These were Disgusting remarks from Alex LaBeau, President of IACI, in an email to his peers and associates.
As offensive and vulgar as Mr. LaBeau’s comments are regarding Senator Siddoway, equally offensive, vulgar and disgusting is the casual sideswiping of the event by the IACI chairman, Mark Dunn who is a vice-president of the JR Simplot Company. And, however offensive, vulgar and disgusting the profanity of LaBeau’s email, his additional threat of encouraging retaliation and the ideas for strategizing punishment of Sen. Siddoway would make most companies want to get as far away from IACI as possible.
Surely this event does not reflect the character of all the IACI members. But it does reflect the bullying and hired-gun mentality of IACI leadership. In all likelihood the email is but the tip of the iceberg.
The businesses associated with IACI (for a list go to iaci.org) for the most part, have benefited Idaho. The employment, capital investment, and community/state involvement is very much appreciated by Idahoans. Many of their employees are contributing citizens, doing their best for their families, company and community. If each employee had occasion to view LaBeau’s comments, would they feel pride in the fact that their company was a supporter of IACI? Does IACI truly represent the character of these companies?
In reading between the lines in LaBeau’s email, one becomes suspicious of other political events in the past few elections that perhaps were managed and funded by IACI’s “prosperity fund” run by Jayson Ronk.
How many emails, plots and schemes may have been put in place by LaBeau, Ronk & supporters within IACI to remove Lenore Barrett, Cindy Agidius, Thyra Stevenson, Monty Pearce, etc.? How many county central committees were changed with IACI dollars to better reflect and bow to IACI’s will. Who could withstand a campaign by a Representative earning $16,000 against $20,000 of IACI’s determined cash working against them? Is this the scenario that ousted Lenore Barrett? IACI’s ire was perhaps peaked with Lenore’s opposition to the governor’s State run health exchange. It is the American way to want your own candidate to win, but a campaign against your opponent made up of lies and backed with a monopoly of funds doesn’t seem the American way at all.
Click here to see Alex LaBeau’s controversial e-mail remarks.
UPDATE: “Chastened by president’s profane email, Idaho business lobby now looks inward“
