City Government
Property Taxes Likely To Rise
Despite the nationwide decline in housing sales–and the subsequent value of homes–it is likely 2008 will bring a property tax increase. Here’s why. Ada Assessor Bob McQuade tracks local sale prices and has appraisers in the field on a daily basis. He predicts the valuations will be pretty much flat. Some of the “McMansions” may […]
Handler Idea Canned For Now
We have to pass along an “attaboy” to Team Dave for their decision to not fill a “position” created last June for a lobbyist coordinator. The Daily Paper reported last week that Ryan Hill–Dave Bieter’s campaign manager–was the lead contender for the job. The GUARDIAN blasted the idea, saying the winners of the recent city […]
Mayor Hotline November 24 to 30
11/27/07 Vance Air Quality Summit: This message is for Mayor Bieter. I’m calling in response to the Air Quality Summit. I’m not able to attend the meeting but I would certainly like to contribute a brief input if I may. Obviously I’m as upset about the air quality as anybody else and desire to have […]
Team Dave To Get Handler
Boise’s mayor and two city councilors recently got reelected, but apparently they aren’t up to the job. Now they are looking for someone to do what elected leaders in other Idaho cities do as part of their jobs… like maintain relationships with state and federal agencies and elected officials. Within the past year Team Dave […]
THOU SHALT NOT POLLUTE
We find ourselves a bit fed up with the inability of the politicos to do much more than talk about our dirty air for fear of discouraging growth. It may take some political will–not found today, but the proposed GUARDIAN LAW will stop out-of-county polluters. The GUARDIAN LAW will be real simple: “THOU SHALT NOT […]
Air Quality Talk Will Create Hot Air
Plan on a lot of HOT air when folks discuss BAD air at a “Town Hall” meeting Tuesday at 7p.m. in the council chamber of Boise City. Experts from all the local planning, air quality, and highway agencies will each give presentations. If they follow the usual protocol, the politicos and bureaucrats will spew their […]
Ape Out Polls City Candidates
The GUARDIAN has come up with a solution for the pitiful turnout in the recent lackluster City Elections–get a bunch of monkeys to run. Zoo Boise had just one such candidate in a recent election–a little female gibbon–and she garnered nearly twice as many votes as any of the candidates in the other city election […]
City Land Deals Raise Warning Flags
Since its inception the GUARDIAN has urged Boise City to get the heck out of the land speculation and development business. A recent story by Kathleen Kreller with a headline “BOISE AIMS TO PAY FOR BRANCH LIBRARIES WITH LAND SALE would make it appear the politicos have seen the light and will let the private […]
Mayor Hotline Nov 3 to 9
DOGS, PARKING, BUSES, TRAINS 11/5/07 Judy Peavey-Derr 199 N. Capitol Blvd. # 1005 Boise, ID 83702 Animal Control: Tonight, which is Monday night; I was walking my dogs in front of the Red Feather Café or Restaurant. My dogs are little; they’re West Highland Terrier and a Lasa Apso, weighing no more than 20 lbs. […]
Police K-9 Has Bad Taste
A convicted druggie at the Idaho Pen is looking for $1 million from the Boise PD just because a police dog chomped his cajones while he had his hands cuffed behind his back. He would probably have ENJOYED a Taser in retrospect. No doubt the new U.S. Attorney General would have no problem if your […]
Mayor Hotline Oct 27 to Nov 2
CLOSED BRIDGES, PARKING AT AIRPORT, CODE ENFORCEMENT 11/1/07 Stuart Cooper 2609 Woody Dr. Boise, ID Greenbelt Closure: I’m calling to comment on all the bridges that access the Greenbelt between Veterans Park and the Greenbelt have been closed with fencing. No explanation, no signs, nothing to tell you which way to go, who did it, […]
Ambiguous Eagle Vote Law
UPDATED VERSION If one of our reader’s concerns turns out to be true, the city of Eagle is playing sloppy with the election process and Saundra McDavid may have a claim to the office of mayor. Idaho law leaves the conduct of local elections up to the local jurisdictions within general guidelines. Such is the […]
Follow The Money Trail
The GUARDIAN editor is working in Mexico at the moment–voted absentee prior to departure. We have had several requests to urge people to vote and this just came in. “It is too bad more mention is not made of the fact that you can get the list of campaign contributions off the city site. With […]
City Mum On Financing Vision
Boise City Councilor Alan Shealy should be proud of his Planning and Zoning Department for being “pro-active” with the color drawing and unquestioning text on the front page of the Daily Paper Tuesday. The city has put forth a major planning effort in the area of 30th Street between State and Fairview for the past […]
Lackluster Boise Election Part Two
The GUARDIAN story last week about the low interest Boise City election caused folks at City Hall to scramble–probably when we posted the blank “Candidate Profile” page from the Clerk’s site. VISIT TODAY and the site is crammed with data from all the incumbents and only one challenger, Council candidate Steve Kimball. If you don’t […]
Mayor Hotline October 13 to 19
WHY IS EVERYBODY PICKING ON ME?, SPEEDING FUND RAISER, PARK N PARK 10/16/07 Arlen Potts 10921 Montana Ave. Boise, ID 83713 JD Park towing: I’m calling in regards to the towing of BSU tailgaters from Julia Davis Park. It seems to me that the Parks Department has gutted the citizens of Boise again and I’m […]
ELECTION! What Election? Who Cares?
To call the upcoming Boise City election LACKLUSTER is an understatement. With the exception of the Bieter-Tibbs yawner for mayor, there is no interest…from the mainstream, the candidates, or the city officials. The campaign payoff (contribution) page is difficult to find, but with enough clicks we found PDF files among seven years of candidates and […]
Wanna Pay For 200 Jobs?
We admit it isn’t real sexy, but the GUARDIAN is not comfortable with the way Team Dave is managing the City land holdings and real estate speculation. The latest cause for concern evolves around a political announcement by Team Dave that WinCo would build a 700,000 square foot “distribution center” adjacent to a big block […]
Transit Sounds Good, Costs Too Much
By Ronald M. Harriman GUARDIAN READER Your legislators will be asked this year to allow a local option tax for transit in the Treasure Valley. The transit plan proposed by the local Idaho transit folks is $1.2 Billion dollars over the next 20 years, probably funded with sales taxes. It SOUNDS good…”it will clean […]
Liars And Perverts Are Usually Forgiven
A RANT BASED ON NEWS OF THE PAST FEW DAYS–PLEASE ADD YOUR FAVORITES OR PREACH FORGIVENESS Larry Craig and the people who want to place him in the Idaho Hall of Fame cheapen the “honor” for all who follow. Sandy Berger, who stole highly classified documents from the National Archives, and lied to investigators, is […]
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