Arbiter Online (Boise State University)
October 27th, 2011
By Bryce Dunham Zemberi

Members of Delta Upsilon Fraternity and Democracy Matters of Boise State, in partnership with Associated Students of Boise State University, hosted a public forum and inquiry to introduce candidates to potential voters and students alike. In Simplot Ballroom C, candidates sat with students and community members around a table to be interviewed about random questions and concerns, alternating tables every seven minutes.

“This platform was a great example of how the students of Boise State want to be involved in our community. Not only were we able to show that we are interested in local politics and contributing socially, but we were also able to gain important information about the candidates and their platforms,” Delta Upsilon Vice President Jesse Rosenthal said.

Mayoral candidate David Hall vexted verbage against current mayoral incumbent David Bieter, who did not attend the event. According to Hall, politicians become illegitimate when they no longer respond to constituents’ needs and requests. Hosts at Simplot C intended to fill this gap.

“I voted for Mickey Mouse. In the matter of fact, in the 2004 Kerry versus Bush presidential race, 380,000 Americans voted for Mickey Mouse,” Hall said. “If you don’t believe in me, and you don’t think I cannot do the job, by all means vote me out.”

City council candidates seat two–Boise State alumni Ben Quintana and Michael Cunningham executed electoral efficacy.

Quintana, a 2004 graduate of the communication department, said his primary concern as a city councilman candidate is to create an environment that would attract business to Boise.

“Boise can recruit ‘our kind of business’ that are innovative, recreationally focused, and also high tech. I will build an economy that fits with those businesses, recruit people, help them to start, and help them grow,” Quintana said. Quintana said he plans on fixing things such as poor public transit and high energy costs to make Boise more marketable to business and employers.

City councilman candidate seat two: Michael Cunningham, who graduated in 1978 with a degree in elementary education, took his time with constituents to address their concerns.

One attendee asked, “How do you justify cutting $22 million from the Boise school district?”

“We looked at the efficiencies, we intuited an energy policies, as far as the heat and the cooling,” Cunningham responded. “We shut some of our buildings down during the summer when certain buildings were not being used.”

City councilman candidate seat two: Lawrence Johnson is owner and president of L. W. Johnson, a construction and development company.

“It (public works) needs reform, if streamlined we could save 30 percent across the board–that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Johnson said. “If we bring informal bidding to the informal bidding process we can not only make a more competitive market place for construction companies, but we could save hundreds of thousands of dollars as well.”

City councilman seat one: Eight-year incumbent David Eberle, who ran uncontested, spent six minutes and seven seconds strumming support for social justice.

“One (Occupy Wall Street movement) believes the conspiracy is in big business, the other (Tea Party movement) believes the conspiracy is big government,” Eberle said.

City councilman candidate seat one: Lauren McLean, who ran unopposed, rationalized response to the recession.

“It’s a really good time to think about how we want to come out of the recession,” McLean said. “We’re going to get tech companies, we’re going to build transit, we’re going to attract knowledge workers, those will give Boiseans a high quality of life we all deserve.”

According to Nathan Eggleston, a senior majoring in French, this will not be the last Boise Votes.