Idaho Land Board Position Makes Controller Coveted Office

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho state controller spends most of the time overseeing a staff of about 90 and making sure the state's bills are paid and finances are in order. The job also comes with a vote on the five-person Idaho Land Board, and that's a significant reason why Brandon Woolf is being challenged in the Republican primary by Todd Hatfield. Woolf started as an intern in the controller's office in 1997 and worked his way to the top. He says he's the best manager to keep the state's finances running smoothly. Hatfield runs several businesses and says the Land Board has gone off course with investments in commercial property. Land Board policy decisions determine proceeds from Idaho's 2.5 million acre endowment land portfolio.