OTTER: In tune with N. Idaho

Where is Keith Allred? The last time I checked, the position of Governor is a statewide office. Here it is mid-October, and Keith Allred, the lobbyist from Boise, has visited the Coeur d'Alene area two, maybe three times.

So where has he been spending his time campaigning? From what I can gather, almost all of it has been spent in eastern Idaho, the Boise area, or other parts of southern Idaho. Does he even understand North Idaho? I doubt it.

Before Butch Otter was elected Governor, he was the Congressman for Idaho's First Congressional District, which includes our part of the state. Butch has spent a lot of time in Kootenai County. He has fought the federal government for years. Butch Otter understands how agencies like the EPA, OSHA and the Forest Service meddle in our lives every day and he fights to uphold this state's constitutional powers.

We have a choice Nov. 2. We can choose a guy who was born in California, became an Ivy League professor, and didn't live in Idaho for 20 years or more, or we can choose Butch Otter - a man who was born here, raised here, went to school here and has fought to make Idaho a better place his entire life. For me, the choice is clear, and I'll be voting for Butch Otter.

JIM FULTON

Coeur d'Alene