A fond farewell to experienced leaders

They’re reasonable. Respectful. Well-educated. And in turn, highly respected.

So they got the boot.

Coeur d’Alene Reps. Paul Amador and Jim Addis, this way to the door, please.

We are taking nothing away from victorious Elaine Price and Carl Bjerke, whose circumnavigation of the local political planet that is Kootenai County Republican Central Committee helped them defeat Amador and Addis in Tuesday’s primary. Obviously, being KCRCC bedfellows paid off far more than years of public service did for incumbents Amador and Addis.

Outside the heart of the Republican Party here, Bjerke and Price are little known. They might be reasonable. We know them to both be respectful. Perhaps they will exceed the appreciation many residents have for the work done by Addis and Amador. They’d better, or two years from now they’ll be exiting the same way Paul and Jim now must.

Amador and Addis ran for re-election based on their records as legislators. To be sure, nobody will have agreed with every bill these two men supported, nor oppose every bill they battled against. But on the whole, these “establishment” Republicans fairly represented the values and ensuing policies that many Idahoans hold dear — just not in Kootenai County, apparently.

Coeur d’Alene is about to have much different representation in Boise than it has in the past. Again, hoping for the very best, we encourage citizens to let Elaine and Carl know what they’re thinking about the issues and how they want their new representatives to vote if both are victorious in November. If they happen to lose in the general election — a remote possibility if you check the history books — Coeur d’Alene will have much different representation anyway, with two Democrats holding the reins of power.

Amador was seeking his fourth term in the Legislature; Addis, his third. The void in experience and authority will be significant. Amador served on the most powerful legislative committee, Joint Finance-Appropriations, and he chaired the Ways and Means Committee. Among other assignments, Addis has served as vice chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Both are highly successful people. More than that, their non-political lives are rich with family, friends and professional pursuits. Outside the political pressure cooker, the guess here is that they’ll be just fine.

In one of the classier acts from someone ousted from office, Addis said this to a Press reporter: “It has been an honor to serve the people of District 4. The people have spoken. That's the way it is."

A longtime Ford dealer, Addis followed up that statement with a gem from Henry Ford: "Never complain. Never explain."

That’s the way it is, and The Press wishes the very best to Paul and Jim for their years of outstanding service.