Malloy: Rep Barbieri no friend of local chamber

In his Idaho Politics Weekly column, Chuck Malloy comments:

Early in his political career, Rep. Vito Barbieri of Dalton Gardens learned an important lesson about public speaking – specifically, knowing his audience before he picked a topic.

“I was asked to speak to a chamber of commerce event … and it struck me right in the face,” said Barbieri, who is in his fourth term. “I went there saying that business can no longer expect government to protect their industries … and they didn’t like that at all.”

That was the beginning of his frosty relationship with the local chamber; it hasn’t gotten better. Barbieri chairs the House Business Committee, which on the surface seems to be compatible with advocates, such as the Idaho Chamber Alliance. But Barbieri sees a disconnect between what chambers want and what’s politically possible.

“They are not my friends,” he says. More here.