On Nov. 2, Moscow will vote in a new Mayor and vote for three of the six city council positions. But what do the students at the University of Idaho care about for this upcoming election? And what do the politicians have to say about it?
The Aquifer
The Grande Ronde aquifer is a part of the Palouse groundwater basin and is the main source of water for both the city of Moscow as well as Pullman. Altogether, the basin serves over 60,000 people between both towns and the two universities. However, the aquifer is quickly running out. Due to high use over the past decades has led the aquifer to drop over 100 feet in the past 85 years, and it is continuing to drop.
As such, members of the community are worried. Markie McBrayer, an Associate professor of Political Science here at the University of Idaho is especially worried.
“We know the aquifer is being used,” McBrayer said, “At what point do we deplete the aquifer? And what other options do we have?” Many students and faculty are involved in environmental issues and care about our natural resources.
Olivia Moses and Art Bettge are both passionate about water and our aquifer. Moses’ Facebook page has “Save the Aquifer” written across the top banner. Bettge’s website also has quite a bit to say, saying “We need to begin moving on securing more water sources.” Other candidates could not be reached, but Gina Taruscio, a candidate for city council, said at the Chamber of Commerce’s public forum that Alternative solutions to the water problem, while expensive, are necessary to the community’s health.
COVID-19
The coronavirus has been plaguing Moscow for nearly two years, and in that time, life has changed for many residents, including students and faculty. With our vaccination rates low, and many people concerned over side effects and the new Delta variant, COVID is on many people’s minds.
Ryan Bilyeu, a freshman at the University of Idaho, is very worried about COVID. With no numbers being reported, it is very hard to know what is going on, which is causing a lot of fear.
“I don’t mind the mandates,” Caitlin Fakrieh, a junior, says,” I just pray that COVID eventually goes away.”
However, there are quite a few disagreements on how that should happen. Olivia Moses is currently really focused of vaccine education.
“We are leaving a lot of people behind,” Moses said, “If someone comes in and is worried about their [bodies] being harmed, I can sit with them and work through that.” Moses also says that she understands the worry, and if someone is not educated, then that is something that can be fixed as a community.
Bettge and Tarucio are both current members of the City Council and were both part of the mask mandates and other policies over the past year and a half.
Steve Harmon, however, has a very different take. One of the biggest parts of Harmon’s campaign is being anti-mandates, with one of his slogans being “no Brownshirts, no Mandates.” He has been vocal the whole time about reversing mandates and ensuring personal freedoms for all Moscow residents.
Community
Many students feel left out of the community in Moscow. Many have moved here from their own communities and get swept up into university life and the university’s culture that they don’t notice until something comes up.
“Our big focus is trying to be involved in the community,” Brody Robbins, a sophomore said. Bilyeu also expressed concerns over lack of communication from the city.
Also, very few students even knew a local election was happening, or that they were eligible to vote. Many were also unfamiliar with Idaho voting law. If you have lived in Moscow, including on campus, for 30 days, you can register as a voter in Moscow.
Moses has explicitly stated that they wish to include students more in the community, being a recent graduate herself, having graduated in 2016. They remember working on campaigns and being told not to bother with doing events on campus. Bettge is also a former vandal and has been receptive to individual questions but has not commented on being involved in the University.
Housing
Many students are also worried about housing. The price of housing in Moscow is going up as the state grows, and more people move into the area. Rent has risen and made a lot of students nervous about being able to afford off-campus housing.
“In Idaho, we are worried about keeping a lower cost of property taxes,” said Robbins. Rising property taxes are also contributing to the ride in rent in the Moscow area. When they keep rising on landlords, landlords keep raising the rent. Rent has gone up over the past few years.
Both Moses and Bettge have statements saying that they both want to work towards more affordable housing in the Moscow area. Bettge specifically mentions incentivizing in-fill projects, or projects in town, that serve as urban dwellings. Moses wants to work with renters to get them better conditions and affordable rent.
Resources
In formation about each candidate can be found at Latah County Auditor’s office. Information of registering to vote can be found here.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Gina Taruscio’s name.
Abigail Spencer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ABairdSpencer
Marty Staley
Yes, water is a big issue. Now we have 2,200 lots that will have homes on them very shortly. What then? Plus the fact our water rates are already high as the Aquifer gets lower and lower, rates go up and up. A Mayoral candidate will have to convince me they have a solution to this issue.