This morning the “news” in Boise is that the new manager of the Co-op was arrested on DUI charges. I haven’t seen the print edition, but this was a prominent story on the on-line version of the Statesman. So here’s my contention - borrowed from one of the Statesman commenters: in a real city, this wouldn’t be news. In a real city like Portland or Seattle or Colorado Springs or Albuquerque they have real concerns. When the Statesman does a story like this, it’s a disservice to Boise and Idaho as a whole. It says that we’re still such a small nothing town that a grocery store manager getting a DUI deserves news coverage. This is exactly the opposite of what we should be portraying to the rest of the country and to ourselves. As long as we keep repeating the myth that we are a small, isolated, rural community we’re repelling economic development - NO ONE wants to come to a small, isolated, parochial, rural community - not for any reason.

Rule #1 - stop the news stories on parochial nonsense.

Learn your stuff

I was impressed in the Boise City Council race that Ben Quintana actually spent time going to budget hearings, and council meetings, and generally trying to understand just what it is that a city council member does. I contrast that with one of the other candidates who ran on a platform of helping improve the Boise Schools, and working with ACHD to improve transit. First, neither the Mayor or the Council have any control over anything that happens with Boise Schools. Nothing. Second, ACHD doesn’t have anything to do with transit - that would be Valley Regional Transit. This particular candidate might have well been running on a platform to alter gravity. The point: if you are going to run for a job, get the job description, and learn just what it is that you actually do.

Leave your ideology at home

Candidates all over the Valley ran on various platforms of “streamlining government,” “eliminating waste,” “smaller government,” or lower taxes. Some just came right out and said “I’m the conservative, vote for me.” We need to be clear on this: none of that stuff means anything in local government. The reality of local government is that it is just a basic service provider: cops, fire, water (sometimes), sewer, garbage disposal, public works. You spend a lot of time on questions of planning and zoning. There’s an annual budget cycle. If you are considering running for office, I suggest you spend some time at your local city hall looking for “waste.” It aint there. There are no gigantic slush funds sitting around that could eliminate the need for property taxes if only the greedy mayor and council would just be honest. Cuts at the municipal level happen to basic services, not boards and commissions and pet programs of entrenched federal bureaucrats. So get a clue.

One last bonus tip -

Leave the parlor tricks at home

Norm Semanko offers a great reminder that silly stunts in municipal elections don’t work. His ridiculous over-the-top statement that Reynolds’ spending made him “physically ill” was the capstone of a campaign that did little right. Norm combined ideology and parlor tricks to get his result. We’ve seen the same happen in Boise mayoral races in the past (Winder’s robo calls). I don’t think there’s anything that justifies these kind of tactics - but in a municipal race, it’s just non-sensical. At the end of the day, you have to go live next door to these people, see them at Fred Meyer, the coffee shop, etc. You don’t get to just disappear like congressmen, or presidential candidates.

So those are a few of my election tips for all you elected hopefuls.

Lots of people around Idaho are presuming to tell this guy what to do with his billion dollar fortune, and he’s right to tell us that we better check ourselves - because our public and private sectors have done little to move any kind of development deal forward. In fact, here are the actions regarding the Hawks to date:

• In March of 2009, the Ada County Commissioners punted on the issue after Colliers Idaho spent 15 months developing several scenarios for revamping the Fairgrounds/Expo Center/Hawks Stadium.
• In June of 2009, after three years work, The City of Boise released its 30th Street Master Plan. And there on page 185, the city identified a proposed new location for Hawks Stadium: it would be the anchor project for the redevelopment of the west side of downtown.
• April of 2010: The City of Meridian through its redevelopment agency, the MDC, effectively try to “buy” the Hawks by offering to pay for a feasibility study in exchange for agreeing to relocate to Meridian. The Hawks say no.
• In June of 2010, a Statesman article mentioned the possibility of GBAD financing a new stadium, but that board is in absolute chaos, and clearly has no bandwidth to enter into negotiations.
• CCDC is engaged in a national search for a new executive director, and has not publicly committed to anything, though it is listed as being one of the agencies responsible for “invest(ing) in capital projects” according to pages 182-183 of the 30th Street Master Plan.

So to recap - The City of Boise, ACHD, ITD, and CCDC spent three years developing the 30th Street Master Plan, and Ada County spent 15 months studying multiple different options for redeveloping the entire Fairgrounds area.

Now enter the Better Boise Coalition, a Chamber led organization which intends to give us another plan?

We deserve better. Every day, municipalities all around us are cutting deals to revitalize and energize their cities. They are financing these things themselves in innovative ways. As an example, see Fairbourne Station in West Valley City in Utah. There, the City Manager finally got tired of waiting on the private sector, and decided to take over development of its downtown themselves. The signature project is a city financed Embassy Suites Hotel that will be managed by the Hilton Company. In 20 years, ownership of the hotel will revert to the hotel. An innovative way to get something done. Is there some reason in a city TWICE the size of West Valley City we can’t muster the finances and skill to get something done with the Hawks?

The reason that this region fails to get grants for TIGER projects (remember the streetcar) or grants for sustainability planning from HUD is because we have proven time and again that we cannot cooperate to get things done here. The same holds true for attracting private investment: why on earth would Tom Ricketts or any other developer invest a cent in our city and region when WE won’t even do the same. We don’t have any skin in the game. And until we do private investment is going to go somewhere else.

The time is now for someone in the public sector to commit to getting this done, and getting some skin in the game. Someone needs to lead, to take a risk. What we don’t need is a bunch of grandstading and further feasibility studies from another booster group. We’ve already had five years of that. It’s go time.

Just a week after I returned from Utah, AP writer John Miller posts a brilliant piece about previous troubles at ITD. And really nothing better illustrates why Idaho, until political attitudes shift, is going to struggle economically.

A former Idaho Transportation Department director was asked to resign in 2006 after a scathing whistleblower complaint, a detail hidden from the public until it recently emerged in court documents filed as part of a separate lawsuit.

The papers, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday, show the circumstances of how former director David Ekern exited the state’s top highway agency job in August 2006.

Ekern announced that month that he was leaving after 3 1/2 years to pursue “two potentially significant career opportunities.” He later took a job in Virginia that he quit in 2010.

But the Idaho Transportation Board had previously voted in executive session to remove him after an internal complaint in March 2006 alleged Ekern engaged in favoritism and “misuse of power and authority.” The board then gave Ekern an opportunity to leave of his own accord, the court documents show.

“The Board was dissatisfied with his performance and he should look for other employment,” according to the documents. “Chairman Frank Bruneel told Mr. Ekern that they would give him the opportunity to gracefully leave ITD. There was a general agreement that Mr. Ekern could leave basically in good standing if he voluntarily retired. Shortly after this discussion, Mr. Ekern submitted his retirement letter.”

Former Transportation Director Pamela Lowe filed the documents last week in her ongoing bid to convince a federal court judge she was illegally fired in 2009.

She was fired despite good job reviews after Idaho Transportation Board members raised concerns about her rapport with some Idaho lawmakers; Lowe blames her dismissal on a backlash after she began trimming a highway management contract with a big political donor, URS Corp.

I encourage you to review the whole article, but the short story is that political leadership in Idaho is driven by hyper-individualism, and personal vendettas to such an extent that the big picture is lost. This state has a completely dysfunctional Department of Transportation since at least 2006 - nearly 6 years, and because there has been no real change in policy direction, funding, or management structure at ITD, the only conclusion one can reach is that the electeds are ok with that.

To contrast that with Utah, about the same time that Utah legislators (conservative Republicans) were passing a bill to allow for public transit authorities (with public option taxation authority) we were trying to figure out how to get money away from the Ada County government which was building roads to Star and Kuna while the City of Boise struggled to fill in potholes. Though the problem was the state funding mechanism, legislators instead gave us the Ada County Highway District. Utah created what is now geographically the largest transit provider in the U.S.; Idaho was adopting a form of local transportation authority that has only one other example in existence. That’s what we refer to as worst practices.

I know I’ve mixed a lot of agencies here, but the story is not so much about them as it is about leadership: while we fight petty battles and adopt truly bizarre policy solutions literally seen nowhere else, our neighbors are kicking our butts. And those who suffer are those who have a fixed investment in Idaho, and Idaho’s residents at large.

Transportation infrastructure is a critical component for economic development - it shows the private sector that we are willing to invest in what they need to get their employees to work, and their products to market. But history again and again points to an Idaho that is not willing to subvert its hyper-individualistic nature for something that might be good for all of us - like a functioning transportation department.

What’s the matter with it? You’ve got nearly the entire front role assuming the fatal “Fig Leaf” pose. The fig leaf pose is of course the never-to-be-assumed pose where you stand with your hands in front of your privates. Professional photographers learn not to pose hands this way. And most students of leadership and public speaking learn that this pose denotes weakness and timidity. There are lots of professional references out there that will support my contention, but here are a few quick web statements about the “fig-leaf” pose:

Bodylanguageproject.com

Fig leaf position: The fig leaf posture by either sex is a closed body position. It blocks the private mid section from view. This posture occurs by placing one or both hands in front of the crotch blocking it from view. The hands are usually clasped together. It shows insecurity and occurs when someone is in a novel environment or around people they don’t know and aren’t familiar with.

LifeInsuranceSelling.com

DON’T use the fig-leaf pose. By placing your hands to cover the groin region, you’re making yourself look visually smaller. When you place your hands in the fig-leaf pose, your body says, ‘I’m harmless,’ or, ‘I’m afraid.’ Not exactly the way to convey the level of confidence a client wants to see.

From the book, “You Say More Than You Think”

In any situation that’s less formal, a fig-leaf might indicate serious discomfort and anxiety. People use the pose almost instinctively perhaps as a default pose that they consider respectful and businesslike. But many people read this move to mean fear, and they believe it telegraphs weakness.

To sum up, here’s what most of our new leaders are signaling:

• Insecurity
• I’m harmless
• I’m afraid
• Fear
• Weakness

My guess is that isn’t what these folks were going for. So buck up Boise leaders! “F” for all of you doing the fig leaf, “F-” for the gal with her hands in her pockets (this signals that you are a manipulator!!!), Solid “A” to the gentlemen in the front row, right, “A+” to the gal in the center of the photo who had the courage to stand up straight, in the front, look at the camera, and confidently place her hands at her side. Hopefully she orchestrates this photo for the next class.

Just after the flowers were planted, some dipweed drove over the new curb and right through the flowers. See dead plant, damaged irrigation system, and muddy tire track in the photo below:

And how the genius who accomplished this, actually accomplished this, I’d like to know. The bulb out is protected by parked cars:

But wait - there’s more. Skateboarders have already ruined the concrete walls. Word to the landscape architect: you should have thought of that. Now, however, the wall has to be redone on CCDC’s (ultimately the tax payer’s) nickel.

And you wonder why state leaders are reluctant to invest in infrastructure.

I remember when Walt Minnick got elected to Congress I said to myself, “well, one good thing about Walt is that he’s already a rich man so he’ll come back to Idaho and carry on the fight when he’s through being a Congressman.” So much for my prognostication skills.

Apparently I’m the last one to find out that Walt will stay in D.C. as a “consultant” doing work for the Blue Dogs with his former chief of staff. This is disappointing. It really says something about Idaho that the politicians from here never come home. Frank Church didn’t, neither did Kempthorne, LaRocco, Symms - really just about anyone you can recall back to about 1950. Andrus was the only one, really.

And that is disappointing. It says that there isn’t any opportunity here.

On the other hand it also leaves the state without any kind of opposition party. Right now there isn’t really anyone that can really comment for the Democratic Party. Earlier this week we learned that Butch’s crack staff made a $180 million or so accounting error when they computed the budget for this year (remember Pam Lowe was fired for a $10 million error in stats she presented to the Legislature). And who is the media gonna call for a quote? Jerry Brady? The guy’s run for governor twice, and he’s more absent from the scene than Ferris Bueller. So are all of them: LaRocco, Richardson, Hansen, Allred, Minnick, Mauk. Not a one of them has the justpa to stay in the game.

Today, our Governor told the media that he is Constitutionally obligated to promote temperance.

Minnick? Allred? Brady? LaRocco?

Cricket. Cricket. Cricket.

So when the Governor says something like “we must make government live within its means” the next word to listen for is “therefore.” When the Governor says, “we must draw upon the strengths of the private sector and individuals within our economy” that should also be followed by “therefore.” “Therefore” indicates that the Governor has a plan to govern. “We must make government live within its means, THEREFORE, I proposed policy x to make that happen.” “We must draw upon the strengths of the private sector and individuals within our economy, THEREFORE, I propose solution Y to make that happen.”

For a real preview of the legislative session, listen for the word THEREFORE.

The prolonged recession in Idaho is finally starting to cause some people to ponder the fate of the state, though not yet in the public sector. Rest assured, though, the day of reckoning is coming for those folks too.

You probably saw the Statesman’s business panel making predictions about what they think will bring some financial security to Idaho. If you missed it, here’s the short exchange between economist John Church, Lorana Quintero from Idaho Pizza, and Clay Young from Innovus Solar:

What do you think are the implications for Idaho’s economy of having students who do not have this global view?

Church:
Our growth in Idaho is very bright, and one reason I think it is going to be very bright in the future is California, not because of how good California is, but how messed up California is. Fiscally, the handwriting is on the wall: Something is going to have to be done, and it is not going to be painless for business and people in California. What are they going to do? They are going to leave. If we just catch a trickle of that, Idaho is going to do very well.

Do all of you share John’s scenario for California?

Quintero: I think so. Ask anybody where they are from, (and they say) California.

Church: We should be mining.

Young: I would agree with that.

These are the impotent cries of our leaders: wait for California to fail, and we will win.

Utterly, ridiculous.

Even if California with all its human capital cannot figure out its budget situation - what makes these people think that: 1) Idaho is the best choice for all of California’s businesses to relocate, and 2) that Idaho’s elected officials will manage our resources here any better than California?

And that is only one argument. For God’s sake California is the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world. It offers unprecedented access to domestic markets as well as Asian markets. It has a university system that is tops in the world - and Berkeley is the top research university in the country. California has 350 sunny days a year, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the home of the west coast banking and finance establishment in San Francisco, the military industrial complex, and on and on and on. Stating that California is going out of business anytime soon, and that Idaho is a likely beneficiary of any financial malaise there can’t be taken seriously.

BVEP and plenty of local leaders want you to believe that economic salvation is as easy as saving your own soul - but it aint. At some point, our leaders need to invest in something - ANYTHING. Roads, education, infrastructure - SOMETHING. Idaho’s immediate problem is that it cannot compete with the well run Utah, or Colorado which has a structural budget SURPLUS. Until we can be top dog regionally at SOMETHING, Idaho with its low cost of living and little else will continue to succeed at luring California’s low-skilled, unemployed hard cases, and nothing more.