Residency questions raised about north-central Idaho lawmaker

priscilla-giddings

A north-central Idaho legislator who was claiming a homeowner’s exemption in Southern Idaho at the time of election may not have been qualified to run for the office.

County records show that Republican Representative Priscilla Giddings, of White Bird, had a homeowner’s exemption on a house she owns in Garden City, from 2010 to 2016.  She was elected to the House in November of last year, and state law requires a candidate for the House to have “resided within the legislative district for one year” prior to the general election.

Giddings maintains that she actually moved to Idaho County “prior to November 7th, 2015” and lived there on the piece of property where she was personally building her new home.  But she still had the homeowner’s exemption in Ada County both in 2015 and ‘16.  Ada County officials say the only exception to that is when someone moves mid-year into new construction – exactly the situation for which Giddings filed.  She was allowed to have two for the remainder of 2016, and it was removed for the next year.

However, if Giddings was an Ada County resident – thus qualifying for the homeowner’s exemption – in 2015 and part of 2016, she wasn’t qualified to run for office in Idaho County last fall.  Under the Idaho Constitution, the question of whether a candidate was qualified for election to the House can be decided only by the House itself.

The matter is expected to be taken up by the chamber when the Legislature convenes in January.  (Spokesman-Review)

Tags: