No Stopping a Runaway Train (Trolley) Enthusiast

Team Dave is still pushing for a trolley, and can’t seem to understand the meaning of NO, despite public opinion and denial of U.S. Government funds.
Last week the Feds turned down Boise’s request for about $40 million in “TIGER” funds for the Desire Named Street Car (also affectionately known as the “Trolley Folly”). The [...]

Attorney General Asked To Investigate Caldwell Urban Renewal

Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak announced Today he will petition the office of Idaho Attorney General to investigate information revealed yesterday by the Boise and Caldwell GUARDIAN news blogs.
“Based on the information presented and the check register of the agency, the case certainly merits further investigation,” said Bujak. He explained the case will start [...]

Audit Of Caldwell Urban Renewal Imperative

Caldwell GUARDIAN editor Paul Alldredge has been working tirelessly to shed light on the excesses and deceptive activities of urban renewal agencies in Canyon County. In his latest effort he obtained the check register of the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency which reveals a pattern of abuse and deception. This report will draw [...]

Update On Desire Named Street Car

The DAILY PAPER has joined the long list of opponents to Team Dave’s “Desire Named Street Car” with a HUGE EDITORIAL in Sunday’s edition. They didn’t go soa as advocating a massive increase in the bus system, but it is clear (to us) the Statesman has come over to the GUARDIAN side.
Reporter Cynthia Sewell [...]

Better Buses Buttress Baltimore Business

Just in case you still hadn’t had enough on the Desire Named Street Car, a GUARDIAN reader sends us an interesting link about using–would you believe– BUSES to serve downtown Baltimore.
Before any money is pumped into a Boise trolley, we think some buses would be much wiser. Apparently the folks in Baltimore, Bolivia, and [...]

Politicos Prefer Secrets Over Public Scrutiny

Dan Popkey reports in the DAILY PAPER that Idaho Democratic legislators are taking the lead from their Republican opponents and holding secret caucus meetings for the first time in 9 years.
They justify it, saying if the opposition knows what is planned, they could lose their chance to win on important issues.
Unfortunately [...]

“Non-Partisan” Think Tank Issues Pork Report

An outfit called the Idaho Freedom Foundation is gaining traction billing itself as a “think tank” and offering the public a variety of “reports” and op-ed pieces.
While they call themselves non-partisan, it is fair to say there probably aren’t too many liberal Democrats within the ranks. Wayne Hoffman, an able journalist and former [...]

Macy’s Departure Is Due To Inept Government

Macy’s leaving downtown Boise comes as no surprise. For more than 40 years we have watched officials tout their “vision for the future” in downtown Boise. It changes with each new planner and consultant.

The Bon Marche (Macy’s today), J.C. Penney’s, The Mode, Falk’s I.D. and many smaller merchants vanished, thanks to the far [...]

CCDC, County Still At Odds Over Parking

This came in from a disgruntled worker along Front Street:
“Taxpayers subsidize Ada County employee parking fees at the Courthouse. Wish someone
would subsidize mine – I work in the same complex and CCDC is charging the highest
in the downtown area and there is no 1st hour free.”
Her complaint is only the tip of the parking issue. [...]

GUARDIAN Top 2009 Stories By Month

As the legacy media does its annual TOP TEN stories to fill space between the holidays, the GUARDIAN has done the same thing based on what we have posted in the past year.
In rereading some of the posts and comments, it appears we have an inordinate number of comments on police and fire stories. [...]

GUARDIAN Christmas Wish List

For those who believe in Santa Clause, we have a Christmas wish list which has plenty of room for additional items.

A toy train for Dave Bieter so he will stop trying to force a trolley and AMTRAK upon the kind, decent inhabitants of the City of Trees.
A toy ambulance for the Boise FD so they [...]

Urban Renewal Agencies Plot State Law Revisions

While most of us are planning for the holidays and trying to finance toys for the kids, urban renewal agencies around the state are plotting legislation that will give them unbridled control of spending public funds for projects that belong under city control–like sewers, transportation, and public buildings.
Their plan to get the state [...]

City, Simplot Can’t Agree On New Building

A proposal for an agricultural museum and new offices for the J. R. Simplot Company to be built by the family foundation for about $100 million in downtown Boise is apparently on hold.
Simplot and City officials have been meeting to hash out designs issues after the city declared the initial Simplot idea was not to [...]

TJ Favors Vote Of People On Trolley

Boise City Councilor-elect TJ Thomson told the GUARDIAN Monday he favors a vote of the citizens on Team Dave’s proposal to spend $60,000,000 on a downtown street car.
When asked if he favored a vote, Thomson flat out said, “Yes, I support a public vote on the Street Car.”
With regard to the petition drive by [...]

More On “Desire Named Street Car” (sorry)

EDITOR NOTE–We hate to keep beating this Trolley Horse, but the politicos and press just won’t let it die.
Team Dave Just won’t quit
Pushing this streetcar bit
There is no way they can
Cover this crazy plan
They’ll just put a LID on it!
–Poet Paul
Both the DAILY PAPER and the BOISE WEEKLY have published stories about the Desire [...]

Poll Supports GUARDIAN Transit Plan

According to a poll commissioned by the Daily Paper, 63% of folks in the city of trees agree with the GUARDIAN position that we should upgrade the bus system and forget about the “Desire NAmed Street Car.”

OK, they didn’t exactly say they supported the GUARDIAN position, but we have indeed advocated bus improvements over a [...]

Trolley PR Transparency Not So Clear

FROM POET PAUL–
The streetcar bid was Cronin’s wish
Now there seems to be something amiss
The facts are apparent
And may not be transparent
But we can certainly see through this!
Chalk one up for the DAILY PAPER! Using the public records law and some good old fashioned reporting skills, Cynthia Sewell raises some good questions about Team Dave’s [...]

Government, WAC, Bend Minds With PR Dollars

The use of Public Relations firms to build support for everything from jails to street cars and now football bowl bids is reaching the level of absurdity.
Does anyone really believe ADVERTISING and promotion will influence coaches and sports writers to grant BSU a bowl game bid?
The most prominent [...]

How A Bad Idea Just Got Worse

Only Team Dave and a handful of people with blinders and earplugs think there is public support for a $60 million trolley to nowhere in downtown Boise.
Just when we figured the issue was off track, council candidate Dave Litster sends us a lettter he received from the CCDC confirming the agency is budgeting $75,000 for [...]

Team Dave Tries Brainwashing Public

We have long been unhappy with the efforts of Team Dave to shape public opinion on the “Trolley Folly.” Now it looks like the mayor and staff are following in the mold of the infamous Brent Coles
Coles spent public funds to influence the outcome of the Foothills Tax Levy election, but it was only [...]