Spurned F&G chairman opts out
In the Lewiston Tribune, Eric Barker reports:
Idaho Fish and Game Commission Chairman Will Naillon said Tuesday he will not reapply for his position after being nudged out by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter following an ongoing clash with a handful of legislators. Naillon, of Challis, and Commissioner Mark Doerr of Twin Falls were informed earlier this month by an aide to Otter that the governor would not reappoint them to second four-year terms. Otter spokesman Jon Hanian later insisted the two commissioners were welcome to reapply for their jobs.
“I believe that if the governor wanted me on the commission, he would have simply reappointed me,” Naillon said in a statement. “The governor is not bound by any procedure on the appointment of fish and game commissioners and could simply appoint myself or anyone else at his discretion. I feel that reapplying would be somewhat redundant, as my voice for wildlife and representation of the sportsmen of Idaho has been well-documented over the last four years.”
Otter’s decision to not automatically reappoint Naillon and Doerr was widely seen as political retribution for the commission’s refusal to make it easier for wealthy hunters to win coveted big game tags and for refusing to allow large landowners to sell hunting tags. More here.
Question: As much as I’m concerned re: the goofy ideology of the Tea Party/Liberty/Redoubt wing of the Idaho Republican Party, I’m equally bothered by the cronyism that Gov. Butch Otter has brought to the governor’s office. Bad form, Butch. Thought?
* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Huckleberries Online." Read all stories from this blog