities from doing such maneuvering. Contrary to Bastian’s thinking, and that of current Eagle Mayor Phil Bandy, a city should not force its citizens to pay without a Public Vote on a Bond.]

* Pay-to-Play is the appearance of buying Government Contracts through campaign contributions. It occurs when individuals and businesses contribute to political campaigns of candidates running for office in a municipality in which that individual or business has a Contract pending that involves financial benefit to the contributor. Pay-to-Play restrictions are useful in fostering fair and open competition in the contracting process

[A District 14 recent example of Pay-to-Play occurred in Eagle City. The owner of the Eagle Water Co. contributed the maximum allowed money contribution to Phil Bandy’s mayoral campaign in 2007. Mayor Bandy now is pushing through the city’s purchase of Eagle Water Co. and attempting to impose the purchase costs onto Eagle residents without their consent.]

Former Eagle Mayoral Candidate Saundra McDavid announced today that she is running for the office of 14th District State Senator. “We need representatives who are in touch with the citizens in the community that they represent. We need someone in tune with both families and small business owners. The people in District 14 are ready for a change in leadership.” McDavid stated. “I look forward to working with people from all political parties to come up with solutions for the major challenges in our State. New ideas and new voices are needed in our state legislature.”

McDavid, and the issues she brought forward, were responsible for the record breaking turnout of the highly publicized Eagle elections last year. “As our state senator, I would like to focus on making it easier for our cities to manage their growth and allowing cities more autonomy in their planning.” McDavid said. Also important to McDavid are controlling skyrocketing property taxes, transportation, ethics reform and emphasizing the importance of coordination between local and state government. She would like to continue Idaho’s focus on attracting technology and media companies to our state, as well as promote the use of alternative fuel technologies.

McDavid works as a university professor, teaching in the areas of law and business strategy. She has volunteered as an attorney with the Idaho Volunteer Lawyer’s Association and was a board member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She holds a law degree and an MBA from St. Louis University and has lived in Eagle, Idaho since 2001. McDavid and her husband, Andrew Petrehn, own the popular Eagle Rib Shack in Eagle, and Andrew’s Rib Shack in Meridian.