Balukoff: Idaho has 'Otter fatigue'

A.J. Balukoff says he's running to replace Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to improve the state's education and economy, and restore the public's trust in the government.

Balukoff, who was in Moscow ahead of this weekend's Idaho Democratic Party convention, met Thursday with the Daily News editorial board.

"(Otter) doesn't have much to show for his efforts," Balukoff said of the current governor, who has been in office since 2007. "I'm hearing a lot of Otter fatigue as I go around the state."

While Balukoff is critical of Otter on many issues, education is the one dearest to his heart. Balukoff will have worked for the Boise School District for 17 years this coming November, and he serves on a variety of nonprofit boards in the Boise area.

"The main reason I got into this race was education," Balukoff said in the meeting. "We need to make sure schools are the priority."

And that means the state should fulfill its end of the bargain when it comes to funding. He said school districts are having to pass supplemental levies to stay afloat, and that is creating disparity between the districts that are able to pass them and those that aren't so lucky. Supplemental levies only last for two years, he added, which makes long-term planning difficult for the districts.

He also pointed to the state not providing enough support to school districts in

implementing Common Core. He said he is a proponent of the new raised standards, which is he said is an improvement over No Child Left Behind, which lowered standards to inflate the number of students performing at grade level. That led to high school graduates struggling in college and spending their first year taking remedial courses, he said.

When it comes to improving Idaho's economy, Balukoff plans to push the state's Department of Commerce to focus on supporting businesses already in Idaho and not as heavily on bringing in new companies, he said.

"The focus, to me, needs to be on helping the companies that are already here to be the best they can be," Balukoff said.

He added the state's minimum wage should be raised and frequently adjusted for inflation so the issue doesn't need to be repeatedly addressed.

Balukoff also attacked Otter's leadership ability.

"Take a look at where the state was when Gov. Otter took office compared to where it is now," he said, adding before Otter's tenure there were only a few states ranking better than Idaho in per-capita income. Now the Gem State is at the bottom, he said.

There needs to be a way to re-create the trust between the state and the people, he said. Looking at the laws that have passed, despite overwhelming opposition, such as Senate Bill 1254 allowing firearms on university and college campuses, it is clear the representatives are not listening to the people electing them, he said.

Balukoff will speak Saturday at the convention luncheon.

Samantha Malott can be reached at (208) 883-4639, or by email to smalott@dnews.com.