Karl Casperson wins race for Bonneville County commissioner

IDAHO FALLS — A strong majority of voters in Bonneville County selected Republican Karl Casperson to serve as their new county commissioner for District 1.

Casperson received 38,883 votes (75%) to Democrat Jan Brown’s 12,739 votes (25%).

He will succeed Roger Christensen, who has served in the position since 1995. The seat is for a two-year term.

Casperson, who is currently the administrative sergeant for the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, said he was “kind of shocked, just kind of overwhelmed” by the results.

“It’s not at all what I was expecting or even hoping for,” he said.

He said his top priorities as county commissioner will be “mediating some of the issues that we’re having from growth.”

He also highlighted dealing with traffic and improving the retention and recruitment of county employees as key priorities.

On a night of high voter turnout, Casperson urged voters to “stay involved, volunteer, and educate yourself.”

“I’m thankful for all of the people that came out,” Casperson said. “I will do my best to earn their vote, earn their respect and know what I can do to help them in this position to make life better here in Bonneville County.”

Brown congratulated Casperson on the results and thanked her supporters in the election.

Casperson and Brown took an unconventional approach to their campaigns. They collaborated to host four bipartisan community forums throughout the campaign season to educate and inform voters on major issues in Bonneville County. The forums highlighted water rights, county growth, crime, recreation, waste management and recycling.

“I do believe we both learned more about the issues that are the most pressing issues facing the county,” Brown said. “We allowed the public to talk to us in a real civilized manner in these forums that we held, and I do believe that it was a way we could learn to respect each other and each other’s views.”

Bonneville County was the first county in the state to report all of its election results on Tuesday night, Bonneville County Election Supervisor Helena Welling said.