Anthony Jones (Idaho)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Anthony Jones

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Idaho State University, 1973

Graduate

University of Washington, 1981

Personal

Birthplace

Boise, Idaho

Profession

Economist

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Anthony Jones (independent) ran in a special election to the Ada County Board of Commissioners to represent District 3 in Idaho. He lost in the special general election on November 8, 2022.

Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Anthony Jones was born in Boise, Idaho. He earned a bachelor's degree from Idaho State University in 1973 and a graduate degree from the University of Washington in 1981. His career experience includes working as an economist.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Ada County, Idaho (2022)

General election

Special general election for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3

Tom E. Dayley defeated Patricia Nilsson and Anthony Jones in the special general election for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom E. Dayley (R)	51.8	92,251
	Submit photo	Patricia Nilsson (D)	43.3	77,127
		Anthony Jones (Independent)	4.8	8,628

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 178,006
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3

Patricia Nilsson advanced from the special Democratic primary for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Patricia Nilsson	100.0	13,052

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lisa Shultz (D)

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3

Tom E. Dayley defeated Sharon Ullman and Dawn Retzlaff in the special Republican primary for Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom E. Dayley	38.1	23,084
		Sharon Ullman	36.3	22,005
	Submit photo	Dawn Retzlaff	25.6	15,517

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,606
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Anthony Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jones' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a fourth generation Idahoan, born and raised in Ada County. I am a product of Idaho schools and worked my way through college and graduate school. I have worked in senior management positions in the private sector for Idaho icons such as the JR Simplot Company. I have also worked in the public sector and, as the principal of Rocky Mountain Econometrics, I have advised Idaho Governors (Phil Batt and Dirk Kempthorne) on issues of regional importance.

At the local level I have facilitated developer – citezen communication relative to major real estate developments for the betterment of both parties. I have also successfully opposed real estate developments that would have violated state and local laws, and decimated wildlife habitat.

I have: -Exposed plans on the part of Ada County and ITD to give public property to private entities for personal profit. -Exposed commissioners holding illegal closed door meetings. -Exposed county staff illegally waiving development requirements -Exposed county staff approving non-compliant developments -Exposed county staff flagrantly refusing to enforce binding county contracts -Exposed county staff making misleading statements to citizens, sister agencies, and the county sheriff.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Integrity - One of the primary keys for governments to gain the trust of people is through the integrity of its leaders.
• Transparency - In the words of Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify.” Nothing can be verified if it is done in secret. It time the county became as transparent as legally possible
• Responsibility - County Commissioners have been hiding behind a PIOs for too long. It should never have started. It is time for it to end.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Responsible Growth.

There are lots of issues facings the people of Ada County but virtually all of them have a direct line back to a single item: Growth.

Growth, and the manner in which it is managed affects everything from property taxes to home values, to traffic congestion, to air pollution, to how we deal with homeless people, to fire control, water supply, broadband access, and on and on.

It is not a matter of encouraging or discouraging growth. Growth, like it or hate it, is going to happen. Boise and its environ is an escape valve for 40 million people west of the Sierra / Cascade Mountains.

Neither Ada County nor any of the valley’s cities and surrounding counties can handle the influx on their own. Ada County needs to act as more of a partner with member cities and sister agencies and less of a facilitator of foreign land speculators. We may not be able to make growth pay for itself, but at least we can use the growth to produce a future for the valley that we can be proud of.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

On the surface, Ada County is the third largest governmental agency in the state of Idaho, after the federal and state governments. Truth is, the county is a compendium of several individual agencies, such as the sheriff, coroner, assessor, cleark, prosecutor, etc., over which the commissioners have very little control. Unlike most other counties, the ada county commissioners don’t even have authority over the roads. The legislature stripped the county of that distinction and established a separate aganecy, the Ada County Highway District, with its own set of commissioners.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Vern Bisterfeldt. When he wasn’t arresting my older brother as a Boise City police officer he was in the process of becoming a public servant in the form of a city councilman and a County Commissioner. He had his detractors, but he also had as good a read of public sentiment and the needs of the area as anyone I have ever met. RIP Vern.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Legacy you would like to leave Having left the world a better place.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Paperboy, delivering the Idaho Statesmen in grade school, by bicycle to half of the city of Meridian. I learned that life starts early. Early in the day. Early in life. Hard to imagine now but at the time two of us delivered the morning paper to all of “urban” Meridian. Times change.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Cadillac Desert – Mark Reisner and The Castle - Kafka

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Fanfare for the Common Man (Copeland)

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Many candidates proclaim their intention to use the commissioner office to “take charge” and reduce property taxes. No matter how well intentioned, such claims are destined to fail.

Truth is: Commissioners have very little direct control of property taxes.

Ada County’s portion of a $2,000 tax bill is only about $500, 25%. City, school, and other local costs account for the rest. As for the county’s $500 portion, remember that there are several state mandated elected offices included in that number, such as the Ada County Highway District, the sheriff, coroner, county clerk, prosecutor, assessor, etc., that all have their own budgets over which the commissioners have little or no control.

The Commissioners directly control as little as $50 of a $2,000 tax bill.

So, don’t believe any candidate that tells you they are going to boldly slash property taxes. They can’t. They don’t have the power.

What a commissioner can do is help control FUTURE property taxes and quality of life by controlling urban sprawl, having new development do a better job of paying for their own infrastructure requirements, providing for open space and parks, etc. For this, we need to look at growth management. See Below.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is important to remember that every candidate for this position will be new to the job. The important thing is the manner in which the candidate will use the commissioner position to policies beneficial to their constituents.

I am proud of my record of exposing governmental incompetence and malfeasance. I look forward to doing an even better job as commissioner.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Important characteristics of public figures - Genuine desire to improve the lives of the general public.

Tell us your favorite joke.

A horse walks into a tavern to get a beer and the bartender asks, “Hey fella, why the long face?”

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

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Candidate

Ada County Board of Commissioners District 3

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