BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Results were mixed Tuesday night for incumbent candidates for the Ada County Board of Commissioners.
Unofficial results show incumbents ahead in the polls.
Additionally, West Ada School District's levy passed, while Kuna School District's levy failed.
ADA COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3
The crowded Republican primary race for the Ada County District 3 Commissioner was won by incumbent Tom Dayley, who earned 37.8% of the votes on Tuesday night. There were four Republican candidates vying for the Republican nomination: Heather Luther, former county commissioner Sharon Ullman, Dayley and Branden Durst.
Dayley's lead was followed by Durst, who gathered 11,634 votes, Ullman, who had 8,828 votes and Luther with 6,772.
Dayley will face Democrat Devin Gutierrez in the November general election.
ADA COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 1
Incumbent Ryan Davidson won the Republican primary race for District 1 Ada County Commissioner, securing nearly 59% of the vote Tuesday night. He faced Clyde Dornier, who garnered 41% of the votes.
"I feel really good, like the voters are proud of the work I've done over the last four years and appreciate my values," Davidson told the Idaho Press. "I always give people an opportunity to be heard...even if people disagree with me they're treated well."
Although Davidson admits that the "dirty" campaign made him less confident, coming into the November election he feels fairly secure in his position.
Davidson will go against Democrat Jonathan Lashley in the November election. Lashley easily won the Democratic primary, garnering 71.8% of the vote against Preston K. Fischer.
"It's going to be an interesting election because we're probably going to have the open primary initiative on the ballot and Donald Trump on the ballot...we'll see which side will prevail," Davidson said. In early May, the race for the District 1 seat was filled with one-sided complaints coming from Dornier, who took issue with Davidson reusing campaign signs made in 2020 that were paid for by a political action committee that didn't endorse Davidson during this year's election.
"I never expected to get elected in 2020, guys like me aren't supposed to get elected," Davidson said. "It speaks for itself that the people did that."
WEST ADA LEVY
The West Ada School District's second attempt at passing a levy in the last two years passed with flying colors. Around 59% of voters voted for the levy. More than 38,000 people voted for or against the levy, which needed a simple majority to pass.
"I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the voters of the West Ada School District," Superintendent Derek Bub wrote to families in the district on Wednesday morning. "Your support ensures that we can continue to offer exceptional educational programs and resources for our students. This levy will play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the high standards of education that our community expects and deserves."
The levy sought just over $13 million, with more than $12 million allocated to 152 teachers' salaries and benefits, and under $1 million going to 19 student resource officers. According to the West Ada website, that $13 million is needed because of a recent loss of teachers, increase in class sizes and loss of student resource officers.
"Together, we have demonstrated the power of community collaboration and the impact of collective effort. Let us continue to work together to ensure that our students receive the best possible education and opportunities for success," Bub wrote.
Last May, the West Ada School District's attempt for a levy failed, with around 57% of voters voting against the levy, which needed a 55% majority to pass. The district was seeking a record $500 million plant facilities levy. A majority of that money was going to go toward building maintenance.
KUNA SCHOOL LEVY
The levy for the Kuna School District failed, with over 57% of voters voting against it. Less than 5,000 people voted for or against the levy.
“We are disappointed the levy was not successful," the district wrote the Idaho Press in a statement. "We appreciate that this would have been a tax increase for our property owners and that likely was the key factor in the outcome. During the coming days, we will work to identify how to adjust our spending as we finalize our budget for 2024-25 for the school board to consider in June.”
The Kuna School District levy would have provided the district with $5.3 million annually for two years, equating to $103.90 per $100,000 in taxable property over the next two years. Around $2.5 million of that would be allocated to staffing and operations and $2.8 million would go to building maintenance.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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