Sen. Crow Mocks `Liberal’ Vote

Legislation to prop up state funding for a few school districts that otherwise would get less next year passed the Senate on an 18-16 vote Wednesday.

Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden, was among 11 Republicans voting for the bill. “I voted liberal,” he said afterward in mock disbelief.

The $1.2 million the bill would appropriate would go mostly to Blaine County, along with a handful of other districts that stand to lose state funding under the tight budget legislative budget writers adopted Monday. These include the Avery School District in Shoshone County.

Crow said he was swayed by those who argued that Blaine County and the others should just raise their property taxes if they don’t like getting less money from the state.

“People look at Blaine County, they look at Sun Valley, and they think everyone there is a millionaire,” Crow said.

But Crow said there are many more average residents in the county, and they’ve been hurt by rising property values that have driven up their taxes.The bill now moves to the House for consideration.