ACHD candidate returns $5K in donations tied to developer after Statesman asks about them

After receiving more than the allowed maximum for donations, Ada County Highway District commission candidate Kent Goldthorpe returned $5,000 to three businesses tied to a Boise developer.

Goldthorpe, who has been on the commission since 2014, received $2,000 each from Harris Family Limited Partnership, Barber Valley Development, Inc. and Barber Valley Irrigation Co. The businesses are associated with developer Doug Fowler, who has been heavily involved with the development of the Harris family’s Harris Ranch planned community in Southeast Boise’s Barber Valley over the past two decades.

The maximum donation allowed is $1,000 per election. Since the Ada County Highway District commission is a nonpartisan race, there was no primary, only a general election.

On Sept. 29, the Idaho Statesman reported that Goldthorpe received more than the maximum allowed from the three businesses, according to the Idaho secretary of state’s campaign-finance site. The Statesman asked the Ada County elections office about the donations, and the elections office investigated.

Goldthorpe told the Statesman by phone that he didn’t have time to hire a lawyer, so he just returned the money. The campaign-finance site shows Goldthorpe returned $5,000. Of that, $2,000 each was returned to Harris Family Limited Partnership and Barber Valley Irrigation Co. Goldthorpe returned $1,000 to Barber Valley Development Inc.

Fowler is listed as the registered agent for Barber Valley Irrigation Co. and Barber Valley Development Inc., according to the companies’ business registration with the Idaho secretary of state. Though Fowler isn’t listed as the registered agent for Harris Family Limited Partnership, his name is mentioned above the company’s mailing address.

“As soon as Kent found out there was a question, he returned $5,000 of $6,000,” Fowler said by phone. “He felt like that was the right thing to do. When in doubt, do the right thing. Nobody intentionally thought they were doing anything incorrect or they wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

Goldthorpe is running against challenger Neil Durrant for the District 4 seat, which includes South Meridian, Kuna and Southwest Boise. Durrant, a Kuna farmer, had raised $2,000 as of Wednesday, while Goldthorpe has raised $26,300, according to the campaign-finance site.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.