March 20, 2006

Former Boise mayor from 1986 to 1992, Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne was in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 1999 and a champion of the legislation against unfunded federal mandates. This has been a major Conference of Mayors priority for years.

As a Senator, Kempthorne, 54, was chairman of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Drinking Water, Fisheries and Wildlife in the 104th and 105th Congresses.

His nomination has bi-partisan support from Energy and National Resources Chairman Pete V. Domenici and Ranking Minority Jeff Bingaman, both from New Mexico. If Kempthorne is confirmed, he will join two other former mayors in the Bush Cabinet. They are Norm Mineta, former mayor of San Jose, who now serves as Secretary of Transportation; and Michael Johanns, former mayor of Lincoln (NE) and former Governor of Nebraska, who now serves as Secretary of Agriculture.

President Bush praised outgoing Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, the first woman to hold that post, and added that Kempthorne would continue the Administration’s efforts to conserve public lands, maintain healthy forests and develop federal energy resources.

Kempthorne served one full term in the Senate before returning to Idaho to run for Governor. He is a 1975 political science graduate of the University of Idaho. He and his wife, Patricia, have two children.

At the White House press conference last week, Kempthorne, now in his second term as Governor, thanked the President for “…this awesome honor and responsibility,” adding, “I am ready to serve the people of the United States.”

The Conference of Mayors priorities with the Department of Interior are to support the stateside program of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR). The Conference has also supported the Take Pride in America program which recognizes community volunteer programs to conserve and maintain local parks.