Nov 09 2009
Blake Hall’s Fall From Grace
The proud image of Blake Hall took quite a hit this year. He’s been the face of local Republican politics for ever and a day, and I think he was synonymous with powerful conservative interests for the city, the county, heck…for the whole State of Idaho for as long as I can remember. Things started downhill when he ended up in a not-so-private divorce from his wife a few years back…but this year, all of the carefully placed Jenga blocks that supported his tower of power, came-a tumbling down.
His conviction last week on the charges of stalking his ex girlfriend was the final whammy that toppled the last shaky underpinnings of his stature.
So. Where to, next? What happens to an attorney who gets such a conviction? Does it set the stage for being disbarred? His Republican party has already tried to dislodge him from his positions with them, seems now that he has a conviction he’s probably easier to kick out. The church may have a few choice words (but we’ll never know, and that’s a good thing, would you like YOUR issues to be known?)
I wonder how much of a push down the slippery slope came from his not-so-private run-in with the man who really owns this town, Frank Vandersloot? Not that Blake is innocent, but some of these behaviors are not new to him if you believe the rumor mill which had him pegged as a playa 20 years ago…why would things wait until this year to become an issue?
9 responses so far
Why does everyone assume Vandersloot runs this town? He’s just the public face, what about his partner Alan Ball? I think it’s Ball with the money, he’s just not very famous.
Blake Hall will not go away, if he bothers to check his behaviour he will come back without much tarnish. After all he didn’t do a kid, and he’s still buds with Kempthorne etal.
I expressed that he was innocent until proven guilty, and now that he’s plead guilty (did I read on 43sb that it may have been an Alford plea?) I guess that does it.
But I don’t see him as unable to recover from this, just not so easily in Eastern Idaho. It seems he’d do better to either move to Boise or Washington, DC. I hope he gets help, where ever he goes.
Coulda fooled me that Vandersloot doesn’t run this town. I always say follow the money.
It’s what I’m saying, it’s Ball with all the money, right? Like Dick Cheney and George Bush, one was the front man and the other was the power behind the throne.
Oh, so no Vandersloot is poor? And like George Bush? hahaha.
Whatever ends up happening to Blake, I do wonder about that “surrogate son” who took “credit” for the used condoms. EEEWWW. Why was he not charged with something?
I’m sure Hall won’t be disbarred. He pled to a misdemeanor.
However, lurking in the police records, is testimony from another woman who used Hall as her divorce attorney. Once she was divorced, he gave her back his fee, and they had a brief fling. I don’t know if this amounts to legal misconduct, but if it does, this could bring him before the State Bar.
Hall is smart. Now that he’s had his hubris all blown apart, he will emerge all the smarter. Especially if he gets some counseling.
Well before this all broke, Hall had resigned most of his appointments, and after the sentencing, he resigned his national party chair, so he’s pretty well out of the big-time arena now, by his own choice.
I really expect he’ll quietly sink into his legal practice after he does the time and disappear, at least for a fairly long time to come. At 58, he still has plenty of time ahead to re-build his associations, and I tend to think he would rather be a non-presence until the Repubs either fall apart or get their act together. Then, he may re-emerge, especially if Kempthorne has a shot at anything…. he’s Dirk’s boy, all the way.
boomer, I keep hearing that Dirk is aiming for something and may get a shot…do you think he has enough national exposure to run for prez?
Hi, Liz…
Who the heck knows? Kempthorne is the ultimate inside player. He reminds me a lot of Dick Cheney- a guy who never did much when he was elected to office, and kept getting jobs in Washington after he quit running. Every job Cheney got was a step up for him and a disaster for the company/ administration/person who hired him.
Kempthorne’s like that, and he has a close relationship with Hall. Hall was instrumental in wrestling the power of the Dept. of Education away from the elected Director and handing it to the Governor-appointed Board, and was rewarded with a long term of Board President. So who knows?
As to the exposure thing… right now, the Repubs are desperately seeking unknowns who haven’t shot themselves in the foot. Dirk is positioned pretty well when you think about it in that light, and the Repubs tend to favor Westerners these days. In addition, Idaho is seen as reliably Republican, more so than even Arizona. Certainly, Kempthorne is a smarter campaigner than Sarah Palin, and knows more about how the world turns.
…and as far as the Ball/Vandersloot relationship goes-
Alan Ball, Roger Ball and Vandersloot are related by marriage. Frank married their sister. Roger started Melaleuca, and hired his bro-in-law Frank to run it. They had a big falling out, and Roger no longer has interests in Melaleuca, but he’s still half owner of the pharmaceutical co. that makes the products, which is the real Golden Goose.
If i was to guess who had the most money, my bet is Roger. He’s an innate businessman who loves to wheel and deal. He doesn’t display his tailfeathers like Roger, but I’m pretty sure his are bigger.
And all 3 aren’t the richest or most powerful folks in town. I know a couple of others who are most probably more wealthy. It’s just a thing here that the really wealthy don’t show off all that much, and prefer to spread their wealth out among their families. In a pinch, the families all hang together tightly.
boomer the Eastern Idaho Historian par excellance! You know where all the dirty laundry is hidden and the history behind almost everything!
I worked with your mother for a few years in the early 90s, I don’t know if I ever mentioned that to you. She was a dang sharp woman, and I rarely see her around anymore…I hope she is doing well.