During the 2010 legislative session, an announced candidate for the Idaho House served as a tour guide for the Idaho Capitol tours program, which has some lawmakers wanting to examine policy for who can give tours in the program.
Jeff Youtz, director of the Legislative Services Office, says that Christy Perry, who ran against and defeated Rep. Steve Kren in the state’s 13th District, comprised of parts of Nampa, served as a tour guide on three different occasions during the 2010 session. Youtz explained that during her time as a guide, Perry only gave three total tours – two to Idaho interest groups and one to students from Melba High School. When asked if his office ever received complaints about Perry being overly political during tours, Youtz said that it hadn’t. ”She did a great job,” said Youtz. ”We never got any complaints.”
It is unknown exactly when Perry officially announced her intent to run for Kren’s seat, but the Idaho secretary of state’s office reports that she filed her paperwork to become official in the contest on March 8, 2010. A search for data on her campaign website shows that it was registered in September of 2009 and it appears one of her first campaign-style events came only a month later.
How did it come to be that an announced candidate for the Idaho House worked as a guide while her electoral opponent was busy voting on bills? Youtz said that one of his staffers contacted five students in Boise State’s masters of public administration program to find volunteers to serve as guides. Perry was one of the five. ”We were just looking for people who were excited about the Idaho Capitol and Idaho history,” explained Youtz. Perry’s status as a candidate for the Idaho House never came into consideration during the process. “That wasn’t even on the radar,” said Youtz.
Perry, a self-described “Idaho history buff,” said she only discussed her political campaign one time during tours when someone asked if she is the same person he had seen on a billboard earlier. Other than that, she says, she kept tour discussions professional and on the topic of Idaho government. “It’s not about me, it’s not about the campaign, it’s not about all of that,” said Perry. “It’s about the Capitol.”
Legislative Services has no policies against candidates serving as tour guides during sessions. That may change, however, in November when the Legislative Council, one of the oversight boards of the Capitol, meets to discuss policies and procedures for the 2011 session, slated to begin in January. Youtz said his office could set a new policy in motion, but that he would prefer to let lawmakers on the council hash out the details at the November meeting.
At that meeting, lawmakers on the council could opt to ban announced candidates from guiding tours, but that could be messy. Most of the lawmakers themselves declare their intentions to run for re-election in late February or early March, which means that they are announced candidates for portions of sessions, which typically end in late-March to mid-April. Standard procedure in the tour program allows state lawmakers from Capitol tourists’ districts to be contacted and give tours to patrons, if legislators have time.
Sen. Nicole Lefavour, D-Boise, up for re-election this fall, said at a council meeting in June that candidates for legislative office shouldn’t be automatically disqualified from serving as tour guides.
Another member of the council, Rep. Gary Collins, R-Nampa, says that Perry incident wasn’t that serious, but that lawmakers will examine the facts of the case anyway in November. “It was not a conflict of interest, at least I don’t think it was,” said Collins. “If it (tours program) were to be used in a way it shouldn’t be, then I can see how that would be a problem. It will likely be a topic at the next meeting.”
Should lawmakers change the policy to prevent announced candidates from serving as guides? Collins thinks not. “I think we have enough rules, regulations, and statutes to govern it and we don’t need to get into detail on everything,” Collins concluded.
Perry said a decision to ban certain individuals from giving tours would hurt her and the program. “I enjoyed it, I loved it, and I would be saddened if I am told I can’t do it anymore,” said Perry. “It’s hard enough for organizations to get volunteers.”
[...] week, IdahoReporter.com found that a declared candidate for the Idaho House was also leading tours through the Statehouse in Boise while her electoral opponent was busy with committee hearings and legislative work. The [...]