Interesting Stuff
Sweet Offer From G-BAD Boys
February 3, 2010 
The Center on the Grove, operated by the Greater Boise Auditorium District (G-BAD) sent a bunch of decorated cakes to newsrooms throughout the Valley today in an effort to garner good news reports about the convention center’s 20th anniversary.
At least they haven’t claimed their so-called birthday party is a “public out reach” or an “educational” event. We would like to have someone provide us with the tab for the non-event.
The publicly owned facility, governed by an elected board, apparently joined the likes of the Idaho Transportation Department, and Team Dave’s trolley folly in using public money to hire public relations firms to stage events aimed at manipulating public opinion. The public money supporting the G-BAD comes from hotel room taxes.
After this post gets noticed by those newsies who have cut the cakes, there will no doubt be a move to either justify the expense or find a “sugar daddy” to step up and pay the tab.
While the news organizations all steadfastly claim they are not influenced by free cakes and giant poster invitations delivered by a PR firm called Red Sky, we didn’t find any interest to do a story about the expenditure of funds for the PR effort. One editor told the GUARDIAN, “They could have just sent an e-mail press release and we would have treated them the same.”
The GUARDIAN is out of the country working the day job and unable to track down the total costs for the cakes, delivery and the PR fees. We didn’t get a cake, but even if we did, we would probably still note the G-BAD Boys have failed in two attempts to get voter approval for financing an even bigger Centre On the Grove, and at least two private investor deals have failed to materialize as well over the past 20 years.
The Idaho Supreme Court also slapped their hands for illegally using public money in a partisan campaign for approval of financing bonds for the expansion proposal several years ago.
In addition to his salary, director Pat Rice gets a cut of the booze and food sales at the center, but that probably doesn’t include cakes.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Feb 3, 2010, 10:38 pm
White cake with true butter creme frosting?? I want a corner piece. I will promise to quit calling these “nutzo’s crawling up to feed at the the trough of taxpayer monies” nutzo’s crawling up to feed at the trough of taxpayer monies!!OK! Maybe I won’t. But I still want a piece of cake!
Feb 4, 2010, 8:14 am
Cakegate! Another breaking story from the Guardian. Surely the cake influenced newsroom decisions not to run a story on the cost of the cake. This is such a huge story after all, it couldn’t be lack of interest.
And poor Guardian … you didn’t get any cake. Life can be so unfair. But even if you had, YOU would have reported on its cost! You aren’t influenced by those crafty government cake bakers and their sneaky attempts to influence the media.
Feb 4, 2010, 9:49 am
Another case of the “flacking of America.” Fluff instead of facts. A cake after a swearing-in ceremony on site for all is one thing, but sending the media gifts for publicity is another. I hope the newsies sent the cakes to local hospitals or nursing homes as was the norm in years past when source gifts were shunned.
Feb 4, 2010, 10:39 am
This cracks me up. You decry government for not being more like private industry and when they do something that is like private industry (marketing) so that they can continue their profitable ways, you complain about that too.
EDITOR NOTE–Don’t recall the GUARDIAN ever called for government to act like business. We have to note they too often actually DO act like business–ENRON, WORLD COM, GM, A.G. EDWARDS, and BERNIE MADOFF to name a few.
Feb 4, 2010, 5:54 pm
Way to go, Fraz.
You have just eliminated reporters’ and editors’ only source of nourishment, because The Statesman (and perhaps others) will ban the consumption of free cakes.
When you return, you can expect a pack of starving journalists to set upon you in a dark alley, with teeth bared.
EDITOR NOTE–I feel like Marie Antoinette–or was it Sara Lee? “Let them eat cake.” I saw this as a government PR event in a list of same (trolley, highway groundbreaking, etc.) but I guess as long as the government agency is “profitable” and it is “good positive news” we shouldn’t worry about it.
Feb 4, 2010, 8:56 pm
I love the Guardian, but this is the dumbest story in the history of the Guardian. Sorry, Dave. But, they were just celebrating their 20th anniversary with the public and today I heard the Statesman got the budget wrong. A BC representative confirmed to me today that Red Sky is not getting 10,000 dollars and the cakes were made by the BC’s kitchen for minimal cost. The 10k was total for all related events. BC has brought in a lot of money for this community and I don’t see the point in making a big issue out of an anniversary celebration. I was there for the cake break and it was not over the top and the promotional posters looked to be simple and low budget. I checked out the facts and they are wrong and then the Statesman song birded the wrong figures to the public. I also heard that the BC operates profitably, even in this economy. I thought it was nice to celebrate something positive for once. I hope the Statesman does not celebrate anything or sponsor anything positive in the near future because I will cancel my subscription. As a subscriber, I guess I will be po’d that I’m paying for something positive and my subscription costs did not go down. In addition, I think it is humorous that the Statesman ate the cake. Instead of writing a dumb story about cake costs, why didn’t they just simply not call up Pat Rice or the PR firm and ask them to come pick up the cake. Or, just handled it via phone call vs. making a public spectacle out of cake. My head is still shaking.
Anyway, Dave, keep up the good work but please 1) Check your facts 2) Don’t write about cake. There are MUCH, MUCH bigger issues out there for you to bulldog.
Feb 5, 2010, 2:59 am
Who cares in this doomed economy that is progressively worsening if a PR firm, that’s a PR firm, celebrates its stupid anniversary. Cake today, more pork and scandal tomorrow. You’ve been flacked folks. Keep on bulldoging the idiots, BG!
Feb 5, 2010, 3:18 am
The point of this discussion is that too much public money is being spent on celebrations and taxpayer and media manipulation and not on real efforts to solve the ever-worsening economy. To you it may just be cake, but to those who must for the first time in their lives seek food from the foodbank or face foreclosure, it’s a slap in the face. Our so-called leaders need to stop acting like everything is OK. It’s not OK. They don’t get it. It’s up to us to watchdog them until they do, whether it’s cake or pork.
Feb 5, 2010, 10:41 pm
Oh, for God’s sake Kappa TA. Sounds like you need to get a life and maybe eat some cake.
Feb 7, 2010, 1:05 am
I dropped by the Center on the
Grove and enjoyed some of their cake and ice cream. I also enjoyed looking a the photo display showing the change in downtown Boise from 20 years ago when they truly did roll up the streets at Five (before the initiation of Alive after Five) and there really was the wrong side of the tracks south of Front Street. The G-BAD owns the Convention Center outright, owns the property where the new expanded Convention Center will be located and has money in the bank. All of this with out any funding from the citizens of Boise. They have much to celebrate. If all independent districts in the valley were this successful, life would indeed be sweet.