Huckleberries: Courthouse claimants in the red

Local GOP Chairwoman Tina Jacobson exulted in the results of the 2010 general election, particularly those at the county courthouse, where the last Demo (County Clerk Dan English) fell Nov. 2. Republican Cliff Hayes accomplished what Tina couldn’t in an earlier race, knocking off English to paint the courthouse fire engine red. Within 48 hours after the election, Tina circulated an e-mail celebrating the Republican sweep: “We are now truly the reddest county in the reddest state in the union. We have (four) legislative districts that are located all or in part within our borders. We will be sending a complete Republican delegation from each and every one of them. With the victory of our new Republican county clerk, we completely own the Kootenai County Courthouse.” And you thought that the taxpaying public owned the courthouse? Pshaw. BTW, does anyone out there have the heart to tell Tina that Wyoming is the “reddest state in the union,” not Idaho?

Out, Out, Spencer

Huckleberries hears … that political gadfly Larry Spencer got the boot from the Coeur d’Alene Inn prior to the 2010 Legislative Tour dinner Monday night, while he was talking in the hallway to Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian. Spencer believes state Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, done him wrong – that she told a restaurant worker bee to bounce Spencer as a potential troublemaker. But Sen. Broadsword commented on Huckleberries: “I can assure (Spencer) I had other things to do at the banquet than worry about what he might be doing. I am afraid I can’t take credit for having him thrown out. I wish I had known about it though, I might have watched.” Palmer objected to Spencer’s treatment. And followed him out to the curb to continue their conversation. BTW, Huckleberries knows who blew the whistle on Spencer. And it wasn’t Broadsword.

Huckleberries

Dustin Hurst/Idaho Reporter was one of the boys on the bus during the 2010 North Idaho Legislative Tour. At the U.S. naval base at Bayview, Dustin offered this swell tweet: “Rep. Phylis King (D-Boise) just asked a staffer at Farragut if naval training vessels bump into fish in the lake” … Your Huckleberry Hound is still trying to figure out the relationship between Rep. Phil Hart & county commish-elect Jai Nelson. They were arm-in-arm at the 2010 Legislative Tour banquet Monday. But Nelson told SReporter Alison Boggs during the campaign that they don’t have a “relationship” going on. Hmm … Political unknown Howard Griffiths did better as a write-in against Hart than the late Wayne Meyer did in November 2004. After losing to Hart, a former Constitutionalist, in the GOPrimary in spring 2004, Meyer ran again, as a write-in, and got only 9 percent of the vote that fall. Griffiths won almost 25 percent of the vote as a poorly funded write-in this month … Poll: My Berry Pickers consider the two most powerful legislators in the North Idaho delegation to be – Sen. John Goedde & Rep. Bob Nonini. … Nonini was among the well-wishers who tried to ease Hart’s pain at the Coeur d’Alene Inn, following Hart’s ouster from the Rev & Tax Committee, according to Zach Hagadone/Boise Weekly. Zach overheard Bob bolstering Hart’s spirits by telling Hart that he’s “a tough guy.”

Parting shot

Now that Jim Brannon has asked for a new trial in his election challenge to his three-vote loss to Mike Kennedy in the 2009 Coeur d’Alene city election and is taking steps that could lead to an appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court, the term “sore loser” fits to a tee. Consider. Kennedy told Huckleberries last week that he has accrued $107,000 in legal fees to defend himself. The city’s fees for outside counsel were about $35,000. Toss in the cost of city and county staff time, internal legal work and research – and it’d be safe to say that Brannon has cost Kennedy and local government $250,000 to date. It’d be cheaper for everyone including Brannon, at this point, if he simply ran for the City Council again next year. Then, he might have to crawl out from behind attorney Starr Kelso’s trousers and explain why he refused to admit defeat and cost Kennedy and the public so much money.