From Caldwell to Boise, Eagle to Meridian, the lessons learned from an election
The Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in 1831 to learn about “Democracy in America,” the title of his book on the subject that is, to this day, assigned reading in many political science and civics classes. He marveled at small-town life in New England and considered these self-governing communities to be role models for how democracy should work. If de Tocqueville visited Idaho during our recent election season, he’d be impressed with how citizens collected signatures for referenda and candidates voted with their feet and either ratified the good work of local leadership or charted new ground where public officials veered off course.
In every local race, growth was a key issue, reflecting a recent Boise State poll that recorded 72% of Treasure Valley residents saying the region is growing too fast. Now we’ll see how newly elected officials manage the growth of the region, but it is already reassuring to see signals of their willingness to work beyond city boundaries to produce regional solutions to the Valley’s challenging and fast-paced growth.
Under the category of ratifying quality leadership, Mayor-elect Robert Simison in Meridian beat back his challengers, citing his experience as chief of staff for the most successful and popular retiring Mayor Tammy De Weerd. The voters agreed.
The Eagle mayor was upset by a challenger with support from the developer of Avimor, seeking to expand in the foothills as unbridled growth emerged as a key issue of the campaign. Not sure how that fits with a regional game plan, but we’ll just have to see how it works out.
In Caldwell, we may have the most forgiving voters in the nation. Former state Sen. John McGee, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI and then, months later, was accused of sexual harassment for which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for disturbing the peace and spent some time in jail, was forced into a runoff. McGee brandished his Republican credentials, called in a few party heavyweights to endorse him and warned against an apocalypse if his opponent, the chair of the Democratic Party, was elected. Really?
In Boise, the election result was the most dramatic with the landslide victory of Lauren McLean over the incumbent, Dave Bieter. Citizens mobilized to demonstrate their discontent with existing plans for major projects, and Lauren McLean won with a winning combination of integrity and hard work. Boise Working Together and Concerned Boise Taxpayers hit the streets, saturated social media and any other outlet that would tell their story. The election results should give the new mayor all she needs to move forward with new directions for both the library and the baseball stadium.
Plans for a new library can be modified, hopefully with the goal of preserving The Cabin in its iconic location. No doubt, not enough respect was shown the cultural and historical roots of The Cabin. Somewhere, like in Idaho’s architect community, there must be a plan for a library that respects the legacy of The Cabin and integrates it into a new library design for which all of Boise can be proud and is also less expensive than the original plan.
The plan for a baseball stadium will also get another look, and it’s not just because of the resounding majority calling for a referendum on the issue. The annual meetings of Major and Minor League Baseball this week could spell trouble for any city planning on a minor league team. Major League owners proposed eliminating 42 Minor League teams and sent a justification of their action to congressmen who objected to the reduction. The letter states that the majority of Major League Baseball owners believe there are too many players in the Minor League system, and the Majors do not require that many players for the purpose of developing Major League talent. It also contends that efforts to bring ballparks up to increased standards may be money poorly spent.
The current agreement between the MLB and Minor League owners expires next year, and negotiations are underway to write the future of Minor League Baseball into the next contract. Now is hardly the time for Boise to enter into any agreement on a stadium. Only time will tell if a Minor League stadium makes sense for Boise under any circumstances.
We can also expect a new City Hall policy on those F-35s. They will have to find a home somewhere other than a growing metropolitan area with neighborhoods that made enough noise during the campaign to get the new mayor’s attention. Mayor-elect McLean’s commitment to reverse the city’s plans for the supersonic jets at the Boise Airport is a welcome departure from business as usual at City Hall.
The greatest contrast in Boise’s election was McLean’s decision not to go negative and two Boise developers doing the exact opposite. They plastered the city with negative and misleading mailers. With the campaign behind her, the mayor-elect will have the opportunity to make good on her commitment to prevent encampments on city streets and build a strong partnership with the Interfaith Sanctuary to enhance housing opportunities for the homeless. Kudos to voters who ignored the noise and relegated such tactics to the stockpile of failed campaign strategies based on innuendo and false charges. Looks like Boise Kind is coming back!
All in all, don’t let anyone tell you elections don’t make a difference. This election season supports de Tocqueville’s claim that self-government works in America, not only when he visited America in the 19th century, but right on down to civic life in the Treasure Valley today.