City Government
Team Dave Seeks $60K To Deny Citizen Voting Rights On Airport Debt Projects
July 16, 2010 
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 doubt which direction Team Dave wants the vote to go. We will gladly educate people for only$30,000 and we may get it if issue goes before a judge.
When AMERITEL INNS sued the G-BAD boys over a campaign to pass a bond for a convention center the Supremes ruled public funds and resources cannot be used to influence an election unless similar funds are given the other side.
Boise’s legal department says this is different, but we hope the councilors will see the light after spending tens of thousands of tax dollars after getting bad advice. The issue is on the Tuesday council agenda.
At issue is HJR 5 which seeks to change the Idaho Constitution as it relates to public debt at airports. The biggest change denies voters the constitutional rights to vote on long term debt projects they currently hold. It also will take property off the tax rolls and potentially cause3 a tax hike.
The cities are asking folks to vote to deny themselves the right to vote! The insidious part is they want to use our public money against us!
We also did an interview with the IDAHO STATESMAN on the issue.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jul 17, 2010, 7:29 am
ACHD actually put their spin ON the BALLOT last fall.
Jul 17, 2010, 7:55 am
What won’t these elected prostitutes do for more of our money? How in the world can they justify taking $60K of scarce tax dollars to “educated” us about the merits of giving up our Idaho Constitutional rights to vote debt issues up or down.
If they want to use the full faith and credit of taxpayers then they darn well need to put it to a vote of those willing to show up and vote the issue at hand.
What surprises me is how this issue got past our Repubs in the Legislature. Have they abandoned the issue of smaller government and fewer taxes?
Jul 17, 2010, 8:37 am
Yes I do believe Paul the Rebubs have forgot what they use to stand for. But the other problems is I don’t think the Democrats would do any better. I think they all have forgot the people of Idaho. Its just there own agenda they think about. City of Boise is being run just the way they want with no thoughts of the people.
Jul 17, 2010, 10:46 am
Go get ’em, Dave!
Jul 17, 2010, 11:47 am
Sure, who wouldn’t be in favor of voting, for this, that and the other thing?
But why does the Boise Guardian nor anyone else ever talk about disenfranchisement? As far as I can tell, for 100 years there have been only 6 city councilors. Even the Boise City Historian, yeah, there’s a city historian, doesn’t know when the last time the city council expanded. That’s some history department you got going there, Boise!
But that’s off topic, back to disenfranchisement—
Six council members may have been fine when Boise was only 15,000 people. The population has increased dramatically yet we still only have 6. For better or worse, we have a representative government. If you want your vote to have more clout then let’s expand the council to at least 12 members.
Then of course there’s direct democracy, but that’s fraught with it’s own problems. Ever hear of mob rule?
Jul 17, 2010, 6:36 pm
It is time to file a lawsuit if they spend the money.
Jul 17, 2010, 10:01 pm
How about some “Adult Supervision” of those who would spend money we don’t have. These people are acting like spoiled children wanting what they can’t afford.
They are now trying to get around voters with a trip to the legislature’s wailing wall whining about their strictures on debt that have worked just fine for over 100 years.
Jul 17, 2010, 11:05 pm
Airport passenger traffic has been down and is not coming back anytime soon. (Even our fearless national leaders say 5 to 7 years.) Boise City has a big airport improvement plan and no way to pay for it. The airlines will not pay because the expansion and improvements are not needed. In fact the airlines will probably ask the city to lower their fees if they don’t want service cuts. What this is all about is government spending money on a dead horse. They feel some need to follow through on the big plan they started out on 15 years ago even though our current facility has twice the capacity currently being used. (Kind of like those extra freeway lanes just in time for the total closure of the Micron plant)
By giving them a taxing authority without voter oversight, they will tax the hell out of everything near the airport and give the money to the airport and airlines. This is otherwise known as a Port Authority. It is a very very bad animal to let out of the cage. Just like CCDC is doing downtown.
EDITOR NOTE–They are not seeking a tax authority. They want to go into public debt without permission of the voters. We a currently hold a constitutional right to approve ALL public debt at the local level and now they want to deny us the vote If passed, there is a good chance millions upon millions of dollars will be lost as currently private property becomes GOVERNMENT property and rented to the private sector.
Jul 18, 2010, 9:35 am
If I’m not mistaken, isn’t Idaho the only state that still mandates a vote on these types of bonds?
EDITOR NOTE–Don’t know for sure. I talked to a Colorado guy last week and he said they had a similar law which has a person’s name–a legislator. We are indeed one of the few states that allows cities to annex people against their will without a vote.
Jul 18, 2010, 9:42 pm
I am actually starting to believe that no one at city hall speaks, or reads, ENGLISH!!!!
My Lord, what will it take for them to get the message?? We can’t AFFORD these idiotic ideas that do nothing but waste money! If they want to rig an election through “education” just start handing out cash to the citizens!
Jul 18, 2010, 10:28 pm
“Airport passenger traffic has been down and is not coming back anytime soon
What this is all about is government spending money on a dead horse.”
Dave: If passed, there is a good chance millions upon millions of dollars will be lost as currently private property becomes GOVERNMENT property and rented to the private sector.
me: so we can easily see from the above why this farce is being foisted on the faint of heartlies who don’t bother to vote nor to find out about the issues.
Congrats, Dave, on being interviewed by the local paper. Like someone said, Go Dave!
Jul 19, 2010, 11:04 am
I think Dave is right on this issue the way the law stands. However, I wonder at what point we would cease having a representative democracy and start having an actual democracy. This issue may be large enough to justify a public vote, but we probably don’t want to vote on every issue that comes up. Like them or not, that’s what we have elected officials for.
Jul 19, 2010, 4:59 pm
I, for one, wish Mr. Frazier would stop acting as my “Guardian”. As a frequent flyer, and someone who wouldn’t have a vote because I don’t live within Boise, I have no problem with the airport making decision to improve service as long as no tax dollars are on the hook. The amendment they are proposing clearly states* that no added tax dollars can be used and that the city cannot be on the hook. Whoever is financing these projects knows the limitations and make their decisions based on viability of the project. Let the airport operate like a business and stop putting barriers in their way.
*”…shall be payable solely from fees, charges, rents, payments, grants, or any other revenues derived from the airport…and shall not be secured by the full faith and credit or the taxing power of the subdivision or regional airport authority…”
EDITOR NOTE– Lisa, read the entire proposal because it pretty much opens the door to ANYTHING deemed to be “public purpose” and is not limited to airport and travel related items. Even if you don’t want to vote, please allow us to retain the constitutional rights we current hold! I didn’t put any stumbling blocks in place, it is the CONSTITUTION!
Jul 19, 2010, 5:00 pm
I agree with Opie. I DON”T want to vote on every issue and want government to be able to function as efficiently as possible.
Jul 19, 2010, 10:36 pm
My Dearest Lisa
I “vote” for you as the first participant in our newly instituted
“Soylent Green program, aka Food for the masses from the Masses. . .”
Baaaa-baaaa-baaaaa. . . Trust me hon, you won’t notice a thing this time either. . .
It was a sad day when we first allowed non-property owners to vote on ANY issue.
Jul 20, 2010, 12:39 am
I DO want to vote for every issue that the government wants to go into debt for and I want it to be a required 66.66% vote! Without it EVERY governmental agency will be going after more and more money.
The evidence is the fact that the governments try so hard to get around the State Constitution!!
Our elected folks are NOT smarter than the voters…even if they say and think they are. They work for us…and we need to require them to ask for our approval to spend…and spend..and spend…and tax…and tax…and tax.
Jul 20, 2010, 6:30 am
Lisa do you really think we could trust them? I for one don’t.
Jul 20, 2010, 11:21 pm
I am curious Lisa. I also am a frequent flyer. Just how does the Boise airport need to be upgraded?
We wait less time at the ticket counter than any city with airline “hubs” (which we have to go through)/
The time at security is much shorter than other airports. Your baggage gets to you faster than many, many other airports. What are you looking for that you are so willing to give up your rights of oversight?
Dec 30, 2010, 11:29 am
If the lawyers in this state had any souls! These actions are a violation of the oath of office and is treason against [ we the people ] When are we going to wake up and take back the offices that are set up by us for us? All of these parasites do ,is violate their oath of office to uphold the constitution!