Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, proposed legislation today to require community college trustee elections to be done by district, rather than at-large - which would change the way elections now work for all three of Idaho's community colleges, North Idaho College, the College of Western Idaho and the College of Southern Idaho. "I can tell you frankly the trustees ... at NIC do not favor this, but the issue is equitable representation," Henderson said. He said he proposed similar legislation last year, but didn't push it; this year, he was contacted by Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, asking to resurrect the bill. Henderson said this year's CSI board elections, in which two longtime trustees were defeated, left that two-county college district with trustees all from one county, the more-populated Twin Falls County, and none from Jerome County. "The strength of our representative form of government is our diversity," Henderson said. He said his bill "will ensure that full area is represented. ... That's what makes us stronger."

Henderson said he had people approach him at town meetings two years ago asking why outlying areas in Kootenai County, like Post Falls and Rathdrum, didn't have trustees on the NIC board. "What happens is the overwhelming size of the votes in the population centers defeats the outside," he said. "This was not a stand for or against any trustees, but it's the representation."

Henderson did support two losing candidates in the last NIC board election; he said both were from outlying areas. His bill, which the House State Affairs Committee agreed unanimously to introduce, is co-sponsored by Brackett and Reps. Bert Stevenson, R-Rupert; Maxine Bell, R-Jerome; and Mike Moyle, R-Star. It would set up five districts of equal population within each community college district starting in 2012; trustee candidates would have to reside in their district, though they'd be elected countywide. In response to concerns from CWI trustees, Henderson also allowed for the option of three subdistricts plus a double-sized, "municipal" district in which two trustees could live near one another.