Davies appointed to Idaho Fish and Game panel

BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little appointed Ron Davies, of Clayton, to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission representing the Salmon Region on Tuesday.

Davies worked for the Pocatello Fire Department for 26 years where he retired as a battalion chief, according to a news release from the governor’s office. After retirement, Davies moved to the tiny town of Clayton along the Salmon River in central Idaho.

“I am very excited and honored to be selected by Governor Little to work on the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, and I look forward to helping continue the great legacy of the commission,” Davies said. “I have a passion for hunting and fishing and the great opportunities the State of Idaho offers hunters and anglers.”

Davies started the Custer County chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation.

“Ron is not only a lifelong Idahoan and avid hunter and fisherman, but he has proven himself in committed service to the people of the Gem State,” Little said. “I am happy to appoint him to this important position.”

Davies is politically unaffiliated, according to Little’s spokeswoman, Marrisa Morrison. He replaces Jerry Meyers, of North Fork, a retired magistrate judge who declined to seek a second term on the commission so he could participate in Republican primary elections.

Meyers had joined the commission as a political independent. In May, when he announced he would not seek a second term, he said during his service he diligently avoided partisan politics but did not want to sit on the sidelines another four years. As an independent, or a person unaffiliated with a political party, he was unable to participate in the state’s closed Republican primary elections or to donate to or endorse candidates.

A state law limits the seven-member commission to no more than four members from a single political party. It has led many Republican governors to sometimes select unaffiliated commissioners rather than choose Democrats. But that practice became more difficult in 2012, when the Idaho Republican Party closed its primary elections to all but registered Republicans. In deeply conservative Idaho, the Republican primary is viewed by some political observers as the default election for many state and local races. In many locations, sitting it out means missing out on the opportunity to help choose who will ultimately serve in both local and statewide positions.

Davies’ appointment is effective immediately.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.