Boise Guardian | Politics

Gov. Candidates Weigh In On Constitutional Issues

September 2, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Both Repub Guv. Butch Otter and Dem opponent Keith Allred responded to a GUARDIAN question about the three proposed Idaho constitutional amendments on the November 2 ballot. In a nutshell the three proposals deal with the right of citizens to approve public debt at AIRPORTS, PUBLIC HOSPITALS, and CITY OWNED ELECTRICITY SYSTEMS. All three seek [...]

Publicly Funded Website Gets “F” For Education

September 2, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Using part of a $60,000 appropriation of public money from the Boise City Council, a new website claiming to be an “educational outreach” debuted recently in what can only be seen as a blatant campaign promotion to pass a constitutional amendment. Dubbed HJR5FACTSthe one-sided website has a plethora of facts about airports in Idaho and [...]

Dirty Pool At Canyon Fair

July 30, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

If the action of the Canyon Commishes and their Fair staff is any indication of how the county will conduct Tuesday’s Jail Bond Election, the name of the game is DIRTY POOL! The commishes set the Aug. 3 election at the last possible moment which was long past the deadline for applicants to get space [...]

No F-35 For Gowen, Possible Italian Cargo Planes

July 29, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

Despite heavy lobbying, advertising banners and expenditure of public funds to get noisy F-35 fighters in Boise the U.S. Air Force has ignored the city of trees in favor of Hill AFB in Utah, Luke in Arizona, and the Burlington Air Guard facility in Vermont as potential F-35 sites. Instead we may get the C-27 [...]

Will Council Ground Bieter’s PR Flight Of Fancy?

July 20, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

After seeing how the Daily Paper, Channel 6 TV, and the GUARDIAN shed the light of public scrutiny on Team Dave’s plan to seek $60,000 in taxpayer money in an effort to hire a PR firm to “educate” voters on a state constitutional amendment about airport debt, we predict it will crash and burn at [...]

Team Dave Seeks $60K To Deny Citizen Voting Rights On Airport Debt Projects

July 16, 2010 ⋅ 18 comments

Boise City Councilors will be asked to approve $60,000 for yet another public releations campaign to “educate” voters about the constitutional amendment on the November ballot relating to airports. Simply put, the GUARDIAN sees the effort as a thinly veiled effort to influence an election issue. Like the “outreach” for the streetcar, there is little [...]

Repub Claims To Be “On Target,” Denies Loyalty Oath

July 12, 2010 ⋅ 21 comments

By ROD BECK Idaho Republican Party Executive Committee They say if you’re getting lots of flak, you must be over the target. Obviously the Idaho Republican Party is directly over the target. Witness the whining, moaning and gnashing of teeth of the Democrat party bosses and their willing instruments in the media regarding the Idaho [...]

CCDC Seeks Expansion Despite Statewide Opposition

July 11, 2010 ⋅ 11 comments

Boise’s Urban Renewal Agency–CCDC– seeks to double the acres where property taxes are diverted away from City, County, ACHD, and Schools with a new District in the 30th Street area. They will have to hustle to get ahead of growing opposition. The Daily Paper has a DETAILED REPORT. Urban Renewal agencies throughout the state have [...]

If Vern Were To Bite GOP Bait…

June 26, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments

Regarding having Vern step down, the GOP county central committee would choose a successor, most likely Fred Tilman. This is what they are aiming for. The voters have spoken. Vern won. It doesn’t matter with whom he associates. Tilman and Yzaguirre supported Democrat Paul Woods, at least informally. In a search of 2010 Sunshine Reports, [...]

Boise Council In Dark Over F-35 Banners

June 21, 2010 ⋅ 11 comments

In a sampling of half the Boise City Council, it looks like councilors had no knowledge their group images are being displayed on banners at the airport supporting the F-35 fighter jet and none can remember authorizing any expenditures for the banners. The professional advertising banners on the concourse proclaim “BOISE SUPPORTS THE F-35 IN [...]

ACHD Race Turns Into A Real Fight

June 10, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

The Ada County Highway District 3 election has turned into a potential brawl with today’s announcement from Cleveland Corder, former world middleweight boxing champion. Corder, 38, is challenging incumbent John Franden for control of the only male seat on the ACHD commission. If elected will represent the area generally known as Garden City and Eagle [...]

Forget Bureaucrats, Trust Your Politicos

June 9, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

A series of recent events, backed up by press releases from the offices of politicos from City Hall to the United States Senate are leaving the GUARDIAN confused. Most recent was a move to locate TRACON–the local aviation radar operators who sit in a dark windowless room–in Boise instead of a consolidated facility at the [...]

Bieter Seeks To Abolish Citizen’s Right To Vote

June 3, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments

Using an appearance before the Chamber of Commerce as a “bully pulpit,” Boise Mayor Dave Bieter urged citizens to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would serve only to abolish rights citizens currently enjoy to approve bonds to pay for airport facilities. We find it ironic the good Mayor seeks to abolish the right of [...]

Secret Deal Puts Hammer Flat In Limbo, Public Access To Truth Denied

May 29, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

Sneaking around citizens has once again caused an otherwise good project to get a bad rap in Boise. The proposed Cliffs subdivision (known as Hammer Flat) on the plateau above Lucky Peak Dam has long been a winter home to deer antelope and elk. Wildlife groups fought the developer at public hearings and the development [...]

Guv Says “Possible Deal Only” On Hammer Flat

May 27, 2010 ⋅ 16 comments

Guv Butch Otter made news on Thursday when he called the GUARDIAN birthday gathering broadcast live on KBOI AM 670′sNate Shelman show to tell us, “There is no deal on Hammer Flat. There is only a possible deal.” He said no Fish and Game funds would be used unless hunting is allowed on the 700 [...]

Boise Deceives Citizens On Hammer Flats

May 27, 2010 ⋅ 22 comments

Any trust citizens may have had in Team Dave evaporated with the sale of Hammer Flats which was consumated in secret and announced in the Idaho Statesman Thursday. The GUARDIAN QUESTIONED since March the motivation of Boise’s purchase of the winter deer range using Foothills levy funds. We have filed public records requests which were [...]

Our Take On Election Results

May 26, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments

In the interests of space, we will use bullet points and allow GUARDIAN readers to take over the discussion on the election results. These three races were of most interest to us, but feel free to add your voice on any race. –Guv Butch Otter will have a November fight on his hands against Dem [...]

Don’t Forget To Vote Today

May 25, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

While today’s election is only a primary, it serves to decide several county races–since there are no Dem opponents–and the Supreme Court seat is also decided today. FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE at the Ada County website. If you are a loyal Dem, don’t forget to go out and vote for the worst candidate and if [...]

Lucas Baumbach Goes After Vaughn Ward

May 24, 2010 ⋅ 15 comments

In the interest of piling on to the “EXPOSE VAUGHN WARD” bandwagon, we share this YOU TUBE LINK offered up by Lucas Baumbach, Boise Tea Party activist and Idaho State Senate candidate (Republican, District 14, Boise). It really is uncanny and worth a laugh. Sorta fun to see the Repubs whacking each other silly too! [...]

Nailing Team Dave On Hammer Flats Purchase

May 22, 2010 ⋅ 16 comments

Our guest post is written by a guy who describes himself as Lifetime Boise Resident and Spokesperson for the Idaho Hang Gliding Association By JOHN KANGAS Back in 2001 Boise voters passed a $10 million dollar open space serial levy to do five specific things. By statute, serial levies must do that which they say [...]

Politics