Governor’s office attracts some of the usual suspects

BOISE – Although neither the incumbent governor, Butch Otter, nor a major Democratic challenger has yet announced, the 2010 Idaho governor’s race is shaping up with a plethora of candidates.

Among those who’ve filed initial paperwork so far:

Moderate former state Rep. Jana Kemp, R-Boise, is running as an independent.

Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman, a Republican who’s also held office as a Democrat and has a long history of political clashes at the county, is running as a Republican.

Pro-Life, the candidate formerly known as Marvin Richardson, is running as an independent. He’s an organic strawberry farmer from Emmett who previously ran for the U.S. Senate; his platform is in his name, which is official and emblazoned on his driver’s license.

Rex Rammell, former elk rancher and unsuccessful independent candidate for U.S. Senate, is running as a Republican.

Lee R. Chaney Jr. of Preston is running as a Democrat, although on his campaign Web site, he says he’s neither a Democrat nor a Republican: “I am one of the People.”

And then there’s Ron “Pete” Peterson, a Boisean who’s planning to announce his GOP candidacy at a Boise bikini bar on Monday and whose entire platform consists of “Beat Butch.” Peterson, who has a “BeatButch.com” Web site, says, “I do not have the slightest interest in becoming Idaho’s next governor. I just want someone other than Butch.”

The official filing period for candidates isn’t until March – that’s when we’ll see which of these candidates actually make the ballot. Independent candidates must file 1,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot; partisan candidates have the option of gathering signatures or paying a $300 fee. Also on the 2010 ballot are every seat in the state Legislature, both congressional seats and U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo’s seat, every statewide elected office, two Idaho Supreme Court justices, and numerous county offices. The primary is May 25, 2010.

When a 17.9 percent loss is good …

Idaho’s permanent endowment fund, whose earnings benefit public schools and universities, has been battered by the market in recent years. But there was relatively good news this past week: For the fiscal year that ended July 1, the fund was down just 17.9 percent. That may sound like a huge loss. But in February, the fund was down 31 percent.

“So we made some significant ground since the low point,” Chris Halvorson, an investment officer with the Endowment Fund Investment Board, told the state Land Board. For June, the fund had a tiny, 0.1 percent gain. Another hopeful sign: Through July 20, the new fiscal year (20 days in) showed a nearly 3 percent gain.

The next question is what the annual fund distribution will be to schools and other institutions for the next year. “Based on the information available today, EFIB staff would recommend that distributions be maintained at FY 2010 levels,” the investment board’s report to the Land Board said. The endowment board will examine investment results through the end of July and an updated forecast of land revenues before setting on its final recommendation at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Otter praises ‘self-taxation’

Gov. Butch Otter approvingly called the Idaho Lottery “probably the clearest form of self-taxation that we have in the state,” as the lottery celebrated its 20th anniversary this past week.

During the current budget crunch, Otter said he’s thrilled with the $437 million the state lottery has turned over to schools and the state’s permanent building fund over the past two decades.

“These days when the economy is really tough, it is nice once again to receive a larger-than-last-year … dividend from the lottery of $35 million,” he said. “In these days of the economic downturn, we have got to get every dollar we possibly can. And so we appreciate the people taxing themselves, voluntarily, through the lottery.”

When Idaho’s state lottery commission chairman, Roger Jones, made ready to present this year’s check to Otter, he said amid some laughter, “We’re able to give another million dollars more than last year. … Maybe it’s all spent, Butch, I don’t know.”