Strong lines up endorsements from all sides in bid for Idaho high court

Clive Strong has amassed endorsements from an array of prominent Idahoans in his run for the Idaho Supreme Court, including former governors of both parties, business and education leaders and elected officials.

He’s even been endorsed by both sides in a long-running water fight that affects much of the southern part of the state, “despite their differences,” Strong said. He was the state’s lead attorney in the biggest legal case in Idaho history, the Snake River Water Rights Adjudication, and has argued numerous cases before the Idaho Supreme Court and two before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support I have for my candidacy, and I am blessed to have this broad base of support,” Strong said, standing on the steps of the Idaho Supreme Court, surrounded by backers.

The head of the Natural Resources Division for the Idaho Attorney General’s office for the past three decades, Strong has made his name as a nonpartisan problem solver, one who can bring all sides together. He’s served under four attorneys general and six governors.

In 2007, he was a finalist for a vacancy on the Idaho Supreme Court, but Gov. Butch Otter instead appointed current Justice Warren Jones, then a prominent business lawyer. Now, Strong is running for an open seat on the state’s highest court, facing off in a four-way race in Idaho’s May 17 election. If none of the four gets a majority, the two top vote-getters will have a runoff in the November general election.

House Speaker Scott Bedke said, “Wherever we’ve had a thorny issue and difficult issues to solve where the sides were seemingly a long ways apart, we’ve always been able to count on Clive, who has been the consummate problem solver. He’s a good negotiator, he’s a good mediator, and brings the skill set that I think is absolutely necessary to the Idaho State Supreme Court.”

Former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, also a Strong fan, said, “The one thing I’ve learned about Clive is that he’s a consummate public servant. He’s never had a client other than the people of Idaho.”

Strong, 63, grew up in Wendell, Idaho, one of eight siblings, son of a farm mechanic and a homemaker. As a youngster, he picked potatoes, moved sprinkler pipes, and worked in the agriculture and forest products industries.

He worked his way through the University of Idaho, spending his summers doing timber stand surveys and fighting fires for the Forest Service, and graduated with a degree in forestry. He then worked in timber sales for Diamond International in Coeur d’Alene for a year, supporting his wife through her internship as a medical technologist at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, before starting law school at the University of Idaho.

He was in private practice in Moscow for a year after graduation, then taught at the University of Puget Sound law school for two years, before earning his master’s degree in law from the University of Michigan. In 1983, he joined the Idaho Attorney General’s office, hired by then-Attorney General Jim Jones. A year later, he was named chief of the Natural Resources Division, a position he holds to this day.

Jones is the retiring Supreme Court chief justice whom Strong is running to replace. “I consider him one of my mentors,” Strong said.

Strong said he thinks he’s distinguished from the other candidates in the race by his depth and breadth of experience, both in the law and in life. “We all deal with adversity,” he said.

In his case, his mother suffered from health problems, but urged her kids to dwell on possibilities, not limitations. When his son suffered from juvenile arthritis at the age of 2 – and couldn’t walk – Strong immersed himself in finding ways to help both his son and others with the condition. “We thought: Let’s not let this define him. Let’s help him live a normal life,” Strong said.

He joined the Idaho chapter of the National Arthritis Foundation, serving two terms as president. He was an active youth sports coach, high school booster club president and PTA officer. He and his wife sought out the best medical care for their son – taking him to Seattle for treatment, and helping him through rigorous, daily physical therapy.

“I think it’s worked – it’s been successful for him,” Strong said. His son today is an active and healthy adult who’s director of athletic compliance at Oregon State University.

Strong said both in his legal work and his life, “When I see the problem, I don’t start figuring out why it’s a problem – I start figuring out how to solve the problem. I think that’s the kind of thinking you need in order to find fair and just resolutions for people.”

He also notes the “depth of my appellate experience,” saying, “I’ve argued … some of the most difficult constitutional law cases we’ve had in the last 30 years.”

Strong has shied away from most partisan events as he campaigns, focusing instead on lining up endorsements from people on both sides of the political spectrum, and from all parts of the state. He’s also spoken to service groups like the Kiwanis and the Rotary, and appeared at candidate forums.

He cites tough cases he handled, including the Idaho Supreme Court case that led to the Snake River Adjudication, and the Wasden vs. Land Board case. In that latter case, Strong represented Attorney General Lawrence Wasden when he sued the state Land Board, on which he serves, for violating its fiduciary duty under the state Constitution by charging sub-market rents for lakefront cabin sites. Strong and Wasden won.

“You need to have someone who understands government,” he said, “… understanding how the Legislature works, how the governor works, what the roles of each are.”

He also cited “my reputation for being able to listen and comprehend the issues that are affecting people. … I have practiced in every region of the state. I understand the economy, geography, cultural differences.”

Immediately after he announced his candidacy, Strong took a leave of absence from his job at the Attorney General’s office. “I felt it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I wanted to make it clear that I was pursuing this campaign in my own capacity.”

Strong has posted his full list of 200-plus endorsements on his campaign website.

Bedke said Strong’s approach represents “the way we should all resolve our differences.”