Tom Lamar first took an interest in public office in the second grade, when he helped a friend run for class president.
As campaign manager, Lamar spent long nights in his parents’ garage spray-painting old political buttons and adding new slogans.
Now, as Latah County Commissioner, Lamar faces re-election. Instead of handing out buttons, however, Lamar has been handing out face masks with his name on them.
Growing up in Delaware, Lamar observed elected officials up close from a young age. It was not uncommon in his neighborhood to see Joe Biden, a senator at the time, visiting the veteran affairs officer who lived next door to Lamar.
“I learned quite readily that elected officials are people you can access,” Lamar said.
Before his first run for commissioner in 2014, Lamar served on the Moscow City Council for over seven years. Since 1990, he’s worked as the executive director of Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, a conservation organization and nature center in Moscow. Lamar said his parents, both staunch Republicans, taught him what it means to be a conservationist.
“They taught me to turn off the lights, always save money, save energy,” Lamar said. “But they also took me for walks to the nature center and got me thinking about natural resources and the environment.”
Lamar has collaborated with local landowners on stream restoration projects, using his environmental background to inform his work as a public official. He’s also taught conservation leadership for six years at the University of Idaho.
In 2018, Lamar played a key role in garnering votes for Medicaid Expansion, which Idaho voters overwhelmingly passed. He traveled through the state gathering signatures in hopes his constituents could access quality, low-cost health coverage.
Prior to 2020, there were an estimated 78,000 Idaho residents in the coverage gap, according to U.S. Census data. The gap refers to people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough for one of Obamacare’s marketplace plans. Since Medicaid Expansion passed, over 90,509 Idahoans have enrolled, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare states.
Lamar recalled one particularly emotional door knock two years ago on Almon Street. After giving his pitch, Lamar said one resident revealed he was one of many Idahoans who fall into the gap. Intrigued by the ballot initiative, he followed instructions from Lamar on how to register to vote.
On Election Day, Lamar ran into him again at the Latah County Fairgrounds.
“I was over at the fairgrounds, and that same guy was there standing in line, waiting to vote,” Lamar said. “I just started crying. It made a huge difference in his life and the life of his kids because now they all have health insurance.”
Lamar said he encourages everyone to vote early at the Latah County Courthouse. The polls will also be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Voting locations in Latah County are the Student Recreation Center, Hamilton-Lowe Aquatic Center and the Latah County Fairgrounds, divided by precinct. The Idaho Votes website helps voters find which precinct they belong to and which polling location to report to. The City of Moscow precinct map also shows which precinct voters belong to.
“We need leaders who believe in science,” Lamar said. “And we need elected officials who are committed to working with people they disagree with.”
More information about Lamar can be found at tomlamar.org.
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermooo.