Partch says Hawkins lockout was 'fatal'

Twelve years in office resulted in a lot of votes for outgoing Whitman County Commissioner Greg Partch, 64, Garfield. But it was his decision to shut down public comment at a Jan. 3 meeting about the county’s contribution to Boise-based Hawkins Companies’ long-proposed shopping center that he feels cost him his job.

Partch served three terms as county commissioner, after 26 years with Arrow Machinery.

“Looking back, yeah, that was my fatal mistake,” Partch told the Gazette in an interview before his last week in office.

Voters removed Partch from office in a three-way primary election in Augus...