City Government

Time For Manifesto Logic, Leadership

The GUARDIAN will be the first to admit there were some good points included in the Transition team report entitled “A MORE EQUITABLE CITY FOR EVERYONE.” The report was requested by Mayor Lauren McLean of 18 citizens and staff she appointed.

When we posted the report and highlighted some of the more inflammatory items, the conservatives sent it viral. Radio talk show hosts, television stations, and the Idaho Freedom Foundation pounced on it–and rightly so.

When forced to publicly address the manifesto, McLean ignored the opportunity to tell us which points she endorsed and which ones she would ignore. Instead she waffled and said some points were not constitutional and the city had no authority over them. WHICH POINTS?

Clan McLean brought the mess upon themselves through a total lack of leadership. Team Dave, the Bieter Administration used to have oppresive “facilitators” guide the conversation at public meetings (to insure the outcome?). Perhaps in an attempt to be more “liberal” it appears this group was given little or no direction.

They just fired off a list of desires without regard to logic. Well intended, but ill informed. For instance, it is an established fact there are violent juveniles in our community–even killers. To seek closure of juvenile detention in favor of family based treatment sounds great, but we cannot put the dangerous juvenile felons in jail with adults and they are too dangerous to be with a family. Someone should have taken that item off the list.

Minimum wage is a state issue as is abortion. Those items should be addressed by the legislature. When you assert “state of Boise” authority over the legislature and declare independence from the U.S. government, that does little to foster inter governmental relations–regardless of which lobbyist you hire!

To end coordination with the U.S. Immigration agency sounds like the county commishes in Owyhee attempting such a move with the BLM. Not very fair and equitable when our governments are feuding over established law and We The People are taxed by both sides. Boise officials didn’t seem to turn down any of the trillions sent out by the Feds.

In summary, in these tough economic times a good look at the benefits of the Roosevelt administration’s WPA project and similar programs could serve the needy while benefitting society.

Comments & Discussion

Comments are closed for this post.

  1. This Bay Area Manifesto, and her willingness to do anything other than throw it in the trash and terminate this radical transition team, makes her unfit for office in our city. This is so far beyond the pale -making it clear she is precisely the sort of unhinged thinker that has taken other major US cities and utterly destroyed them. She needs to go, asap,

  2. Boisean Since Forever
    May 31, 2020, 10:29 am

    The Statesman says this is not a manifesto and urges people to calm down. Perhaps they are right, but it certainly is a liberal’s wish list. No one can dispute that it it is a trial balloon, and that the good folks at city hall were watching the reaction closely. It reminds one of a union negotiating team asking for the sun, moon and stars and then begrudgingly settling for the moon. I think it is downright charitable they are talking of raising property taxes “only” two percent while the Bieter group always took the maximum three per cent. The campfire song for this year is “California, Here I Come.”

  3. Recall and or impeach McLean! Cut the cancer out before it goes terminal. She tried to fire our Fire Chief for “personal reasons”. I say we fire her for “obvious reasons”.

  4. Dave,
    Thank you for helping expose this aspect of laurie and her mentor’s nefarious agendas. They threw so much “crap” out there, hoping that some might stick, that it is difficult to know which subversive ideas to refute first. I still need to take time to read her other manifestos to see what they are up to in thoose areas.

    You are spank on about their desire to molly coddle the juvenile criminals. Florida is just one of the more recent states to adopt this misguided handling of younger criminals. The young, deranged, diabloical Parkland mass murderer was the payoff for them.

    The same approach has fomented and enabled punk murderers rom kali to Colorado.

    Casmir and BSF are correct in their assessments.

    And for those of you educated on the left coast by those indoctrinators, laurie needs to be Recalled, not Impeached.

  5. …and you, Mr. Guardian, misinformed and not very well intended, chose to use the loaded term “manifesto” to characterize an effort to give voice to citizens who obviously have felt poorly represented by past city leadership, a feeling you yourself have often displayed.

    EDITOR NOTE–“Team Dave, the Bieter Administration used to have oppresive “facilitators” guide the conversation at public meetings (to insure the outcome?). Perhaps in an attempt to be more “liberal” it appears this group was given little or no direction.

  6. Ah the the “L-word.”
    Logic is a relative word. Yet our relatives never have any of it. ha!

    “We can not put juvenile felons in adult jail (prison)”? Why not? Who says that is not “logical”?
    They are FELONS! Many states allow juveniles in adult prisons/jails!

    Over 4,000 juveniles in adult facilities prove not everyone agrees: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/youth2019.html
    We could write about the racial disparity in those numbers, but that is another post (perhaps after MSP stops burning).

    Rid the detention center of dumb, petty-theft kids and get tough with those hard-core ‘dangerous’ youth. What are they called? Greasers????
    That sounds pretty RED to me. Let the parents deal with those punks! Not my tax dollars! MAGA.

    Laws aside, statistics say using LESS juvenile detentions systems actually results in LESS juvenile crime. Weird, but still logical. (ibid)
    Anyone want LESS juvenile crime? or is that only a thing for Democratic Socialists?

    I’m not advocating here. I’m just fact checking. 🙂

    EDITOR NOTE–Eastie, you are arguing with yourself. Idaho courts don’t allow juveniles to mix with adults. Make a point, but don’t troll please. The manifesto sought to CLOSE juvey detention, not reduce it. You create “greasers” then label it as red. Dial it back please. The post was an attempt at conciliation.

  7. Funny thing about statistics, Easterner. When you count less, the numbers go down. Weird, huh…? Well, maybe not so much when considered logically.

  8. Before we let our city go down the tubes, we should take a little trip down Lefty Lane in a Tale of 3 Cities.

    PLEASE WATCH and SHARE these….PLEASE

    Excellent documentaries by KOMO News who had a belly full of the BS and decided to do some real journalism, as opposed to the usual MSM players….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw

    https://komonews.com/news/project-seattle/a-tale-of-3-cities

  9. And since it’s a Sunday:
    Thoughts for the family of George Floyd. And let’s not forget Jack Yantis (Nov 1 2015).
    A court agreed with a 2.5 million settlement against Adams County for police misconduct and his wrongful death.
    It happens there. It DOES happen here too. So it can happen anywhere.

    “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” peace Y

  10. McLean had an opportunity to show herself as a great leader. At a time when many of her supporters are out of work or laid off she should have never gone for a 2% budget increase (then tell us that they could have gotten 3%). How about cutting the city budget like many of the voters have had to do with their budget? Maybe even the city council taking a 5% pay cut? Symbolic but would have looked better than a 2% budget raise.

    Then you would think someone would have told her that not only is the timing of this report not good….. but even in the best of times it would cause many people to gag.

    I’m hoping that this will be a learning lesson for our new young mayor, but I fear she will not recover from this. If I remember our honorable salons passed HB 413 with a 53-16 vote, to require cities over 100,000 people to divide their city into districts for city council elections. Not sure what happened to that bill… but it would appear that the make up of the Boise City Council could change. Our mayor many not have the support she now has…..

    JMHO

  11. western guy
    Jun 1, 2020, 10:23 am

    Likely every level of guv-ment could live with a 10% reduction of staff (after deciding which types and levels of services could be reduced) on a permanent basis.

  12. Eamonn Harter
    Jun 1, 2020, 7:42 pm

    The manifesto shows poor judgment on the part of McLean. She may not have been ready to take on the job of Mayor, because it seems she was clueless about how this document would be received. When you propose wild ideas that are outside of the domain of a city government or impossible to implement, it makes her look like an amateur at best. My advice to Lauren: remember who pays your salary.

  13. Porcupine: On March 25 the Governor of Idaho signed into law House Bill No. 413, which takes effect on July 1, 2020, requiring any city having more than 100,000 inhabitants to elect City Council representatives by a district voting system, just as members of the legislature and Congress are elected from districts.

    The issue of equitable representation of the citizens came forward this last session as the existing process of at-large elections, with all candidates running citywide, has failed to result in equal representation; five out of six City Councilors and the Mayor currently live within one-mile of each other near the center of the City (north and east ends).

    Just as Boise has expected its residents to accept change related to growth, the City’s election process also needs to adapt to this growth. The City of Boise will have to hold elections by district for the next City Council elections in November of 2021, that is unless they choose to spend taxpayer money to file a court case, which would simply demonstrate that they do not want the process to adapt to growth or to lessen their grip on power.

    The Ada County election data from last fall shows approximately 39.3% of registered Boise voters participated. I wonder if all those who are now complaining at least voted last fall?

  14. “currently live within one-mile of each other near the center of the City”

    HB413 — the point withstanding, that is not correct.
    Certainly those 5 may live ‘close’ and are in two primary areas, but it’s not A MILE.

    I can think of two that are 4 miles apart- so says THE MAP. Just FACT-CHECKING here.

    considering Boise is only 80 square miles and most of Boise is WITHIN 10 miles.
    Adn what is good for downtown is good for all of Boise/Idaho. $$$$
    From the Black Cliffs to Eagle Rd is 25 miles-
    And Eammon makes racist, semitic, and sexist comments while living in Eagle.
    So, council members within a few miles could be expected.
    And THAT bill was generated by someone not living in Boise.

  15. I don’t think ANYBODY would dispute that Idaho still remains one of “the reddest of the red” states (as described by former governor Otter).

    However, the Boise metro area (excluding Meridian and Eagle and points west) seems to be more purple, with pockets of bright blue. (I live in Legislative District 17, which is 100% “represented” by Democrats. And of course… the North End and East End…)

    So, here’s what I’m wondering.

    As the influx of people from other places like Gollyfornia, Seattle, etc. continues:
    – Are the majority of our new residents “conservatives” who are escaping from the liberal strongholds, anxious to embrace “red state values”?
    – Or, are they tried-and-true “liberals” who came here on account of a job opportunity or lower cost-of-living, but anxious to help us rustics become more “progressive”?

    (I ask that as a life-long Boise resident, and I put the oft-used labels in quotation marks, because hardly anybody is “pure conservative” or “pure liberal.” It’s a matter of degree. I liked what we had here in 1970, far more than what we have here in 2020. If the evolution is on account of being “progressive,” I’d like to put the brakes on… since we can’t send ’em back to where they came from. Can we?)

  16. It is correct that the legislator behind this bill did not live in Boise, but the concept, effort and energy for the bill was initiated by a citizen who resides in Boise. A citizen can’t just present a bill, so the next step required that an elected member of the legislature shepherd the citizen(s) concerns/issue through the process.

    Some additional explanation is needed regarding the statement in the post above that “five out of six City Councilors and the Mayor currently live within one-mile of each other near the center of the City (north and east ends)” This is an accurate statement that was used during the November 2019 election period and was based on the prior council membership, and when the reasoning and support for this bill was being sought.

    This was clearly shown on a map being used at that time, but this site does not allow one to post the map that was used to show this. “Within one-mile of each other” did not mean that they all lived within a single one-mile radius, it is that they each had another council member located within a mile distance from their own residence, and all were clustered within close proximity in the North and East End Neighborhoods. The wording used was not the best way to describe the proximity. Since the last election, the council membership still remains relatively close to the same proximal area, as the new member (Patrick) is in Hyde Park. Jimmy is slightly further away at the Crane Creek Country Club, a short distance from the North End Neighborhood up Bogus Basin road.

    EDITOR NOTE–Wonder if any councilors will move to the Bench in order to keep their seat.

  17. Why did laurie and her North end/Eastside cabal hire this Major General lee from Portland, another left coast bastion of failed policies, violent protests and decay?

    According to the reports of his “expertise,” in crowd control and counter terrorism, it would seem that he has been a key player in that city’s permissive and failed attitude toward destructive riots and lack of citizen protection.

    The general has apparently played significant roles in NOT controlling the anarchists in Portland. Why no outcry about his insertion into our area?

    Do you suppose he will bring some of those black shirted thugs with him or will they just migrate here on their own, like he is doing?

    I guess water, even effluent, seeks its own level. Nor would a cobra hire a mongoose to police her kingdom.

  18. I believe Captain Lee’s MIGRATION is not on his own. You and I will be paying his moving tab.
    I’m concerned that the Boise Police department didn’t have someone in the ranks capable of having been groomed into a captain’s position. It doesn’t say much of the quality of our public servants. Especially the elected ones.

  19. Labeling this as a “manifesto”…what a lazy attempt to spin an issue. Surprised you didn’t sprinkle “comrade” in there as well. Have a little more respect for your readers.

  20. We have to ask the question…the new mayor went police chief hunting from the start. Chief Bones didn’t last long. We’ve seen this pattern since Bieter went shopping for a new chief and found Masterson from Madison. Why? Why not hire a local, community bred BPD officer for our chief?

    The answer is that you only do this if you are building a cadre of ideological based cabinet sitters, with a special agenda. Portland did this, San Fran did this, Seattle did this. Look how mayor Garceti took a knee and is now going to defund and most likely DISBAND LAPD.

    How much longer before we hear City Hall contemplating disbanding BPD? It WAS a fav topic in Occupy Boise when I was involved. Once a crazy idea, now is gaining mainstream steam.

    Disbanding the police means MOB RULE, plain and simple.

  21. western guy
    Jun 7, 2020, 5:30 pm

    Chief Bones departed early (way too early for ‘retirement’) because there was a BPD Captain selling firearms out of his office. That Captain ‘retired’ and the Chief was collateral damage.

    Go back and read the stories in the Statesman.

    If you want incestuous behavior, keep hiring from within.

  22. New police chief is on the Council Agenda to be inducted tonight.

  23. Afraid of change?
    Jun 10, 2020, 11:32 am

    C’mon people, you can’t have it both ways. You complained that Bieter didn’t listen to the citizens and was out of touch, then you complain when McLean facilitates citizen input as she said she would do if elected (compare Editor statements above about Clan McLean v. Bieter Administration meetings). And the headline calling the input a Manifesto is one I’d expect from Fox News, not Dave Frazier. Dave, I have great respect for you…you’re a better writer than that. I’d suggest withholding judgment of McLean until we see what actions are taken, and not go spouting disproven conspiracy theories from FoxLand out of fear of change. The fact is the status quo stopped working for many of us long ago. We need to stop playing this us vs them, Lib vs Con, R vs. D, zero sum game and start listening to each other, having critical, honest and open discussions on how to balance and meet the needs of all people. By lifting up those around us, we make a better world for all, not just those with the money to buy their opportunities.

    EDITOR NOTE–We do NOT support recall efforts. I stand by “manifesto” per dictionary definition. It may sound “free” to give a committee no supervision and to consider all ideas. However, some things are illegal, unconstitutional or ill advised. We truly need to offer up some “wisdom” and not try to stiff arm the legislature and congress.

  24. “some things are illegal, unconstitutional, or ill-advised”.

    sounds like a loyalist in 1775.
    “Well, Mr. Jefferson, THAT idea is illegal.”

    I’m pretty sure THAT is how laws get changed- so the consensus is no longer illegal.
    The message (false labeled manifesto) is not to break the law– it is to change the law, change the policy, and change our ways, for the better for the community.

    As the note above says, some are ‘afraid of change’.

    Like childish, sexist Trump told a reporter in person “just relax” and “keep your voice down”.

    Boise will be just fine. 🙂

  25. Afraid of change: “By lifting up those around us, we make a better world for all, not just those with the money to buy their opportunities.”

    That sounds like it came from the “More Equitable City Committee”! Afraid… were you a member??
    (-;

    For those who are not schooled in the subtle language of “public service,” another way of saying that is, “The people who have money should give that money to the people who don’t have money. We’ll facilitate the exchange, deducting only our administrative expenses. Then the people who currently don’t have money, will have some money to buy some opportunities.”

    Editor – you really poked the ant pile when you chose “Manifesto,” comrade!!

  26. Zone 11 North
    Jun 10, 2020, 10:17 pm

    Eastie, Eastie, Eastie, what a fact checker you are. You have a unique view of the world – a street level view. Time to take to the air and get a bird’s eye view of the world. Have to wonder where you got your “facts” from. “The Map”? Pray tell, where is “The Map” to be found?

    Please enlighten us as to your claim that from the Black Cliffs to Eagle Rd is 25 miles. What is the intersection that intersects Eagle Rd to get that 25 mile figure? Is that 25 statute miles, 25 nautical miles, or maybe 25 kilometers?

    Also, please enlighten us about your comment that “most of Boise is WITHIN 10 miles.” Within 10 miles of what? In some cases, at least two, the City is about 20 nautical (air) miles long.

    According to a Boise City planner I spoke with the City is now about 85 square miles. Might want to update your information.

    As to your claim that the statement “…currently live within one-mile of each other near the center of the City” is incorrect is, in itself, incorrect. HB 413 was basically correct.

    The 2019 Boise City Council members and the then Mayor came primarily from East and North Boise – 5 Council members and the Mayor.

    The East End had two members (plus the then Mayor) who lived about a 1/2 nautical (air) mile apart at most. One Council member lived blocks from the Mayor, the other Council member about ½ a statute mile from the Mayor.

    The North end had three Council members. Two of the three lived within a couple of blocks of each other. The third lived within a ½ nautical mile (or about a statute mile) of the other two.

    So when one draws that magical one nautical mile radius around those 5 Council members and the then Mayor, they all lived within that one air mile radius hence the statement “within one-mile of each other” is basically correct. Perhaps phrasing like “within a one-mile radius” would have made things clearer. Not a hard concept to understand.

    The statement that those individuals lived “… near the center of the City” is also correct. Whether you measure by nautical or statue miles all those 2019 individuals lived approximately one mile from City Hall. Some a bit more, some a bit less but generally within a mile (nautical or statute) of City Hall.

    In 2019 elected political power in Boise resided in the East and North Ends. In 2020 that power (5 of 7 officials) shifted to the North End and The Highlands which some consider part of the North End. Oh, and that radius, it’s now about 2 nautical miles max. Probably less.

    That concentration of power is one reason why HB 413 (the bill itself, not the writer) became law. The City had the authority to use election by district since, I believe, 1984, but chose not to use it. Now they don’t have a choice.

    Just the facts Eastie, just the facts.

  27. Afraid of change?
    Jun 11, 2020, 3:02 pm

    Dave, it was also illegal at one time for a woman to vote or own property. That didn’t make it right. It used to be illegal to drive over 55. That changed. People and societies change, and it takes a while for the laws to catch up while you work through the legislative process and naysayers. Just because it’s illegal or has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it still works well or is right. So if new ideas or change are needed to meet present societal conditions, you solicit input and sift through to find what you can work with and what you can’t.
    I do disagree with your use of manifesto. I did not view the report as a public policy document or a declaration of a government’s intended actions. It was a report. But see, that’s what is great about a democracy – we all have the ability to think for ourselves and voice our differing opinions. With respect 🙂

  28. Afraid of change?
    Jun 11, 2020, 3:27 pm

    Bikeboy, no, not a committee member or Northender, just an average dog mom, cyclist and yogi with an open heart. Your definition of “public service” is not what I meant. It’s not about taking money from one to give to another, and I’m not super big on just handing out money; I prefer a handup over a handout. I meant, take the time and effort to critically think about and discuss what present society needs, and then do something about it. Run for office instead of criticizing those who do, or volunteer on a local citizen board. Fill the gas tank or pantry of somebody out of work. Teach English to refugees and learn to cook their food in exchange. Spend $10 more at your locally owned store than on Amazon. Simple things to help each other out. We’ve become so individualistic, so intent on stacking that pile o’cash, that we’ve forgotten how to work together as a community. But does it sometimes take money and government programs to lift someone out of poverty or addiction? Yes. As Dave referenced, something along the lines of the WPA (or CETA, when I was a kid) would be a great start. Help people struggling in these tough times get an education, a job, somewhere to call home, find meaning in their life, and they become a productive member of society and eventually give back. I’ve seen it happen time and again. In doing so you’ve helped not just them, but their future family members and our community as a whole. And it’s much cheaper in the long run than incarceration or our current government programs that simply perpetuate the cycles of brokenness. I don’t know what the right answer is. But I’m out there helping to find it in my own way. 🙂

  29. Western guy
    Jun 11, 2020, 6:10 pm

    I miss Dave and the power brokers in the North & East end.

  30. Boise is screwed. We were screwed with Bieter who was a puppet for the CCDC and a legend in his own mind, and now we are screwed with McLean who is a puppet of the SJW’s who have infiltrated Boise. Her so-called transition advisors were almost ALL adovocates for the very same feel-good garbage that has been the ruination of every great city in the U.S. Now she is going to import a police Chief from one of the most radical, hard left cities in the U.S. – Portland. Where criminals run rampant in their downtown district unabated. I have lived in Boise for 50 years and am getting out while the getting is good before the liberal locusts finish taking it down permanently. I’ll be somewhere else before that happpens. Good luck, most of you don’t know what’s coming down the pike.

  31. A clarification about a previous (June 10) snide remark:

    I am FULLY supportive of community support for underprivileged and poverty-stricken and otherwise “challenged” citizens… however, I regret that over the space of a couple generations, it’s evolved from voluntary support extended by family, friends, church, etc. to a taxpayer-funded government entitlement, with no emotional reward for generosity, and not much room for gratitude from the recipients.

  32. So, as many of you might be aware of the world’s newest nation, CHAZ or as some call it, Antifastan…I can tell you that as one who joined Occupy Boise in its beginnings and gave it a chance, I will state that the very reasons why I left is precisely that it began to emulate the anarchist folly that we see in Seattle and elsewhere. It began as an attempt to address legit issues and quickly descended into the identitarian hell that it became.

    And now, the PC Bolsheviks are running this “revolution” that is gaining steam. City “leaders” are acquiescing in rapid fashion. The rules governing these enclaves are like electric diodes, the path only goes one way….deeper in. Rethinking strategy is tantamount to ceding ground back to their perception of the establishment, which is so ironic because our establishment has become a snake that eats its own tail.

    Taxes have already been levied on CHAZ businesses and at some point, great demands will be placed on residents. People there are going to learn what the Soviet system that they MIGHT have read about in school looked like. They are begging for resources to be shipped from outside the CHAZ. They used up all the available food. When do they begin demanding residents’ for their food? When do they demand a catalog of personal property to be submitted to the CHAZ resource committee? When do they demand all grass lawns be converted to gardens? How many will that feed?

    Are there groups in Boise ready to replicate the same here?

    Animal Farm wasn’t supposed to be a How To manual.

  33. The only way Boise can save itself from what’s going on in Portland and Seattle is for Boise residents to hold the new Mayor, the new Police Chief, and the City Council’s feet to the fire and say no. Whether people want to believe it or not, Antifa and other anarchist groups are already here. They are just gathering and waiting. Ask yourself why did those other cities get that way? By pandering to the lowest common denominator of society. I am not against affordable housing (if it’s done correctly) and some other things. But anything that tries to turn Boise into a sanctuary for homeless or illegals or anarchist groups is a complete non-starter in my book. As I said previously I’m leaving anyway because Boise will fall prey to these things eventually, but in the meantime the elected officials running the city needs to be held to a lot higher standard than they ever have been.

  34. bikeboy, good point of the family, friends, church changing over the generations.

    people no longer live near their parents and grandparents. Everyone can use help from a grandma.

    friends are more temporary with all the relocations due to employment.

    and people have seen the light to turn away from churches.

    Just look how many commenters on here are from California. Are they guilty and the cause of your point?

    And so we have evolved to use government to do things our social networks ‘used to do’ more of? Is that true?

    Let’s look back:

    In the 1930’s, were people “voluntary support[ed] by extended family, friends, church, etc????
    That was generations ago.
    And yet, the “pre-socialism” society still failed (before social security & medicare, and SNAP, and city shelters). Race wars and social injustice were rampant in the US in the 40 and 50s too (back in the days good ol days?)- people went to church on Sunday and still behaved like trds Monday thru Saturday.
    So what is the change you regret?

    INSTEAD, we’re actually getting better IMO. 🙂
    we have a long way to go– sharing. caring. empathy. equality.
    Yesterday’s Court ruling is an example of moving in the right direction (even if some churches disagree). Amen!

  35. Afraid of Commies, not Change
    Jun 16, 2020, 4:59 pm

    A putrid manifesto from a small group of greedy power mongers who knows what’s best for the rest of us. Bolsheviks! They see themselves and superior and the masses as inferior. The farther along their group thinking ferments the more it becomes like a farmer and livestock relationship. Our lives, that these golden few claim to care so much about, will have no value to them if we push out of our designated corral.

    Clearly the nation is suffering idiots on all sides. It’s hard to watch the utter stupidity coming from supposed smart people. Boise becoming a little mini-me of Portland is not a surprise. The cleanest way for the average guy to get the message through to Boise leaders is to minimize money spent in Boise. No need to announce intentions, just avoid Boise as much as possible. Would be nice to see Boise business owners move to someplace more appreciative of what it takes to be a successful small business.

    Governor and Legislature, you too can help by making annexation law tougher and area of impact taxes impossible. Striping money away from more and more people is the only way these liberal cities can survive. Many big US cities collect taxes an hour’s drive outside the city limit to fund their failed city states. Please use the State power to stand in their way before these schemes come to Idaho. And it’s past due for the State to put a cap on municipal utility fees.

  36. “INSTEAD, we’re actually getting better IMO. 🙂
    we have a long way to go– sharing. caring. empathy. equality.
    Yesterday’s Court ruling is an example of moving in the right direction (even if some churches disagree). Amen!”

    Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

  37. Glad to see our Mayor came to her senses and not go for a 2% tax increase…. but any bets on a claw back coming in future years when this is all over?

  38. Budget Shenanigans?
    Jun 20, 2020, 11:28 pm

    If the Mayor and Council truly support tax relief by not taking the 3% budget increase, then they need to make this choice mean something permanent by passing a Resolution to not “claw-back” any of the 3% in future years. This is allowed by State law. Otherwise this is just a temporary reprieve that will bite harder the second time around.

    EDITOR NOTE–You are totally correct. Problem is a sitting council cannot make a binding resolution for future elected officials. Only the citizens have that right, as in spending matters like a bond debt. The answer is at the legislature.

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