Denney, Ybarra exceed expectations

Randy Stapilus of Ridenbaugh Press writes how Secretary of State Lawerence Denney and Superintendent of Schools Sherri Ybarra have exceeded expectations in their first year in office:

I shouldn’t let the year end without following up on a column from one year ago last week, intended then as a bit of advice and also as a cautionary note. My column probably had nothing to do with it, but the two newly-elected Idaho officials I wrote about – Secretary of State Lawrence Denney and Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra – have turned out better than a lot of people, including me, were expecting. Both had given good reasons for low expectations.

Denney was a former speaker of the House whose track record was so widely criticized that House Republicans did what no majority caucus had done to a speaker in generations: Booted him from the office. A lot of Republicans in official positions, including the last SecState, Ben Ysursa, signed up with one of the other primary contestants. Concerns were that, in this office where careful record-keeping and down-the-middle fairness were essential (and had been observed for a very long time), Denney would staff up with political hacks and turn the office sharply partisan.

None of that has happened. More here.

Question: I’ve certainly been surprised that Secretary of State Lawerence Denney hasn’t used his office for partisan advantage. He certainly was a partisan during his days in the Idaho Legislature. I agree with Randy Stapilus that Denney and Superintendent Sherri Ybarra have exceeded expectations. So far. Thoughts?