Two candidates are competing for one seat on the Southern Valley County Recreation District Board of Directors in the upcoming Nov. 4 election.
Incumbent Monica Gokey will face challenger Ben Oyarzo for a four-year term on the board, which is the governing body of the Cascade Aquatic & Recreation Center.
The five-member board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the district and authorizing the use of property taxes it collects.
Early voting is open at the Valley County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31. On Election Day, residents of the school district can cast ballots at American Legion Post 60 in Cascade from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voter registration will be available at the polls with current proof of residence and photo ID.
Valley Lookout sent a list of questions to each candidate regarding their candidacy. Their exact responses are published below. Oyarzo did not return a completed Q&A, but provided a statement that is published at the end of Gokey’s responses.
Zone 5 Seat race – Monica Gokey vs. Ben Oyarzo
Why are you seeking election to the Southern Valley County Recreation District Board of Directors?
Gokey: I’ve served on the rec board for nearly three years and one of the things I’m most proud of is how our board has restructured the district’s annual budget to allot resources for capital maintenance costs – which, in the past, have largely been unforeseen and (quite frankly) terrifying. When I say ‘capital maintenance,’ I’m talking about the upkeep costs of running a gym and aquatics facility – things like replacing the dome, redoing the pool’s plaster, fixes to air pumps, the dolphin skimmer, and any of the items that keep our facility working. Strong financial stewardship is a major part of keeping this facility operational into the future. Our board has worked hard to ensure that reserves for capital maintenance are built into the annual budget – and that ethic of responsible fiscal management is imperative.
Do you have any specific goals you would like to help the district achieve? If so, please be specific and briefly describe how you might achieve them.
Gokey: In the three years I’ve served on the rec board, we’ve had major facility-related expenditures crop up every fiscal year. Two years ago (2024) we spent $55,000 to repair leaks in the pool deck. This year we spent more than $80,000 on a renovation of the facility’s loft and $30,000 on fitness equipment, with the help from a generous private donor for the latter. Big repairs/upgrades on the horizon include redoing the pool’s plaster and maintenance on the facility’s bathrooms and showers. Completing those kinds of capital maintenance projects without depleting the district’s financial reserves is the end goal. And with conservative fiscal management, I think it’s doable.
I’ve been a volunteer with the community ice rink for about four years. I adore our local ice rink, and I’d love to see our community get a permanent surface built that could serve as a pickleball/ballsport surface in the summer and an ice rink in the winter. That’s a long-term goal of mine.
What should voters know about you before casting their vote?
Gokey: Having the rec center here in Cascade makes our lives better, and I’m grateful for everyone – staff, patrons, summer guests – who help make this place so amazing. This fall all three of our kids played soccer through the rec district’s youth sports programming… and it was just phenomenal. Youth soccer enrollment has ballooned – so much so that we ended up having to split our age groups into two different teams to every kid could get a playing time during games against McCall and Garden Valley. All our youth soccer coaches are volunteers – incredible humans! – and I just feel so grateful to have this in Cascade.
There’s a perception that the rec district is just the aquatics facility and gym – and although that’s where the bulk of the rec district’s revenue goes, we also administer the Hasbrouck’s ski area, the community ice rink, youth sports (football, soccer, baseball), youth archery, the Killer Whales swim team, and a number of other programs. Our community of people makes it all work. Our human capital is top-notch, and that’s hard to put a price tag on.
Please provide your age, occupation, number of years living in the district, and experiences that you believe make you a qualified board member.
Gokey: I’m 40 years old and self-employed. My husband and I are cow-calf producers – our business is split between Cascade and Horseshoe Bend. I also work off-farm as a writer and radio producer. We moved to Cascade from Alaska nearly ten years ago .
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
What does it take to be a board member? It mostly takes a commitment to showing up, learning, listening, and being willing to put in the time. It’s a reality that small rec districts like ours are always going to struggle to continue operating on limited resources. For the past two years, our board – with the help of rec patrons – has staged a fundraising gala to try to bolster our financial reserves.
I also want to emphasize that we are thrifty with what we have. Right now, for example, we have two pool lights with about 9000 hours on their working lives – the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan is 6000 hours. We’re looking at a $3,000 replacement cost for those two lights alone. We don’t replace anything until it’s failed or is on the cusp of failing – I mean it when I say that we are careful with how we spend public dollars.
The current board has a strong culture of fiscal stewardship, and that’s afforded us the opportunity to tackle some of our more expensive projects, like renovating the loft and completing other big repairs without dipping into reserves.
Anything else not covered in the questions above?
Gokey: When you look at why pools close, especially in rural communities, it’s almost always because maintenance costs outstrip available funds at some point. Everything is expensive when it comes to pools. (See my earlier note about $3,000 for two pool lights.) Conservative fiscal management is important in keeping this place operational for a long time to come, and that’s a principle I’m committed to as a board member.
Oyarzo: I’ve lived in Valley County for 5 years now. I want to be involved in my community and help in any way possible. With an opening on the SVCRD board this gives me an opportunity to be more involved. I am an active daily member at the facility and would like to be able to help the district grow and advance to offer as much as possible to our community.
