"leave of absence" acknowledged as permanent for first time

Otter Says Commerce Chief Won’t Return

By Sharon Fisher, 3-05-08

In the first acknowledgment that Idaho Director of Commerce Jim Ellick will not be returning from his personal leave of absence, Gov. Butch Otter told the Idaho Press Club Wednesday that he was starting a new round of interviewing for the position.

Ellick, who was hired in 2007, went on personal leave in January, the day before he was scheduled to give his presentation to the Joint Finance and Appropriations (JFAC) committee of the state legislature.

Otter said that Ellick fit the profile of the sort of person he wanted - aggressive, able to speak the language of high technology, familiar with capital markets - but that Ellick, whose background is in industry, had found himself frustrated with the slow pace of the public sector - frustration that actually affected his health.

“People say you should run government like a business, but a business doesn’t have to look out 18 months ahead for its budget,” Otter said. 

The governor said he hasn’t given up hope of hiring someone familiar with global markets who knows that Idaho’s primary markets are other businesses. 

Otter didn’t say when a new person might be hired, nor whether Don Dietrich, the administrator who is acting director of Commerce, is being considered for the job.

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