Keith Allred, former head of The Common Interest citizen group and now a Democratic candidate for governor, was in the Capitol rotunda after Gov. Butch Otter's State of the State address, and he was plenty critical. “Gov. Otter today delivered a message of decline and retreat,” Allred said. “Idahoans deserve better.” Click below to read his statement.

Keith Allred statement:

“There’s an old saying among economists: Things are never as good as they seem at the top of a boom, and never as bad as they seem at the bottom of a bust. This is when we need a leader who understands that Idahoans are as capable as we’ve always been. We can come barreling out of this downturn if we have the right vision. Here’s that vision. Idaho’s dynamic small business leaders have always been the main engine of our economy. More than ever, we need to unbridle the small businesses that generate most of our jobs. We do that by closing tax exemptions in order to reduce the overall tax rate. If we do this, we’ll see more and better jobs because of it. If we do this, lives will be better for it. That’s a vision that builds upon optimism, and faith in the people of Idaho. That’s a vision for Idaho’s future and it’s not what we heard from Gov. Otter today.”

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