Archive for August, 2011
What Citizens And Candidates Should Know
Each election cycle, the GUARDIAN tries to stimulate interest in the local Boise City election with a posting about issues, budget, etc. Here is the current attempt–10 days before the filing deadline for council and mayor races. Issues of concern to candidates and citizens alike: –Fire department has taken over the North Ada County Fire […]
Ada Commishes Didn’t Play With A Full Deck
When Ada County Commishes got together with Boise’s Team Dave to make a compromise deal over who pays what and how much for misdemeanor court services they were one card short of a full deck–Commish Sharon Ullman was not in the game. We have said in the previous post the deal is probably a good […]
Boise, Ada Agree On Court Deal, Ullman Opposes Terms
Here is some real news. Boise City and Ada County officials appear to have come to an agreement on something! After repeatedly losing their legal fight with Ada County, Boise will begin paying the county $750,000 to $830,000 a year for magistrate court facilities and services. The commishes and councilors are set to ratify the […]
Mayor Hotline August 13 to 19
The first entry this week deserves a stand alone recognition. This guy could easily be a city councilor or mayor using his line of reasoning of how to avoid the law! 8/18/11 Shane Lowe N 28th Street Boise, ID 83703 ISSUE: He feels that he got cited for having his dog in a park, on […]
Businesses Halt ALL Campaign Contributions?
Finally, a reason to drink Starbucks coffee. The CEO of STARBUCKS has begun a national move to financially boycott all congressional and presidential elections. He claims to have 100 businessmen onboard who will stop making campaign contributions (payoffs). Imagine what would happen if all the developers and contractors did that at the local level. Or […]
Judge: Boise Acted Frivolously Withholding Documents
Fourth District Judge Thomas Neville has ruled the City of Boise acted frivolously when it withheld 7 of 10 public record request filed in a contract dispute between the city and Clearview Cleaning. The court has ordered Boise to pay $4,137 in attorney fees to Clearview. The city has a history of refusing to provide […]
GBAD Ponies Up Cash To BCVB
The GBAD boys were able to get around the GBAD girls Wednesday and pony up $24,500 to the Boise Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for promotional services. No other agency was asked to bid. The Greater Boise Auditorium District treasurer refused to sign a check to BCVP, citing a Pocatello court ruling that prevented using auditorium […]
Land Board Reveals Vacancy Rates
After the GUARDIAN broke the story of the Idaho Land Board advertising for a construction manager to build a brew pub in downtown Boise, it was revealed they were spending the endowment fund money to attract a new tenant to the building with an 86% vacancy rate. One of our readers provided the results of […]
Clancy and Commish Talk Over Drinks
Sometime volunteer researcher and avid GUARDIAN reader, Clancy, asked us to share the following exchange of messages with Ada Commish Sharon Ullman when he discovered a lack of free water at the fair–thanks to a contractual agreement that prevents the Western Idaho Fair from offering free water to visitors, despite temps pushing 100 degrees! “Sharon, […]
Petition To Dissolve GB Could Circulate
The latest round in the battle of the GBAD boys (and girls) is a potential petition drive to dissolve the Greater Boise Auditorium District. IT would require 3,000 valid signatures to get it on the ballot. The two players who say they may circulate the petition (copy below) are a couple of losers in last […]
Leave Town To Attract Boise Tourism, Business
Treasure Valley Politicos just “DON’T GET IT.” They want to attract people to the Treasure Valley for tourism and economic development, but they choose to do their backroom deals clear up at TAMARACK in Valley County of all places. It makes no sense to the GUARDIAN for all the citizens of the various units of […]
Serious Attitude On Speeding In Canada
The day job took the GUARDIAN editor on a lengthy road trip during the past couple of weeks, including a spin around the North Shore of Lke Superior in Canada. The 90 kph speed limit translates to 55 mph. These big blue and yellow signs were an intimidating factor when it came to passing someone […]
Mayor Hotline August 6 to 12
8/6/11 Anonymous ISSUE: The bridge by the Anne Frank memorial has several loose boards. Parks & Rec 8/8/11 Ben Pugsley ISSUE: Tall weeds at Maple Grove and Irving Streets. PDS – Code Enforcement 8/9/11 Anonymous ISSUE: Boise City Taxi, whose approved color scheme is all silver, actually has several different color schemes. DFA
Payette County P&Z Commishes Have Gas Deals
We all know that much of government fails to pass the “smell test.” In Payette County they appear to have passed gas, at least in a meeting approving a gas fired dehydration plant. Normally these things don’t get our attention, but this sentence from the BOISE WEEKLY left us shaking our head. “Last night’s meeting […]
Idle Thought: So What’s New?
We certainly agree with the latest campaign by Boise’s Team Dave to cut down on emissions by turning off automobile engines while at drive up windows and the like. But there is nothing new here. The GUARDIAN outed idle copper cars long ago and even got an official POLICY implemented to curtail the practice. We […]
Former Mayor Owes $$44.6K In Idaho Taxes
KBOI-TV2 and the AP are reporting Boise’s former mayor, Brent Coles and his wife have a lien on their house in the amount of $44,691 for fail to pay back Idaho state taxes. Coles left office and took up residence in the Ada jail after admitting to illegal use of–ironically–tax money. He was Boise’s mayor […]
City Pays Union Firefighters To FILL THE BOOT
A reader contacted the GUARDIAN recently saying the Boise Firefighters Union members are “volunteering” for the Muscular Dystrophy Drive while on duty. We checked with an insider and found that in some cases those guys out playing in traffic are indeed on-duty firefighters. We can overlook the dangers of being in traffic, the intimidation factor, […]
GBAD Scuffle Turns Serious
The Greater Boise Auditorium District hassle between board members has gone from political to formal complaints of illegal actions by fellow board members. The GUARDIAN has learned GBAD board member Judy Peavey-Derr has filed a formal complaint with Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower against three fellow board members. Her allegations include illegal meetings between the […]
Land Board To Build Brew Pub?
Not satisfied with the controversial ownership of a public storage business, Idaho’s land board has apparently decided to enter the brew pub and restaurant business. We doubt if they will send out press releases, but the state agency is advertising for a construction manager to oversee building a restaurant and brewing facility. The request for […]
Mayor HotlineJuly 30 to August 5
7/30/11 Kent & Shelly Lipple Grey Eagle Boise, 83712 ISSUE: Unfinished condo project at Falling Brook subdivision is an eyesore and poses safety and erosion issues. PDS 8/1/11 Anonymous ISSUE: Display at Honks Dollar Store blocks marked exit door and is unsafe. PDS/Fire 8/2/11 Barbara Barron ISSUE: Neighbors painting cars and boats in their back […]
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