Election Center
Related Coverage, Page 20
Eye on Boise: Resolutions abound at GOP meeting
BOISE – When Idaho’s Republican State Central Committee gathered for its recent winter meeting, it faced 37 proposed resolutions, including one supporting tax-protesting Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, in his ethics issues; one rapping Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, who filed an ethics complaint against Hart; one to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana; and one banning the IRS from filing tax liens in Idaho counties, as it’s done repeatedly against Hart in Kootenai County.
Idaho troopers doing duties with 1977 staffing level
BOISE – There are the same number of Idaho State Police troopers patrolling the state’s roads now as there were in 1977, Idaho lawmakers learned last week, even though the state’s population has swelled 75 percent since then. Col. Jerry Russell, ISP chief, told lawmakers that of his current patrol force of 150 authorized positions, six are investigators, and there are 33 vacancies.
Eye on Boise: Labrador hires ex-rival’s ‘most important person’
BOISE – New GOP congressman Raul Labrador has hired outgoing Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick’s constituent services director, Lisa Anderson, to be his constituent services director. “Essentially she’ll be performing the same job that she was doing for Rep. Minnick,” said Phil Hardy, Labrador spokesman. “She’s extremely dedicated, and she came out as the most qualified person who had applied for the job,” Hardy said.
Face Time: Allred staying focused on citizens’ interests
BOISE – Before Keith Allred ran for governor of Idaho, the former Harvard University professor was becoming an increasingly common sight in Idaho’s state Capitol, where he spent five years lobbying for what he called “the common interest” on behalf of his nonpartisan citizens group. Allred brought together people of all political stripes from throughout the state into a group that collectively studied and debated issues, and where they reached broad consensus, he lobbied for those positions in the state Legislature, with some notable successes.
Land Board’s PR agent well known among GOP
BOISE – Idaho’s state Land Board has paid more than a quarter-million dollars since 2007 to one of the state’s top Republican operatives for a public relations campaign, but officials say the state’s getting a great deal. “We’re very happy with the results so far,” said Lands Department Director George Bacon.
Eye on Boise: Minnick concession Tweet No. 8 on ranking list
BOISE – Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick’s election-night concession on Twitter made history – according to Twitter. It was ranked No. 8 on the site’s list of the “10 Most Powerful Tweets of 2010.” The tweet, sent by campaign manager John Foster around 2 a.m. as Election Night stretched into morning, said, “Congratulations to Raul Labrador on a hard-earned win, and best of luck as Idaho’s next Congressman.”
Representative says he’s paying price for complaint
BOISE – Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, who filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, says Hart confronted him over it during the Dec. 2 organizational session of the Legislature, and Anderson subsequently was punished in his committee assignments, losing the vice-chairmanship of the House State Affairs Committee and being denied a third committee assignment he’d requested. “They made this very personal with me,” Anderson said.
New lawmaker knows of student debt
BOISE – Idaho’s newest congressman-elect is a 42-year-old attorney and former state lawmaker, but he’s also still paying off thousands in student loans. “It’s how I got through law school,” said Idaho Rep.-elect Raul Labrador. “It worked fine.”
Labrador still staddled with student debt
BOISE – Idaho’s newest congressman-elect is a 42-year-old attorney and former state lawmaker, but he’s also still paying off thousands in student loans.
Eye on Boise: PERSI director assures Idaho funds not in trouble
BOISE – Idaho’s public employee retirement system has been deluged by calls, e-mail and visits from worried state and local government retirees who are concerned that it’s going to be eliminated or cut back, but PERSI Director Don Drum said there’s no truth to the rumors driving those concerns. “I think it’s being driven by national media coverage,” Drum said. “There are many funds out there that are in trouble.” But Idaho’s isn’t, he said.