Schedule Shows Otter Dialing Back

Since his landslide re-election, Gov. Butch Otter is spending significantly less time in the office. Otter, 69, typically doesn’t show up at the office Mondays, instead scheduling “general office time” with no appointments. He works from home, according to a former chief of staff. Comparing 12-month periods from Otter’s third year in office with his fifth year, an Idaho Statesman analysis shows:

• 27 percent fewer appointments, both official and unofficial.
• 29 percent fewer hours scheduled for those appointments.
• 33 percent less time spent traveling for official and unofficial purposes, both in Idaho and elsewhere.
• 28 percent increase in personal and vacation days, with 41 days off during the business week over the year. (Complete column by Dan Popkey/Idaho Statesman here)

Question: Gov. Butch Otter says he’s still fully engaged in the business of running Idaho. But his schedule so otherwise? What do you think?