Dale Hawkins

I am a Conservative Christian husband and father of six, my wife and I married in Nevada in 1986 where we lived. In 1988 we moved to Utah to be part of a Ministry working with people with drug and alcohol problems, where we had our first two children. After four and a half years we moved back to Nevada where we continued both growing our family and working in Ministry. Most of this time we owned a landscaping and irrigation business for new homes. In 1996 we began looking for a community more in line with our desires for our growing family, homeschooling laws, political views, and quieter more peaceful lifestyle. We settled in Fernwood Idaho in April of 1998 after securing a job at Emerald Creek Garnet Mining Company. With our five kids and one on the way we settled into our new Idaho life. During this time I also worked in the logging industry. In 2006 we went back to being self-employed and owned and operated HFP construction until late 2016 when I was forced to retire for health reasons. Not able to sit still, I continue to help my wife run HFP, at a much scaled-down version. I also have a small gun store and teach the Idaho enhanced concealed carry class. I am an NRA certified instructor.

In 2008 I was elected to the local water sewer board in Fernwood. In the four years there I continually fought against unfunded mandates even pushing back and defeating a 4.3 million dollar engineer pushed project reducing it by three million dollars.

In 2014 I was elected precinct committeeman for Benewah County, Santa Precinct. After 2 years, I was re-elected and elected Vice-Chair. The last four years I have served as the Chairman where I have continued to promote true Conservative Republican values and the Republican Party platform of Idaho. I have served as a delegate for the State Convention and I have served on the Resolutions Committee for the Party’s Winter and Summer Meetings.

As well as my service as Precinct committeeman and chairman I have worked to promote qualified candidates for local offices, including fundraising, door knocking, putting out signs holding town halls and candidate forums.

I have never voted for a Democrat or any other candidate outside the Republican Party I will admit I have abstained from voting for some candidates because they did not hold to our Republican values or our platform.

In the beginning of the Idaho Constitution Article 1, Section 2, it says all political power is inherent in the people, government is instituted for their equal protection and benefit and again in the Declaration of Independence it says we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

In our republican form of government it remains the duty of government to protect individual liberties. Government must operate within the bounds created by the governing documents at every level. From the simplest water district all the way up to the governor of the state and the federal offices, each area of governance is limited to the boundaries given to it by law and these boundaries should never be crossed nor should they ever be consolidated to a centralized power. Governance should never be treated like we treat businesses. We should never have the desire to grow and expand it. We should be looking for the least intrusive manner to operate at the smallest costs and not to burden or intrude on those it serves. Governance should remain forever watchful against overreaching intrusion or unnecessary expansion, ever mindful of the individual liberties it was created to protect.

I have watched over the years as these principles seem to be set aside and trampled on by those who claim to be for them. I can no longer idly watch and that is why I'm running for the Idaho legislature.

I believe that my life experiences, the raising of a family, the positions I've served in and my absolute dedication to this state of Idaho and the documents that govern it qualify me to become a citizen legislator. I'm a regular guy willing to set my own life aside to serve in the Idaho legislature and help defend our state from the encroachments of Marxism. It seems to be coming from all angles around us.

My goals would be to stand up for our republican form of government, push back at expanding budgets, reduce bureaucracies, end unnecessary regulation, stop the perversion of our education system, help untangle us from the federal bribes, reduce the burden of taxation on Idaho residents including property tax and sales tax on food and more.

Over the last 35 years I have served at many levels in the church, I have served as an elder; I've been involved with counseling for drug and alcohol abuse. I'm currently serving as an elder for a house Church organization. I served for eight years as a reserve Deputy for the Benewah County Sheriff's Office under Dave Resser. I have served as a 4-H leader with my wife. And as an NRA certified instructor I have taught firearm safety to many.

As previously stated I believe the government should never reach into the public funds and spend money without the absolute necessity to do so. Much care and consideration should be given over every penny spent. And should only be spent in the areas the government is rightfully and constitutionally tasked to be involved in.

I believe in the Traditional Values first established in this great country by the Judeo-Christian values. Sanctity of life includes the protection of all unborn children. The sanctity of the family is defined by Marriage between one man and one woman. I will always lean on my relationship with my God to preserve my principles.

The Idaho Republican Party platform best suits the principles that I live to uphold, yet I do wish there was a mechanism to remove from the Party those who have pretended during the election cycle to be true Republicans, only to find out they are not.

I am available for Town Hall meetings and will make my phone number and email available. I would invite my constituents and this committee to publicly hold me accountable to the principles and beliefs that I have written here in accordance with this questionnaire.

I sincerely thank you for your consideration and look forward to answering any other questions you may have.