LMT: Sweeney Was A Public Servant

As a high school and college track star, Bruce Sweeney learned to rely on himself. “The reason I liked it is the only one you had to depend on is you. You’re either there or you’re not there,” he recently told the Tribune’s Kerri Sandaine. Of course, if a track star falters, so does his team’s overall performance. A former Air Force pilot, Sweeney was crazy about airplanes. It wasn’t unusual to hear him planning a contingency landing in a forested area if one were necessary. A pilot has as much invested in his success as his passengers, but he alone is responsible. At various times, Sweeney, who died Tuesday at 77 from bone cancer, was a businessman, school board member and volunteer track coach. But it was at the state level where you saw his attributes. Against a backdrop of regional and petty party politics, Sweeney was a big-picture public servant/ Marty Trillhaase , Lewiston Tribune. More here .

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• Hanford assurances too familiar to taxpayers /Spokesman-Review
• BSU prez’s personal story re: health care /Randy Stapilus
• Otter asks me whether I’ll buy a wolf tag /Rocky Barker

Question: Sweeney was one of those rare politicians who could be considered a statesman. Which other Idaho legislator, past or present, would you assign that noble label to?