Batt Fights To Combat Idaho’s Racist Image Governor Blames Problem On ‘Handful Of Malcontents’

Gov. Phil Batt says he doesn’t usually travel to Sun Valley on Sundays to give speeches.

But he feels so strongly that Idaho has an undeserved reputation as a haven for racists that he flew to Sun Valley on Sunday afternoon to stress that point to 2,600 members of the all-black National Brotherhood of Skiers.

He repeated the theme Monday morning in Boise to a gathering of eastern Idaho chamber of commerce representatives.

“It’s an undeserved reputation we have,” Batt told his Boise audience, “an untrue image. I do everything I can to present a positive image of Idaho.”

The National Brotherhood of Skiers expects up to 2,600 people in Sun Valley and nearby Ketchum through next weekend. The brotherhood is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 in Aspen, Colo., with the goal of developing and supporting black athletes in winter sports, with an emphasis on skiing, and providing the resources necessary for Olympic Games training.

As he has stressed in other recent speeches, Batt told his mostly black audience at Sun Valley not to believe reports that the state is a haven for racists.

“One of the things we in Idaho take no pride in are some national reports in newspapers and in the broadcast media,” he said. “Those stories intimate Idaho is a home for racists.”

He said he had heard reports that some members of the brotherhood had had doubts about going to Idaho because of that.

“Correcting those misperceptions is important to me,” Batt said.

The governor told the skiers that when he presented his annual State of the State message to the Idaho Legislature, he included “a stern message” to anyone with a message of hate in the state.

He said Idaho has received more attention than justified because of “a handful of malcontents” who have chosen to live in the state.

Batt also said problems with racists are not unique to Idaho. Every state has them, he said.