Idaho’s Freshman Class: A Series Of Profiles Crow Doesn’t Keep Opinions To Himself Loquacious Legislator Has Made An Impression

Those who meet freshman Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Coeur d’Alene, needn’t wonder about where he stands on property tax relief, state sovereignty and other issues.

He’ll be sure to tell you.

Crow has made a living by speaking out. As a mining industry spokesman, he loudly championed the cause of industry. As a public relations specialist, he’s plugged into the media channels that reach the most people. And now as a state senator, Crow’s loquacious manner has made an impression.

“He asks excellent, excellent questions in my committee,” said Sen. Grant Ipsen, R-Boise, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. “I have the utmost respect for him - I don’t hesitate to go up and ask his opinion on matters.”

Sen. Crow speaks up a little less often than mining spokesman Crow did in the past, the 43-year-old father of two admits. “I think that’s all in the process of maturing for me - I’m taking things just a bit more seriously than I may have in the past.”

Six week into the session, Crow says he’s toned his rhetoric down just a touch from his first days as a freshman. “It took me a little while to figure out that while I’m very interested all the points that I bring up in committee or on the floor, some of my fellow legislators may not be.”

Crow’s message echoes much of what other Republicans have said loud and clear: cut property taxes. If his District 3 constituents in Coeur d’Alene, Rathdrum and Dalton Gardens picked their five biggest issues, the top three would be property tax relief, Crow said. Gov. Phil Batt’s tax plan signed Thursday is a “good start,” he said.

“I call it the signature legislation of this session, much like the floating green at The Coeur d’Alene (Resort) golf course is the signature hole,” Crow said. “That doesn’t mean it’s the toughest hole or the most beautiful hole on the course.”

But Crow insists he’s not a oneissue lawmaker. State sovereignty is the next “hot” issue the Legislature will tackle, he said. Idaho’s and other states’ cries of “no more unfunded federal mandates” are being heard in Washington, D.C., Crow said.

Crow’s legislative efforts include a bill that would have banned public officials from appearing in public service announcements paid for by taxpayers. Crow felt the common practice gave incumbent lawmakers an unfair advantage in campaigning.

But the Senate State Affairs Committee happened to be two Republicans short when the bill came up for consideration. Senators voted 3-3 on his motion to move the bill to the Senate floor, and a tie means the bill dies. “Can you believe that?” Crow said, shaking his head.

Crow puts his feet up on his small desk in the Capitol basement office he shares with Sen. Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum. His left loafer’s sole has nearly worn through on the bottom, not reflective of Crow’s shoe quality but more a testament to how much he moves around the building.

He’s never in one place for more than five minutes, it seems, darting from the Senate across the rotunda to the House floor, back down to his office and back up to the fourth floor for committee meetings.

“Uninhibited is not a word I or others use to describe him,” Ipsen said. “And even though we may vote differently on the floor of the Senate - he voted for Batt’s tax bill and I didn’t - I still feel we’re very similar in committee issues.”

Crow joins Reps. Jeff Alltus, R-Coeur d’Alene, and Tom Dorr, R-Post Falls, as three younger Republican lawmakers determined to shrink the size of government. “All three of us, I think, are solely dedicated to doing what is best for our citizens,” Crow said.

This session, Crow lives with Alltus and Rep. Dan Mader, R-Lewiston, in a well-appointed and large home in south Boise. Alltus looks sheepish when asked if Crow has any strange domestic habits.

“Well, he gets the mail all the time. I never do,” Alltus said. “But it’s always for me anyway because I’m the only guy who gave out the home address.”

The three Republican freshmen also share a moral core based on fundamental Christian values, something Crow said he continues to cultivate and tries to use in every decision he faces. Alltus and Crow have even started a Bible study group.

Crow and Alltus say they also study every bill that comes in front of them as intently as they do the Bible. “I think it’s something that a lot of people take for granted, that we read all the bills here,” Alltus said. “Gordon’s in here every morning reading bills in his office, and I read them late into the night. We are determined to make sure we read everything we vote on.”

Crow doesn’t discount a long career for himself in the Legislature, but he will evaluate his future after each term.

“If you smile and nod your head a lot as a freshman, they seem to interpret that as leadership potential down here,” he said. “I’m smiling and nodding my head quite often.”