City Government
More Poop Farm Charges
Another former Boise City employee has been charged with criminal activity related to the scandal at the Twenty Mile South “Poop Farm.” Bradley G. Holmes is charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly “splitting invoices” for eight tractor tires. He has entered a not guilty plea. City purchasing regulations require bids for items worth more than […]
Drowning In Bureaucracy
Looks like the GUARDIAN is forced to take back all the NICE THINGS we said about Boise Parks. See Swimming Upstream. Last week we chided the Statesman a bit for the play they gave a story about a fallen tree blocking the Boise River, but not doing anything about getting signs posted to warn cold […]
Swimming Upstream
The GUARDIAN had a chance to meet all the new brass at the Statesman Thursday for a sneak peek at the new graphics they plan to unveil after tax day in April. We chided them about favoring form over substance noting the lead news story in the local section was about a tree falling in […]
Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil
Tuesday the GUARDIAN received copies of the Boise Public Works newsletter from three sources. All three were probably employees of the department and expressed concernes about a message from the PW director. People are so spooked that one copy was FAXED from KINKOS, one came from a blind e-mail account (they actually retyped the text […]
Evolution: Humans to Monkeys, Chimps, Gorillas
In the realm of Southwest Idaho Cities, Boise stands head and shoulders above the rest as the “800 pound gorilla” with the “chimpanzees” of Meridian and Nampa growing up fast. During the past 10 years as Boise City swung through the suburban jungle unchallenged, it intimidated the surrounding areas and annexed thousands of acres of […]
Poop Plant Perks Popped
Should Boise Public Works Department employees be allowed to use city-owned tools and equipment for their own personal and business projects? Is it ethical for city department supervisors to HIRE subordinates to work in off duty moonlighting jobs? The practice has the potential of subordinates being “favored” at their city job or “intimidated” into helping […]
Auditor! What Auditor?
Boise city councilor Vern Bisterfeldt has previously declared the internal auditor was, “worth his weight in gold.” Trouble is we don’t have an auditor and none is on the horizon at present. The office of internal auditor was set up in the wake of the scandal surrounding former mayor Brent Coles. Coles, and two city […]
Continuing Sagas
NEIGHBORS WIN ROUND ONE WITH QUASAR Boise’s Planning and Zoning Commission sided up with existing residents Monday when they rejected plans for a 119 feet tall building in an area zoned for 45 feet structures. Quasar Development was attempting to get permission to build the tower on Park Boulevard near Walnut. existing resents and East […]
More Poop On Sewer Plant
Insiders tell us there have been some “come to Jesus” meetings with about half of Boise’s employees, including those at the Public Works Department’s sewage treatment facilities. These group ethics training sessions were prompted by the scandals during the previous city administration which saw several leaders go to jail. To his credit, Mayor Dave Bieter […]
State To Study Detox Panel
Looks like there is hope, however slim, for some sort of detox treatment at the state level after the legislature forms its own interim committee to examine the failed efforts of the Department of Health and Welfare. The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee suggested a joint committee be formed to determine what needs to be done […]
Boise Mayor Charms Local Governments
“LOOKS LIKE WE GOT A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE” Recent news reports sound like Boise’s mayor may have attended the “Rumsfeld-Cheney School of Charm.” The mayor’s recent track record for making friends would qualify him as an honor student at that institution. Here are some of the memorable items: –DETOX center fell apart after city council […]
Local Governments Need Scrutiny
Ada commishes approved plans for the SunCor Development planned community off Highway 55 north of Eagle a month ago and now the City of Boise is taking them to court over the decision. Mayor Dave Bieter has opposed the project from the beginning–now he knows how it feels to be ignored by local government officials! […]
Boise City Land Speculators
Defeat of the Boise Library bond was a perfect example of WHY we need bond elections to keep the local government leaders in check. Mayor Dave Bieter now wants to sell off excess city property, get private funding and build store front library branches WITHOUT a tax increase or a bond. Great idea! He should […]
Boise Not Good Enough?
City and County officials from across the Treasure Valley are poised to meet with “Business Leaders” and the Chamber of Commerce for an annual gathering which gives attendees exclusive access to elected officials. This group of cheerleaders strives for economic vitality in the Boise area. They have economic development teams, they push tourism and convention […]
Mother of All Skinny Houses
First it was those ubiquitous (for you non-library types that is “ever present”) skinny in-fill houses and now a developer is aiming for the MOTHER OF ALL SKINNY HOUSES with a 194 feet tall tower only 30 feet wide. Big spread on the business page of the Statesman newspaper Sunday cheerleading a proposed skyscraper which […]
Library Types To Try Again
We noticed a Statesman story by Brad Hem says that despite voter denial of a $38 million library bond, proponents plan to offer up another version…soon. Some alternatives were discussed at a Wednesday meeting of the library board: –Rerun the same losing proposal –Smaller branches in strip malls –Seek private funding to reduce the bond […]
GUARDIAN News Briefs
–Former Gov. Phil Batt sees Guv Dirk’s highway building plan for what it is–borrowing into the future on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Legislators are also concerned about the GARVEE bonds which are to be paid by future federal gas taxes. Much of annual highway budget is eaten up by debt service. –The […]
Detox…Just Do It!
Ada County needs a drug and alcohol detox treatment facility–no question about it. Who will pay, provide treatment, and administer the badly needed facility is a big question. Ada commishes were pushing the city for a commitment to repay half of $35,000 from United Way. United Way recognizes the need for a detox center, but […]
Poop Plants Proffered
Boise’s Public Works Department continues to fail the smell test with new revelations to the GUARDIAN involving the sale of “poop pumps and ponds.” Seems the manager of a Boise sewage treatment plant moonlights selling–would you believe–sewage treatment plants. We understand from confidential sources the new system just opened at the City of Star was […]
Voters Say “NO” to Library Scheme
The Boise library bond failed for only one reason–not enough people voted for it! As a cobbled together proposal with plenty of meddling by the Boise mayor and council, it was doomed from the beginning. And the timing couldn’t have been worse with taxpayers outraged at government in general and a bigger school bond looming […]
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