Pages look back on chapter in their lives

BOISE – From driving go-karts with North Idaho representatives to sitting through lengthy committee meetings, several high school seniors from North Idaho spent the past month trading textbooks for a crash course in Idaho politics.

The five Panhandle students who worked as legislative pages this year reflected on their time at the Statehouse on Friday, the last day for several of them. They recalled getting to know legislators and meeting other students from around the state with a shared interest in politics.

“I thought everybody would be kind of serious, but they’re all really laid back and nice,” said Coeur d’Alene High School senior Michelle Olsen, 17.

Their uniforms of white shirts and black slacks, and vibrant red vests on the Senate side, are nearly ubiquitous in the marbled halls of the Statehouse. But pages play a behind-the-scenes role at the Capitol, delivering meeting agendas, filing mail and running notes between lawmakers.

On Thursday, however, the pages took center stage in the House for their annual skit parodying lawmakers. They skewered several Panhandle legislators for their idiosyncratic tendencies.

Playing Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, one page complimented himself and applied hairspray, lampooning how the lawmaker once asked female clerks for hairspray.

“He’s always obsessed with his hair,” said Matt Fedrizzi, 18, of Centennial High School in Boise.

Another page wore false teeth, poking fun at Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, who once entered the page room wearing a set, Olsen said. One commented on Nonini and Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest River, two House smokers who can often be seen taking a break to puff outside the Statehouse.

“People always joke about them being together so much,” Olsen said.

Students interested in being pages must be seniors in high school and sponsored by a local representative.

With the exception of Olsen, who worked for free because she is the granddaughter of Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur d’Alene, pages made $6.18 an hour this session – more than minimum wage in Idaho.

Olsen said she signed up for page duty after learning about it from her grandmother. She lived with Chadderdon during the session, going to movies and shopping when not working or occupying the “page cage” – a tiny room near the House chamber.

“It just sounded like fun,” said Olsen, who staffed the House Health and Welfare and Business committees.

Olsen fondly recalled racing go-karts with Nonini and Anderson on Tuesday.

Friends Danny Cox, 17, and Jamie Marshall, 18, of Kellogg High School shared a room together at a Boise hotel while working as House pages. Both have a keen interest in the wheeling and dealing at the Statehouse.

“I really want to be involved in politics when I grow older,” Marshall said.

Cox said he was interested in how the Legislature works and wants to major in political science. Working as a page was a good first step, he said.

Marshall said he researched the items that came through the House Education Committee, which is chaired by his sponsor, Nonini. Cox listened to debate about dealing with Idaho’s wolf population in the House Resources and Conservation Committee.

Senate page Adam Calkins, 18, a student at Coeur d’Alene High School, lived in Nampa with his brother during his page tenure. He will finish Friday, a week after the House pages.

8Calkins staffed the Senate Education Committee, which is chaired by Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene. He enjoyed getting to know secretaries from different committees and stopping to talk with people in the halls of the Statehouse.

Kendrick High School senior Amanda Cayler also worked as a House page.

Marshall said several North Idaho House pages got hit with a lot of homework to make up, whereas some pages had little.

Calkins’ teachers faxed him tests, and the Senate’s sergeant at arms administered them.

Calkins said he might like to return as a legislator one day.

Chadderdon said she got to see a different side of her granddaughter from attending the House Business Committee together. Olsen witnessed Chadderdon successfully introducing a proclamation to commend Hudson’s Hamburgers in Coeur d’Alene for 100 years of business.

“She didn’t say I embarrassed her,” Chadderdon said.