Hollingsworth Campaign

"Bonner and Boundary Counties need a voice in Boise that can be heard," he said. "There are many important issues including transportation, quality jobs, law enforcement, an educated workforce, senior citizen concerns, primary care funding, elimination of the grocery tax, elimination of the small business property tax, affordable housing, a cap on real estate assessments and more.

Idaho takes in yearly 1.4 billion dollars in sales tax monies, there is currently 1.8 billion dollars in tax exemptions mainly to the special interest. This has to change, the people need to take back a large portion of those exemptions for the general revenue fund. The legistlators need to stop complaining about how much revenue will be in the short fall and start thinking about how they are going to get that tax exempt money back into the pockets of the average person by way of school funding, transportation, plus all the other needs of the taxpaper.

"I feel the State of Idaho has to step up to the plate and lend assistance to rural counties that have a low population base, and therefore a low tax base."

For further information, write Tom Hollingsworth at P.O. Box 1934, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805, or call (208) 267-2627.

Let's roll up our sleeves and go to work for North Idaho.

It is long past the time to trade in the "losing team" for a WINNING LEGISLATIVE TEAM .

Tom will work hard for the people of Bonner and Boundary Counties, NOT the special interest.

Tom will concentrate on the ECONOMY, QUALITY JOBS PAYING A LIVING WAGE, HEALTH CARE, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, SCHOOL FUNDING, ELIMINATE THE GROCERY TAX, LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT.

QUALITY JOBS: It is long past the time for North Idaho to have real representation in Boise for the average working people, we are being left out. It is important for all of us that QUALITY BUSINESSES paying a living wage are encourage to come to our communities. The trade imbalance has taken millions of good paying jobs overseas where the hourly wage pays a fraction what a worker needs to make a fair living for himself and their families. Not paying a living wage hurts our economy in many ways. Employees that make a living wage spend that money in the community, which makes the entire community more healthy. Hopefully the next government will work on getting the balance of trade to the point where it is fair for the U.S. worker. This is something that is important to all the workers in America, enough is enough, lets stop loosing our jobs overseas.

If you are tired of not getting your fair share of money from Boise then you will want Tom working for you.

Tom has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Business Management and has been an ardent volunteer on many Boundary County boards, currently Chairman of Boundary County Planning and Zoning.

I have been from one end of Boundary and Bonner Counties to the other, Dover, Clark Fork, Hope, Sagle, Laclede, Priest River east and west, Sandpoint and north to Bonners Ferry. To the husband and wife I met at the Ace Hardware between Hope and Clark Fork and all the many folks I have met so far at all the other locations, I will be out meeting with the people of our counties talking about the issues face to face. Lets get together and talk about our concerns.

I have met so many people and we talk about the things that are of concern to everyone, recognition out of Boise, tax relief, school funds, road improvement just to name a few. I am perfectly willing to give my opinion on any subject that is of interest to you.

I can't solve the world problems or straighten out the mess in Washington, D.C. but I am willing to work hard for the people in Bonner and Boundary Counties when I get to Boise.

My hobbies are fishing, hunting, tree farming, working around the nursery grounds and teaching myself Irish with the help of the internet, which I have been doing for the past year and a half. I have stopped fishing due to the poisons that have been put into the lakes. Needless to say, I am not stupid enough to purposely put 2,4D, Eco-Triclapy, Diquat, and Endothal into my body and my family's bodies. And to be honest, if I were currently a legislator, I wouldn't be bragging about poisoning our lakes.

What is Adjudication: In north Idaho, controversy surrounds whether the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) should commence the North Idaho Adjudication, a legal process to assess, document, and validate all water rights in North Idaho. (from The Common Interest site) Don't let the opt out backed by our legislators fool you, protect yourself and make sure your water right is protected. Don't sit back and think you are safe from the State of Idaho coming into Bonner and Boundary Counties. I highly recommend you contact your lawyer if you have a private well or pump your water from a stream or a lake.

Adjudication: We are in it whether we like it or not, southern Idaho is running out of water for expansion, mining and agriculture, we have it and they want it. The citizens of the north have to recognize the urgency of the problem and deal with it. Remember in Idaho we legally go by "prior appropriation", this is the crux of the matter.

The following article appeared on Betsy Z.Russell's site "Eye on Boise".

Bills scaling back NI adjudication clear Senate (http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/boise/)

Three bills to scale back the proposed North Idaho water rights adjudication and trim its fees have overwhelmingly passed the Senate. SB 1418, deleting the northernmost basin from the adjudication, passed 33-1; SB 1352, cutting fees for claims and sharply scaling back fees for Avista Corp., passed 34-0; and SB 1354, making adjudication optional for all domestic and stock water rights holders, passed 33-1. The only “no” vote on any of the bills came from Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston. “All of this effort to delay what I think is inevitable is short-sighted,” Stegner said after the votes. “You can’t deal with the upcoming water issues of Idaho until you know where the water is and who’s claiming it.”

Sen. Chuck Coiner, R-Twin Falls, warned that the state has a duty to warn North Idaho domestic water rights holders that if they choose not to adjudicate their claims, they could face costly court fights if their claims are later challenged. “If they choose to opt out … they are going to have to bear the responsibility of defending their water right if they have a challenge, and it’s going to be a lot more than the $50 for the fee,” Coiner said.

Idaho teacher merit pay plan, “iSTARS Lite". I agree with Idaho Education Association. (For the same amount of money, give all school employees a 3 percent raise, increase the starting teacher salary from $31,000 to $32,000 a year, and add another 1 percent discretionary funding increase to Luna’s school budget proposal for next year to make a 2 percent increase.) A one percent increase in pay is an insult to our teachers. As of March 10th, the legislature is still tossing this ball around.

If you want my honest opinion on any topic please email me at: tom@hollygardens.com

Donations to campaign: Hollingsworth Campaign, P.O. Box 212, Moyie Springs, Idaho 83845
Thanks for your consideration, every dollar helps with the every day expenses for handouts and signs.

Yard Signs: I would like to put yard signs out for the general election in November, if you would like to have one in your yard call me or email me. Phone: 267-2627 Email: tom@hollygardens.com

What are some of the things we stand for as Democrats? We are committed to standing up for the middle class and small businesses.

1. You hear a lot about "transparency in government", and this is something that really needs to be maintained if we are to have good open government.

2. Stand up for the middle class and less fortunate.

3. Maintain access to public land.

4. Lowering property taxes by making growth pay for itself.

5. Improve public transportation.

6. Real small business property tax relief.

Some of the important issues that were not considered by the last session of the legislature.

1. Eliminate the grocery tax, total removable at the cash register especially now with the high cost of food.

2. Conservation easements to protect vanishing farms and forest.

3. Eliminating many of the outlanish big business exemptions totally 1.8 billion dollars that should go into the general fund. This year again
     the legislature catered to special interests at the expense of ordinary Idahoans, shifting over $100 million dollars to big industry in tax breaks.

4. Support for affordable housing in resort areas where employees can not afford to live.

5. Criminal backgrounds checks for small and other child care providers in Idaho.

6. Building energy efficient schools and public building to save money in the long run.

7. Support the local option tax to allow local communities to fund urgent needs.

8. Adequate and reasonable pay increases for teachers and public employees in order to keep a high standard of employees.

9. Idaho continues to be one of the only states that does not have a suspicious child death review team.

10. Support for treatment focused alternatives to mandatory minimum sentences to make communities safer and prison less costly and crowded.

11. Good crafted legislation to limit how much health insurance companies could raise premiums on Idaho families and small businesses.

12. The majority in the legislature refused to consider reforms that would clean up politics at the state level including ethics legislation that would end lobbyists'
       revolving door to politics.

13.   The majority refused to support early education programs to improve quality of life and success for Idaho children. Many other states have
        found it beneficial for younger children to get an early learning start.