Josh Kuntz
Member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2013
- Messages
- 184
ID Senator emails about replacing Steve Bair as chair of Resource & Environment Com.
Hunt Talkers,
I thought some of you would be interested to see the email exchange I had with ID Senate Majority Leader, Bart Davis regarding removing Steve Bair from his position as chair of the Resources and Environment Committee. Bair has been a long history of meddling with the IDFG policies and trying to force auction tag legislation on ID sportsmen. With the upcoming 2017 legislative session about to begin, Mr. Bair's re-appointment as chair is up to Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill. Mr. Hill will likely be getting input from Senate Majority Leader, Bart Davis. I emailed both of them in the same thread. Mr. Hill never responded. Mr. Davis did (see below).
Lastly, let me just say that this is not just important to Idaho residents. If auction tags go through, the plan is to pull them out of the non-resident pool. All of you non residents might want to write Brent Hill and Bart Davis also and give them a piece of your mind.
-----------------
November 18th, from [email protected]
To: [email protected] [email protected]
Mr. Davis and Mr. Hill,
I am writing to strongly urge you to remove Steve Bair from his position as chair of the Resources and Environment Committee. The reason I feel this action is justified is Mr. Bair's long history of blocking efforts of the Idaho Fish & Game agency and his continued efforts to push through unpopular auction tag legislation. Mr. Bair has been guilty of using his position and unscrupulous legislative tactics to thwart efforts of the Idaho Fish & Game to see a clean "Fee Increase Bill" get a fair chance to pass. It is well known that Mr. Bair has held fee increase bills hostage, only offering to support them if the Fish & Game would support his cherished auction tags. Avoiding this kind of political scheming that affects wildlife management is exactly why the Fish & Game commission was established in 1938. Mr. Bair knows this fact but he is unwilling to accept it. Instead he is subjecting the future of Idaho's wildlife and the opportunities of hundreds of thousands of Idaho hunters to his dirty politics. It is downright shameful. Our wildlife and our citizens deserve better.
As you may know, 15 former IDFG commissioners recently signed a letter asking for Mr. Bair to be replaced. Please let that sink in for a moment. These are 15 former UNPAID citizens who volunteered their time because they care about Idaho's wildlife and hunting heritage. These 15 people have no financial incentive to go public and ask for Mr. Bair's replacement. They simply want what is best for IDFG and Idaho sportsmen. And for 15 of them to point our that Mr. Bair is such a problem that he should be replaced, well that is evidence enough for me to also ask for him to be replaced.
To put this in context, I want to let you know that I am a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. I grew up in Montana and lived there for over 30 years. I have now lived in Boise for the past 5 years and I absolutely love Idaho, especially the remarkable wild places, wildlife and hunting opportunities. I am actively involved in a conservation group called Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I regularly contribute letters and opinions to various Idaho newspapers and I am active on very large online hunting forums. I will also let you know that trying to remove Mr. Bair from his post and put an end to the current auction tag legislation is my highest priority. I am self-employed and have lots of free time, which I will gladly use to rally hunters to show up at the statehouse to cause an uproar if Mr. Bair is still chairman and has the audacity to introduce or support more auction tag legislation. We have a growing tidal wave of angry hunters and I will do my best to make sure our voice is heard. We will not be going away quietly. Bair has pushed it too far this time.
Thank you for your time and consideration. You are welcome to reach out to me directly with any questions or thoughts.
Respectfully,
Josh Kuntz
Boise, ID
----------------------------
On Nov 19, 2016 9:50 PM, "Bart M Davis" <[email protected]> wrote:
Josh,
Thank you for the email and input.
I have served with Senator Bair for several years. Steve is one of the most honest and hard working Senators that I have ever served with.
In the years I’ve served in the Senate, Fish & Game legislation and fee rules are often controversial. It seems that sportsmen deeply disagree with each other on a variety of outdoor topics. Sportsmen are among the most passionate constituents that I’ve heard from over the years. Thank goodness, and keep it up.
I would be dishonest with you if I didn’t tell you that Steve is a person of similar passion and dedication to fish and game matters. Although the Pro Tem will determine who will chair that committee, if he asks my opinion I would recommend Steve continue in that service. Although we disagree on this matter, I do appreciate you reaching out to me.
Bart
BART M. DAVIS
IDAHO SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
Law Office 208.522.8100
Senate Office 208.332.1305 (Jan – Mar)
[email protected]
---------------------------------
On November 22, 2016 at 11:00:44 AM, Kuntz Josh ([email protected]) wrote:
Mr. Davis (and Mr. Hill),
In regards to your response Mr. Davis, I actually never questioned Mr. Bair's honesty. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe he has openly and honestly been bullying Idaho sportsmen and disregarding the intent of our Fish and Game commission. What I did question was his integrity. As did 15 former commissioners. And now I question your judgement.
How can any supporters of legislatively MANDATED tags look themselves in the mirror and believe they are not squelching the voice of Idaho sportsmen and acting in direct opposition to the establishment of the Fish and Game Commission which was expressly created for the purpose of keeping legislators from doing the exact kind of things that Bair is doing. Please tell me how you justify those actions. Seriously, please respond.
My point is that Bair may indeed be honest and hard working but that only makes it worse because all his hard work is being done in an effort to circumvent the Fish and Game commission and the voice of sportsmen. If a guy is robbing me, it certainly doesn't make me feel better to know he is working REALLY HARD at robbing me. Use your head man. The fact that Bair and his little band of selfish, like-minded buddies have doubled down on their misguided and unscrupulous efforts is the whole reason I (we) are so pissed.
I am not dumb enough to simply roll over and obey because you tell me Bair is dedicated. Bair has been a stubborn, self-indulgent bully for too long on this issue. You cannot expect your constituents to ignore unsavory behavior forever. We have had enough. Please do the right thing and make a change.
Josh Kuntz
Boise, ID
----------------------------------
On Nov 22, 2016 11:17 AM "Bart M Davis" <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you for your input.
Bart
Bart M. Davis
Hunt Talkers,
I thought some of you would be interested to see the email exchange I had with ID Senate Majority Leader, Bart Davis regarding removing Steve Bair from his position as chair of the Resources and Environment Committee. Bair has been a long history of meddling with the IDFG policies and trying to force auction tag legislation on ID sportsmen. With the upcoming 2017 legislative session about to begin, Mr. Bair's re-appointment as chair is up to Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill. Mr. Hill will likely be getting input from Senate Majority Leader, Bart Davis. I emailed both of them in the same thread. Mr. Hill never responded. Mr. Davis did (see below).
Lastly, let me just say that this is not just important to Idaho residents. If auction tags go through, the plan is to pull them out of the non-resident pool. All of you non residents might want to write Brent Hill and Bart Davis also and give them a piece of your mind.
-----------------
November 18th, from [email protected]
To: [email protected] [email protected]
Mr. Davis and Mr. Hill,
I am writing to strongly urge you to remove Steve Bair from his position as chair of the Resources and Environment Committee. The reason I feel this action is justified is Mr. Bair's long history of blocking efforts of the Idaho Fish & Game agency and his continued efforts to push through unpopular auction tag legislation. Mr. Bair has been guilty of using his position and unscrupulous legislative tactics to thwart efforts of the Idaho Fish & Game to see a clean "Fee Increase Bill" get a fair chance to pass. It is well known that Mr. Bair has held fee increase bills hostage, only offering to support them if the Fish & Game would support his cherished auction tags. Avoiding this kind of political scheming that affects wildlife management is exactly why the Fish & Game commission was established in 1938. Mr. Bair knows this fact but he is unwilling to accept it. Instead he is subjecting the future of Idaho's wildlife and the opportunities of hundreds of thousands of Idaho hunters to his dirty politics. It is downright shameful. Our wildlife and our citizens deserve better.
As you may know, 15 former IDFG commissioners recently signed a letter asking for Mr. Bair to be replaced. Please let that sink in for a moment. These are 15 former UNPAID citizens who volunteered their time because they care about Idaho's wildlife and hunting heritage. These 15 people have no financial incentive to go public and ask for Mr. Bair's replacement. They simply want what is best for IDFG and Idaho sportsmen. And for 15 of them to point our that Mr. Bair is such a problem that he should be replaced, well that is evidence enough for me to also ask for him to be replaced.
To put this in context, I want to let you know that I am a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. I grew up in Montana and lived there for over 30 years. I have now lived in Boise for the past 5 years and I absolutely love Idaho, especially the remarkable wild places, wildlife and hunting opportunities. I am actively involved in a conservation group called Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I regularly contribute letters and opinions to various Idaho newspapers and I am active on very large online hunting forums. I will also let you know that trying to remove Mr. Bair from his post and put an end to the current auction tag legislation is my highest priority. I am self-employed and have lots of free time, which I will gladly use to rally hunters to show up at the statehouse to cause an uproar if Mr. Bair is still chairman and has the audacity to introduce or support more auction tag legislation. We have a growing tidal wave of angry hunters and I will do my best to make sure our voice is heard. We will not be going away quietly. Bair has pushed it too far this time.
Thank you for your time and consideration. You are welcome to reach out to me directly with any questions or thoughts.
Respectfully,
Josh Kuntz
Boise, ID
----------------------------
On Nov 19, 2016 9:50 PM, "Bart M Davis" <[email protected]> wrote:
Josh,
Thank you for the email and input.
I have served with Senator Bair for several years. Steve is one of the most honest and hard working Senators that I have ever served with.
In the years I’ve served in the Senate, Fish & Game legislation and fee rules are often controversial. It seems that sportsmen deeply disagree with each other on a variety of outdoor topics. Sportsmen are among the most passionate constituents that I’ve heard from over the years. Thank goodness, and keep it up.
I would be dishonest with you if I didn’t tell you that Steve is a person of similar passion and dedication to fish and game matters. Although the Pro Tem will determine who will chair that committee, if he asks my opinion I would recommend Steve continue in that service. Although we disagree on this matter, I do appreciate you reaching out to me.
Bart
BART M. DAVIS
IDAHO SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
Law Office 208.522.8100
Senate Office 208.332.1305 (Jan – Mar)
[email protected]
---------------------------------
On November 22, 2016 at 11:00:44 AM, Kuntz Josh ([email protected]) wrote:
Mr. Davis (and Mr. Hill),
In regards to your response Mr. Davis, I actually never questioned Mr. Bair's honesty. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe he has openly and honestly been bullying Idaho sportsmen and disregarding the intent of our Fish and Game commission. What I did question was his integrity. As did 15 former commissioners. And now I question your judgement.
How can any supporters of legislatively MANDATED tags look themselves in the mirror and believe they are not squelching the voice of Idaho sportsmen and acting in direct opposition to the establishment of the Fish and Game Commission which was expressly created for the purpose of keeping legislators from doing the exact kind of things that Bair is doing. Please tell me how you justify those actions. Seriously, please respond.
My point is that Bair may indeed be honest and hard working but that only makes it worse because all his hard work is being done in an effort to circumvent the Fish and Game commission and the voice of sportsmen. If a guy is robbing me, it certainly doesn't make me feel better to know he is working REALLY HARD at robbing me. Use your head man. The fact that Bair and his little band of selfish, like-minded buddies have doubled down on their misguided and unscrupulous efforts is the whole reason I (we) are so pissed.
I am not dumb enough to simply roll over and obey because you tell me Bair is dedicated. Bair has been a stubborn, self-indulgent bully for too long on this issue. You cannot expect your constituents to ignore unsavory behavior forever. We have had enough. Please do the right thing and make a change.
Josh Kuntz
Boise, ID
----------------------------------
On Nov 22, 2016 11:17 AM "Bart M Davis" <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you for your input.
Bart
Bart M. Davis
