North Idaho Legislators
DISTRICT 1 (Boundary County and part of Bonner County)
*Senate
SHAWN KEOUGH
Party: Republican
Years: First
Phone numbers: (Sandpoint) 263-1839 or toll-free 1-888-4KEOUGH (Boise) 1-800- 626- 0471
Committees: Agricultural; Education; Commerce/Human Resources
Profile: Ran on promises to fight within the Republican majority for North Idaho’s fair share of funding for roads and education. Timber information specialist for Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. Promises “fresh energy.”
*House
JOHN CAMPBELL
Party: Republican
Years: First
Phone numbers: (Sandpoint) 263-4774 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Education; Resources and Conservation
Profile: Ran on vows to go after taxes and over-regulation, but warned there’s no “magic.” Wants to see rising property assessments addressed. Semi-retired, manufactures fishing lures. Lifetime Bonner County resident.
JIM STOICHEFF
Party: Democrat
House Minority Leader
Years: 25
Phone numbers: (Sandpoint) 263-2375 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: State Affairs; Ways and Means; Resources and Conservation; Local Government
Profile: Plain-talking conservative leader of the outnumbered House Democrats. A populist who is something of a maverick, he conferred with Gov. Phil Batt this fall about extending Batt’s 3 percent cap on tax budget increases to school districts.
DISTRICT 2 (Parts of Bonner and Kootenai counties)
*Senate
CLYDE BOATRIGHT
Party: Republican
Years: Three
Phone numbers: (Rathdrum) 687-0591 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Judiciary and Rules (vice-chairman); Transportation; Health and Welfare
Profile: Has carried bills for local authorities on such issues as notifying communities about the presence of registered sex offenders and outlawing possession of certain explosives. Will try again this year.
*House
HILDE KELLOGG
Party: Republican
Years: 13
Phone numbers: (Post Falls) 773-5412 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Revenue and Taxation (vice-chairman); Business; Transportation and Defense
Profile: Staunchly pro-business, Kellogg is known for pushing through the legislation that allowed dog-race betting in the 1980s and tax-increment financing for a Post Falls real estate project in 1994. She made improving Highway 95 a central issue last year and will focus on it again this year.
WAYNE MEYER
Party: Republican
Years: Three
Phone numbers: (Rathdrum) 687-0420 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Business (vice-chairman); Education; Environmental Affairs Profile: A grass-seed farmer, Meyer opposes restrictions on field burning and voted against requiring worker’s compensation coverage for farm workers, admitting he’s not provided that coverage for his own workers. He favors shifting community college funding from the property tax to the state.
DISTRICT 3 (Downtown Coeur d’Alene and Hayden in Kootenai County)
*Senate
GORDON CROW
Party: Republican
Years: Three
Phone numbers: (Hayden) 762-0105 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Health and Welfare (vice chairman); Commerce and Human Resources; Resources and Environment
Profile: A former mining industry spokesman, Crow championed welfare reform, serving on Gov. Phil Batt’s advisory council and speaking out in favor of the council’s recommendations to sharply change and limit welfare. help local school districts build schools.
*House
JIM CLARK
Party: Republican
Years: First
Phone numbers: (Hayden Lake) 772-5992 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Judiciary; Rules and Administration; Local Government; Revenue and Taxation
Profile: A supporter of the One Percent Initiative, Clark is a talkative business consultant who also teaches at Eastern Washington University. He says property tax relief is his top priority.
JEFF ALLTUS
Party: Republican
Years: Third
Phone numbers: (Hayden) 762-3371 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Business; State Affairs
Profile: An insurance broker and co-founder of the conservative Christian group Citizens in Action, Alltus wants to eliminate the “marriage penalty” from Idaho’s tax law, win North Idaho a fairer share of sales tax revenues and work for new “truth in campaigning” laws. A gun rights advocate, he won attention during his first term for an argument he offered on the House floor that if a dog relieves itself in his yard, he should have the right to shoot it.
DISTRICT 4 (Shoshone County, parts of Kootenai and Benewah counties)
*Senate
JACK RIGGS
Party: Republican
Years: First
Phone numbers: (Coeur d’Alene) 667-1231 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Commerce and Human Resources; Education; Judiciary and Rules
Profile: A physician who founded a chain of immediate-care centers, Riggs defeated longtime Sen. Mary Lou Reed, with promises of a balanced approach to natural resources and working to limit taxes. Wants to stop “the push to shut down all natural resource industries in the north - timber, mining,” he said. Grew up in Coeur d’Alene.
*House
LARRY WATSON
Party: Democrat
Years: First
Phone numbers: (Wallace) 556-7481 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Business; Local Government; Revenue and Taxation
Profile: A deputy county assessor and longtime ski patrolman at Lookout Pass, Watson won his seat by arguing that his predecessor’s “views were just a little narrow for Shoshone County.” A moderate, he calls natural resource jobs his top priority.
DON PISCHNER
Party: Republican
Years: Three
Phone numbers: (Coeur d’Alene) 667-5770 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Appropriations; Transportation and Defense
Profile: A hard-working moderate, Pischner entertained fellow legislators during his first term with an in-depth presentation on asphalt, his area of expertise. This year, he’s won a coveted seat on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, where he’ll help set the state budget.
DISTRICT 7 (Parts of Benewah, Latah, Nez Perce, Clearwater, Lewis and Idaho counties)
*Senate
MARGUERITE MCLAUGHLIN
Party: Democrat
Senate Minority Leader
Years: 17
Phone numbers: (Orofino) 476-4136 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Commerce and Human Resources; Finance; Local Government and Taxation
Profile: McLaughlin is part-owner of a family logging and excavation business. She’s an experienced player on the key Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, where she’ll be joined by like-minded Sen. Bruce Sweeney, D-Lewiston.
*House
JUNE JUDD
Party: Democrat
Years: Seven
Phone numbers: (St. Maries) 245-2818 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Agricultural Affairs; Judiciary, Rules and Administration; State Affairs
Profile: Judd often focuses her attention on timber issues, though last year she pushed unsuccessfully for safety-oriented restrictions on so-called “monster trucks.” She’ll try again this year.
CHUCK CUDDY
Party: Democrat
Years: Seven
Phone numbers: (Orofino) 476-3729 (Boise) 1-800-626-0471
Committees: Resources and Conservation; Revenue and Taxation; Transportation and Defense
Profile: A conservative Democrat, Cuddy is just as likely to champion the cause of industry as he is to take on a more traditional Democratic issue. Last year, he led the unsuccessful push to win California’s giant Gallo Winery a tax exemption for a new cider product. Cuddy also took strong stands for timber industry legislation. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 15 Photos
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