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Robert Blakeley Quote-
Blakeley’s also interested in loosening laws restricting marijuana and industrial hemp, saying if the drug is sold out of a store, that would eliminate gangs and drug dealers.
Another-
He also has worked with Liberty Lobby of Idaho, an organization that successfully took Sun Valley to court in 2006 after its city clerk refused to process a signed petition seeking regulated growth, sales and distribution of marijuana in the city.
From Bottom Article-
Within the Wood River Valley, there is already some familiarity with Blakeley because of his involvement with the Liberty Lobby, which began in 2004 to advocate locally for pro-marijuana laws. In 2007, the organization put four marijuana legalization or reform initiatives on the ballot in Hailey. Three were approved by voters, including legalizing the medical use of marijuana, making enforcement of marijuana laws the city's lowest police priority and legalizing industrial use of hemp.
However, due to their conflict with state law, none has yet to become law in Hailey.
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Three Dems vie for Stennett's Senate seat
Three will vie this month for the Democratic nod for the District 25 Senate seat, where the incumbent, longtime Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, has retired from the Legislature.
The seat’s not exactly open, though. Sen. Michelle Stennett is running for the Democratic nod after filling in for her husband in the 2010 legislative session. Clint Stennett left the Legislature to focus on his recovery from brain cancer.
Besides Michelle Stennett, David Maestas and Robert Blakeley seek the Democratic nomination in the May 25 primaries. The winner will face Republican Jim Donoval, unopposed in his primary, and Constitution Party candidate Randall Patterson in November.
Stennett, 49, of Ketchum, said she brings experience from the last session. She wants to continue focusing on efforts to help the state’s economy and promote an educated workforce.
For example, the Democrats’ Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint proposed in this year’s session included measures aimed at helping small businesses and attracting green jobs through renewable energy projects, she said.
“This administration is much more open to allowing other forms of energy on existing grids,” Stennett said.
It’s crucial to make sure new business and industry growth doesn’t reduce the state’s quality of life, she said.
“We certainly don’t want to denigrate our pristine water and air,” she said. “It’s something you have to balance. You don’t want to make everybody sick for a few more jobs.”
Stennett has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Latin languages from the University of Oregon. She’s been involved in nonprofit organizations and has held various jobs with her husband’s businesses.
Blakeley, 35, of Hailey, has a history in political and civic activism. He unsuccessfully ran for Ada County commissioner in 2000 as a Libertarian candidate.
He also has worked with Liberty Lobby of Idaho, an organization that successfully took Sun Valley to court in 2006 after its city clerk refused to process a signed petition seeking regulated growth, sales and distribution of marijuana in the city.
These days, Blakeley has a common presence in city council and county commission meetings.
“I’ve run into a couple thousand people pretty upset about the state of the economy,” he said. “… They want to know what I can do to get them their jobs and houses.”
He says he’d focus on reforming the state’s right-to-work law to give workers more rights and protection.
Blakeley’s also interested in loosening laws restricting marijuana and industrial hemp, saying if the drug is sold out of a store, that would eliminate gangs and drug dealers.
Maestas, 61, of Hagerman, is on the Gooding County Planning and Zoning Commission and Hagerman’s planning and zoning board.
Now retired, Maestas says he has the time to serve in the Legislature. He wants to see Idaho’s wage scale improved and believes initiatives in the Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint proposed by the Democrats would be a step in the right direction.
“I’ve always wanted to serve the public in one way or another,” said Maestas, who took pre-law courses at the University of Idaho.
A higher wage scale is needed, and Idaho needs to stop losing jobs, he said.
Maestas participated in the work on Gooding County’s ordinance governing confined-animal feedlot operations, which held up to a court challenge that went to the Idaho Supreme Court.
Before retiring, Maestas worked in farming, the dairy industry and as a technical services and marketing manager for Chevron.
Source: Three Dems vie for Stennett's Senate seat
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Hailey Democrat taking run at Senate
Robert Blakeley is campaigning for election to the District 25 Senate seat. Photo by David N. Seelig
Come May 25, Robert Blakeley will enter a tough primary election to choose the Democratic candidate for District 25's state Senate seat.
Blakeley, a Hailey resident, will take on fellow Democrats David Maestas of Hagerman and Michelle Stennett, who stood in for her husband, Sen. Clint Stennett, during the 2010 Legislature.
The primary winner will face Republican Jim Donoval of Sun Valley and Carey's Randall Patterson, a member of the Constitution Party, in November's general election.
Blakeley said he thinks the race for the district, which includes Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Lincoln counties, will be decided during the primary.
"The district has voted pretty heavily for Democrats in the past, and I don't know why it would change this year," Blakeley said.
To have a better chance at being successful in May, Blakeley said, he will need to increase his name recognition, especially outside of Blaine County.
Within the Wood River Valley, there is already some familiarity with Blakeley because of his involvement with the Liberty Lobby, which began in 2004 to advocate locally for pro-marijuana laws. In 2007, the organization put four marijuana legalization or reform initiatives on the ballot in Hailey. Three were approved by voters, including legalizing the medical use of marijuana, making enforcement of marijuana laws the city's lowest police priority and legalizing industrial use of hemp.
However, due to their conflict with state law, none has yet to become law in Hailey.
Blakeley said that if he makes it to the Capitol, in addition to his continuing effort to legalize hemp for industrial uses, he would also be a labor advocate, stumping for better representation of workers around the state. He said he is also a proponent of installing term limits for elected officials.
Blakeley made an initial foray into politics 10 years ago when he was a candidate for a seat on the Ada County Commission, a race in which he ran as a member of the Libertarian Party. In that race, he lost soundly, but, he said, largely because his campaign budget was significantly smaller than that of his challengers.
"For this Senate race, I thought, 'Why not throw my hat in the ring again?'" said Blakeley, who works at Atkinsons' Market in Hailey. "But Libertarians don't win elections or get paid a lot of attention."
Blakeley, who stated his age at "29 forever," said he has been doing most of his campaigning so far on foot, knocking on doors to introduce himself and finding mostly a warm reception.
Blakeley said he expected more people to wonder why he would be running against Stennett, whose husband held the district seat for nearly 20 years, but has found that people are indeed open to change.
"It's important to give people a choice," he said.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
Source: Idaho Mountain Express: Hailey Democrat taking run at Senate - April 21, 2010
Blakeley’s also interested in loosening laws restricting marijuana and industrial hemp, saying if the drug is sold out of a store, that would eliminate gangs and drug dealers.
Another-
He also has worked with Liberty Lobby of Idaho, an organization that successfully took Sun Valley to court in 2006 after its city clerk refused to process a signed petition seeking regulated growth, sales and distribution of marijuana in the city.
From Bottom Article-
Within the Wood River Valley, there is already some familiarity with Blakeley because of his involvement with the Liberty Lobby, which began in 2004 to advocate locally for pro-marijuana laws. In 2007, the organization put four marijuana legalization or reform initiatives on the ballot in Hailey. Three were approved by voters, including legalizing the medical use of marijuana, making enforcement of marijuana laws the city's lowest police priority and legalizing industrial use of hemp.
However, due to their conflict with state law, none has yet to become law in Hailey.
________________________________________________________
Three Dems vie for Stennett's Senate seat
Three will vie this month for the Democratic nod for the District 25 Senate seat, where the incumbent, longtime Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, has retired from the Legislature.
The seat’s not exactly open, though. Sen. Michelle Stennett is running for the Democratic nod after filling in for her husband in the 2010 legislative session. Clint Stennett left the Legislature to focus on his recovery from brain cancer.
Besides Michelle Stennett, David Maestas and Robert Blakeley seek the Democratic nomination in the May 25 primaries. The winner will face Republican Jim Donoval, unopposed in his primary, and Constitution Party candidate Randall Patterson in November.
Stennett, 49, of Ketchum, said she brings experience from the last session. She wants to continue focusing on efforts to help the state’s economy and promote an educated workforce.
For example, the Democrats’ Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint proposed in this year’s session included measures aimed at helping small businesses and attracting green jobs through renewable energy projects, she said.
“This administration is much more open to allowing other forms of energy on existing grids,” Stennett said.
It’s crucial to make sure new business and industry growth doesn’t reduce the state’s quality of life, she said.
“We certainly don’t want to denigrate our pristine water and air,” she said. “It’s something you have to balance. You don’t want to make everybody sick for a few more jobs.”
Stennett has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Latin languages from the University of Oregon. She’s been involved in nonprofit organizations and has held various jobs with her husband’s businesses.
Blakeley, 35, of Hailey, has a history in political and civic activism. He unsuccessfully ran for Ada County commissioner in 2000 as a Libertarian candidate.
He also has worked with Liberty Lobby of Idaho, an organization that successfully took Sun Valley to court in 2006 after its city clerk refused to process a signed petition seeking regulated growth, sales and distribution of marijuana in the city.
These days, Blakeley has a common presence in city council and county commission meetings.
“I’ve run into a couple thousand people pretty upset about the state of the economy,” he said. “… They want to know what I can do to get them their jobs and houses.”
He says he’d focus on reforming the state’s right-to-work law to give workers more rights and protection.
Blakeley’s also interested in loosening laws restricting marijuana and industrial hemp, saying if the drug is sold out of a store, that would eliminate gangs and drug dealers.
Maestas, 61, of Hagerman, is on the Gooding County Planning and Zoning Commission and Hagerman’s planning and zoning board.
Now retired, Maestas says he has the time to serve in the Legislature. He wants to see Idaho’s wage scale improved and believes initiatives in the Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint proposed by the Democrats would be a step in the right direction.
“I’ve always wanted to serve the public in one way or another,” said Maestas, who took pre-law courses at the University of Idaho.
A higher wage scale is needed, and Idaho needs to stop losing jobs, he said.
Maestas participated in the work on Gooding County’s ordinance governing confined-animal feedlot operations, which held up to a court challenge that went to the Idaho Supreme Court.
Before retiring, Maestas worked in farming, the dairy industry and as a technical services and marketing manager for Chevron.
Source: Three Dems vie for Stennett's Senate seat
_______________________________________________________
Hailey Democrat taking run at Senate
Robert Blakeley is campaigning for election to the District 25 Senate seat. Photo by David N. Seelig
Come May 25, Robert Blakeley will enter a tough primary election to choose the Democratic candidate for District 25's state Senate seat.
Blakeley, a Hailey resident, will take on fellow Democrats David Maestas of Hagerman and Michelle Stennett, who stood in for her husband, Sen. Clint Stennett, during the 2010 Legislature.
The primary winner will face Republican Jim Donoval of Sun Valley and Carey's Randall Patterson, a member of the Constitution Party, in November's general election.
Blakeley said he thinks the race for the district, which includes Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Lincoln counties, will be decided during the primary.
"The district has voted pretty heavily for Democrats in the past, and I don't know why it would change this year," Blakeley said.
To have a better chance at being successful in May, Blakeley said, he will need to increase his name recognition, especially outside of Blaine County.
Within the Wood River Valley, there is already some familiarity with Blakeley because of his involvement with the Liberty Lobby, which began in 2004 to advocate locally for pro-marijuana laws. In 2007, the organization put four marijuana legalization or reform initiatives on the ballot in Hailey. Three were approved by voters, including legalizing the medical use of marijuana, making enforcement of marijuana laws the city's lowest police priority and legalizing industrial use of hemp.
However, due to their conflict with state law, none has yet to become law in Hailey.
Blakeley said that if he makes it to the Capitol, in addition to his continuing effort to legalize hemp for industrial uses, he would also be a labor advocate, stumping for better representation of workers around the state. He said he is also a proponent of installing term limits for elected officials.
Blakeley made an initial foray into politics 10 years ago when he was a candidate for a seat on the Ada County Commission, a race in which he ran as a member of the Libertarian Party. In that race, he lost soundly, but, he said, largely because his campaign budget was significantly smaller than that of his challengers.
"For this Senate race, I thought, 'Why not throw my hat in the ring again?'" said Blakeley, who works at Atkinsons' Market in Hailey. "But Libertarians don't win elections or get paid a lot of attention."
Blakeley, who stated his age at "29 forever," said he has been doing most of his campaigning so far on foot, knocking on doors to introduce himself and finding mostly a warm reception.
Blakeley said he expected more people to wonder why he would be running against Stennett, whose husband held the district seat for nearly 20 years, but has found that people are indeed open to change.
"It's important to give people a choice," he said.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
Source: Idaho Mountain Express: Hailey Democrat taking run at Senate - April 21, 2010
