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Fill-in lawmaker set
For the Journal
POCATELLO - The magic of this country is opportunity, and the driving force behind opportunity is education, says Dick Sagness, a retired educator who will be filling in for state Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, during the next legislative session that runs from January to March in Boise. Malepeai contacted Sagness a couple of weeks ago, and asked if he would fill in for him while he took care of his sick wife over the next several months. ''I'm looking forward to having influence on state policy, particularly as it relates to education and transportation. It will be a pleasure to be able to serve and work in keeping the best interests of the state,'' Sagness says, adding, ''I wish it were under other circumstances. That's the only cloud.''
This will be Sagness' first political office and his second political experience. In August 2006, he substituted for state Rep. Donna Boe, D-Pocatello, during a special legislative session.
He says the phone call from Malepeai came as a surprise. But he thinks the state senator chose him because of his commitment to education. Sagness taught science at the secondary school level before becoming dean at Idaho State University in 1979.
He resumed teaching science at ISU in 1989, where he retired in 1999. Sagness got his bachelor's degree at University of Northern Iowa, his master's at Emporia State University in Kansas, and his doctorate at Ohio State University. He also has a certificate in higher education from Harvard University.
Sagness, who has already found an apartment in Boise within walking distance of his new job, says that while education and not politics has always been his dream, ''It will be a privilege to serve and participate in the democratic process.'' Let the questions begin:
ISJ: What's your favorite food? Sagness: Pacific coast salmon.
ISJ: If you could have dinner with one famous person, who would it be? Sagness: Charles Darwin.
ISJ: Who inspires you the most? Sagness: My mother and my wife.
ISJ: Who's your ideal next-door neighbor? Sagness: Anyone who takes care of their yard and is congenial. ISJ: If you could return to any age, what age would you be and why? Sagness: Every step along the way has its challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. ISJ: When (and if) you arrive at the gates of Heaven, what would you like to hear God say to you? Sagness: Welcome. ISJ: What's your favorite appliance? Sagness: The microwave. ISJ: What's the heaviest piece of furniture in your house? Sagness: The piano. ISJ: Who are your top three dream dinner partners? Sagness: My wife, the Dalai Lama and Bobby Kennedy. By Brooke Anderson
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