Want to meet the governor? Go to Murphy today

Murphy will be Idaho’s 51st “Capital for a Day” today, Friday, Jan. 27.
Murphy is the county seat of Owyhee County, about 17 miles south of Melba.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter brings state government to Idahoans living outside Boise each month by making a different town in Idaho the state’s “Capital for a Day.” The events provide local residents an all-day opportunity to have open discussions about government issues with Otter, members of his Cabinet and other senior state officials.
The open meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Murphy Museum Complex, 17085 Basey St.
Otter also will join Owyhee County Commissioners Jerry Hoagland, Kelly Aberasturi and Joe Merrick, and other local leaders, for a noon luncheon at the same location.
Otter brought the Capital for a Day to Melba in February 2011.
State officials joining Otter at the Murphy Capital for a Day will include Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna; Paul Kjellander, president of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission; Nate Fisher, administrator of the Office of Species Conservation; John Chatburn, administrator of the Office of Energy Resources; Bill Deal, director of the Idaho Department of Insurance; Brian Ness, director of the Idaho Transportation Department; Colonel Jerry Russell, director of the Idaho State Police; Brian Oakey, deputy director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture; Bob Geddes, chairman of the Idaho Tax Commission; Jeff Sayer, director of the Department of Commerce; and Brigadier General Bill Shawver, commanding officer of the Idaho Air National Guard and director of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security.
Also on hand to help answer questions from residents will be regional staff from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Murphy is one of America’s smallest county seats – but Owyhee County is one of Idaho’s largest counties, as well as being one of the most rural, remote and rugged. Any community that can serve as county seat to such a proudly independent and self-reliant bunch has a lot to teach the rest of us,” Otter said in a press release. “I look forward to hearing the ideas and perspectives of the folks in Murphy and Owyhee County, and we’ll do our best to address their questions and concerns with State government.”