The Hayden Citizen Candidate Questionnaire
See responses from Hayden City Council candidates Ed DePriest, Luke Sommer, and Sandy White
The Hayden Citizen created and sent a questionnaire to the registered email addresses for all four Hayden City Council candidates on Sept. 19, 2025. The questions cover topics related to vision and purpose, law enforcement, growth, business, and urban renewal.
Four candidates are running for the two Hayden City Council positions (seats #2 and #4) up for election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
We received responses to the questionnaire from Ed DePriest and Luke Sommer (running for seat #2) and Sandy White (running for seat #4). We have not received a response from David Erickson (running for seat #4).
The order of responses below matches the order received from the candidates (DePriest, Sommer, White).
Vision & Purpose
Q: If you’re elected, how will you contribute to making Hayden a great place to live for current and future Hayden citizens?
Response from Ed DePriest
I will continue what I accomplished my first term. I campaigned to better manage growth and density. I put forth 4 zone text changes and a Standard of Approval, which were adopted. These resulted in ZERO high-density development since adoption. See Community Development Report. Multi-Family is high density. Zero in the last 4 years.
I will continue to work on managing growth and making sure that Hayden does not go the way of our neighboring cities.
I campaigned to put any base tax increases on the ballot for the people to decide and I will do the same every time the issue presents itself.
I will continue to seek input from the citizens to make informed decisions that reflect what is the desire, and in the best interest, of ALL of the citizens of Hayden.
I will work to find solutions to the most pressing issues of funding law enforcement and the needed road, intersection, sewer, and infrastructure needs.
I will be honest with the people, even when the truth is unpopular, regarding the issues and positions facing the city.
Response from Luke Sommer
I am running for Hayden City Council because I believe in keeping government transparent, accountable, and limited to its proper role of serving the people—not controlling them. I have watched this city council, mayor, and staff misuse laws and procedures that are designed to control those who exercise the powers of government. They have wasted time, repeatedly violated other council members’ rights, and demonstrated poor temperament and judgment. Hayden deserves better leadership.
If elected, I will work to restore integrity and civility to the council’s proceedings, insist on proper procedure within Idaho’s open meeting laws and proper parliamentary procedure, and ensure that the rights of citizens and council members alike are respected.
Response from Sandy White
I’m Sandy White and I’m running for re-election to the Hayden City Council Seat #4. I’ve been married to my husband Alan for 44 years. More than half of that time we lived overseas in the Middle East doing translation and Bible teaching. We have 3 married children and 9 grandchildren. We have family here in Hayden and we moved here a little over 11 years ago. We are so glad that we decided to make Hayden our home.
I was active in Hayden City politics and started going to meetings, but didn’t decide to run for office until the City of Hayden sent out letters to rezone 1,700 properties to comply with the Future Land Use Map. My home on a residential street was designated to be rezoned as mixed-use (apartments) but thankfully, that was stopped. So, I’ve been working to make Hayden a better place even before I was elected 4 years ago, and I’ll continue to focus on transparency, accountability, and good governance.
Transparency: I pushed for meetings to be recorded and now half are, and I’m working for all of them to be. I fought misuse of the consent agenda statewide, which led to House Bill 172, giving every council member the right to pull items for separate votes. I’m also working to restore full public access to city records after they were removed from the city website.
Accountability: I stand for taxpayers and private property rights. As the comprehensive plan is revised, I’m working to ensure property owners are protected and that forced rezoning, like what was attempted five years ago, never happens again.
Good Governance: I support a clear procedures manual so all officials are working on a level playing field and treated with respect. I also stand for responsible budgets — protecting public safety and avoiding short-term cuts that lead to steep tax hikes later and put our essential services at risk. I support respectful debate with my fellow council members. I’m an independent thinker, not a rubber stamper.
Q: What’s your vision for the City of Hayden in the next four years and the decades beyond?
Response from Ed DePriest
I believe that the changes Hayden has made related to managing growth and density have set the city on a track for low density and responsible and reasonable growth. You cannot stop growth, but I believe we have put the city on a good responsible path.
I believe that the city is facing significant decisions about how the people want to fund law enforcement and infrastructure. I will advocate putting those issues on the ballot so that the people tell the city how much they want to pay for services and quality of life. I envision a city where the people determine the quality of life that they fund.
The next four years will see significant challenges related to taxes and how improvements are funded, or not.
Response from Luke Sommer
My vision is simple: Keep Small Town Hayden. Growth must be managed with prudence, not politics. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan must be completely reviewed to bring it back in line with the people’s expressed desire to Keep Small Town Hayden.
Growth is not inevitable—ask towns and cities all over the Rust Belt and East Coast that have died. Hayden must plan for both booms and busts. The push for higher density on infill lots or in new developments should be discouraged. Only the market can make housing affordable, and the City Council should not be in the business of engineering growth at the expense of current residents.
I believe in preserving Hayden’s small-town character while maintaining fiscal responsibility, ensuring public safety, and protecting property rights.
Response from Sandy White
My vision for the city is for limited government that does not infringe on private property rights nor try to rezone property against the wishes of the owners. My vision for the Future Land Use Map is to leave already developed properties as they are, and to only consider undeveloped property as pertaining to the Future Land Use Map. I’d like to see Hayden retain its small town charm, be more intentional in the growth allowed, and have the law enforcement we need to be a safe place for families to live.
Law Enforcement
Q: What do you view as the City’s role in procuring and providing law enforcement services in the City of Hayden?
Response from Ed DePriest
I believe that the city is responsible for setting the law enforcement method and implementing what the people determine they want.
The fact is that the county has told the city that the current level of service (which 10 deputy option the Sheriff provided with costs) will now cost double what the Sheriff told the city and the people voted to approve in 2023. The county has told the city that they expect “100% reimbursement for Sheriff service;” which with the current 10 deputies, would be $1.8 million per year, compared to the current contract of $954K. The county has indicated that those costs will increase over the next 3-4 years.
I believe that if the county is going to require the city to pay 100% of costs, then the city should seriously evaluate another direction. Be it our own Police Dept. or contracting with neighboring cities. If the citizens are going to pay what it will cost to operate a department to the county, we should use that funding and have control and accountability.
Whatever direction the city goes, the cost for law enforcement is going to significantly rise if the people want the current level of service. Whatever happens, the city is going to have to put the issue and amount on the ballot for the people to determine what kind of service, and how much, they want to fund.
The city will then implement what the people indicate through the ballot.
Response from Luke Sommer
The council approved nearly $1.39 million for policing, and then, right before the election, my opponent led the drive that slashed about $300,000 from that amount. He then told us we would likely have to raise our own taxes later. After 3 years of taking the full 3% tax increase allowed by law, my opponent called for a 0% tax increase for FY 2026. That isn’t leadership; that’s politics.
Hayden deserves better than election-year budget games. Cutting policing by $300,000 today, then warning citizens they’ll have to raise their own taxes tomorrow, is not planning—it’s politics. I stand for steady, responsible budgeting that protects both public safety and taxpayers.
I am committed to restoring responsible planning and forward-thinking, not reactionary or political gamesmanship. Hayden needs policing that is properly funded, properly planned, and accountable to the people, without making citizens bear the consequences of the council’s short-sighted decisions.
Response from Sandy White
In 2022, the voters in Hayden voted to finance an increase in sheriff deputies for the safety of both the officers themselves and the residents of Hayden by providing faster response times. I stand behind our Sheriff but I was not convinced that the wording of the levy proposal was ready to go on the ballot. The fact that the levy had to be reworded several times before it was published is proof of that. Now three years later we are still seeing the proof of that because of where we are now with the Sheriff being underfunded yet again. Our 2026 contract with the KC Sheriff’s office should at least maintain the level that the people voted for in 2022.
Growth
Q: Population density is a topic of frequent discussion. How do you view the City Council’s role with regard to zoning, density, and property rights?
Response from Ed DePriest
I put forth four zone code text changes and a Standard of Approval, which were adopted. As a result, there have been ZERO high-density developments in the past 4 years. Nothing more than 4 dwellings per acre have been approved and those have been by prior annexation or development agreements. I believe that the density issue is under control in Hayden.
Land owners have Property Rights to have a reasonable use of their land. The role of council is to set zoning that respects the Property Rights and the state statues; while reflecting, as best as is legal, the desires of the citizens. I believe that the city has done exactly that.
Response from Luke Sommer
The council must uphold property rights while protecting the small-town character of Hayden. Higher density on infill lots or new developments should not be forced on existing neighborhoods.
Growth must be managed with proper planning, infrastructure, and public input, not dictated by special interests or outside pressures. Hayden citizens, not outsiders, must decide how Hayden grows.
Response from Sandy White
I believe that property owners and builders have the right to develop property according to the standards of the zone they find themselves in, but the infrastructure must also be in place to meet the ongoing needs. I do not believe that the city council is under obligation to change less dense zones into more dense zones or to allow annexations that increase density.
Business
Q: What will you do to improve people’s ability to start, run, and grow their businesses in Hayden?
Response from Ed DePriest
I think that a positive environment for people who want to start, run, and grow their business in Hayden already exists. I think that zoning for commercial and light industrial is well designed. I believe that Hayden is a business-friendly town that provides opportunities for those who want to do business here.
If you look at the area around the airport and the new commercial development, businesses are finding Hayden a welcoming place to do business.
Response from Luke Sommer
The best thing the government can do for business is stay out of the way, keep taxes low, and provide fair, predictable rules. Hayden should not overburden local businesses with unnecessary regulations. We need a culture at City Hall that sees businesses as partners in our community’s prosperity, not as sources of revenue.
Response from Sandy White
I believe that taxes and regulations should be reasonable and impartial and not hinder people’s free exercise of lawful business activities. Free enterprise has worked well historically in the USA.
Urban Renewal
Q: How do you see the City collaborating with the Hayden Urban Renewal Association over the next 4 years? What projects, if any, would you like to see HURA fund?
Response from Ed DePriest
I see Hayden continuing to work with HURA until the expiration of the district in 2029. HURA has already funded millions of dollars in infrastructure projects, which the city would otherwise not have been able to fund, in the past. HURA has already committed millions of future dollars to help fund road, intersection, sewer, and park improvements.
All that the citizens of Hayden have to do is look to Post Falls to see how a well-run Urban Renewal District can benefit a city. Post Falls recently closed a couple of Urban Renewal Districts. Upon the closure, not only did the taxing districts receive significant windfall dollars, but the city had increased the business tax valuation which will help fund the future. This increased business valuation will result in a significant tax burden shift from the Residential Property owner tax to the Business Property Tax. Hayden will see the same results when the Hayden Urban Renewal Association closes.
Response from Luke Sommer
The Hayden Urban Renewal Agency (HURA) is scheduled to expire in 2029, and I oppose any effort to extend or renew it. I believe urban renewal has too often been used to benefit special interests rather than the citizens footing the bill.
I believe the state legislature needs to review the Idaho Urban Renewal Act so that it can be used only in extreme circumstances and with real accountability to the jurisdiction it is in.
Hayden’s growth and infrastructure needs must be addressed through transparent budgeting and direct citizen oversight—not by giving taxing authority to an unaccountable body.
Response from Sandy White
I attended a seminar about Urban Renewal Districts and they said that URD’s are generally a “tool” of the mayor and they are intended to help a city with the guidance of the city leaders. In contrast, Hayden’s URA appears to be an independent board.
Disclaimers
Responses from candidates are provided verbatim.
The opinions expressed in candidate responses are those of the candidates and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Hayden Citizen.
Submissions
Citizens of the City of Hayden can submit letters to the editor at haydencitizen@proton.me.