Hadley Bodell
Editor in Chief
In a historic marathon of an election season, the city of Pocatello has finally chosen their new mayor: Mark Dahlquist. The runoff on December 2nd was necessary as neither Dahlquist nor his opponent Greg Cates garnered the required 50% of the votes on the November 4th election.
The city of Idaho Falls also went to a runoff election this year, electing Lisa Burtenshaw over opposing candidate Jeff Alldridge.
The Pocatello election is also historic because it meant current mayor Brian Blad would finally step down after 16 years in office. Blad has been a beloved advocate for many city issues, yet the people of the Gate City showed they’re ready for a change this time around.
While the mayoral election was not partisan, Cates considered himself the conservative candidate and Dahlquist the democratic. Both candidates held election runoff parties at different locations in Pocatello and watched as the votes came in throughout the night with their families, friends and supporters.
The Bannock County Elections office said the number of early votes was significantly higher than in years past. The early voting numbers showed Mark Dahlquist off to an early lead, nearly doubling Cates’ votes with 2,618 votes or 68.8% of the total votes. Nearly 4,000 votes came in as of the Monday before the election through mail-in ballots.
“Usually the early votes in the absentee ballots and mail-in ballots don’t go well for the conservative candidates,” said Cates on the election day.
However, Cates was shocked by the total number of votes, expecting more to turn out for the runoff election. It has proven difficult to get citizens out and voting in local elections, a recurring issue that each candidate faces in their campaign. The elections office said turnout for the runoff was down to just 40.5%.
While most expected the runoff election to be close, Dahlquist won in a landslide. He garnered 7,238 votes, or 62%. Greg Cates received 4,424 votes, or 38%. Dahlquist doesn’t take this win lightly and is ready to serve the people of Pocatello. He has plans for improvement in many sectors of the city.
“I’m hearing a lot that we need to have more attainable housing in Pocatello. We can’t do everything – we can’t control interest rates. There’s things at the national level beyond our control, admittedly, but we can have permit processes go faster,” said Dahlquist on the night of his victory. “We can change some of our zoning codes. We can look at things like accessory dwelling units on the same property. There are certain things that the city can do to get past the supply and demand problem.”
In addition to the housing issue in Pocatello, Dahlquist mentioned economic development and his plan to rapidly get all hands on deck at the LA Semiconductor plant for sale off Buckskin road.
Dahlquist is incredibly grateful to his team for their success in helping him run the mayoral campaign as well as the voters for believing in his vision for a greater Pocatello.
“This was really a team effort. I think the community sent a message today. I’m grateful that they appreciate my leadership style and my vision for Pocatello,” he said. “I really couldn’t be happier. I’m just so grateful for the community stepping forward. It’s a new morning in Pocatello.”
Cates was a graceful second-place finisher in the December runoff election. While the disappointment was felt by everyone at the election party, Cates described his campaign in a positive light and expressed gratitude for the experience.
“I have no regrets. I worked hard for a year, and I’m happy that the election is over. It’s been a long time,” said Cates. “I just want to say congratulations to Mark for winning and I wish him the best. I care a lot about this city and I hope that when he becomes mayor that he does the things he promised to do and that we can all just move forward and make the city a better place for all of us to live.”
Now, the citizens of Pocatello looks forward to their new mayor in January. After Mayor Blad’s tenure comes to an end, the Gate City will enter a new era, under new leadership.
“There is no higher responsibility than the mayor to serve your city, it’s a big responsibility, but I’m ready for it. I’m just so excited and grateful for the people of Pocatello.”
