More Self-Imposed Headaches For Otter

Gov. Butch Otter wants to save one of his favorite projects, a statewide broadband network connecting public schools, universities and businesses. He’d do well to protect the Idaho Education Network from his own staff. Otter budget chief Wayne Hammon did the project no favors by calling out the Senate’s chief budget-writer, with a remarkably ill-advised e-mail that would have better been left in the drafts folder. Hammon insinuated that Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, might sit on the IEN budget to further his “personal war” with Mike Gwartney (pictured in archive photo by Betsy Russell), the Department of Administration chief who is Otter’s point man on the project. Hammon later apologized and said he spoke out of turn, but the damage was done/ Kevin Richert , Idaho Statesman. More here .

• Thoughts on filings /Adam Graham, Adam’s Blog
• Creeping Nanny-statism in Idaho /Bubblehead, The Stupid Shall Be Punished
• Ending a year of grieving for Nate Mansfield /Dennis Mansfield
• This Hobson guy, crying wolf /Fort Boise
• Idaho’s health care idiocy /Sisyphus, 43rd State Blues
• Marvel’s legal issues either gov’t abuse or goose for gander /Rocky Barker

Question: Will Gov. Butch Otter eventually have to jettison his buddy Mike Gwartney from his administration, to settle things down with key Republicans like Dean Cameron?