Groupthink? Hardly. Boise’s leaders are making informed decisions after citizen input

I am a Bob Kustra fan. For 15 years, asserting bold, energetic, even autocratic leadership, he built and invigorated Boise State University into its current form as a superb collegiate institution. We fellow former lieutenant governors (me in Idaho, Bob in Illinois) try not to disagree too often, but I must vigorously dissent from Bob’s recent Statesman column charging Boise residents with “groupthink” and suggesting that the mayor and City Council should be less visionary about major public works.

Dr. Kustra is wrong on both counts.

“Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome,” says Wikipedia. Every town, large or small, in this country should envy the natural features and political decisions that have propelled our village to the top ranks of a wide variety of national Top 10 lists for everything from livability to lovability. No civic irrationality has held us back from overachieving to date. Likewise, no “shrinking violets” live in this valley.

To the contrary, in recent months, we have been fully engaged as local citizens loudly expressing widely varied opinions, on libraries, log cabins and stadia. I attended the Feb. 26 City Council public hearing with 200 neighbors, readers and preservationists who presented and heard various ideas, which guided the city leaders to vote unanimously to move The Cabin to a new location where the historic structure will be respected and the institutional program can flourish.

Some are happy, others are pained with the result. However, it was a collective, interactive, contentious but informed decision, made by city leadership, in an open forum, after examining several options, maturely considered over a period of months. Where’s the groupthink?

For every civic proposal, there will always be naysayers and negative impacts. The city leaders and staff have not always perfectly consulted or completely included all stakeholders on every stage of every issue. But it is the duty of visionary leadership to perceive and propose a municipal future anchored in both great dreams and superb management.

The library and stadium projects are exactly such objectives, forward-thinking possibilities in a growing, modern city which sparkles with promise between a river and the mountains. Let’s debate the finances and details, but not decry those elected officials who dream big and suggest boldly.

Boise has a nonpartisan, bipartisan City Council and a vigorous, long-serving mayor. Many of them are up for re-election soon. The core area of any city is the crown jewel of its kingdom. To grace downtown Boise with a world-class, artful and future function library, and to enjoy a professional sports venue anchoring and stimulating the underdeveloped near West End adjacent to the river, are noble goals. Far from congesting traffic, the currently proposed stadium location will bring sports fans and family vans back into town on the vacant connector on evenings and weekends, when that area of the city is typically unoccupied.

Decades ago, I was a kid who walked a mile and a half to the Carnegie Library in Lewiston to get a book each Saturday. I also watched local-level pro baseball proudly with my dad at the Northwest League Ballpark on summer nights. Those treasured interactions made possible in then cutting-edge public facilities shaped my life.

I do agree with Dr. Kustra that this year is a defining moment for the city of Boise. I am proud that we Boiseans are well led to dream big, debate vigorously and choose wisely. I believe that we deserve every one of the Top 10 listings awarded to the City of Trees.

Groupthink is the least of our concerns.

This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 6:43 PM.