The GUARDIAN has long advocated creating an agricultural-based historical park on the site which could serve as an educational destination venue. We will roll out our plan which so far has received no reception from past or present commishes. Please offer your sentiments.

OCTOBER 3, 2017 REPOST

All you developers and politicians better keep your greedy hands off the Western Idaho Fairgrounds because it belongs to us–the people of Ada County.

If there are any changes they should be along the lines of an “agriculture heritage park” preserving the past in a manner which will educate today’s children and adults. It will provide a hands on experience for students and give us all a peek into the proud agricultural heritage of rural Idaho.
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Given the numbers of farmers who have curtailed their farm activities for economic, social, and geriatric reasons, there is a wealth of expertise in the area of milking cows, planting crops, horse shoeing, threshing grain, fixing tractors, feeding goats, and tending chickens.

With a vote of the citizens and through donations, we could finance a demonstration farm with authentic barns, sheds and farm houses–plenty are being demolished to make room for the hordes seeking to live shoulder-to-shoulder with their neighbors in what was once rural Ada County.

Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, Greenfield Village near Detroit, The LBJ Ranch in Texas are all historic parks which preserve our heritage and provide an educational experience for young and old alike with historic demonstration farms and they are big tourist attractions.

The oft-maligned state of Mississippi has a wonderful “southern town” heritage park adjacent to the state fairgrounds in Jackson. It has a general store, church, gas station with a hand pump, and all that exemplified life in the deep south about 1900.
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With a little excavation, the high water table at the race track could serve as a superb urban fishery. The Idaho Historical Society has several turn of the century structures which would be a valuable contribution to an authentic Idaho farmstead. Toss in a blacksmith, a small sawmill, some steam engines, antique farm equipment and you have a first class year round educational attraction with working demonstrations on a rotating basis.

If anything is changed or developed at Ada County’s fairground site it should be for the benefit of every citizen in the county and not aimed to benefit politicians and developers. Traditionally county fairs provided a common link between urban and rural life. What better way to make that link permanent than with an historic theme park?

Before the developers and other special interest groups get their hands on our fairgrounds, the people need to make their voices heard in support of a park-like venue with something for everyone.

The horse races have proven to be an endless round of scandals, lawsuits, and a drain on public resources for the pleasure of a dwindling few. With our new farm park we can give youngsters the opportunity to take a wagon ride behind real “horsepower.”

And yes, there is room for a hotel AND God forbid a convention center!

They have a novel approach these days called DEMOCRACY…these folks want the city mothers and fathers to seek permission before they build high ticket items like a library or ball park.

The GUARDIAN has long advocated straight forward measures like ballot questions in lieu of the numerous convoluted financial schemes used by local governments to avoid binding elections.

Here is the entire text of the press release:
We need to work together in this challenging time of unprecedented Boise growth and a public vote on what may be the two biggest public projects in Boise City history will help. A new group, “Boise Working Together” is forming to encourage and support efforts to include everyone in these very important decisions.
The group is proposing two initiatives for a “Certificate of Review” for Boise City review and public comment. The initiatives propose a public vote on the Stadium and the Library. They must be reviewed by the City for 20 days before advocates can gather the 5000 signatures necessary to put them on the ballot in 2019. About 75 people signed the initial “Certificate of Review” request.
Advocates hope Boise will put them on the ballot and avoid the need to gather signatures.
“No one should fear public participation. It should be embraced,” says Erica Benson who is helping with the project. Representative John Gannon (D-17) said, “Growth is changing Boise and this public discussion will let us know where the people of Boise want our City to go. Let’s talk about it. Lets debate. Let’s vote.”
The group of supporters include long time North End activist Mark Baltes who said: “We should be very clear: No one is trying to end either project. The initiatives require only a majority vote, and an election can be held at any of the four election times so when a plan is in place it can be promptly presented to voters. Voters have approved well planned foothills levies and fire and school bonds.”
Gannon said, “We saw how public votes on horse racing and Medicaid energized voters and volunteers and resulted in a huge and vibrant turnout last November 7. People were engaged and talking to each other for once. And when the votes were counted, two long standing very contentious issues were pretty much resolved. What could be better?”
Boise Bench advocate Dave Kangas noted Boise voters voted twice on the $10 million levy or open space purchases “and we have had bond elections in the past for fire stations and parks. This process is not unusual. Voter participation should be the norm and its fair because only a majority vote is required.”

Here is the official press release from Ada County:The Board of Ada County Commissioners (BOCC) received notice from Treasure Valley Racing on Friday, November 30, 2018 that they will not be renewing their lease at Les Bois Park.

Future plans for the racetrack and Turf Club are unknown at this time. The BOCC will be meeting with the Director of Expo Idaho in the coming weeks to discuss options. Any major decisions will be passed to the new BOCC. Diana Lachiondo, Commissioner-elect District 1 and Kendra Kenyon, Commissioner-elect District 3 will take office on January 14, 2019.

We have been seeking development of a historical “Destination Venue” at the track featuring a turn of the century farm with horses, barns, wagon and carriage rides, old tractors, etc. We feel this would be great to teach the history of Idaho agriculture as well as serving as a fun place to visit. Currently there isn’t much more than the Old Pen to attract visitors attending the many conventions booked in Boise each year.

This was the race for governor, but it was similar for most races.

Think about it. Is it religion, schools, trees, income levels? How are like minded people grouped in such a tight geographical area?

The GUARDIAN was glad to see the developers and contractors wasted their profits supporting the unfair vehicle fee hike which would have raised registration fees 70% while exempting those over 8,000 pounds. Now it is time for the legislature to come up with a law that will allow ACHD to tax ALL vehicles in a fair manner to fund the growth created by local governments.

Unless there are some political appointments, Ada County Commishes Jim Tibbs and Dave Case have ended their political partnership after losing elections to women. Tibbs was ousted by Diana Lachiondo, a staffer in Mayor Dave Bieter’s office. She will be joined by Kendra Kenyon who beat Sharon Ullman. Ullman won over Case in the primary.

One of the big items to face the new commissioners will be the fate of Les Boise Park at the fair grounds. Voters soundly defeated a measure to legalize “historical racing” slot-machine. If claims by supporters are true, horse racing is dead at Les Bois.

Finally, the biggest winners in this huge election were the TV and radio stations. They made millions of dollars airing all the ads.

Today’s “official versions” of local events really need to be compared to ALL the facts. Here is a sample of Tuesday’s events.

First off we got a PRESS RELEASE from the Community Planning Association (COMPASS) declaring the multi-county board of local governments had endorsed the ACHD proposed ballot measure to raise vehicle registration fees for Ada County cars, but not for vehicles over 8,000 lbs. Tom Dale, a Canyon County Commish, is chairman of COMPASS and he was quoted favoring the fee hike.

We noted he favored a fee hike in Ada even with the unfair language exempting heavy trucks. Upon talking with Dale, we learned he really “favored letting people vote, but apparently that included endorsing the fee hike–not just having a vote.” He said there was no need for an extra vehicle registration fee in Canyon.

Then, we learned from other sources that the entire ACHD board favors the GUARDIAN proposal to charge ALL vehicles and not just the small cars to pay the fee. In fact, there has been some pretty intense back room work on the part of legislators of both parties as well as ACHD commishes to “getter’ done.”
So much for voting to tax only Ada passenger vehicles. Our point? The COMPASS endorsement is premature and probably not needed if our sources are correct.

Later, along comes an ADA COUNTY RELEASE claiming the commishes approved a 2019 budget just shy of $281 million. The release quoted Commish Chairman Dave Case supporting the “tough decisions” over the budget.

Then we got a message from Commish Rick Visser informing us the budget represents a 14% increase over last year and he voted against approval. The official release never mentioned Visser’s dissent nor the 14% hike over last year’s spending.

Finally, Visser also mentioned that he and Commish Jim Tibbs (also on the COMPASS BOARD) both voted “no” on endorsing the ACHD fee hike. OUR POINT? Things are not as unanimous as they would have you think.

Government press reports tend to offer only a single point of view–usually that of the majority. We cannot rely on “official versions” of events any more than we can rely on ads telling us the legislature banned horse racing when they really banned slot machines.

That may not be a very good bet. Betsy Russell over at the IDAHO PRESS has posted an analysis of the ads which are deceiving at best and downright wrong at worst.

Even if the measure were to be overwhelmingly approved by voters, the finish line will be with the IDAHO STATE CONSTITUTION.

Here is the CONSTITUTION applicable section:

Section 20. GAMBLING PROHIBITED. (1) Gambling is contrary to public policy and is strictly prohibited except for the following:
a. A state lottery which is authorized by the state if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation; and
b. Pari-mutuel betting if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation; and
c. Bingo and raffle games that are operated by qualified charitable organizations in the pursuit of charitable purposes if conducted in conformity with enabling legislation.
(2) No activities permitted by subsection (1) shall employ any form of casino gambling including, but not limited to, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, bacarrat, keno and slot machines, or employ any electronic or electromechanical imitation or simulation of any form of casino gambling.
(3) The legislature shall provide by law penalties for violations of this section.
The GUARDIAN repeatedly pointed out the so-called “historical racing terminals” were nothing more than slot machines. Proponents claim the slot machines–complete with sounds and graphics–were really pari-mutuel instant racing terminals. They claim to allow gamblers to bet on past races from a menu of 60,000 races.

The machines accept money as fast as you can pump it in…all this has nothing to do with horses. We dubbed it “horseless racing” several years ago. While the legislature approved the machines in 2013, they repealed the law in 2015 saying they had been duped because the machines were actually slots.

Unless the promoters have some new device that will pass muster with the Supremes, we don’t expect to see any ponies in the starting gates soon.

Proponents would be better advised to spend their money buying legislator’s favor rather a public vote. In Idaho, only the legislature can initiate the needed constitutional amendment. It requires a 2/3 approval of both houses and followed by a simple majority of voters.

Wikipedia has a very good HISTORICAL SUMMARY of the instant racing issue, including court citations.

Attorney General Lawrence Wasden prepared an ANALYSIS of the petition for Secretary of State Lawrence Denney in January which also questioned the constitutionality of the instant racing terminals.

PAST GUARDIAN posts on this topic.

Idaho Code says: “No license authorizing simulcasting and/or televised races shall be issued to or renewed for persons that are not also licensed to conduct live race meets in the state of Idaho.”

While the operators had a 2015 permit and conducted live racing, simulcasts, and slot machines disguised as “historic racing,” things got held up at the gate when the Idaho legislature repealed the law that previously allowed the slot machines. They did not have a 2016 live racing permit, hence the activities since January 1 appear to be outside the law. Slots are illegal under the Idaho Constitution and legislators said the machines they approved were not the same as the machines in use. They didn’t meet the “parimutuel” exemption.

Gov. Butch Otter sided up with the race horse crowd, but screwed up on his timing with a veto to override the legislative repeal. The Idaho Supreme Court ultimately ruled the repeal stands, thus outlawing the slots. Treasure Valley Racing claimed they couldn’t afford to do live racing without subsidy from the (illegal) slot machines. The issue of whether or not the slot machines qualified as permissible parimutuel betting, was never decided. The GUARDIAN visited Les Bois and determined the machines were indeed slots. Some legislators and opponents came to the same conclusion, prompting the repeal which was approved by two-thirds of that body.

Hoping for a political solution to their business problem, the operators bet on a bill to create a gaming commission that would have allowed both simulcasts and the electronic devices (slots). With the legislature in the home stretch odds this session are against political support–remember it is an election year–so the TV screens, the track, and slots are all without the sound of hoofbeats.

Now, here’s the big incestuous issue. The Idaho State Police would be a logical agency to investigate the apparently illegal gambling since Jan. 1. If there was no Racing Commission permit for live racing, then simulcasts from other tracks were illegal. However, the Racing Commission operates under the oversight of ISP. If the live race permit has expired, simulcasts are like driving on an expired driver’s license. The system is flawed when the regulator and proponent of horse racing falls under the supervision of the enforcer, ISP.

It gets worse. The Ada County Prosecutor is the legal enforcer of the Idaho Code in Ada County, hence the logical agency to file charges for illegal operation of simulcast without a live racing permit. But that same prosecutor’s office wrote the lease contract on behalf of the Ada County Commissioners. The commishes also endorsed the political efforts of Treasure Valley Racing, signing on to an ad in the Statesman and offering testimony before the legislature in an effort to NOT repeal the slot machine bill last session. After all, it means JOBS and REVENUE!

And that folks, explains at a local level why there is so much support for the likes of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Pine needles and cone covered in frost.

This is also the time of year when we review the past year’s offerings from the GUARDIAN and ask readers to share thoughts about best, worst, and most stories we have posted.

We offer links to what we feel are candidates for top GUARDIAN stories for 2015. Feel free to use the ARCHIVE and SEARCH features above to select your own favorites. By far our favorite humor piece was the STATESMAN headline noting HERPES and BASQUES in town at same time. July 4th fireworks and nighttime fire image of the Soda Fire from 50 miles away were notable. It didn’t have much to do with Boise, but the human contact at the Denver Airport was touching.

Airport noise has been barely noted by the legacy media as was the “Horseless Racing” until it was repealed and became a court fight.

OMBUDSMAN

AIRPORT NOISE, F-35

SODA FIRE IMAGE

FIREWORKS IMAGE

HUMAN KINDNESS

HERPES AND BASQUE CONVENTIONS

A number of Idaho lawmakers and public officials won’t say who paid their tab to attend a posh weekend getaway in Sun Valley last month.

The group of the unwilling includes some of Idaho’s most powerful officials, including Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill, House Speaker Scott Bedke, House Health and Welfare Chair Fred Wood and House Minority Leader John Rusche.

Idaho lawmakers, officials and lobbyists, along with others willing and able to pay the bill, attended the 2015 Governor’s Cup in Sun Valley last month, an annual fundraising event that helps Idaho students pay for college.

Gov. Butch Otter, the third-term executive, hosted the confab, which featured golf, a wine obstacle course, a beer-related event, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.

The cover charge isn’t cheap. The event’s website lists golf at $1,500 for individuals, plus shotgun sports at the same rate. A “social participant” cost is listed at $1,300.

But many lawmakers didn’t pay their own way — at least for the fun stuff.

The Governor’s Cup allows corporations and other groups to invite lawmakers and cover their costs — a sponsorship of sorts.

Some lawmakers willingly — after two emails, that is — revealed their sponsors.

Rep. Mat Erpelding, a Democrat from Boise, attended as a guest of the AARP. The second-term legislator paid his own travel and lodging.

Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, played on Molina’s dime. Molina runs Idaho’s Medicaid processing system and is best known for its 2010 struggles with the contract. The company’s issues delayed payments to providers for weeks at a time.

Youngblood also paid for his own travel and lodging.

Coeur d’Alene Racing paid for Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, and Idaho Central Credit Union funded Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian. Both legislators paid their own travel and lodging.

Some lawmakers wouldn’t respond to three emails asking for their sponsors, including Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, and Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa.

Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, told IdahoReporter.com he had a sponsor, but didn’t reveal which entity funded his entry during an email exchange. Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, was supposed to attend, but canceled her plans at the last minute. She, too, had a sponsor lined up, but also declined to reveal the details.

The covert dealings extend into the executive branch, too. Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron, formerly the state’s top appropriator in the Legislature, attended the confab, but his office didn’t respond to an inquiry asking for sponsorship details.

Other top state leaders were more forthcoming. Jeff Church, spokesman for the Idaho Department of Education, said the heavyweight Boise law firm Givens Pursley sponsored Sherri Ybarra’s attendance. Additionally, Church said Avista and Monsanto covered Ybarra’s lodging.

Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer was sponsored by PNGC Power, which administers a number of electric cooperatives in Idaho and other states.

Businesses and other entities paid a pretty penny to sponsor the event and include guests. Premiere sponsors spent $35,000 for the privilege, a fee which allowed the companies to invite 16 guests. Next-level sponsors spent $25,000 and were allowed 12 guests.

The lowest tier sponsors spent $4,000 and were allowed two guests.

Centurylink, Mountain View Hospital and Mountain View Charity were the event’s 2015 premiere sponsors.

Other notable sponsors included Blue Cross of Idaho, Chobani, Molina, Idaho Power, Intermountain Gas, Avista, Monsanto, Regence and Micron, among others.
The Governor’s Cup used its proceeds from prior events to award 38 scholarships in 2015

What this means is Gov. Butch Otter’s veto of the repeal was invalid due to late filing with the legislature.

“This wasn’t horse racing, it was slot machines,” Representative Phylis King Told The GUARDIAN. King was one of the two-thirds majority of both legislative houses who repealed the law allowing video slot used at Three tracks in Idaho, including Les Bois Park which is owned by Ada County.

Idaho State Police oversee the Horse Racing Commission and Col. Ralph Powell told the GUARDIAN, “The process is in the works to shut down the video racing.” He said the department was coordinating with the Secretary of State to confirm the repeal is certified as law. “The mechanics of the shutdown has begun,” said Powell.

Click here for the OFFICIAL SUMMARY of the Supreme Court decision.

For several years the GUARDIAN posted numerous stories about the slot machines and directly contacted officials at Ada County and the state, but until the legislature finally saw the light, our pleas were ignored.

Attorney fees were awarded to the Coeur d”Alene Indian tribe which was the plaintiff in the case, adding to the many thousands of dollars of public money used to defend anti-gay marriage, illegal contracts, and other legal issues ultimately overturned by courts.

COMPLETE OPINION

link to previous RACING POSTS.