In Reed’s words

Former legislator and co-founder of KEA releases book of columns

Longtime North Idaho resident Mary Lou Reed spoke volumes about political, social and environmental issues in the Inland Northwest in eight years as a columnist for the Pacific Northwest Inlander.

The former Democratic Idaho state legislator and co-founder of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance recently released a compilation of those columns, “In Her Words,” published by Grey Dog Press. Filled with current affairs and commentary from 2010 to 2018, the pages are illustrated by Allen Dodge.

Reed’s commitment to the environment and her deep sense of community in North Idaho is apparent not just in her praise of the state, but in her careful consideration of its shortcomings.

On April 25, 2012, Reed described how legislators in the 2011 session closed the door on Idaho’s longstanding open primary tradition. The move essentially prohibited unaffiliated voters and registered Democrats from voting in local elections, where unopposed Republican candidates are chosen in the primary elections.

She praised local leaders, educators and her late husband Scott Reed.

In more recent commentary, Reed wrote unabashed questions, pointing out the heart of shameful environmental practices: “Does the country need more uranium? And for what purpose?” on Dec. 21, 2017 and, “What would take on the task of the beetle if the entire world of beetles were to be eliminated?” on Dec. 27, 2018.

Reed felt the compilation of daily happenings could provide insight into the complexity of the region’s history. Bruce Reed introduced the book, praising his mother’s steadfast commitment to her community, leading the fight to finally recognize Martin Luther King Day in Idaho, expand Medicaid to cover hospice care and gather bipartisan support to declare the cutthroat trout as the state fish.

In one of her longer columns, Reed celebrated a new, articulate platform put out by the Idaho Democratic Party. On July 26, 2018, she summed up the many victories of that platform.

“To want to be progressive means you believe the future matters," she wrote. "It means we want to build a world in which our women are comfortably equal, our men are manfully successful, and our children are competitive in our increasingly strange, crowded and exciting world.”

Reed has donated all proceeds from the book to the continued efforts of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance.

“Mary Lou Reed is a role model for any good citizen to emulate," Ted McGregor, Jr. the Inlander’s publisher, wrote in the book’s foreword. "Sharing wisdom like hers, in the service of opening minds, is exactly why we started a newspaper.”