Business
G-BAD Election Heats Up (More)
May 4, 2011 
Playing by the rules has always been a loose proposition in politics, but the GUARDIAN has copies of a document favoring two candidates for the May 17 Greater Boise Auditorium District election that appears to have crossed the line.
The “800 pound gorilla” in the race is over the issue of whether or not the G-BAD boys should fund the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau. G-BAD is a government agency funded by a 5% room tax on hotels. BCVB is a private non-profit that contracted with G-BAD and the Idaho Department of Commerce until a District Judge in Pocatello ruled that it was improper to use auditorium money for general tourist promotion.
The Boise WEEKLY reports that in its corporate charter filed with the Secretary of State, BCVB says they will not “intervene in, or participate in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.”
We have a letter sent out on BCVB e-mail by a woman who prominently is identified as “Volunteer.” She openly advocates on behalf of candidates Steve Schmader and Mike Sullivan–candidates who favor using tax money to fund BCVB.
The Weekly also reports the BCVB has a history of bad financial audits which show personal use of the organization’s credit cards among other problems.
We doubt she identifies herself as a volunteer when contacting potential conventioneers under her title of “senior sales manager,” a job she held as a paid position prior to July of 2010 when the G-Bad Boys cut their annual $1.3 million to the private non-profit.
In case it isn’t cyrstal clear, this all boils down to a group of PR and Advertising types who operate a non-profit that got a bunch of cash from the Idaho Tourism office and G-BAD to promote tourism. Much of the public money dried up and they are trying to get the government money back (from G-BAD Boys) to protect their jobs at the troubled BCVB.
BCVB also spent $10,000 to send a dance group to New York in August, claiming that performance and a mention on a billboard and program would be worth the expense to draw visitors to Boise.
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Comments & Discussion
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May 5, 2011, 11:00 am
You have to admire these people. They get the voters to approve a goofy Auditorium District to buy advertising services from this group with taxpayer money. It really is slick and the only thing is I wish I had thought of it first.
Nepotism is not tolerated unless you are a friend or relative.
May 5, 2011, 4:12 pm
CVB’s are known around the country for their grossly over inflated numbers, and chest beating self edification. In Boise, they continually took credit for events they had nothing to do with. They claimed to generate 10,000 to 15,000 hotel room stays. Here’s the problem: the average room rate in Boise has been around $75, that represents $3.75 in room tax. The BCVB was getting $1.3 million illegally from the GBAD. Divide the $1.3 by $3.75, that’s 346,666. So, they bring in 15,000 room nights, but it takes 346,666 room nights to pay for their service. Now there’s a business model.
May 5, 2011, 5:33 pm
In reality they took credit for approximately 65,000 hotel room nights booked each year.
May 5, 2011, 10:11 pm
In all fairness, some of the hotel room numbers mentioned above represent legitimate new business.
May 6, 2011, 10:04 am
Actually,the 800 pound gorilla that nobody mentions is Bobbi Patterson, the executive director of the BCVB. This is and always has been about her, although nobody is saying it. She probably shuld have retired a decade ago. If she were gone, you would likely quickly see things heal between the BCVB and GBAD.
May 6, 2011, 7:40 pm
Owyhee, please expand on your comment. Have heard this before. Must be a good reason and would like to know more.