Of parking meters, ethics and disclosure…

Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on how Idaho’s House transportation chairman, who successfully pushed a bill through the House last week to shut off parking meters around the state Capitol during legislative sessions, didn’t disclose that his 24-year-old son has gotten numerous parking tickets in the area during the session and had his car towed on the first day of this year’s legislative session. Instead, Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, told the House, “The reason I’m bringing this bill is because I had a constituent come to me.”

Palmer said today that the constituent he referred to wasn’t his son; he said he heard from angry constituents concerned about parking after a hearing three years ago on a fire marshal bill. Palmer introduced his bill, HB 480, in the committee he chairs on Feb. 6, four weeks to the day after his son’s car was towed. The issue comes as Idaho lawmakers struggle this year with proposed ethics reforms.

Jim Weatherby, political scientist emeritus at Boise State University and a longtime observer of Idaho’s legislative process, said, “I’m not sure he had to disclose, but under the circumstances, it would probably have been better for him to have done so. It’s often better, if there is any doubt, to disclose rather than not to.”