After nearly 12 years of serving Bingham County, Commissioner Mark R. Bair is resigning, effective Sept. 30.
Born into a farming family in western Bingham County, Bair reluctantly left the fields and sold the farm due to health issues. Eventually resettling in Firth, he ran for and won the commissioner position in 2013.
Bair represents District 1 which is the northern and eastern portions of the county, including Shelley, Firth and Basalt. This last May, he lost his bid for re-election to challenger Drew Jensen, Who will fill Bair’s position for the remaining three months of 2024 is up to the Republican Party and Gov. Brad Little. The party will nominate three candidates, and the governor will appoint one of them to finish out the term.
When asked what accomplishments he is most pleased with, Bair was quick to point out that it was always a joint effort with the other commissioners. As one member of the team he is very excited about the new jail expansion and courthouse remodel they have financed without a bond and taxpayers’ money. Instead, they used federal funding through Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT, and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Bair was also pleased to be a part of creating the Patriot Field to honor the veterans of the county. And, he saw the new road and bridge shop on Highway 26 constructed three years ago — again with federal PILT money instead of local tax revenues.
Additionally, Bair has focused on attracting new businesses to the area. Currently, there are two new companies breaking ground for new Bingham County businesses.
United Steel is building a storage and transfer station on Pioneer Road. The facility will transfer incoming steel from the railroad to fleets of trucks for delivery. It will be employing 20 to 30 people.
In Goshen, Geobitmine will establish a 100v percent carbon-free high-performance computing data center and hydroponic greenhouse. This new blend of tech and farming uses the waste heat from the data center to grow cherry tomatoes.
As a commissioner, Bair oversees the Public Works, Probation and Parks and Recreation departments. On a broader service level, he is chairman of the Gem Plan Board, a volunteer position. As a volunteer, there isn’t any conflict of interest because he doesn’t personally benefit from the county using the Gem Plan.
Bair is also the second vice president of the Idaho Association of Counties, or IAC, executive board and would have been vice president next year. This association and opportunity to serve will be difficult to leave, according to Bair. He will be able to attend the Sept. 23 conference to pass the mantle and say goodbye.
It is through the IAC that Bair saw an idea of his come into law this last year. He presented a resolution to the IAC Public Safety Committee that anyone trafficking fentanyl be given mandatory minimum sentences. The committee agreed, the IAC members agreed and IAC successfully lobbied for it in Boise. The law went into effect on July 1.
As to what has changed in Bingham County over the dozen years he has served as commissioner, Bair said it “was without a doubt” the great residential growth — and that it is the hardest kind of change. Not only has Idaho been discovered, but Bingham County has also been discovered for its rural lifestyle.
Bair’s advice to his successor or anyone that aspires to be a commissioner is, “Follow the ordinances and be prepared to make hard decisions.” He noted that the county’s insurance didn’t cover two things: a pandemic and land use decisions. It can be a difficult thing to deny someone a hoped-for use of their land due to a county ordinance. But to stray from the law opens the county to lawsuits and possibly bankruptcy.
In Bair’s resignation letter he concluded with, “I am grateful for the relationships I have made with other elected officials, county employees and citizens of Bingham County. I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life, retirement.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0