Our final 59 Minute Meeting of the year was a huge success! Thank you to all of you who were able to join us. Beginning in 2018, our year-end 59 Minute Meeting has been a forum covering various topics of growth and featuring media insiders and political pundits. This year, BRR was pleased to host Margaret Carmel, reporter for the Idaho Press; Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor at the Idaho Statesman; and George Prentice, Morning Edition host for Boise State Public Radio.
We kicked off the forum with a discussion about the results of the rare and historic Boise Mayoral runoff election, discussing questions such as, “What led to Lauren McLean’s victory over incumbent Mayor Dave Bieter? How did their campaigns and messaging differ? What were the biggest issues among voters?”
Also discussed was the increasing difficulty of financing new school construction, particularly the struggle of voters continually being faced with bond and levy proposals just to keep up with community needs. We heard different alternatives, ideas around sources of the problem, and what the community is expressing to media and city officials.
The panel then shifted focus to other topics like the Meridian’s mayoral race and challenges the new mayor will face, ways our communities might start dealing with the valley’s traffic issues, preventing urban sprawl through better city planning, affordable housing solutions, and much more.
True to form, we ensured the final minutes of the forum allowed the audience to ask questions and hear from the experts on a wide range of other local politics and policies. We had a great time and look forward to hosting this event again next year. As a reminder, each quarter we host a 59 Minute Meeting on a new or otherwise important public policy topic and bring in local experts and officials to give you the insider information you need to best serve your clients and the industry!
