Mayors’ business day brings first lady Lori Otter to Idaho Falls

First lady Lori Otter was in Idaho Falls Tuesday afternoon to speak about the state’s education and how to continue its success. She was at the Mayors’ Business Day where Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper and Ammon Mayor Dana Kirkham invited businesses from both cities to talk about how education ties in.

“All the different aspects of education and how it related to the business community, business achievement, economic success and so on,” Casper said.

Idaho Falls and Ammon are both involved 100 percent in this effort to have local businesses come together.

“The Ammon and Idaho Falls relationship is a natural one, because we’re sort of in this boat together right here — so we need to work together. In fact, if we weren’t working together, we’d be doing both of our communities a disservice,” Casper said.

The keynote speaker at this year’s conference was first lady Lori Otter. As an educator for 14 years, she is very passionate about the topic of education.

“Once a teacher always a teacher. It doesn’t just go away. So that’s where I kind of come in on this. In this position I get to see a little more of the policy side of education which has really been fun to see, because it is important. It’s the future of your community, it’s the future of my community, it’s the future of the state,” Otter said.

Otter says that since we are in year three of Idaho’s five-year education plan, there is still some progress she would like to see.

“My biggest hope for education right now is that we can continue to have that support and work together to move the ball forward at a consistent measurable pace,” said Otter.

With the panels and speakers at Tuesday’s conference, the event hoped to convey the importance of the connection between education and the workforce.

The Mayors’ Business Day is an event that has been put on by the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce since 2009.