Otter: ‘Our new normal’

Gov. Butch Otter says when he first was elected, he had “three broad priorities,” and they haven’t changed: “Encourage economic opportunity, ensure responsible government, and empower Idahoans to be the architects of their own destiny.” He said circumstances, including the economic downturn, have raised the stakes, requiring “efficiency and prudent frugality.” Steps toward those goals, he said, “have  become standard procedure” over the past three years. “What we had to do then will become our new normal going forward.” Otter said that means the state must put more emphasis on public-private partnerships “that leverage our limited resources toward advancing and achieving our shared goals.”