Canyon County voters in the 11th District will see two new state Senate candidates

CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — After the incumbent lost the May primary for District 11, two new state Senate candidates will appear on the ballot, both from Canyon County.

• Both candidates grew up in Canyon County and would like to see positive change that includes protecting the community’s agricultural heritage while accommodating exponential growth.
• Each welcomes the growth, but has a plan to protect the farming community.
• If elected, they will address affordable housing, health care worker protections and school funding.

(Below is the transcript of the broadcast)

Both candidates in the 11th District state Senate race have deep roots in Canyon County.

Both Camille Baylock and Toni Ferro tell me they have seen many changes in their lives.

“So I thought, hey… I can either file a complaint or get involved,” said Camille Baylock, a state Senate candidate in the 11th District. Baylock, a wife and mother, is running for public office for the first time.

As a former health care worker, she has concerns about the impact of recent abortion legislation on people in society… And on health care workers.

“There is a risk to (doctors and health care workers), obviously, because they are leaving the state, and anyone who says otherwise is not looking at the facts; it doesn’t take into account the fact that Caldwell only had one maternity ward and now there is So we need to look further and make sure that doctors feel safe working in our state. The growth has already happened and we all feel it wherever we go,” Baylock said.

Both candidates agree that economic growth will continue no matter what and believe that solid agricultural protection plans must be implemented.

“In Canyon County, we’re blessed with some of the best soil in the world, and when God gives you something like that, there’s a responsibility… You can’t just go out and develop it,” Baylock said.

Toni Ferro, a fifth-generation Idahoan, grew up in Caldwell and is concerned about rising housing costs in the county.

“Rents have doubled in the last 10 years. “The number of eviction filings has doubled in the last year, and as a result, wages are not holding steady,” said Toni Ferro, a state Senate candidate in District 11.

Ferro fears that if affordable housing isn’t introduced now, homelessness will become a serious problem. He believes the legislature has the power to make major changes that can leave a lasting impact.

“The legislature just passed one housing bill this year that was intended to eliminate protections for local renters. So it’s the exact opposite of what people need – they need more protection,” Ferro said.

Ferro was also proud to have attended public schools at Caldwell School, but he believes the state is failing students by underfunding the district.

“We have the worst-funded schools in the country. We have the lowest per-pupil funding of any state in the country. We had surpluses of one billion to two billion dollars and we still don’t fund our schools,” Ferro said.