Jack Schroeder says he can bring some needed new blood to the Idaho Legislature, which is why he is running for Rep. Frank Henderson's seat in district 5.

"Frank over the decades has done a good job," said Schroeder, 73. "But I feel it's time to continue that good work and bring forth some fresh ideas and some fresh legs."

The Post Falls resident and independent insurance agent said he has sharp business acumen and new priorities that can benefit the Legislature.

He pointed to the leadership skills he has honed running his own business as an independent contractor, and his history of working for Fortune 500 companies like JC Penney and J.P. Stevens and Company, Inc. in his native New York.

"I have a good business background," Schroeder said. "I can take that experience to Boise."

The Republican's chief goal if elected would be job creation, which he said many candidates promise but don't seem to know how to deliver.

The key to fostering the economy, he believes, is giving corporations and small business owners a break in their tax structure so they have more capital to invest in equipment and to expand.

That will begin to put contractors, roofers and framers back to work, he said.

"I have talked to specific business owners who have said the same thing: 'Give me more money to deal with and I'll hire people,'" Schroeder said.

He is also a proponent of lowering tax liability for citizens to give them more disposable income, he said.

Schroeder, whose work also involves asset preservation for seniors, said he would also like to see the Legislature battle aspects of Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act he worries would expose seniors to lower Medicaid payments.

"I work with seniors in my job every day, and I know their issues," he said.

He otherwise hopes to bring a new perspective to other state issues, he said.

"We can't continue to send back incumbents to the state Legislature and have interaction with the same people over the next two years," he said.

Schroeder has a bachelor's in communication from the University of Notre Dame. He also has a master's degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

He has six grown children, seven grandchildren, and is married to Pam.

He ran unsuccessfully for Sen. Jim Hammond's seat two years ago.

"Both in Washington and in Boise, I think we're kind of stagnated. I think priorities in Boise are not as focused as they need to be," Schroeder said. "I think it's important we reset our priorities."