Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives James Piotrowski spoke to University of Idaho students and Moscow residents at a small event at Patty’s Mexican Kitchen Thursday.
Piotrowski first moved to Idaho in 1998 and said he has been hunting and fishing on Idaho’s public lands ever since. He said one of his priorities is protecting Idaho’s public lands from efforts to privatize or turn them over to the state.
“Idaho has 21,000,000 acres of public lands,” Piotrowski said. “That’s the best thing about the state, besides its people.”
He said relative to other democrats, he would characterize himself as a fiscal conservative.
Government, Piotrowski said, should create a framework for its citizens to be free and then leave them alone. He said Medicaid should be expanded to the states because the program is part of that critical framework.
“In Idaho, we’re that rugged individualist, but we also look out for each other,” he said.
Piotrowski said although it may sound boring, he wants to invest in infrastructure and education.
“Those are the only two sources of wealth our country has, besides our people,” Piotrowski said.
Piotrowski said he hates watching talented people leave their home state to pursue their careers. The state economy should work for everyone, he said.
To invest in education, he said he would start by reforming federal student loans. Piotrowski said he is disgusted by the fact that the government makes money on students.
“At the very least, we need to reduce interest rates until the program is revenue neutral,” he said. “Later, we can talk about going further.”
UI seniors Maxwell Thornburg and Mariana Burdelis said they were invited to the event through the Idaho Young Democrats.
Thornburg said as a computer science major and Burdelis a computer engineering major, internet privacy is one of the most important issues to them. Piotrowski’s position on protecting internet users from government regulation is something he said he likes. Thornburg and Burdelis both said they will likely vote for Piotrowski.
Burdelis said she is a naturalized U.S. citizen, but she is originally from Brazil.
“In Brazil voting is obligatory, so I’m used to it,” Burdelis said. “I’m here because I’d like to know what (the candidates) are saying. Everyone as a citizen should know who they’re voting for.”
Thornburg said he thinks it is important for voters to know who other candidates are besides the ones running for president.
Latah County Commissioner Tom Lamar, who is up for reelection, and democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives Laurene Sorensen were also present at the event.
Piotrowski said he has lived in Washington D.C. before and does not want to live there again. He said a major difference between himself and the incumbent Raul Labrador is that he plans to spend more time in Idaho talking to citizens, businesses and government workers than his opponent.
“The job’s not just in Washington,” Piotrowski said. “It’s right here, too — in both places. Most folks don’t have time to attend town halls, so I will make a better effort to remain connected to the people.”
Piotrowski, a lawyer working in employment, disability and civil rights law, said this is his first time running for office. He said if he loses, he does not want to only run once. After a second run, he said he is not sure what his plans are.
“One thing I learned is that you can’t do this alone, so I’ll make sure to help other candidates when I’m not running,” he said.
Nishant Mohan
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