Criminy! Mayor Bieter was a Democratic legislator before he changed hats. Most of the council quack like Democrats. (I’m not sure about Bisterfeldt… I’m guessing he’s backed by the Bull Moose Party!)

My main issues with “Brandi”:
– she has a well-publicized personal agenda that seems pretty much totally unrelated to Boise’s current issues.
– she has a well-crafted “image” – not only the grooming, but the very generalized albeit well-rehearsed catch-phrases that are her “platform.”
– she claims to be a consensus-builder, but all evidence suggests otherwise.
– what’s with the name “Brandi”? I’ve read that it isn’t her given name… why would she choose it? (Sounds like a barmaid or a “working girl,” if ya know what I mean.)

When does the “Miss Boise Scholarship Pageant” get underway again?

One other question… where’s perennial candidate “Harley Brown” this time around? I’ve always fancied a scenario where Councilmen Bisterfeldt and Harley take their disagreements out to the parking lot, to settle ’em like men!
(-;

As far as the supposed non-partisan office bit, it never has been. How about the fact that Maryanne Jordan’s campaign manager is a Democrat, works for the Democratic Party, and took a leave of absence from her position, to run Jordan’s campaign. And Democratic legislator LeFavour apparently sent out an urgent e-mail to her constituents urging them to work for Jordan’s campaign and vote against Swindell. There is a classic double standard.

If everyone would stick to the issues such as the present city council raised taxes & fees 56 times, and their unwillingness to listen to citizens on issues such as forced annexation & infill, and not letting the people vote on issues involving new taxes, we’d all benefit. But Maryanne Jordan is part of the status quo , so maybe we need to inject new blood into this city. We really don’t care what the person looks like!

Popkey needed to spin rather than recant, and everyone else needs to join in. Politicization of city office, single-issue lameness, lack of REAL experience, lack of accomplishments, and trying to gloss over it with glamour photos ( BTW, Osprey: how can you say that her photos aren’t ‘largely fraudulent’… the photos came after careful makeup and hair work… they’re glamour shots, pure and simple).

It’s a simple rule: superficial twits or single-issue nimrods get ignored. It sends a simple message: only serious candidates need apply.

Brandi Swindell, shame on you. How dare you be good-looking! Don’t you know that if you want to run for City Council, you have to pull out all your teeth but one, grow a wart on your nose, either cultivate or paint ugly pimples all over your face, let your hair turn into a rat’s nest, gain at least a hundred pounds, and — oh, wait, that’s only if you’re conservative. As long as you toe Dan Popkey’s line, you can look however you want to. Now I’m all confused…

I have no problem with her photos on the website. In fact, I like them because they depart from the traditional, largely fradulant photos one encounters in campaign propaganda that usually show a candidate in a dark business suit with a pen in hand, serious look on the face, and playing like they are reading a report.