Let’s start with the most competitive race on Boise’s Nov. 8 ballot: Former Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce staffer Ben Quintana is the strongest pick for the City Council’s one open seat.
A supporter of transit, local-option taxing authority and Downtown development, Quintana aligns with the rest of the council on many key issues. That’s not bad, given City Hall’s approval ratings. According to a November 2010 survey, conducted on the city’s behalf, 92 percent of Boiseans say the city’s quality of life exceeds their expectations, and 68 percent of respondents say Boise is headed in the right direction.
Survey results like these tend to make for dull elections. And the other two contested races are, well, dull. We endorse Mayor Dave Bieter and council incumbent David Eberle over low-profile opposition.
BEN QUINTANA
Given his chamber background, it’s no surprise that Quintana makes job creation his cornerstone issue. His is a nuanced, mature view of economic reality. The city cannot simply sell its strong quality of life; he says it will take new ideas to close the deal with prospective businesses.
Quintana suggests creating an entrepreneurship and startup fund, modeled after a fund that invests a percentage of capital project costs into public art. The idea has merit.
Quintana’s serious approach to campaigning suggests a serious approach to governing. He left his chamber job in July, going on an extended leave of absence to seek the part-time council job. Since then, he has secured an impressive array of endorsements from both Republican and Democratic politicians and from disparate groups such as the Ada County Association of Realtors and Conservation Voters of Idaho.
We’ll give the other candidates mixed marks. Longtime Boise schools administrator Michael Cunningham, a 13-year member of the city’s parks commission, would be an attractive choice in many an open race. Lawrence Johnson, a building company owner running with the backing of several key Republicans, seems interested only in playing to a narrow base. “I’m running against two liberals,” he said in his editorial board interview.
With his economic background and measured approach, Quintana is a solid choice.
DAVE BIETER
In 2007, coming off a strong win over well-known City Council member Jim Tibbs, Bieter headed into what became an up-and-down second term. Bieter rightfully claims wins for opening branch libraries and helping to get a community detox center opened. But his term was dampened by the local and national economic downturn and a bitter battle over a Downtown streetcar.
In order to build jobs, bolster public transportation and move ahead on a new main library, we’ll need to see more of the problem-solving and coalition-building that marked the branch library and detox efforts.
David Hall, a 42-year-old College of Western Idaho student, says he challenged Bieter for a simple reason. “Nobody else was stepping up.” Kudos to Hall for making sure Bieter had an opponent — but for voters, this is an easy call.
DAVID EBERLE
Eberle holds a Ph.D. in economics and research methods — and when he discusses budgeting and strategic planning, it shows. But his background and eight years’ council experience makes him a valuable council member — especially if, as he suspects, the city will face more tough spending decisions in the next four years.
His opponent, David “Pappy” Honey, is an auto parts salesman who promises to come into the council with “dirty fingernails” and a blue-collar approach. But he is a perennial candidate and a gadfly, and we heard little new from him this time around.
“Our View” is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman’s editorial board.
