ACHD
Bieter Said To Be After ACHD Director’s Hide
October 20, 2014 
A recent IDAHO STATESMAN story by reporter Cynthia Sewell seems to confirm the trend of Boise Mayor Dave Bieter to be a behind-the-scenes power broker for local governments outside the purview of Boise City.
According to the report in the DAILY PAPER, Ada County Highway District commission candidate Bob Bruce told a public forum last week that Bieter sought to have the ACHD director and legal counsel fired.
Current ACHD commish Rebecca Arnold asked candidates, “Has Mayor Bieter asked you for a commitment that if elected you would fire ACHD Director Bruce Wong and General Counsel Steve Price, and if so, how did you respond to that request?”
Bob Bruce, Candidate for the Dist. 3 seat responded, “I have known Dave Bieter since we were small children. We went to the same school. My parents and his parents were very good friends. I did go to Mayor Bieter and he did make that request. I said ‘no.’ I am not anybody’s pawn. Nobody owns me. It was a difficult thing. I still consider Mayor Bieter my friend. I know I can work with him. I just couldn’t do what he asked if he were to support me.”
This is the first time the GUARDIAN has heard of publicly attributable comments such as this, but we have had others tell us of questionable “back room” comments of a similar nature to come from Team Dave and its leader.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 20, 2014, 1:49 pm
Not really sure how this is news… the browbeating and bullying is stock in trade for one city “service” in particular. If it’s condoned by one branch of city govt. then the boss should be able to use the same tactic
Oct 20, 2014, 2:18 pm
Time for The Godfather to be exposed and shipped!
Oct 20, 2014, 2:29 pm
The article has since been updated providing Bieter’s input. He disagrees with Bruce’s characterization of their conversation but acknowledges that he thinks ACHD is a failed model and should go away. I agree with that. http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/10/17/3432676_bieter-calls-achd-failed-model.html?rh=1
Oct 20, 2014, 2:33 pm
I also very much doubt that Bruce’s and Arnold’s denial that they colluded on that question at the debate. They support each other’s ambitions and have nearly identical supporters. Bruce says he’s a collaborator and easy to get along with. I’ve heard he’s a hot head.
Oct 20, 2014, 3:44 pm
There is a ACHD Candidates forum at the Boise Bicycle Project this Wednesday at 7pm. It will be focused more toward bikes and alternative transportation.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1483500368580057
Oct 21, 2014, 3:10 pm
Is this non-news.
Oct 21, 2014, 4:59 pm
Sigh… If only we would have elected Bradi Swindell none of this would have happened.
Oct 22, 2014, 2:06 pm
ACHD is fine. Bieter should go away.
Oct 22, 2014, 4:27 pm
I agree with Terry, but opposite. Bieter is fine, ACHD is a dinosaur that needs to die already.
If THE GUARDIAN didn’t already have a deep-seeded bias against Bieter, I have little doubt that it too would not support continuing ACHD as it is redundant, wasteful and creates unnecessary rifts between valley communities.
Oct 22, 2014, 4:31 pm
If any of these ACHD candidates are asking for the endorsement of the Mayor, then the mayor has the right to see if they will support his position on ACHD. In that regard I do not see an issue.
Outside that framework, there are many pitfalls.
Oct 23, 2014, 9:06 am
At the BBP candidate meeting last night, it was brought up by Gary Richardson that the director and a few others now have golden parachutes for being let go without cause. It sounded like the director’s parachute would cost about $180,000 plus benefits.
Gary asked the candidates about what they thought about it and how they would handle it. One thought it was a drop in the bucket on $96 million budget. Another thought it may be un-Constitutional based on indebting a future commission.
Nov 18, 2014, 12:22 am
Is there some reason why the dipsticks at ACHD did not clear the roads on Friday and Saturday before it froze hard into this week-long mess we have now?