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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Trib: Otter Is Incompetent

In his weekly Cheers & Jeers column, Opinion Editor Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune gives Jeers ... to Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter:

Nothing is more vital to a governor's prestige - as the head of a separate branch of government - than his power to veto legislation. Only with his constitutional authority to proclaim "I forbid" does the governor stand alone, forcing the Legislature to accede to his demands or override him with a two-thirds vote. Yet here was Otter carelessly mishandling the process. Otter was at odds with the Legislature's decision to eliminate instant racing machines -- in other words, slots -- at race tracks in Post Falls, Garden City outside Boise and Idaho Falls. But the measure had cleared each chamber by more than a two-thirds majority. Any governor in that situation would drag things out and line up just enough support to sustain his veto. Otter lent that impression when he announced he would take the full five days the constitution allowed him to make his decision. The deadline fell at 4:54 p.m. Saturday. Full comment and column here.

Question: Trillhaase concludes that a three-term governor like Otter has no excuse for his mishandling of the "instant racing" repeal legislation and declares Otter "incompetent." Agree/disagree?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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