Governor hears local concerns in Southern Idaho town

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Story Published: Jun 25, 2009 at 4:06 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jun 25, 2009 at 6:23 PM MDT

By Wes Horrocks

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FRANKLIN - Idaho's oldest town took on a new title Thursday. For several hours Franklin became the state capital.

And people in the area are hoping that Governor Otter's visit will bring changes to the region.

Carolyn Nebeker is concerned that there isn't enough being done to control the invasive weed phragmites near Bear Lake. Nebeker, a Bear Lake County resident said, "People think they burned them and it doesn't. It just burns off the fluff and the next year they come right up again. And they're just growing all along the lake."

And unlike mailing in a letter that comment lead to immediate action. Governor C. L. "Butch" Otter said, "Lloyd Knight from the Department of Agriculture, who is in charge of noxious and invasive weeds, is already on the phone in the hall right now."

And that's the purpose of Capital for the Day. Regular people can talk directly to the governor and other state leaders to get some answers. "It's important, I think, that they know that their government is accessible," said Otter.

Other people asked state leaders to crack down on drunk drivers, and to rethink signs along the highway.

Even the Mayor of Franklin wanted to know if the state could help with local problems. Mayor Wayne Priestley said, "Our little town doesn't have the budget to redo the roads, and our roads in town are getting pretty shabby-some of them."

But it was the economy that drew some of the biggest discussions. Why did Idaho accept stimulus money, and how is the state doing financially? Otter answered, "I think we're in as good of shape as almost any state for coming out of the recession."

While there wasn't an immediate answer for every question that was brought up Thursday, Governor Otter did make it clear that he will bring all of those concerns to other state leaders in Boise where they can come up with an action plan. So that people can see that changes are being made.

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