<\/p>\n Dust from the campaign trail has settled and elected officials Sen. Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum), Rep. Sally Toone (D-Gooding) and Rep.-elect Muffy Davis (D-Hailey) are blazing a new path toward change in the Idaho State Legislature, starting with medical and educational needs.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have spoken pretty firmly,\u201d Stennett said.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the campaign, these officials agreed it was an overall success full of heartwarming support, volunteers and willingness for people to participate.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care what side of the aisle you\u2019re on, people want to participate,\u201d Stennett said.<\/p>\n Although there were a few curves thrown in during the last weeks of the campaign, representatives said time spent on the campaign trail allowed them to express themselves and steer the focus to the issues.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the disrespect and hate rhetoric this election cycle, people should stay engaged with civility and respectfulness,\u201d Stennett said.<\/p>\n This trio of women is meeting the challenge with a coordinative team approach as they tackle the ongoing issues of healthcare and education.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about people and issues,\u201d Toone said. \u201cIn order for democracy to succeed, we have to make sure citizens get involved; it is based on people,\u201d she said. \u201cThank you, everyone in Blaine County, for their support.\u201d<\/p>\n Toone expects the Medicaid expansion plan to be the topic addressed right off the bat and is excited to be involved with these new changes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to believe it will move in the right direction,\u201d Toone said.<\/p>\n Toone is also a backer of education, including equitable opportunities in career and technical training, college goals and affordability.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery student in Idaho should have the opportunity to meet their dreams,\u201d Toone said.<\/p>\n With 21 new members in the House and a new formula coming through that includes loan forgiveness, she believes a lot will be accomplished. Toone mentions that Idaho is ranked 34th in ACT scores in the nation and that we do have National Merit Scholars.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we look at the whole picture, it is not that we are doing horribly, just that we can do better,\u201d Toone said.<\/p>\n Another issue facing Idaho, the fastest growing state in the nation, is workforce development. All districts need access to the professional and technical training resources to take over the vacancies that are out there. \u00a0It is expected that 49,000 jobs will need to be filled by 2024.<\/p>\n Newcomer Davis credits her positive campaign experience to the leadership of Toone and Stennett.<\/p>\n \u201cI had great mentors to guide and shape me,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n The hardest part of the campaign for Davis, who considers herself a goal setter and a planner, was the waiting.<\/p>\n \u201cNow at least I know my future,\u201d she said. \u201cThank you, Blaine County voters.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis\u2019s political prompt came in the form of many letters from constituents about healthcare. After realizing that the need for affordable, preventative care would require more than signatures and being voted in, she decided to take a more active role.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first goal is to go to Boise and let everyone know I am here and willing to work with anyone to find a good solution for Idaho families,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n She realizes this is a big job for such a diverse state and believes that counties know their individual needs. Davis will seek a bipartisan group to work with and make decisions that will take the burden off the indigent and catastrophic funds and stop the healthcare wait. Davis believes that trust in the extensive research and implementation of the Medicaid expansion plan could save $15 million over the course of three years.<\/p>\n Davis encourages people to reach out to her and share their concerns and stories.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me know what is important to you,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThe squeaky wheel gets the grease.\u201d<\/p>\n Stennett also encourages people to speak loud and clear and not back down.<\/p>\n \u201cStick your spurs in the dirt and say this is what I need from government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n As far as Medicaid expansion, Stennett believes that the gap population, which includes 6,000 veterans, would gain access to healthcare services that they otherwise could not obtain.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do a better job serving our veterans\u2019 needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n According to Stennett, even though this long-overdue plan has potential, it will still be a fight.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have our work cut out to see what the final product will look like,\u201d Stennett said.<\/p>\n Election day is over, the foundation is set, and representatives encourage voters to stay\u00a0involved.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a spectator sport,\u201d Toone said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to pull up our sleeves and do what it takes to move forward,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Elected Democrats Plan Path To Change In State Legislature BY AIMEE DURAND Dust from the campaign trail has settled and elected officials Sen. Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum), Rep. Sally Toone (D-Gooding) and Rep.-elect Muffy Davis (D-Hailey) are blazing a new path toward change in the Idaho State Legislature, starting with medical and educational needs. \u201cPeople […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-elections"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Muffy-Davis-200x300.jpg\")
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