Otter, LaRocco make stops in North Idaho

Coeur d’Alene was a focus of political activity Tuesday as Idaho Gov. Butch Otter spoke to trade groups and the Democratic challenger for the U.S. Senate spent the afternoon volunteering at a thrift store.

Former U.S. Rep. Larry LaRocco is locked in a battle with Lt. Gov. Jim Risch for the seat being vacated by Sen. Larry Craig.

“Idaho working families need a champion in Washington, D.C.,” LaRocco said. “I want to fight for their interests.”

In addition to sorting through clothes at St. Vincent de Paul, LaRocco attended fundraising events earlier this week in Hayden and Worley and met with officials from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

“My fundraising is going extremely well. I’m closing in on $900,000 for the campaign,” he said. “This is the most important election of my life. Voters don’t want the status quo, and Jim Risch represents the status quo.”

In his speech to Concerned Businesses of North Idaho at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, Otter did no stumping for Risch, a fellow Republican.

Instead, Otter spoke at length about the crumbling state of Idaho’s highways. The state has about 67,000 miles of highways, and about 20 percent of them need either repair or replacement, Otter said.

“That’s why I went to the Legislature last session and asked for additional revenue streams,” he said.

Otter last year proposed a flat $150-per-car vehicle registration fee, an increase of $120 per car for some residents. After sharp criticism, he withdrew the proposal.

When lawmakers proposed a more modest package of fee increases for road improvements, Otter rejected it, accusing the Legislature of “a shortage of vision and political will.”

Otter said the need has gotten even worse since then. Construction bids for a ton of liquid asphalt have skyrocketed from $175 last September to more than $800 a ton today, he said.

“Our mission now … is to come up with a cornucopia of ideas to get the money,” he said.

The state currently funds roads through vehicle registration fees and a gas tax. But revenues from the latter are dropping as Idahoans are venturing out less frequently under the yoke of record-high gas prices.

As a result, Otter has held several public hearings to allow residents to provide ideas on how the state should pay for crumbling roads and bridges. However, he remains steadfast that the increases should come through user fees.

“I want to stick as close to user pay as much as I can,” he said. “I believe that is the most responsible model of government.”

The results of the meetings will be presented to the Legislature in January.

Otter will join golfing great Jack Nicklaus today for the dedication of a golf course in Sandpoint before returning Thursday to the Coeur d’Alene Resort, where he will address the Tri-National Agriculture Accord.