This 23-year-old college student may be the youngest person to ever run for Idaho Falls City Council

James Skinner, 23, is one of three candidates running for Seat 6 on the Idaho Falls City Council. Watch our interview with him in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is part of a series of profiles of the 2025 Idaho Falls City Council candidates. IDAHO FALLS – James Skinner, a 23-year-old college student in Idaho Falls, is one of three candidates vying for a seat on the City Council. Skinner is running for Seat 6 occupied by Jim Freeman. Freeman is seeking re-election. The other candidate competing for this seat is Ryan Hancock. RELATED | Here’s who filed to run for mayor, city council in Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Rigby and surrounding communities In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Skinner says he’s running for City Council “to represent my generation and the working class.” “I feel like they’re not being represented well, and I hope to build the best version of our city possible,” Skinner says. Skinner feels the current council is more interested in people who moved to the area than those who are natives. “My generation is trying to get a job here. Job opportunity and growth is a very big struggle here,” he says. Skinner is majoring in cybersecurity at the College of Eastern Idaho. He’s hoping to get a job at the Idaho National Laboratory when he graduates. He also cites challenges with housing and communication between the City Council and residents as motivations for entering the political arena. If elected, Skinner says these issues are the things he plans to focus on. Although this is Skinner’s first time running for public office, interest in politics runs deep in his family. Skinner grew up watching the news and has always enjoyed history and politics. His grandfather, Sherrill “Pete” Skinner — who passed away in 2005 at age 62 — was a Florida state senator and representative during the 1970s and ’80s. Sen. Skinner was a member of the Democratic Party. Sherrill “Pete” Skinner served in the Florida Legislature during the 1970s and ’80s | Courtesy photo At the time of Skinner’s passing, his wife, Ann, told a Florida newspaper that her husband, who hadn’t been in the political arena for 20 years, never lost his enthusiasm for politics. “That was what he did literally up until the day he died,” Ann said. “He was always worried about other people and what they needed. When he met you, the first thing he asked was, ‘What can I do for you?’ He didn’t hold office hours. He was always there.” Sen. Skinner’s public service record is what inspired James to run. He hopes voters will give him an opportunity to serve. “It’s a very new experience, but I’m excited to learn, I’m excited to work hard. I’m hoping that a lot of people will give me their voice so I can listen … and serve them the best way I can,” James says. It’s not clear whether James is the youngest person to run for elected office in Idaho Falls, but he could possibly be the youngest person to serve on the City Council if he’s elected. He isn’t the first young person to run for elected office in Idaho. In 2023, 20-year-old Carter Stanford was elected as a member of the city council in Sugar City. Stanford is running unopposed for re-election. RELATED | Newly elected Sugar City councilman may be the youngest to serve in its history Nineteen-year-old Ismael Fernandez was elected to serve on Wilder’s City Council in 2015. He was killed in a car crash two years later, according to the Idaho Statesman. In 2012, 21-year-old Maria Rangel was elected to serve on the city council in American Falls. Skinner is thrilled at the prospect of being one of the youngest city council members, and he wants to help people in his age bracket get more involved. “One of my goals is to contact businesses and local colleges to work together to (provide) training. Businesses require you to have years or months of experience before you can even be qualified for the job. I feel like, if we got them to work together and hear students’ voices and their concerns, we could (better prepare students) for the workforce,” says James. Election day is Nov. 4. WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH SKINNER IN THE VIDEO ABOVE. More candidates Lifelong Idaho Falls resident with a desire to serve vying for a seat on the city council Idaho Falls City Council candidate says government regulation will only cause more housing problems Idaho Falls couple running for different seats on the City Council 28-year-old business owner vying for seat on the Idaho Falls City Council Woman vying for seat on Idaho Falls City Council is ‘leading by example’ for her daughtersThe post This 23-year-old college student may be the youngest person to ever run for Idaho Falls City Council appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com