It’s time for Idaho’s GOP leaders to lead and govern, not bow to the radical right

A recent unanimous decision of the Idaho Supreme Court threw out the state’s new law crippling citizen-led ballot initiatives that would have made it more difficult for Idahoans to get their initiatives on the ballot.

In the strongest of terms, the court said that the “the effect of SB 1110 is to prevent a perceived, yet unsubstantiated fear of the ‘tyranny of the majority’ by replacing it with an actual ‘tyranny of the minority.’ “

Gov. Brad Little had vetoed a similar bill in 2019 but then signed the bill the Supreme Court just resoundingly sent to the dust bin of unconstitutional measures.

Little’s inconsistent behavior may be explained by the arrival of Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin at the campaign starting gate for governor. Unfortunately, it’s not the only indication Gov. Little is spending too much time looking over his shoulder instead of taking the tough stands governors are elected to take, regardless of radical minions like McGeachin who remains slavish to her loyal right-wing base.

The governor signed a bill introduced by House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, who claimed his bill would bring property tax relief to Idahoans, but Republicans and Democrats alike spoke against the bill, claiming it was rushed through the legislative process in the last few hours of the session without giving legislators the opportunity to seek feedback from their constituents on the impact of the bill back home.

In signing the bill, his message sure sounded like he would not have voted for it as a state senator. Little said the changes in the circuit breaker credit may have unintended consequences for some individuals and families and that it does not meet his standard for tax legislation that is “fair, simple, competitive, and predictable.”

One of the law’s provisions limits the ability of cities to recover the full amount of tax revenue from new construction projects and annexation that cities can use for their budgets. Meridian officials spoke out recently about how that provision forces the city to increase taxes on all of its property taxpayers if it cannot fully recover from developers the cost of new construction. Those are taxes that pay for increased police and fire protection required of growing cities like Meridian.

For a fast-growing city like Meridian, those taxes from new construction requires growth to pay for itself. With new construction taxes capped, the city had to find revenue elsewhere to pay for the budget. The 2.4% increase in property taxes is a result.

Why did Gov. Little question this piece of legislation he claims does not meet his test of fairness and simplicity, but then sign the bill? Could it be that Moyle, the Legislature’s resident bully, stuffed the bill with dubious property tax relief that made it difficult for Little to veto for fear of the lieutenant governor and primary opponent using the veto against him in the upcoming election?

I served long enough in a state legislature to be wary of any legislation introduced in the final hours of the session. Add Moyle to the equation, not a legislator known for his transparency, and here’s legislation that should not have seen the light of day.

Just recently, the governor demonstrated the courage to act in the best interests of the state and its local governments and override the radical spurts of governing Idaho’s lieutenant governor uses to feed her base. McGeachin presided as governor recently when Little was out of state. She issued an executive order banning local governments from issuing mask mandates based on the COVID-19 pandemic. When the governor returned to the state, he reversed her executive order, claiming that it “runs contrary to a basic conservative principle — the government closest to the people governs best” and her action “unilaterally and unlawfully takes away authorities given to the state’s mayors, local school board trustees, and others.”

Little’s reversal of McGeachin’s executive order should be the rule in the governor’s office, not the exception, as to how Idaho’s Republican leadership governs. Unfortunately, Little, along with House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, have too often wasted their political capital kowtowing to the loud and harsh voices of the far right. Whether it’s legislation like a bald-faced effort to rig citizen initiatives so they cannot possibly collect enough signatures to get on the ballot or whether it’s a tax break for developers masquerading as property tax relief, Little, Bedke and Winder are getting their just desserts.

Forced to spend much of their time in office equivocating, as increasingly radical voices in their Republican ranks seem interested only in upending the machinery of government and drastically cutting funding to education and health care, these Republican leaders remain silent as Idaho moves outside mainstream governance and politics. They have done little to counter the nefarious work of the Idaho Freedom Foundation which runs moderate and responsible Republicans off the ballot.

They have done little to challenge the loose cannons from the far right whose only goal is to take down state government by overpowering the majority with its uncivil and violent base as Ammon Bundy demonstrated when he and his followers stormed the Idaho state Capitol in January.

For now, Idahoans can depend on the Supreme Court to stand up for the people as they did when they struck down the law rigging the initiative process against Idaho citizens. Let’s hope somehow, someway, Idaho’s Republican leaders will challenge the wingnuts in their party and marginalize their influence.

There are many centrist voters in Idaho who are fed up with the ongoing nonsense coming from the far right as they fight masks and vaccines and even appoint a doctor to the Central District Health board who prescribes horse medicine to fight COVID-19 despite the universal objection to his appointment by our medical community.

These voters are ready and able to register as Republicans, if they haven’t already, and they will vote to toss out extremists. But they need leadership from the established wing of the Republican Party that stands up to these purveyors of misinformation and calls them out. If Idaho’s Republican leaders refuse to speak up, the party is doomed to be a party of radical misfits with no intention of governing responsibly, dedicated only to attacking our schools and teachers, shutting down voter initiatives and casting Idaho as the home of fringe theater.