Boise Mayor Dave Bieter has skipped four campaign-season neighborhood forums since Oct. 24, and he looks bad in the process.
He looks like a candidate who has decided that there is no longer any upside in debating his challenger, City Council member Jim Tibbs. He looks like someone who has made a careful political calculation: Bieter enjoys the advantages and name ID of incumbency, which may more than offset Tibbs' high profile as a longtime Boise police officer. Bieter also enjoys about a 5-to-1 fundraising advantage, style="text-decoration:underline;">as our Kathleen Kreller reported this morning.
I think style="text-decoration:underline;">Boise blogger Adam Graham (a Tibbs backer) makes a fair assertion: "It appears the Mayor has decided this election is over and gone into a premature victory lap."
I'm disappointed. I can't say I'm stunned, though, because we've seen this before, in other elections. A recent example: then-Gov. Jim Risch, who tried to set the terms and limit his appearances with Larry LaRocco during their 2006 lieutenant governor's race. Given that Tibbs and campaign staffer Matt Ellsworth are both Risch guys (Tibbs was Risch's choice for drug czar, Ellsworth worked on Risch's gubernatorial staff), it's a bit ironic to read a style="text-decoration:underline;">Tibbs news release decrying a somewhat Rischian strategy.
In fairness, Bieter is not dissing neighborhoods; he has spent considerable time during his four years meeting with Boise's 36 neighborhood groups, including three Saturday morning meetings in October. And the Bieter campaign offers a fair defense; the mayor has squared off with Tibbs on six occasions. However, at least two of those debates occurred this summer, when Boiseans were paying attention to city elections.
With the election now heating up (a relative term, this political season), Bieter has gone low profile. I'm not sure this last impression will leave a bad taste in many voters' mouths — because, as I've said here before, voters just don't seem engaged in this race.
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Nothing Low Profile about Bieter
Kevin,
The Mayor has most certainly NOT gone "low profile". Just this week, he released the first phase of a plan to deal with chronic homelessness, proposed $50,000 for the Idaho Meth Project, participated in two debates with his opponent (KTVB and Nat'l Assoc of Retired Federal Employees) and attended several city-related events such as the opening of Interfaith Sanctuary today. On Saturday he'll be at the kick-off for the Treasure Valley Institute for Children's Arts, knocking on doors to help get out the vote and (hopefully) attending the BSU game. Sunday, he'll be at the 5K run for the CATCH program.
Ryan Hill, campaign manager, Bieter for Boise
That's His Job.
Mr. Hill,
Other than the two debates,the events you listed are the duties of his job, not his effort to maintain his campaign in the home stretch.
And WHY in the world is Natl associ of retired federal employees holding a LOCAL mayor debate to begin with???? If the mayor wanted to cut his schedule down, that sounds like a likely 'no thanks'.
Just call it like it is- The mayor thinks he's got it wrapped up and doesn't need to expend any more effort in the campaign. That's no big deal. If Mr. Editor wants to point that out, so what? No big deal.
When the Broncos work hard in the first 3 quarters to take a 30 point lead, they can back-off a bit in the 4th and pull the first string out so they don't risk injury. The mayor's just gone to his second string (that you, Mr. Hill, in case you didn't get the analogy).
Not so fast!
Kevin & Ryan, according to Dave's own website he was at a fundraiser rather than attend the neighboordhod candiate forum. http://www.bieterforboise.com/Events.html he was "Bowling for Bieter." I don't think that is ok to put making more camapign money over meeting voters who want to learn about the candidates.
Mayor Beiter
These stories are always ridiculous. Who cares if he doesn't show up for every single appearance people want him to. It is common sense that the more he debates Jim "Slimeball" Tibbs it will only hurt him. Look at the ridiculous crybaby stunt Tibbs pulled about Bieter's ethics that was quickly dismissed as an adult temper tantrum. I want a mayor who cares about being mayor, not about smearing someone elses name. Jim Tibbs needs to step up to the plate and prove himself and show what he has to provide for the position of mayor and quit his playground namecalling!
gn49
Do you remotely realize how silly you are to call Jim Tibbs "Slimeball" and then a scant 2 sentences later, tell Tibbs to "quit his playground namecalling"??? If you want a mayor that cares about Boise, then you better vote for Tibbs. All Bieter cares about is running for governor. Don't believe me, go ask the Ada County Democratic Central Committee.
Who's calling whom silly?
So now we have a contest about who "cares" the most rather than who's most capable of doing the job? Do you "remotely realize" how silly you are to say "all Bieter cares about is running for governor?" Right - how could he possibly care about the city in which he lives, where he grew up, where he's raising his child? Yep - he's just a single-dimensional person who cares about only one thing - being governor. And not because of anything Bieter's said or done - but because that's what the Ada County Democratic Central Committee says. Must be true!
And why can't a "slimeball" also engage in "playground namecalling?" Your comment seems to imply that one thing precludes the other. I don't get it.
I am
Thanks for your comments. I couldn't have described him better.( Bieter that is) You are truly perceptive and I am sure Jim Tibbs appreciates your support next Tuesday! And your question about caring and ability? Bieter couldn't carry Tibbs' lunch box in those departments!
Tibbs would be a disaster
Educated and intuitive people will never vote for Tibbs. He's a former cop and still has a cop mentality. Anyone who has an understanding (or even a grasp of reality for that matter) of how the police work, will agree that Tibbs as Mayor would be a trainwreck.
The works
Perhaps YOU could enlighten us how the police work?
So...
You would never have voted for Jack Webb?
the police work
on dope and dog food...
Former Police as Mayors
We in Los Angeles elected a former police chief as mayor- his name was Tom Bradley. Although I was a child when he was mayor, by most accounts, he was considered to be a very beloved mayor. (He was also our first African-American mayor.)
On the other hand, you are giving Tibbs credit he does not deserve, he was only an "acting" police chief- and my memory of that process was that he was a big crybaby. He didn't think he should have to go through the vetting process, and that the city council should have handed him the job on a silver platter. Just because he was at the right place when Pierce Murphy resigned, he didn't think he should have to compete with other canidates.
When he ran for city council, he did it by maligning Jerome Mapp, and never offered any substance in his campaign. All he did was end up replacing the only person on the City Council who actually understood urban planning issues.
I think Jim Tibbs is really an idiot, and it will be to Boise's detriment if he is elected.
You are correct!
On to the lightning round~