Otter transition aide will direct state agency

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter on Wednesday named Mike Gwartney, his transition team leader from earlier this year, as the new director of the state Department of Administration.

Gwartney, a former executive at forest products company Boise Cascade, replaces Keith Johnson. Johnson, the former state auditor who was Otter’s first Administration director, quit recently to take a job as a lobbyist for business software maker Oracle Corp.

Gwartney takes over a state agency responsible for many of Idaho’s public buildings.

Otter tried to eliminate the Department of Administration earlier this year, though lawmakers in the 2007 Legislature rebuffed his efforts, saying the new governor hadn’t justified claims the move would boost efficiency or save money.

In a statement, Gwartney reiterated pledges from Otter that the agency would retain purchasing and building services employees, as well as other essential functions. Still, he hinted that changes could still be in the works. “If getting those jobs done better and more efficiently means changing to whom people or functions report, then that’s what we’ll do,” Gwartney said.