Jim Francis is the incumbent for Seat 4 on the Idaho Falls City Council. His challenger is Jared Dominick. Watch our interview with Francis 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 – Jim Francis, a two-term city councilman in Idaho Falls, is seeking re-election for a third term. The 76-year-old man is one of two candidates vying for Seat 4. His challenger is Jared Dominick. RELATED | Idaho Falls couple running for different seats on the city council In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Francis says the reason he’s seeking re-election is the same reason he ran eight years ago. He cites Kate Curley, a community leader in the late 1800s who played a role in founding the first public library, beautifying the city and advocating for women’s suffrage, as his inspiration for seeking elected office. RELATED | Missionary who served as Idaho Legislature’s first female chaplain helped state recognize women’s right to vote “The thing that Kate Curley said, which I follow as best as I can, is ‘We have to plan now, we have to act now for the future.’ In other words, there’s no such thing as the status quo. We can’t freeze Idaho Falls and say that’s all we’re going to be. It doesn’t work,” Francis says. Francis says many of the things he’s accomplished during his time in office align with that philosophy. He cites the completion of the police complex and the addition of other police resources, as well as the installation of fiber optic internet as one of the city’s greatest accomplishments in the last eight years. He also sees his position as an elected official as practicing what he taught for many years as a history teacher at Idaho Falls High School. If re-elected, he wants to help bring people together by establishing a multigenerational community center. Jim Francis | 2023 file photo Responding to criticism In response to criticism about housing affordability and the city’s focus on multi-family dwellings versus single homes, Francis says there is a local demand for housing options. The city’s efforts, he says, is not the result of telling developers what to do. Instead, he says it’s about enabling them to provide a variety of housing options. “Anybody who works in this city should be able to live in this city,” says Francis. Francis says the market meeting the demand for housing is the only way the city can help drive down housing and rental prices. Multi-family housing is paid for through government grants, which Francis says allows developers to rent it at a lower price. “I’m a believer in capitalism,” Francis explains. “Developers are the ones who know what the demand is and how they can make money. It’s the city’s responsibility to make sure (housing developments) are built to a high standard and that they meet the zoning requirements.” When it comes to concerns about local elected officials not being accessible or perceptions that city council bypasses the public to implement their own agenda, Francis offers his perspective. He says he promised himself when he was elected that he would listen to and respond to every email in a thoughtful way. “When people bring a complaint to me, I respond,” he says. “But you have to give me some time to go to the staff, the directors and get background information on what your concern is. Then I’ll get back to you. I have tried to do that with all the emails I’ve gotten. I believe government, particularly at the local level, has to be responsive.” To those unhappy or unsatisfied with current policies or who feel like they haven’t been heard or listened to, Francis says the job of an elected official is to represent the public in a balanced way. That means not every idea can be implemented. “It’s my responsibility to put that vote out that might not go exactly the way somebody wrote to me in an email, but it’s also my responsibility to get an answer to their concern and be able to explain it to them,” he says. Francis appreciates the communication from the public and hopes to continue to work with citizens in solving problems. Although he is only one of two incumbents in this city council race, Francis says having an experienced individual in office is helpful. They’re “on the cusp” of completing some unfinished business and he wants to see it through. “We’re trying to institutionalize a much more open and clearer way of approaching the budget every year so that people can access it,” says Francis. “People can go on the city website and look at how the budget is put together and what the numbers are for every department. That wasn’t there eight years ago. We have more to do to make our policy and planning really clear to people.” Although the city already informs the public about meetings or important decisions, Francis wants to use AI or other software to deliver important information to individuals, rather than leaving it up to the public to go looking for it. “Eight years of experience will help in making decisions that will make the next step in dealing with growth more nimble and more smooth,” he says. Election day is Nov. 4. WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH FRANCIS IN THE VIDEO ABOVE. 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Source: eastidahonews.com