Why does Idaho need an ethics czar? Democratic leader actually draws you a picture

Democrats in the Idaho House have been pushing to create an Office of Inspector General to oversee Idaho ethics laws for years but mostly have been unable to get a bill introduced, much less heard. So now they’re getting creative.

A video posted online by Boise Rep. Mat Erpelding, the Democratic House Minority Leader, gives an entertaining three-minute spiel on why an Inspector General is a good idea. It is done in the style of an animated whiteboard “explainer.” Erpelding, who has classroom whiteboard experience, takes to it like a natural.

“I was trying to figure out a way to do a different type of information delivery,” Erpelding said. A production company partly donated its services and Erpelding put up $300 of his own to create the video. It’s posted on various social media sites including YouTube and Facebook, and his own site.

“In terms of constituents, I’ve gotten great feedback,” he said, adding: “Most people have commented on the creativity of it as opposed the content.”

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/politics-blog/article135414834.html