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Former Top Copper Enters Mayor Race

 Monday, March 20th

Former Boise top copper Mike Masterson has filed the appropriate campaign notice with the Secretary of State to become a candidate for mayor. He will challenge Lauren McLean in the November election.

Here is his statement:

Statement from Mike Masterson
March 20, 2023

“I recently took the first step to run to be the next Mayor of Boise by filing a Declaration of Candidacy with the Secretary of State’s Office. In the coming weeks, I will be talking to as many Boiseans, organizations and businesses as possible to determine what my campaign would look like if I chose to move further with my candidacy.

It is already clear to me that in order to lead this incredible city into the future, we need a mayor who prioritizes public safety, affordable housing, fiscal responsibility within the city’s budget and mayor’s office, finds permanent solutions to address homelessness and, above all, who can restore public faith and transparency in our city’s government.

I appreciate the encouragement and support of so many of my friends, family, and neighbors who have expressed confidence and trust in my leadership abilities already, and am excited tcao explore this opportunity to once again make Boise the safest, most livable city in the country.”

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“Respect The Culture!”

 Monday, March 13th

Just returned from a week of warm weather in Hawaii and came away with a thought provoking bumper sticker observation.

RESPECT THE CULTURE was actually emblazoned on the tailgate of a small truck. It got us to thinking.

How many of the thousands of newcomers to Boise and Idaho in general come here to join in the lifestyle, rather than change it? Do folks come here to take advantage of cheap labor, cheap electricity, business “incentives,” or do they want to become Idahoans?

We would welcome your thoughts. When farms start growing houses, schools are overstuffed, the roads are insufficient for the traffic volume, and there aren’t enough jail cells, the culture changes.

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50 Candidates Vie For 2 Council Seats

 Wednesday, February 22nd

The GUARDIAN finds it very interesting that 50 Boise residents are seeking to fill to vacancies on the City Council through appointments, rather than an election.

Councilor Elaine Clegg is headed off to a high paying job as director of the Valley Transit bus system and Lisa Sanchez lost her seat when she moved out of her representative district.

It is unheard of to have 50 candidates running in an election, but when there is only a single voter in the “primary” (Mayor Lauren McLean) and four votes in the final “general” (the remaining seated city councilors) it is a no risk attempt at public office.

Rather than try to list those seeking office the easy way, we offer a link to the list courtesy of BOISEDEV.

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Derail Passenger Train Folly Now

 Saturday, February 18th

The GUARDIAN has repeatedly pointed out the insanity of trying to reinstate passenger train service to Boise.

Politicos simply won’t take “NO” for an answer to the wish for the return to rails. There are many reasons it won’t work and yet another multi-million dollar survey is a waste of money.

Boise is pretty much midway between Salt Lake and Portland. Sort of in the “middle of nowhere.” Unless folks in those population centers want to board at midnight, Boise will once again be a “wee hours” stop. It is also cost prohibitive to offer more than a few trains a week, let alone multiple daily trains.

Going east, after Mountain Home the only towns served would be Glenns Ferry and Shoshone until Pocatello. There would be no rail service to Hagerman, Buhl, Filer, Twin Falls, Burley, Rupert, Wendell, Jerome or any of the smaller Magic Valley settlements.

Why no rail service? Because THERE ARE NO RAILS!

The idea of passenger rail service is simply a novelty based on old memories and dreams of someday being “just like the Eastern seaboard.”

We challenge local and national politicos to agree to use any future rail service for their routine government work as public policy. That would be for all conferences, meetings, and any other public business. NO PUBLIC MOTOR VEHICLES ALLOWED–just trains. It would never happen.

Please take a look at two previous GUARDIAN stories. We suggested a federal bus service we dubbed AMBUS, but it got no takers.

We also panned Sen. Mike Crapo’s SURVEY spending

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Winter Abortion Follies Open At Capitol

 Wednesday, January 18th

The Idaho legislature has begun its annual jabbering about abortion with a bill aimed at withholding state sales tax revenues from Boise.

Boise’s city councilors brought the grief upon themselves with a resolution making investigation of abortion cases a low priority. The Boise resolution in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Roe-vs-Wade recinding decision was the only such action in Idaho.

Making a public statement declaring intent to not enforce a law certainly invites retaliation. Not wise to list what laws a city will enforce or ignore.

Check out the BOISE DEV report from the legislature.

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