Business
IDAHO HOUSING FUNDS GO TO GOP
August 11, 2008 
A reader tells us the Republican Party was given funds from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association–the agency that has its board appointed by the Guv and includes legislators, but it isn’t really a state agency.
Public records at the Idaho Secretary of State site show the “quasi-governmental” corporation donated $500 to the Republicans for the Lincoln Day party in February. We are told $500 will get those who pay, a table closer to the front of the venue. Wonder if the members appointed by the Guv approved the donation…we can’t find any indication of similar donations to the Democrats.
Seems the folks entrusted with selling GARVEE highway bonds, facilitating loans for low cost housing, and proposing to make Tamarack’s $670 million bailout legit to union pension funds has a tilt to the right.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Aug 11, 2008, 6:31 pm
Well howdy! What did you expect? If Otter, Risch, and the boys set me up in a $Bazillion near monopoly, I would send them a little thank you note too.
Corrupt? Well, sure as stick shifts to a boot. From the city and county level right on up to the big money chairs, that’s Idaho.
Go along to, get along, little doggie!
Aug 12, 2008, 12:59 am
“Quasi-Governmental.”
Seems to be a lot of that goin’ ’round these days.
Aug 12, 2008, 2:41 am
Amazing!
No, not that it happened, but that the R’s didn’t manage to convolute the books enough that no one could find out. They must be slipping.
Aug 12, 2008, 8:59 am
Gordon, consider that they may be so comfortable in their “skin” they don’t care!
Aug 12, 2008, 9:42 am
I don’t think there is enough evidence to say that they “tilt to the right”. Republicans are in control in Idaho. If the Dems were in a similar situation, you would likely see Idaho Housing trying to influence them.
Aug 12, 2008, 11:29 am
They don’t exactly tilt to the right or left. They tilt to where the power resides.
When Wayne Mittlieder was the Executive Director and Cece Andrus was Governor the organization gave thousands to Democrat consultants and even ran the Governors Cup (now Challenge) which involved lot’s of money and time. They forced their bankers and lawyers to contribute thousands to running the “charity” golf tourney. This is one group in desperate need of some, “adult” supervision and not so much politics.
Aug 12, 2008, 10:13 pm
Interesting. That agency also seems to have what I see as a loophole to assist many charter schools with financing so they can prop these multi million dollar schools up! If my memory serves me correctly, they guarantee the loan to banks. All while the other public schools are either getting support or not, courtesy of passing bonds. Considering the push by the R’s to get these on the fast track with what appears to be little accountability- the connection makes sense. Another tool for other agendas- without taxpayer’s having any representation.
Aug 13, 2008, 5:30 pm
Isn’t this the same entity now being utilized to sell bonds for Tamarack? The same Tamarack that was enabled by many of those same Republicans?