[Vision2020] Red State, Blue City

[Tom Hansen]

>From New West weekly at:

http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/print/12652/

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Idaho's Capital City Goes Democrat
Red State, Blue City: the State of Ada
By Jill Kuraitis, 11-10-06

The Ada County legislative districts which make up the core of Boise are now
represented by a troupe of all-singing, all-dancing Democrats. 

The new "Ada Eight" representatives-to-be are celebrating victories over
incumbent Republicans who have seemed unbeatable in the past. The soon-to-be
freshmen are District 16's Les Bock, District 17's Bill Killen and Sue Chew,
and District 18's Phylis King and Branden Durst. They join incumbent
Democrats Margaret Henbest (16), Nicole LeFavour and Anne Pasley-Stuart in
District 19, along with incumbent Democratic Senators David Langhorst (16)
Elliot Werk (17) Kate Kelly (18) and Mike Burkett (19). 

Today's focus: District 18. 

There were several surprises in the election returns from Tuesday, the most
startling being the defeat of longtime representatives Debbie Field and
Julie Ellsworth in District 18 by Branden Durst and Phylis King,
respectively. Durst's race was a squeaker with a win of just 174 votes, with
a Libertarian spoiler. But King won with a decisive margin of 700 votes in a
two-way race against Ellsworth. 

Field, who was Butch Otter's campaign manager - give her some credit for a
big victory - ran a better legislative meeting than anyone I've seen. She
was fast, efficient, respectful - if only all of life's meetings could be
run that way - and toed the party line with precision. While managing Otter,
she did little visible campaigning for her legislative seat - which could
have been because she didn't care much which way the election went, since
she'll land a job in Otter's cabinet. 

Ellsworth, who was Majority Caucus chair, seemed to be Nampa Rep. Bill
Deal's handmaiden in the all-important State Affairs Committee, which
shepherded HJR2, the anti-gay amendment, through the legislature. She had a
reputation for not returning constituent calls, emails and letters, which
may have contributed to her defeat.

In Ellsworth, Deal may have lost an ally with good persuasive powers in his
battle with Rep. Lawerence Denney (R-Midvale) for Speaker of the House. 

This now all-Democratic district in Southeast Boise used to include the
suburbs just south of the Boise river, including River Run and The Island,
but in the last redistricting those mixed-party precincts went to Democratic
District 19, which includes Boise's North End. Field and Ellsworth ended up
representing what used to be a Republican area, but that has clearly
changed. 

In her third time at bat, victor Phylis King hit a homer by steady
door-to-door pounding. "Boy, did I hear about education," she said today.
"People know that's the way to get their kids a better life, a better paying
job - all the things that go with being educated.

"There was a frustration that nobody was paying attention," she said. King
said she also heard a lot about growth issues, especially in farthest
Southeast Boise's Columbia Village, which is near Micron Technology and
interstate 84. 

Durst, who at 26 years old will be the youngest member of the legislature,
also campaigned one-to-one, but may not have covered as much physical ground
as King. His name recognition couldn't match King's after her two previous
runs, but he still impressed enough people to pull it off.

King said the team of Senator Kate Kelly and Representatives King and Durst
will try to stay in touch with voters "in new and better ways" by holding
forums and answering emails and calls promptly. "We have Kate's precedent
there," she said.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3