Gookin’s ‘pretty’ gets dirty looks

Challenger Dan Gookin is off to an inauspicious start in the campaign debate circuit. First, he was asked by the Coeur d’Alene Police Association about referring in the past to respected police spokeswoman Christie Wood as “Sgt. Cupcake” and “a snake” and then loses the cops’ endorsement to incumbent Deanna Goodlander. Secondly, he stumbled badly in some people’s eyes when he closed his comments at the Reagan Republicans forum by telling conservative moderator Angela Monson of KQNT-AM/Spokane that she was too pretty to be on the radio. Also, he told Angela that she was sweet and continued to gush about her on his campaign blog. The Berry Pickers at Huckleberries Online split evenly when I asked what they thought of such a remark about a professional woman at a public forum, with 64 saying Gookin was simply being complimentary and friendly, and 63 saying he was “way out of line.” Dick Haugen, the former longtime news director of KVNI, punctuated a lengthy debate at Huckleberries Online re: the topic by stating: “All radio-types are HOT!!! Salute!”

Pretty Woman II

The aforementioned Angela Monson got her licks in on absent incumbent Mike Kennedy at the Reagan Republicans’ shindig. She opened by commenting that the only acceptable excuse that Kennedy would have for missing the forum was if he was getting a kidney transplant. Kennedy, however, offered Huckleberries Online an excuse that didn’t involve his kidneys. Seems his two oldest daughters were leaving on a jet plane the following morning to see a “big-time, grownup” play with relatives in San Francisco. They were to be gone five days. He wanted to spend the last night with them before they left. Also, Kennedy said that the flight date was figuratively up in the air until only days before the forum – and that the Reagan Republican debate was only one of three being staged by R’s this fall (among the eight debates scheduled overall). Seems they want as many cracks at Demo Kennedy as they can get in the supposedly nonpartisan municipal elections.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “The lawn is white,/the garden brown – /guess Old Jack Frost/is Back in town – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Return Visit”) … Unique Homes featured Duane Hagadone’s old Stanley Hill digs on its blog for the rich & famous who may be in search for a second home, 2,000-pound gates and all. Hey, you can move in for only $27.5M … His Duaneness, by the way, is now 77 years old … Also: Idaho has only one billionaire, according to Forbes’ latest list of the 400 wealthiest Americans – And it’s ain’t who you think. Robert Earl Holding, Sun Valley’s oil and ski magnate, ranked 93rd with $3.3B, is the Gem’s State’s Daddy Warbucks … Yes, there’s an explanation why Councilman Joe Bodman was left off that mailer circulated to absentee voters in Post Falls by Mayor Clay Larkin and two other council incumbents, Linda Wilhelm and Ron Jacobson. The mayor tells Huckleberries that Bodman didn’t respond to an invite to join the others on the mailing – so the show went on without him … Scanner Traffic (from 9:19 a.m. Monday): “A 5YO boy has called the work release center to report that he’s home alone with his 2YO sister while his mother’s in the hospital having another baby.” Hunh? … Put your hands together for colleague Betsy Russell of the SR’s Boise bureau and the Eye On Boise blog, who was named best political reporter in Idaho by the Washington Post … Huckleberries Online finished the third quarter with a total of 1,503,756 page views and 853,949 unique views. Onward to 2M.

Parting shot

Unsurprisingly, African-American Richard Benjamin’s 26,000-mile trek for “Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America” led to North Idaho. Where Sandpoint’s Bill and Marianne Love met and befriended him. The book, which was just released, investigates the phenomenon of certain areas becoming increasingly white at a time when whites are on the brink of becoming a minority population overall. Marianne reports that the writing is phenomenal, nonjudgmental and sprinkled with lots of local names (for example, Mayor Sandi Bloem, Tammy Poelstra, Erica Curless, Mary Lou Reed and the late Ron Rankin). Benjamin spent three days with Pastor David Barley at America’s Promise annual summer gathering. “Whitopia,” sez Marianne, is “hard to put down.” Wonder if Marianne will put it down long enough to loan it to me?