Fish And Game Officials Take Partial Blame For ‘Mooning’ Two Commission Members Contributed To Antics, Support Apologetic Mealey
The chairman and another member of the Fish and Game Commission are coming to the defense of Director Steve Mealey after his apology for an incident last week in which he feigned “mooning” the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille.
But one of Mealey’s leading critics is calling for his head.
Commission Chairman John Burns and member Jeff Siddoway were both with Mealey when the incident occurred on a charter boat last Thursday night during a social gathering following two days of meetings.
Siddoway, who found himself at the center of controversy last spring for comments some Hispanics found offensive, said he probably encouraged Mealey, and Burns conceded that he should have stepped in before what Mealey called his innocent but indiscreet act.
“I was right next to him, and it’s probably as much my fault or more my fault than his,” Siddoway said. “I probably did a lot in egging that reaction on, if you will, so I bear some of the responsibility in that.”
A half dozen people were in the bow of the boat as it passed a large, brightly painted metal sculpture on the shoreline about a half mile away, and Siddoway was pressing Mealey for his opinion of the structure in such a bucolic setting.
Burns, who said he did not see any exposed skin, was not offended but said he could understand how others might be.
“At the time, there was a lot of levity going on, so it seemed funny,” Burns said.
“In hindsight, being chairman, I should have probably said, ‘Hey guys, tone it down a little bit. We’re getting too rambunctious here.”’
The commission and Mealey discussed the incident Friday morning, and on Wednesday Burns called a special meeting of the commission for this morning to discuss possible disciplinary action.
Gov. Phil Batt planned no comment until after he returns from the National Governors Association conference this week in Las Vegas.
Mealey conceded the job he has held for six months could be on the line.
And Don Clower, president of the Idaho Wildlife Council, called the incident “unprofessional” and suggested that “someone ought to lose their job over this.”
“I wonder what Governor Batt would do if the director of the Department of Transportation dropped his pants while on a boat ride at state expense,” Clower said.
He has criticized Mealey and Burns, both former National Forest Service forest supervisors in Idaho, for continuing their compromising attitudes that embrace multiple use of public lands instead of becoming the strident advocates for wildlife and sportsmen Clower believes the commission and department are to be.
Clower said it was improper for Fish and Game employees and commissioners to be spending $288 on a pleasure trip when the agency is facing a budget crisis.
“That’s just not right,” Clower said. “Here they are asking for more money from sportsmen and they’re out spending our money partying on the lake.”
xxxx WHAT’S NEXT? Fish and Game chairman called a special meeting of the commission for this morning to discuss possible disciplinary action.