Over 100 attend
Republicans picnic
Kempthorne motors
through
By GREG
STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Idaho Gov.
Dirk Kempthorne included a stop in Ketchum during a motorcycle tour of
Central Idaho to visit Sunday with folks at the Blaine County Republicans’
revived annual fall picnic at Rotary Park.
Kempthorne
joined Lt. Gov. Jack Riggs, Speaker of the House Bruce Newcomb, Sen. John
Sandy, R-Hagerman, and various other elected Idaho officials at the
picnic.
Idaho
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne revs the motor on his new motorycycle following
the Blaine County Republicans’ fall picnic Sunday in Ketchum. Kempthorne’s
bike tour of Central Idaho included Redfish Lake, where 33 sockeye salmon
were released by Idaho Fish and Game biologists. (See story on Page A20
of the printed Idaho Mountain Express) Express photo by David N.
Seelig
Because of
final redistricting plans, Sandy has been assigned to the new District 25,
which includes Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Lincoln counties. The new plan
could pit Sandy against Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, for the fall,
2002, election.
Over 100
local residents and politicians attended the picnic.
Blaine
County Republicans Chairman Maurice Charlat said there was a "very,
very good turnout of the hierarchy of elected officials and their staff
from Idaho."
"We
were very gratified for the turnout we got," Charlat said.
Charlat
agreed that the picnic was an indicator of the revitalization of the
Blaine County Republican Party, which has been fairly dormant for several
years. Charlat has been spearheading efforts for the past year to renew
the local party’s momentum and influence on local, state and national
politics.
Idaho Sen.
John Sandy, R-Hagerman, was one of several Idaho politicians to attend the
Blaine County Republicans fall picnic Sunday. Sandy is part of the new
district 25, which includes Blaine County. The new district will become
effective in January of 2002. Express photo by David N. Seelig
Charlat
also stressed that he doesn’t believe partisan politics belong at the
local level. He plans to attend the Blaine County Democrats’ fall picnic
at Atkinson’s Park on Sunday.
Blaine
County Republicans State Committeeman Latham Williams said the picnic,
besides an opportunity to socialize, also gave Blaine County Republicans
the opportunity to discuss hosting the state’s republican convention
next year.
The
convention will be held in Sun Valley June 15 to 18 next summer and will
serve as a precursor to the November, 2002 elections in which nearly every
elected official in the state will be up for re-election.
"We
are thrilled to have been chosen as the hosts for this convention,"
Charlat said. "We have been working very hard to rebuild the party
infrastructure in Blaine County and are hoping that by the time the
convention rolls around, we will have in place a model county
organization."
The GOP
will bring more than 650 delegates, alternates and their families to the
Wood River Valley for the four-day convention.