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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Risch likes being Idaho’s No. 2


Risch
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Betsy Z. Russell Staff writer

BOISE – Jim Risch may not be running for governor, but for large portions of the past three years, he was the governor.

Risch, Idaho’s lieutenant governor, has been called on so frequently to fill in as acting governor because Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was out of state that Risch has served the equivalent of nearly nine full months in the governor’s chair. In the two full fiscal years he has served, 2004 and 2005, Risch’s hours as acting governor added up to more than three months out of each year.

“I have only two constitutional duties – preside over the Senate, which I enjoy, and act as governor, which I really, really enjoy,” Risch said.

The longtime Idaho politician surprised many last month when he announced he would run for a second term as lieutenant governor – rather than taking on Congressman Butch Otter in what was expected to be a high-stakes GOP primary contest for governor.

Asked why he chose to seek a second term as lieutenant governor, Risch said, “Number one, I really enjoy the job. It is probably, if not the best, one of the best jobs in state government.”

One of the state’s longest-serving state senators and a former Senate president pro-tem and majority leader, Risch said, “It’s a unique job. It’s the only job where you have one foot in the legislative branch and one foot in the executive branch.”

He readily admits that the pay is not the attractive part of the job. Lieutenant governor is a part-time position paying $26,750 a year – the lowest of any statewide elected position.

“I spent $360,000 of my own money to get elected to this, so pay was not a significant factor,” said Risch, a wealthy and successful trial attorney who also owns a family ranch.

At age 62, Risch said he’s scaled back on his law practice and tried to turn “everything I can” over to his son, who’s now joined the practice. “I’ve gotten to that stage in life where I enjoy what I’m doing,” Risch said. “(My wife) Vickie and I pretty much can do what we want to do. I’m very fortunate in being able to love the things I do. I like government work. I like to work on the ranch.”

As lieutenant governor, Risch has focused his efforts beyond his basic duties on economic development, following an example set by Otter, who was Idaho’s lieutenant governor for 14 years.

“One of the things I’m proudest of is I was the one that led the team that persuaded Empire Airlines to stay and move half of its stuff from Spokane over our way,” he said. “When we got the phone call, that was a significant event in my tenure as lieutenant governor.”

Sitting behind the governor’s desk, where he is working while Kempthorne is off to Mexico on a trade mission, Risch said, “If you’d gotten here about 10 minutes earlier, you’d have seen a team of six people leave this office.” They’re working with a medical device manufacturer that’s interested in relocating about a third of its business to Idaho from Southern California, Risch said, and are hiring up to 150 Idahoans for high-paid technical jobs. “It’s exactly what we’re looking for,” he said.

If re-elected, Risch said, he hopes to do more of the same. “Hopefully, number one, if the people are kind enough to re-elect me and if the governor is appreciative of what I’ve done in the past, I’ll be able to continue to do this.”

The governor will change, however, as Kempthorne isn’t seeking a third term. At this point, the two announced candidates are Otter and Democrat Jerry Brady, a former newspaper publisher from Idaho Falls. Both have done extensive economic development work over their careers, Otter as lieutenant governor and Brady as spearhead of a successful local economic development effort in the Idaho Falls area.

“I would think they would have a good, substantial understanding of the economic development process and what I have been doing in that regard,” Risch said.

But if a governor were elected who didn’t want him to play that role, Risch said, “I’ve been in this business a long time. I know how to negotiate and pursue the things I want to pursue.”

Risch made his announcement that he’d run for re-election in an unorthodox fashion. He had a press release faxed out from his law office with the news at 4 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving, and he was unavailable for further comment. His office reported that he and his wife had left town for the weekend, but actually, they hosted their traditional Thanksgiving family meal at their Boise home.

“That was very unique,” said Boise State University political scientist Jim Weatherby. “I don’t recall any major candidate making a declaration of candidacy and then leaving town and not being available to talk about it.”

“Vickie and I had made the decision,” Risch said. “The primary of ‘06 will be my 30th election. I guess we didn’t view it as needing any more than what it got.”

He has steadfastly refused to answer questions about why he didn’t run for governor or about Otter’s head start on that race – Otter announced his candidacy a year ago, before he’d even taken the oath of office for his current term in Congress, and started campaigning, raising money and lining up support.

Weatherby said, “I’m sure it was Otter’s intent to strike early and establish a strong position with broad-based endorsements throughout the party and throughout Idaho.”

At the Risch family’s Thanksgiving dinner, Risch said, there was more talk about a grandson’s missed shot at an elk and prospects for vaccinating the family cows than about the governor’s race or politics.

Risch said he has met other states’ lieutenant governors, and everyone’s job is different. Some are assigned by law to head state commerce departments or other operations; one lieutenant governor, because of a personal interest, took over the state transportation department. Several have become governors, succeeding the previous governors when they left office before the end of their terms.

In Idaho, he said, “That’s a possibility that’s relatively remote, I would think.”

However, speculation was heavy over the years that Kempthorne would get a Bush administration job, boosting Risch into the governor’s seat. It never happened.

Risch said he wouldn’t change anything about Idaho’s lieutenant governor’s job, though it has only a secretary for staff, and its duties are mostly undefined. “I rather like the idea that the lieutenant governor is free to pursue their interests,” he said.

Weatherby said, “He has been a player, he’ll continue to be a player as lieutenant governor, and I would not write Jim Risch off.”