Candidates for two Jerome County commissioner spots seemed to practice what they preached Tuesday night.

All four - incumbents Charlie Howell and Diana Obenauer, and respective challengers Marjorie Schmidt and Cathy Roemer - mentioned civility and polite behavior as important to the job at a candidate forum at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Jerome office. And reflecting moderator Carl Nellis' call for a civil debate, they proceeded to have just that.

More than 40 county residents turned out to question the four county commission candidates about everything from dairy odor to how they would listen to public input. The event was put on by Citizens Protecting Resources, a grassroots organization that originally formed in response to the proposed Sempra coal-fired power plant in Jerome County.

Each candidate was given five minutes for introductory statements before control was handed over to the citizens. The first question - submitted on sheets of paper - regarded how the county should develop the proposed Snake River Canyon Park.

Schmidt and Obenauer called for more opportunities for the public to speak, especially if they take the time to show up at the commissioners' regular Monday meetings.

"We need to engage our citizens much more than they're being engaged at this point," Schmidt said.

But Howell drew a line between public meetings, held more like business meetings, and public hearings on issues such as planning and zoning recommendations.

"The public is entirely willing to come, to listen ... but has no right to participate (at meetings)," he said. "That's through Idaho Code."

Asked whether commissioners should be the ones deciding whether to allow nuclear plants in their counties, Roemer said their decisions may have little impact by the time plants have gone through extensive state and federal licensing.

"By the time it gets to the county commission, there may be little left to decide," she said.

All four agreed odor and waste from dairies and feedlots are an issue. But while Roemer just said updating the comprehensive plan will help guide the county, Obenauer and Schmidt argued facility owners should have to provide accurate counts of how many cows they have.

Asked about a statement she made in a May 8 Times-News article supporting the former Planning Commission's work, Roemer said she thought a general question about the shape of the county's revised confined-animal feeding ordinance was only about the number of animals permitted per acre. The same question regarding general scope was asked of all four candidates.

The issue, Howell said, should be more about how much waste the county can handle, and both Schmidt and Roemer mentioned anaerobic digesters as one possible solution.

"They're much more safe than these lagoons that are leaking," Schmidt said. "And every lagoon leaks. DEQ said that for years."

The debate was the first of two planned for the candidates. The second will be a Farm Bureau forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the city of Jerome Masonic Lodge. The primary election is May 27.