AS
AS A
AS A METEOR NOT A BURNT FLAME."
BURNT FLAME."
GOVERNOR
GOVERNOR BUTCH OTTER.... IN OUR FINAL SIT DOWN
INTERVIEW BEFORE HE
LEAVES OFFICE AT THE
END OF THE YEAR TALKS
ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT
AND FUTURE FOR HIM
AND THE STATE HE HAS
LED FOR THE PAST 12
YEARS.
36 YEARS IN PUBLIC
OFFICE. 25 CAMPAIGNS.
13 YEARS AS LT
GOVERNOR. 6 YEARS AS
UNITED STATES
CONGRESSMAN. 12 YEARS
AS GOVERNOR.
HISTORIANS WILL FIND IT
DIFFICULT NOT TO PUT
BUTCH OTTER AMONG
THE STATE'S ALL-TIME
MOST PROMINENT AND
INFLUENTIAL POLITICIANS..
BUT, AS HE PREPARES TO
WALK OUT OF THE
STATEHOUSE DONT THINK
FOR A MINUTE YOU HAVE
SEEN THE LAST OF THIS
IDAHO ICON....
I BEGAN OUR HOUR LONG
FINAL IN-OFFICE
TELEVISION ONE-ON-ON
INTERVIEW BY ASKING THE
76 YEAR IDAHO NATIVE IF
THE ROCKING CHAIR ON
THE FRONT PORCH IS
WHERE WE WILL NEXT SEE
HIM.
2:53 "THAT ISNT GONNA
HAPPEN. NOT GONNA
HAPPEN. MY MOTHER
DIED 2 YEARS AGO AT THE
AGE OF 101 AND WAS
ACTIVE UNTIL THE DAY
SHE PASSED. AND I
INTEND TO DO THE SAME
THING AND IN THE SAME
WAY I'M GONNA STAY
ACTIVE WHETHER ITS
SOMETHING
SOMETHING THAT TAKES ME AROUND THE WORLD OR TAKES ME ON A
MISSION!"
A CATHOLIC BASED
MISSION WOULD BRING
THIS CALDWELL NATIVE,
FULL CIRCLE.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW HE
SPENT A YEAR AFTER HIGH
SCHOOL AT A BENIDICTINE
MONASTARY IN
WASHINGTON AT HIS
FATHER'S URGING....
5:25 "MY STORY IS I LEFT
THE MONASTARY WHEN
THEY TOLD ME I COULDNT
BE POPE! HA-HA....THATS
MY STORY MARK AND I'M
STICKING TO IT!"
HE GRADUATED FROM THE
COLLEGE OF IDAHO IN
1967 WITH A BA IN
POLITICAL SCIENCE BUT
HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, JR
SIMPLOT, ASKED HIM TO
RUN A COMPANY POTATO
PLANT AND THAT BEGAN
WITH HIM SHOVELING
POTATOES IN THE CELLAR
OF THE PLANT.
SO YOU CAN'T SAY 'I
MARRIED THE BOSS'S
DAUGHTER AND NEXT
THING YOU KNOW I'M
PRESIDENT' DIDN'T GO
DOWN LIKE THAT. SAID
MARK
"WELL I THOUGHT IT WAS
GOING TO GO THAT WAY
WHEN HE SAID 'GO AND
RUN THIS PLANT."
RUNNING THE PLANT
WOULD EVENTUALLY
TURN INTO RUNNING
SIMPLOT INTERNATIONAL.
A JOB THAT WOULD TAKE
HIM TO OVER 80
COUNTRIES HELPING TO
GROW THE IDAHO
COMPANY TO ONE OF THE
NATION'S LARGEST FOOD
COMPANIES.
HIS POLITICAL CAREER
STARTED IN 1972 WHEN
HE WON A SEAT IN THE
STATE LEGISLATURE FROM
CANYON COUNTY AND HE
WAS HOOKED...
HE BECAME LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR IN 87 AND
SERVED UNDER THREE
DIFFERENT GOVENORS
FOR 14 YEARS BEFORE
LEAVING TO TAKE HIS
CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN
WASHINGTON. A JOB THAT HE NEARLY LEFT AFTER THE FIRST TERM.
19:12 "YA GOTTA
REMEMBER, I'M COMING
OUT OF THE BUSINESS
WORLD WHERE I SAY AN
IDEA AT LUNCH COMPANY
POLICY AT ONE O'CLOCK.
BUT IT DOESN'T WORK
THAT WAY IN POLITICS
AND I LACKED THE
PATIENCE."
HE CLOSED OUT HIS 3RD
TERM IN CONGRESS,
WALKED INTO THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND
WENT ON TO BECOME THE
LONGEST SERVING
INCUMBENT GOVERNOR
IN THE UNITED STATES AT
12 YEARS.....BUT IT WASNT
ALWAYS SMOOTH SAILING.
REMEMBER WHEN I CAME
IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE IN IDAHO WAS TWO
POINT NINE PERCENT.
AND TWO YEARS LATER IT
WAS NINE. THREE YEARS
LATER IT WAS NINE POINT
TWO PERCENT. THE
ECONOMY AND
FOLLOWING THAT WE HAD
HUNDRED THOUSAND
PEOPLE IN IDAHO OUT OF
WORK. AND SO WE
NEEDED TO DO SOME. WE
NEEDED TO DO SOME
REAL STRATEGIC MOVES.
THE RECESSION TOOK ITS
TOLL IN IDAHO WHERE
DEEP CUTS HIT ALL
CORNERS
CORNERS OF THE STATE....COMMERCE, EDUCATION,
STATE....COMMERCE, EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION....
EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION.... HIS SLOGAN WAS "FOCUS
ON NECESSARY NOT THE
NICE." AND MANY
THOUGHT THAT MEANT
THE END OF FUNDING
STATE PARKS AS WAS THE
CASE IN NEIGHBORING
STATES.
BUT, GOVERNOR OTTER IS
QUICK TO POINT OUT
THEY DIDNT DO THAT
HERE BECAUSE OF THE
PIONEER SPIRIT OF
COMMUNITIES THAT
CAME TO THE RESCUE.
AND THOSE
COMMUNITIES
RESPONDED AND THEY
SAID ALL RIGHT. THE BOY
SCOUTS THE GIRL SCOUTS
THE FOR THE FFA. WE'RE
GOING TO GO OUT AND
HELP PAINT THE FENCES
AND WE'RE GONNA DO
THIS AND WE'RE GONNA
DO THAT AND WE NEVER
SHUT DOWN A PARK.
THE FOLLOWING YEARS HE
HELPED ENGINEER
IDAHO'S RECOVERY
WHICH IS BACK TO THE
NUMBERS HE HAD WHEN
HE FIRST TOOK OFFICE 12
YEARS AGO.
IDAHO IS THE FASTEST
GROWING STATE IN THE
WEST, START UPS AND
EXSISTING COMPANIES
FROM OUT OF STATE ARE
SPRINGING UP IN THE
GEM STATE EVERY MONTH.
BUT, EVEN THOUGH HE
FEELS GOOD ABOUT THE
HOUSE KEYS HE IS
TURNING OVER TO THE
NEW RESIDENT HE
DOESNT BELIEVE THINGS
ARE ON AUTO-PILOT.
"THERE'S A LOT TO BE
DONE. FIRST OFF THIS
BRAD'S FIRST YEAR AND IT
WILL BE THE LAST YEAR OF
MY FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR
EDUCATION. AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU I HAD A LOT OF GREAT FRIENDS THAT
HELPED ME PUT THAT FIVE
YEAR
YEAR PLAN
YEAR PLAN TOGETHER." AND AS THIS COWBOY FROM CANYON COUNTY
RIDES OFF INTO THE
SUNSET...HE SAYS HE
LEAVES WITH LITTLE
REGRET....AND A LITTLE
ADVICE FOR THE MAN
NAMED LITTLE.
"I THINK I THINK IDAHO IS
GOING TO BE IN GREAT
SHAPE WITH THE FOLKS
THAT I LEAVE BEHIND.
PLUS WE'VE LEFT. WE'RE
GOING TO LEAVE WITH
ABOUT 500 MILLION IN
SAVINGS SO THEY'RE GOT
A LITTLE BUFFER AGAINST
THE THINGS THAT WE
WENT THROUGH IN 8 9
AND 10 AND THEY'VE GOT
A THEY'VE GOT A GOOD
MODEL TO LOOK AT.....
FOCUS ON NECESSARY.
THAT
THAT WAS
THAT WAS JUST PART OF OUR 45 MINUTE CONVERSATION....
HE TALKED ABOUT HIS
EXCITEMENT FOR PROP 2
PASSING AND
DISSAPOINTMENT OVER
HORSE RACING NOT.
AND SO MUCH MORE WE
ARE GOING TO PUT ALL OF
THAT TOGETHER FOR A
SPECIAL SO-LONG BUTCH
VIEWPOINT NEXT SUNDAY
MORNING.