Troubled Lawmaker Hixon
An Election 2014 Diary
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office is investigating Rep. Brandon Hixon (R-Caldwell) after questions were raised regarding his use of campaign funds.
Hixon’s campaign contributors and others noticed that Hixon’s Sunshine reports look like he could be spending his campaign dollars on personal expenses, which is against the law. For instance, he charged his campaign for enough fuel to drive 315 times from his Caldwell home to Boise, according to a complaint filed by the Canyon County Democratic Party with the Secretary of State’s Office.
According to the Idaho Press Tribune, Hixon's case:
... could be highly scandalous, clearly egregious lawbreaking. ... State law essentially allows him to use campaign money “in connection with the campaign for public office” ...
HOWEVER: Hixon’s opponents strongly imply his expenses for travel are excessive. He could help reassure skeptics with a detailed log of where he drove, when he drove there and the total mileage taken.
... Could he be operating under a loose interpretation of state law and funneling some of those expenses for non-campaign purposes? It’s possible.
Below is a repost of my 12/28/2013 blog entry on this topic:
"Can't District 10 find someone better ...?" - College of Idaho Political Science Professor Jasper LiCalzi.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012: "Caldwell Republican nominee for District 10 state representative Brandon Hixon said the five misdemeanors he received by age 21 were youthful indiscretions that don’t represent who he is today," the Idaho Press Tribune reported. "Hixon, who turns 31 Oct. 26, also has 15 infractions, mostly for traffic violations, between 1998 and 2009, according to court records."
However, arch-conservative Kent Marmon reported from his Facebook page today:
"This REALLY comes as no surprise to me... I've said, for a long time, that Brandon Hixon was an extremely bad choice made by Idaho District 10 voters."
He went on to say that "the Boise Guardian just provides proof and confirms my thoughts."
The Idaho Legislature will be in town shortly with elected representatives deciding how and where to spend all the tax money and other revenue collected by the state. One of those 'spenders' will be Brandon Hixon, State Representative for Caldwell’s District 10. Based on public records, Rep. Hixon has an apparent history of stiffing creditors. Seems the good voters of Canyon County are plagued with deadbeat politicos eager to spend their public money while unable to manage their personal finances.
The CALDWELL GUARDIAN reports the lawmaker’s name showed up in legal ads published in the Idaho Press Tribune. No doubt Hixon will explain the run of bad luck to legacy media when they call. On page page C12 of Friday’s Idaho Press Tribune a legal ad claims Brandon Hixon of 919 North Plateau Drive, Caldwell has not made his house payment of $1,625.80 since July.
_
Caldwell GUARDIAN editor Paul Alldredge broke the story and noted, “A quick check of today’s Press Tribune Legal Notices on the right hand side of the page gave the details of this latest financial difficulty of Rep. Hixon who is now more than $10,000 behind in his mortgage and late fees to Wells Fargo Bank.”
"Ironically, a guy with bad debt is seldom hired in law ENFORCEMENT because the theory is he would be susceptible to accepting cash from strangers," Marmon continued. "We all know that would never happen with a law MAKER."
He continued:
With a recent history among members of rape, indecent exposure/sexual harassment, fudging travel expenses, and a non-resident senator, failure to pay $10,000 to the bank is really small change for the Idaho Legislature.
Oh, I can hear the excuses now... and he'll probably get away with them just as he did his arrest record. I am happy to say that I didn't vote for him the first time or any other time. The writing was on the wall.
The Idaho Press Tribune had it right in its endorsement of Hixon's Democratic opponent, Travis Manning:
Republican Brandon Hixon has been a good party worker, even leading the charge for the county GOP caucus.
But in a period where elected officials have disgraced the Grand Old Party — particularly in Caldwell where then-Sen. John McGee twice brought shame to the Legislature, and a long and expensive legal battle (on the taxpayers’ dime) involving former Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak, voters may be more inclined to vote for candidates with untarnished records.
When answering this pre-election question: What standard should elected officials be held to, Hixon said this: “Much higher standard than average, with the understanding that even elected officials are imperfect humans.” ... Many people have a few mistakes that could haunt them if running for office, but only one candidate – 31-year-old Brandon Hixon – has five misdemeanors, 15 infractions and three civil actions for financial failings. Hixon says his court history is not a reflection of what will happen in the future. But let’s face it, his standard of expectations is low. That’s not the way to start a political career.
Read more:
Canyon County Democrat Travis Manning Endorsed by Idaho Press Tribune and Idaho Statesman.