City Government
Sen./Councilor Jordan Blocks Bieter, Favors Otter On F-35 Cash
April 23, 2017 
In the latest round of documents obtained from Boise City by the GUARDIAN, it was revealed that Councilor Maryanne Jordan worked behind the scenes to oppose Mayor Dave Bieter’s request for $100,000 to promote the F-35 coming to Boise.
Rather than publicly vote against Bieter, Jordan privately expressed her misgivings about approving Bieter’s request for up to $100K for Greg Kiley’s lobbying services in Washington. That prompted this exchange between Jade Riley, Bieter’s chief of staff to Airport Director Rebecca Hupp:
“It sounds like Maryanne is concerned about spending the $ on the lobbyist for F-35 mission. She is requesting that we defer the item tonight so that we can chat offline and put it back on for April 4th for action. Can we live with that timing?”
The item was deferred again April 4 and one news report seemed to indicate there was no future plan scheduled to publicly decide on the expenditure.
When Intergovernmental Affairs Director for the City of Boise, Amber Pence, asked Airport Director Hupp if Kiley & Associates was still NOT hired, Hupp responded saying, “Correct, we removed the item from the Council agenda because we only had 4 councilors at the last meeting.” (Hupp sounds to be more in charge of the council agenda than some of the councilors).
More concerning to the GUARDIAN is a series of communications between Hupp and Kiley planning their attack to get the F-35 effort off the ground as it were. He is either working without pay and outside the approval of the City Council, or there is another source of revenue undisclosed at present.
Ironically, Councilor Jordan moonlights as a Democratic State Senator where she was counted among those who voted without objection to appropriating $100,000 for Republican Governor Butch Otter to work on the F-35 project.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Apr 21, 2017, 2:38 pm
Well I’m glad she had concerns over spending the City money, which is interesting because the city usually spends money like it’s free, which I guess it is to them. I just wish there had been some transparency on the record at the time. Everyone marching in lockstep is not helpful.
Apr 21, 2017, 2:53 pm
Boise Idaho as with all other cities has the best government lobbyists can buy.
Most citizens don’t realize that these cartels of lobbyists are also the largest recipients of taxpayer dollars. the cartel feeds off approval of development & construction contracts.projects be they good or bad for the community.
The F-35 lobbyist cartel stands to make many millions off the destruction F-35 noise will have on thousands of homes, schools & businesses that will be rendered as uninhabitable by EPA nose standards.
If victims elect to stay in the valley they will need to relocate & build in another location.
Inappropriate developments that would be equally damaging to neighborhoods in our community have been halted legally without spending one cent in legal fees.
Our wins been accomplished by convincing our opponents that we had the community support & legal standing in-hand to bankrupt them if they elected to proceed & trash our community….
Several years of mock F-35 hearing have gone by without any support to unite our valley’s neighborhood associations behind a strategy that has the lawful clout to control the predators in our swamp. Sad.
Chuck Thomas
Board member, South Cole Neighborhood Assn.
Apr 21, 2017, 2:56 pm
On Tuesday, February 09, 2010 City Boise Council passes resolution supporting the F-35 in Idaho. The vote was unanimous in favor of bringing the Air Force mission to the state. At that time, up to 72 of these planes would be based at Gowen.
The economy was dark and gloomy. Property values were falling, bankruptcies were soaring. Attracting military money seemed like one of the few opportunities to pursue regardless of the cost to those who’d be negatively affected. The City of Boise is willing to take as many of these jets as they can get. It doesn’t matter how loud it would be.
2015: BOI Airport spends $350,000 for a noise study, but doesn’t include the F-35 in the final model despite the behind the scene efforts to attract the jets, nor do they include the public in the process (other than you could comment after the fact for FAA review).
TODAY: BOI Airport seems to be working with a DC PR firm to attract attention to Boise as viable location for F-35 mission. It’s not clear who’s paying for it? ZING!
So how loud are they? Can we get a sample???
Mayor says: “The City of Boise has no say over what aircraft can or cannot fly in and out of Gowen Field, and this includes the possibility of having an F-35 visit Gowen so residents can hear the noise it makes.” … “It is important to keep in mind that the decision about any long-term flying mission for Gowen Field will be made by the U.S. Air Force and their decision making process will include a significant amount of public input opportunities. We are many months, if not years, away from any final decisions being made, which will include the official impacts that such a mission would have on surrounding neighborhoods.”
So we are told to WAIT, b/c YOU will have your say but we’ll tell you about the official impacts later after we’ve been selected.
Sound reasonable?
If you ask the AIR FORCE, they’ll say it’s a local issue.
Circular enough to be called a three ring circus for sure.
Thanks Boise City for working to making us SO LIVABLE.
Apr 21, 2017, 8:48 pm
Let’s thank Marianne Jordan, whatever her motivations may have been.
It is becoming obvious that Airport Director Hupp is driving the process of bringing F-35 to Boise, while telling the public that she has no control over it.
EDITOR OTE–We agree on the Kudos to Councilor Jordan. In defense of Director Hupp, she is working for “the folks downtown.” It takes more than one to make “we.”
Apr 21, 2017, 9:19 pm
Humm… I wonder if Idaho City airport is large enough for the F-35 missions. We would take them in a heart beat.
Apr 22, 2017, 10:01 am
Could this be because she was concerned about the “Appearance” of the City spending $100,000 on this One Man Shop lobby firm – and was savvy enough to understand that it would ultimately undermine the City’s quest for bringing home the bacon on ear-splitting noise – in the court of public opinion? Or are there cracks starting to show in the Council over the F-35s?
Apr 22, 2017, 5:58 pm
Who airport director Hupp ‘works for’: technically she works for the Boise Airport Commission, but… the Mayor (probably with Council approval) appoints the airport commissioners. From airport website:
Charged with overseeing the Boise Air Terminal and providing for the orderly and efficient administration and operation of that facility.
Meeting: First Thursday of the month at 8:30 a.m. in the Salmon River Room, unless otherwise noted.
Total Members: 7 Members (one nominated by Idaho National Guard; one member residing in the Area of Impact and one member may reside outside the Area of Impact of Boise in an area affected by operation of a regional Airport)
Apr 22, 2017, 9:17 pm
Good for Maryanne!
Bad non-vote in the senate, where an objection probably would have been interesting but futile. Good move on council if it sticks.
The the cost of bringing an F-35 mission to Boise should be a new airport out in the desert.
Apr 24, 2017, 12:07 pm
Rabula- We have an airport out in the desert. We call it Mountain Home AFB. It also already has a buffered area to reduce noise pollution effects on the population.
Apr 24, 2017, 2:37 pm
I see Nampa Mayor Bob Henry has come out in favor of the F-35 landing in Boise. Since he is slated to be Compass head honcho next year you have to wonder if he isn’t just sucking up to Bieter.