Our View: Interim legacy
In North Idaho, Jim Risch is known as an ambitious man who reportedly scuttled an Indian gaming compact as revenge against then-Gov. Dirk Kempthorne for picking another state senator to fill a lieutenant governor vacancy.
A successful trial attorney, Risch burnished that image when he spent $350,000 of his own money to defeat that appointee, Jack Riggs of Coeur d’Alene, in the 2002 Republican primary before winning the lieutenant governor office outright in the general election. Now, Risch is Idaho’s governor for the next seven months, as a result of Kempthorne’s confirmation Friday as secretary of interior.
Risch won’t be a caretaker governor. It’s not in his nature to be passive while he waits to be supplanted by Republican Congressman Butch Otter or Democrat Jerry Brady, the main candidates in this year’s gubernatorial election. Already, Risch has raised the possibility of calling the Legislature back into session this summer to readdress property tax relief, a passion of his.
Risch would make his mark if he did that. He also can achieve an abbreviated legacy by building on Kempthorne’s achievements, which, particularly in the last 18 months, have been significant. Kempthorne won legislative approval for a massive state highway overhaul and a significant state parks upgrade, as well as federal approval for sweeping reform of Idaho’s Medicaid program. The new governor will be challenged to carry through in these three areas and one of his own making: an attempt to reach an agreement with the state’s Indians tribes on how to handle gas taxes collected on reservations.
Some have said that Risch changed between the time he was defeated in a re-election bid for state Senate in 1988 and his appointment to the Senate in 1995. The old Risch, according to Boise State University political scientist Jim Weatherby, was known for being “dictatorial, intimidating, inflexible and ideologically oriented.” The new one, who quietly worked his way back to Senate majority leader by 2002, “is more pragmatic, a problem solver who reaches out, is more approachable, more flexible.”
In late April, it was hard to tell which Risch was involved in the testy meeting with representatives of the state’s Indian tribes.
As acting governor at the time, Risch deserved credit for traveling to Coeur d’Alene to try to avoid litigation over the contentious gas tax issue by meeting with the tribes. However, it quickly became clear that Risch was frustrated during the three-hour meeting when the tribes reacted coolly to almost all of his suggestions to resolve the ongoing controversy. The Idaho Legislature’s attempt to claim gas taxes collected on Indian reservations received a boost when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the state of Kansas in a similar case recently.
North Idahoans will be watching the new Risch closely as he handles this matter as well as holdover items from Kempthorne’s full gubernatorial agenda. After all, he will still be seeking the region’s vote as he attempts to win a second term as lieutenant governor this fall. Seven months isn’t a long time. But it’s long enough to leave an impression, good or bad, for a possible future race for a full term as governor.