Running Government Like an Autocrat

Remember this puff piece in the Statesman from two years ago about Otter and his best friend Mike Gwartney? This is the story about these two roping buddies who became fast friends through politics, business and a predilection for trophy wives. Indeed Gwartney toasted Otter at his second marriage with: "It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey and more money".

Gwartney directs Otter's Department of Administration. He works for free to avoid the suggestion he's a crony cashing in on friendship. He rides shotgun for Otter's push to remake government, including a controversial plan to reform benefits for 24,000 state workers and retirees. Some grouse about Gwartney's influence, calling him the "shadow governor."

Otter and Gwartney laugh off the claim. "If I'm the shadow governor, it's a high-noon shadow," said Gwartney, holding his forefinger and thumb an inch apart. "It's about that big." But Gwartney is feared. Not only does he have the governor's ear, he's Otter's enforcer. His firings, executed with surgical precision, are legend.

Otter relies on all his department heads but freely acknowledges Gwartney is a dear friend and his most important political confidant. "I assign him, whether he wants it or not, to be my counsel, somebody I can bounce something off. And sometimes he'll say, 'That's the dumbest idea I ever heard.'"

Unfortunately the "shadow governor" label is proving true. Everyone must read this report from Cynthia Sewell on the wide spread disaffection with Otter's best friend. And like Otter's intentions of phasing out IPTV, the Human Rights Commission, The Parks Department and other vital state agencies, he and Gwartney were going to shut down Administration and fold its operations into the Governor's office in what some people labeled a power grab. That anti-government ideology collision with political reality worked about as well as the latter day proposals with Gwartney continuing in charge of the Department and doing the Governor's bidding from his dictatorial perch from which he holds himself unaccountable from legislative oversight. Recall Gwartney was the "compassionate" conservative who pulled health benefits from part time state employees angering several legislators of both parties.

Gwartney's autocratic style has apparently cost the state a bundle in defending a lawsuit in which Gwartney "bullied" and "blackballed" a winning bidder of a state contract, Syringa Networks, a telecommunications company, and its CEO Greg Lowe, which apparently is accomplished from the exclusive Arid Club in Boise.

In December 2008, just days before the state was about to request bids for the multimillion-dollar network, Lowe was seated at a table with some high-powered companions, including Jason Kreizenbeck, the governor's chief of staff, and Cameron, one of the most influential overseers of state purse strings and a guest of Lowe at the club that night.

Lowe says he suggested that in order to protect Idaho taxpayers, the state should first conduct an inventory to determine which areas needed new or upgraded Internet service to avoid duplication of services already put in place by Syringa, Qwest and other companies.

Four days later, Lowe says, Gwartney pulled him into a hallway. He "got aggressively in my face, telling me if I didn't keep my opinions to myself he would make sure we would never get any of the (state's) business," Lowe said.

Neither Otter nor Gwartney would talk to the Statesman about the story. But interesting that JFAC chairman Dean Cameron didn't have much nice to say about Gwartney in the second article, which is quite a change from the first one. Seems to be a leadership deficit in the Statehouse, a criticism to which Republicans agree.

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UPDATE 3/2: Today the Idaho Statesman editorial board tagged Otter for the actions of his crony.

With a friend like Mike Gwartney, Butch Otter doesn't need enemies. The governor's hand-picked choice to run the state's Department of Administration, Otter's longtime confidant has become one of his political liabilities.

Some legislators consider him dismissive and imperialistic - which doesn't help the strained relationship between Otter and the Legislature. Win or lose, taxpayers will be on the hook to defend Gwartney's department in a lawsuit over a state broadband contract.

Gwartney's record reflects poorly on Otter:

Read the analysis here.