City Government
Brandi Gets Boost?
October 16, 2005 
If past storms are any indication, the Idaho Statesman’s lightning rod reporter, Dan Popkey, will attract 
some high voltage strikes from the Christians after endorsing Maryanne Jordan for Boise City Council.
In the Sunday edition Popkey fired some less than friendly sniper shots at 
challenger Brandi Swindell, calling her “an extremist who opposes condom use and has zero experience with the collaborative skills it takes to make a city work.” Condoms and collaborative skills?
The only time the GUARDIAN would use CONDOM and CITY in the same sentence would be, “Taxpayers hope the city council uses a condom the next time it decides to finance a new building.”
All those people who get annexed against their will or have infill houses squeezed into their neighborhood would want the city to use a condom as well.
We predict the Republicans and Christians will gang up on Popkey with letters to the editor and requests for campaign donations based on his column. There is a long standing Statesman joke among politicians that goes: “If you really like me, please don’t endorse me.”
Statesman staffers are all silent about the departure of the last reporter who wrote unkind things about Brandi. That guy is simply, “no longer with us.”
The local Christians sent letters and e-mails complaining about his “sexist remarks” published in the the Statesman’s imitation of the Boise Weekly called Thrive.
While Popkey declares Swindell to be, “Not grown up enough” for the city councilor job, Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition in D.C. has sent a check for $1,000 to Brandi’s campaign fund.
In a passionate fund raising letter he praises the 28-year-old saying, “if she wins she will be an inspiration and role model for thousands of young people.” He claimed Swindell can bring home the winning votes for a mere $30,000.
This race is going to just get funner and funner prior to the November 8 election. Finally! A reason to vote.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 17, 2005, 5:51 pm
If you just go by the pictures, it looks as if you’re choosing between the captain of the field hockey team and the head cheerleader….eeks!
Oct 18, 2005, 6:36 am
Ohhhh my. The American Taliban rears its ugly head with a hottie as it’s poster girl. Brandi with GOP backing has an unlimited future in this state. The council is just a first step in a political career that I predict will take her to DC to take on Hillary. It will be a while, but watch. She will do the “Dirk Track” and with the bloated elephants helping her it is almost a sure bet.
Oct 18, 2005, 6:50 am
According to the Statesman, only “professional” politicians can run for office. No ordinary citizen of Boise is qualified. I think the answer to this problem is for the Statesman editorial board to determine who is qualified to run for office. That way we the voters will have a better group of candidates. The Statesman editorial board could rate the potential candidates with bags of popcorn like they do movies. A 4 bag is the most qualified, and a 1 bag is the least. We the voters in the future probably can just quit voting… just let the Statesman put the people in for us. They are of course more qualified to pick than us “ordinary” people of Boise.
Oct 18, 2005, 10:06 am
Swindel is simply not qualified. That simple, she does not have the education, life experience or understanding of government to do this job.
Oct 18, 2005, 1:28 pm
So a job on the council is worth only $30,000? There are probably a few people like myself who are naive enough to think the city council shouldn’t be up for sale. I do agree with the editor of this site that Popkey’s disapproval of Miss Swindell will do her more good than harm, even though I agree with Popkey’s analysis of her abilities. When are the people of Idaho going to stop voting for these right-wing nut cases?
Oct 18, 2005, 5:06 pm
TREVA…
When will the people of Boise step up and run for office. This is what you get when you sit on you butt and complain…At least Brandi is running, can I say the same for the complainers?
Oct 18, 2005, 8:36 pm
Good point, Porcupine. That is my greatest wish, that good honest people would step up, run, and hopefully win some of the offices. Unfortunately the big money folks aren’t backing anyone except the ones they can manipulate or who are in lockstep with their views. Do you have any idea about how to get more regular people in the campaigns? I have encouraged a few guys I know but no one seems to want to take the abuse.
Oct 19, 2005, 12:06 am
BC – again with ignorant rhetoric. “American Taliban” You obviously have no clue what the Taliban was all about. First of all, a woman would be a piece of property & never permitted to run for public office (not Jordan or Swindell). Second, the Taliban would kill you on the spot for disagreeing with their fanatic religious beliefs & no one would care (you’re still alive). Third, the Taliban was a Theocracy and no one had a vote except the elite religious leaders (I assume you have the right to vote). You are in America where men & women are free to express what they feel even if that happens to ruffle feathers. And if you don’t like what they stand for, you have the right to vote for someone else. Please, in the future, try to be more accurate when attempting to offend. Or better yet, why not try being more articulate and fight with facts and intelligent discourse rather than ignorant rhetoric 🙂
Oct 19, 2005, 8:58 am
I will vote for Swindell for a couple of reasons:
1. She is not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right even if it is not considered politically correct. We need someone who is willing to rock the boat on the city council.
2. I’m tired of the current city council members doing whatever developers tell them to do. I want someone who will listen to the people who elected them. Those currently in office do not seem to have the ability or desire to represent the people.
3. I agree Swindell may not be as qualified as I would like, but I don’t care. New blood trumps developer’s puppets.
Oct 19, 2005, 2:39 pm
Treva
I can tell you several city council member have had NO experience in government, or didn’t get a lot of support, other than the neighborhoods… i.e. Paula Forney (housewife with no experience), Brent Coles a land planner for the city. Alan Shealy moved to Boise just a few years ago… investment banker with No government experience. He didn’t even run the first time. Was appointed by the past mayor. It takes guts to run. You have to go out and beg for money, and you take a big chance on losing and getting humiliated. That’s the reason ANYONE that runs for any office shouldn’t be called “a nut”. Hate them, disagree with them, debate them, but give them credit for running.
Oct 19, 2005, 10:23 pm
Just listened to Channel 2’s interview with Brandi (you’re a fine girl)Swindell and MaryAnn (grow some bangs) Jordan. Jordan maybe misled some with her responses, since they seemed canned and she isn’t doing what she espouses. Swindell though, besides being the new QUEEN of the massive run-on sentence….is a dolt. Really, nary a glimmer. I’ve seen brass tacks placed strategically that put off more light. I’m all for change…but warm bodies who can see lightening and hear thunder are perhaps not the best choice.
Oct 20, 2005, 6:02 am
Good Luck, you better read Ms. Swindells website. In it she says she wants to make it EASIER for developers to do their thing. She advocates cutting the red tape so it is simpler for them to build. Patman, as for my statement about the American Taliban. If the Christian fundamentalists were able to create the “true Christian nation” of their dreams, what it would look like? Can you say Iran, Afghanistan? A Christian theocracy would be no different. Fundamentalist Christians have one goal, to spread the word and their faith. All non-believers will go to hell. I for one believe they need to keep their religion out of the political arena. Government can not favor one religion over any other. Brandi’s website also wants to deny taxpayer funds to any organization that provides abortions. Does Planned Parenthood of Boise get any? Better keep those teenagers barefoot and pregnant,right? So much for the equality of the sexes. Women in Brandi’s world would not be allowed to make their own reproductive choices. Brandi also travelled to Florida to advocate keeping a brain dead woman alive for no other reason than the “culture of life”. It’s ok to kill innocent Iraqis,but a single brain dead woman merits a bill in congress and presidential signature in the dead of the night. I just don’t buy into it. What scares me is that in this one party state she will get by on her looks and the “R” next to her name.
Oct 20, 2005, 1:48 pm
Interesting Spin Boise Guardian.
I am not sure that I have read Christians and
condoms in a political statement myself.
Something tells me that you are trying to bring
emotion from the Christian right, into the GOP arena. What Dan
Popkey was trying to let the readers know, is that the city council is and should be
nonpartisan. City elections are nonpartisan for a
reason: land use, planning, parks, and public safety.
Dan writes, “I’m baffled Sullivan picked Swindell
for his leap into non partisan elections. Jim Tibbs might make sense, but not an extremist who opposes condom use and has zero experience with the collaborative skills it takes to make a city work.”
For the right wing christians now reading you will
like this. Swindell received TV time on O’Reilly when she made
headlines protesting condom handouts at the Salt Lake
Olympics.
According to Dan Popkey, you have a decision to
make. Vote for Melissa (Brandi) if you want to revive Riverfest.
Vote for Maryanne if you want a seasoned politician for the gruelling job of running a city.
I also ask, which candidate has a political science
degree?
Thanks for the read
Russ
Oct 20, 2005, 11:16 pm
All I want is a Council person who will listen to and respect the voters in the city. Ms Jordan does not meet that criteria.
It is a time for a change.
Oct 21, 2005, 8:15 pm
BC, you make 3 really valid points: 1. Christian fundamentalists do want to spread the Word and their faith 2. All non-believers will go to hell (but that’s really a sub-point of #1 and I’m pretty sure most Christians practicing #1 are trying to keep people from #2) 3. The government shouldn’t favor any religion over another. But that’s where my agreement with you ends… I seem to recall a modern day Christian Theocracy which is nothing like Afghanistan or Iran or Iraq – ever heard of Vatican City? Run by the old Catholic guy with the big hats? Not too many people being executed there for not believing. Christians learned hundreds of years ago that physical torture and death never convince anyone to truely follow Christ. So, as a fundamental Christian, I would again contend that your statements are ignorant rhetoric based on paranoid stereotypes (a “true Christian nation” yah right! that’s doable – NOT). Also, as a fundamental Christian, I would argue that pushing a secular humanistic religion on me is equally unfair – so who’s right (wow if we could answer that one). Finally, abortion is not a reproductive choice because the reproduction has already taken place. Not engaging in sexual intercourse and/or taking precautions prior to becoming pregnant is a reproductive choice. How about we work on bringing up kids who choose not to engage in risky sexual behavior outside of marriage — then we wouldn’t need to debate barefoot or pregnant. I guess my ultimate point is that when you flock shoot, you’re bound to hit someone you don’t intend to. Feel free to pick apart Brandi Swindell if you find something she says to be stupid (again, I don’t think she’s remotely qualified even though she is a Christian), but expect me to counter you every time you pull out your Christian guage shotgun.
Oct 23, 2005, 5:27 pm
As someone whose run for office, I’ve got to tell you that what we’re witnessing here is why “good people don’t run”. Its a lot of garbage to put up with and you have to really care about our city and the future to actually become involved.
Contrary to what some people to say, she’s not driven by publicity. If she was, she wouldn’t be willing to give up a national platform for the city she loves. Brandi entered the public arena because she cares about people and she was willing to put aside her own doubts about herself, and do what she saw needed to be done. This is the very essence of leadership.
I’ve observed her at a recent Christian conference and noted that she doesn’t just hang around with the powerful, but will go and talk and spend time with most anyone, try to understand them, respect them, and learn from them and this goes to the heart of what we need on a city council that shunned public comment on the Ten Commandments and has been condemned even by the Statesman for its arrogance.
Oct 24, 2005, 11:41 pm
I commend Brandi for running! Most of our City Council are “appointees” that used the incumbancy to leverage money and recognition.
It is about time we had some one to vote for that has actually grown up around here (not just moved in from back east in the last 10 years or isn’t a city insider (Planning & Zoning member) or the mayors’ buddy.
Oct 27, 2005, 4:40 pm
Brandi makes me want to move into the city of Boise just so I can vote for her. Just because she received TV time on O’Reilly when she made headlines protesting condom handouts at the Salt Lake Olympics should not be held against her. I did not see one event at the Olympics that used condoms. Maybe she doesn’t like to use them. That is her choice.