O-Sense
Rep. Kelley Packer’s story might seem to be a bit corny, but it explains why this mother of four from McCammon, a town of about 800 people near Pocatello, thinks she has a chance to be Idaho’s next lieutenant governor.
There’s nothing “small town” about Packer’s thinking, and that’s something she learned from her parents -- mother Charlyne Sutton, who lives in Pocatello, and her father, the late Dr. Ernest Sutton, a dentist who thought his kids could better learn the values of hard work by living on a dairy farm. Packer knows about hard work, which has come with operating several businesses in her adult life. Along the way, she learned from her parents the value of self-confidence, which has been helpful in her political life.
As she explains, “I’ve never been one to say, ‘Why Me?’ My thought has been, ‘Why not me?’ As an individual, if you truly see things that would make a positive difference for your community, your state, or even your neighborhood, then why not you? Why not take the lead, then get out and make a difference?”
Her quest to be a difference-maker led her to a city council position a decade ago. She wanted a higher office five years ago, so she ran – and won – a seat in the Idaho House. She saw another opportunity for a higher office when Lt. Gov. Brad Little announced his plans to run for governor.
Packer says she has enjoyed her time in the Legislature, but in the end, “I’m only one of 105 votes. I need a leadership hat on to affect the direction of discussion.”
She has two key committee assignments – Transportation and Defense, and vice-chair of Health and Welfare. Yet, as only one voice in the Legislature, she has not seen enough headway on road funding and no progress on providing health insurance to the GAP population, the 78,000 working poor Idahoans without health insurance coverage.
The reason (or excuse) some legislators offered for not addressing the health insurance issue was that they were waiting to see what the new president would do with Obamacare and Medicaid.
“We keep saying that for years – waiting for this, or that,” Packer says. “We are using the least effective and most expensive method of delivering health care in our state right now, and that makes no sense to me when we are being run by Republicans and conservatives.”
On the state’s infrastructure, she said, “We have ignored our roads, bridges and other needs of our state for too long. I believe that true conservatives recognize you don’t wait for a problem to become so severe before it demands your attention.”
Packer’s effectiveness in dealing with those and other issues as lieutenant governor ultimately would depend on who wins the governor’s race. She isn’t saying who she supports at the top of the ticket, which is wise for her politically. My guess is she’d would work especially well with Boise developer Tommy Ahlquist. Both are 49 years old, in the prime of their professional lives and eager to bring about change to state government. She’d probably have a lesser role with Congressman Raul Labrador, who is not likely to have increased road funding or health insurance access for the working poor high on his list of priorities.
For now, her thoughts are focused on winning in a crowded primary that includes Sen. Marv Hagedorn of Meridian and former Rep. Janice McGeachin of Idaho Falls. Former state GOP Chairman Steve Yates of Idaho Falls also is expected to enter the fray. Building name recognition in North Idaho will be a challenge for all candidates.
“If any of us think our service on one body or another will win this race, we’re going to have a sad surprise,” she said. “The political junkies already know us, but the rest of the state does not.”
One handicap facing Packer is that she’ll be spending the winter months serving in the Legislature next year, while others are crossing the state and campaigning full-time. She’ll also have to fight off vocal conservative critics who will say that Packer is “too liberal” for such a high office. But Packer has a conservative message of her own that will be heard throughout the campaign.
“I’m organized, hard-working, dependable and approachable,” she says. “I am pro-gun, pro-life, pro-small government, pro-limited spending … but most importantly, I’m pro-Idaho.”
Chuck Malloy, a long-time Idaho journalist, is a columnist with Idaho Politics Weekly. He may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
