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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Idaho mulls fate of furnishings from never-occupied governor’s mansion

Idaho’s hilltop governor’s mansion, former home of the late J.R. Simplot, has remained unoccupied since it was donated to the state in 2004. No Idaho governor has lived there. (Betsy Russell)
Idaho’s hilltop governor’s mansion, former home of the late J.R. Simplot, has remained unoccupied since it was donated to the state in 2004. No Idaho governor has lived there. (Betsy Russell)

There likely won’t be a governor’s yard sale, but Idaho is quietly moving to liquidate the furnishings that filled its never-occupied governor’s mansion before the hilltop home was handed back to the Simplot family on July 1. “The basic supposition really is that there’s no interest in a governor’s home owned by the state shown by any past or current governors,” said Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, who chairs the Idaho Legislature’s governor’s housing committee. “So we thought it’d be best to develop a plan to dispose of the furnishings.”

The furnishings, which include two bedroom sets, dining furniture, wall art, kitchen supplies and more, were carted out of the home before the July 1 deadline and moved into two “pods” at a Boise storage facility, where they’re now being kept at a rental cost of $318 a month. You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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