Once upon a time in a land known as Appalachia West (more commonly, Idaho), a  Governor named Clem appointed 19 members of Idaho’s Health Insurance Exchange Board, a panel authorized by the Idaho Legislature to set the rules and regulations for implementing a state-based insurance exchange.   The Chairman was a guy named Weeg, a retired executive director of Health West.

One of the Board’s 19 members was a guy named Chan.  In typical A-W (Idaho) fashion, Chan got the Board’s executive director, a gal named Dowd, to award his computer company a technology contract worth up to $375,000.  Chan quit the same day his company was awarded the sole-source contract.

So Chairman Weeg did the right thing — he went to the Idaho Attorney General and requested a full and complete investigation to determine if there was wrongdoing in awarding the contract.   Didn’t he?  Wait … What?  He didn’t?  Really?  No, he didn’t.  Remember, this is A-W (Idaho), not someplace that believes public officials should be held  to the rule of law.

No, Chairman Weeg decided that his committee would hire a private attorney to conduct what passes for an investigation in A-W (Idaho).

According to a news story by Associated Press reporter John Miller, “Board members of the Idaho health insurance exchange said Tuesday that they will keep secret the findings of a $15,000 taxpayer-funded investigation into how one of its own members won a lucrative no-bid contract.”  As Chairman Weeg reported after today’s meeting, the Committee’s private attorney/investigator found that Dowd and the Committee “violated no law, that lapses of judgment were made around the procurement policy and conflict-of-interest policy.”  Weeg went on to say that the public will never be allowed to see the results of the investigation, because , “It deals with personnel, and it’s done under attorney-client privilege.”

This sounds less like a personnel matter than a posterior protection proceeding, commonly known as ass-covering.  Isn’t it reassuring to know that the Committee’s privately-hired attorney has decreed that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the people who hired him?  Imagine that!

If only there was an Attorney General in A-W (Idaho).  If only there was a US Attorney in A-W (Idaho).  If only…

If you’re in the Coeur d’Alene area and get your cable TV from Time Warner Cable, remember that CDATV Channel 19 may now be on channel 16-2.

If you tune to Channel 19 and see the message headlined “Get your TV picture back,” you may not need to order the cable box as the message says.  Try running the “program channels” function on your digital television set, then tune to channel 16-2 (or 16.2).

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OpenCdA’s post dated October 27, 2013, and titled Really? questioned whether either The Coeur Group or the NIC Republicans had “wholeheartedly endorsed Steve Widmyer for mayor” as stated in a letter to the editor by John Barlow of Coeur d’Alene and published in the Coeur d’Alene Press .

Here is the reply OpenCdA received today from Luke Kilcup, whose email identifies him as the Chairman of the North Idaho College Republicans and the State Treasurer of the Idaho Federation of College Republicans. (more…)

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[ “Bang n’ Burn in ‘Bama, Baby!”

[ Newsies playing with toys.

Former Republican Congressman Richard G. Renzi of Arizona has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.  Renzi was found guilty of 17 felony offenses including conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, extortion under color of official right, racketeering, money laundering and making false statements to insurance regulators.

This press release issued by the US Attorney for the District of Arizona is dated today, however it is clearly a press release issued earlier announcing Renzi’s conviction but before sentencing today.  Still, it provides some details about how a very corrupt US Congressman abused his position to both commit the crimes and avoid prosecution.  Here is the FBI’s press release on today’s sentencing.

Here is the Los Angeles Times story reporting on Renzi’s sentencing.

OpenCdA envies Arizonans with a US Attorney who doesn’t turn a blind eye to the corruption of public officials regardless of their party, their position,  or their political connections.