City Government

MAYOR HOTLINE October 23-27


Linda Steiner
Airport Director: I am reading the article in the paper about the city police vs the airport police and combining them. I think it’s an absolutely wonderful idea. It should have been done a long time ago. But what is bothering me is that you are going to do a nationwide search for this director when we have so much talent here in the Boise valley and Gary Fraise would make a wonderful director. I can’t imagine going through to the expense and time of doing a nationwide search. Thank you.
M/CC Airport

Craig Glenday
Guiness World Records in London
Guiness World Records: I’m trying to check up a claim we have for the most votes in a campaign for Mr. Potato Head. We believe he had four votes, and then I connected five in the election. We’d like to have this confirmed if possible. If so, I’d be grateful if you’d contact me. My email address is HYPERLINK “” I look forward to hearing from someone. Thank you.
Action Taken: emailed

John Sorenson
6975 Bluebird
Boise, ID 83714
I have a complaint against the Boise City Prosecutor’s Office. It gets more ridiculous every day. I’m trying to be thrown in jail for parking a vehicle at my house. I’m just fed up. I had a violent crime committed against me three years ago. They refused to prosecute but they have time to make sure I do some jail time for a vehicle parked in front of my house. I’d like to speak to someone with a response to this. No one would respond two and a half years ago. I’d like to speak to someone who has control over this issue. It is just complete biased prosecution also. There is about 6 or 7 other problems just on my street and no one will do anything about it. They are not being prosecuted. Please return my phone call. Thanks.
PDS Legal
Action taken: left msj

Rob Humphrey
911: He witnessed a three car accident today. When he tried to call 911 he got “all circuits are busy.” This T’ed him off. When he tried again he got a man who answered it “hello,” when he asked if this was 911, he got hung up on! He would like an explanation.
Ada County
Action Taken: Ada County

Cynthia Herron
5707 Marcliff
Boise 04
PDS: She called the office to say the Dover Heights subdivision was to have through streets for emergency traffic etc. They poured sidewalks and it appears there are culdesacs where there are to be thru streets.

Dave Ringold
1832 N. 19th St.
Boise 02
PDS: On October 17 someone parked their trailer full of junk to take to the dump, in front of his property. License plate # 457UJZ. It doesn’t belong to any of his neighbors either.

Mr. Wilahite
Duncan: I was watching the news on this dumping case. Why should he have any special treatment? No one protected the ones he killed so why should he be protected in prison. He should in general population. I am offended that the matter they would take special means from our tax dollars to protect this man. He got what he deserves. As a tax payer, I am really offended. Thank you.
Action Taken: contacted

Ben Stenkamp
4651 Brookshire 83704
Overland Trailer Park: There has got to be a better way Mr. Mayor to handle that problem with the poor people that live in that mobile home park on Overland. Shutting off their power this time of the year and so forth seems to me no short of being criminal. There has got to be some other way to force that property owner to make repairs even if the city has to go in and do it for him and then see that he pays the bill for doing it. Again that’s my opinion and I feel that it is very, very, wrong to make those people suffer because of that idiots inability to do what he needs to do. Thank you for listening, bye.
Action Taken: contacted

Overland Trailer Park Concern: Hi Mr. Mayor. I was just watching the news about that trailer park on Overland. I think that it is pretty vicious to freeze those people out because there is trash in their yard. The electrical system obviously isn’t a problem because the circuit breaker would pop if the system was overloaded. (Garbled)….This vicious angry woman, so she turned off all the power so the little kids would freeze, the food would go bad in the refrigerator and they don’t have any place to go. But it would get rid of the poor people though; we don’t like them around here. Bye.

Comments & Discussion

Comments are closed for this post.

  1. I think it is just disgusting that the city would turn off the power to these poor people. How does the city get this kind of authority? They should pay Idaho Power or an electrician to improve the service to the park and make the owner pay for the improvement. Why would the renters have to be penalized for the poor service? It has been this way for 50+ years but now it is an emergency? Come on Mr. Beiter, give these folks a break.

  2. Ok, am I the only person in the valley who thinks it is weird that the city of Boise would take it on themselves to deprive poor families of heat and lights because the landlord can’t be found or held accountable? Does that guy own somebody at City Hall or at P&Z? There is some other agenda going on besides city workers worrying about the safety of a dozen or so poor people. Guardian – would you please get the real facts in this case? It sounds totally phony to me. Thanks.

  3. junkyard dog
    Nov 2, 2006, 11:54 am

    I’ve also been quite curious about this since it seems so uncharacteristic of our city officials.

    A google search of the property reveals that it is currently on the market for around $750,000 for slightly over an acre of land. Obviously, the owner isn’t going to sink a dime into a property that he is trying to sell and perhaps speculating that it will sell for a higher and better use.

    So, I’m not an attorney and I’m hoping that maybe we have some Guardian readers that are but I would think if a property is currently in violation of city code to the degree that people’s lives are endangered, and now that the city knows that lives are at risk, they would be held liable by not evicting people in the name of safety.

    It’s really a no win situation for the city as far as I’m concerned. On the one hand, we are angry at low income families and seniors being evicted into the cold, but on the other hand, we’d be angry if the mobile home park burnt down this winter and the city hadn’t gotten those folks out sooner.

    Winter is when we see more low income projects catch fire and I imagine this one must have been in pretty bad shape for the city to go to this extreme.

    I don’t think there is a solution for this particular park, but I’ve often thought that the city ought to require all landlords/property managers be licensed and that the properties they lease have to be inspected on an biennual basis (once every 2 years) for code compliance.
    and in my humble opinion…..I think the SOB should do jail time.

  4. Thank you for the information, Junkyard. So now we know that Mr. Hoffer is getting the city to evict his tenants for him. How convenient.

    Yes, safety is an issue and I agree that park owners should be licensed and properties inspected. I think if Boise City has any consideration for the tenants at all, it will make the most necessary repairs, then collect from the owner, and/or put a lien on the property so that when it sells the city will recover costs.

    If you drive around any older section of the valley you will find little pockets of older trailers mostly inhabitated by the poorest of the poor – the young, old, non-English speaking or disabled. I think the city and the county had better start doing an inventory of these properties because the eviction process will only speed up as long as there is demand to “improve” these properties.

    The funny thing is, during my many years in real estate, mobile home parks have been known to be a serious cash cow for the owners. The tenants, especially the ones who own their trailers, are over a barrel – they can’t afford to move them and once past a certain age, there are no parks that will accept older homes. What will the city do to help trailer owners from having to abandon their homes? The people renting a trailer might be better off moving, but the ones who own will simply be forced to abandon an investment. That is wrong no matter how you look at it.

    This situation is the most blatant and disgusting form of exploitation that one can imagine. The park owner should be fined, then tarred and feathered and run out of town. Or put in jail as you suggest.

  5. junkyard dog
    Nov 2, 2006, 7:44 pm

    I did wonder why the city didn’t have the electrical work done but reckoned there were probably a bunch of reasons that we aren’t aware of…We can speculate all day on that one, but I’m guessing that someone was afraid that these old places might not be able to handle the upgrade without being rewired themselves. Those who live in old houses (like I do) call it the Mushroom Effect!

  6. You are too kind, Junkyard. My opinion is that the City of Boise just doesn’t give a damn about poor people. However, I heard on the evening news that a group of lawyers are standing up to represent the tenants. A couple of them are guys I know and I hope they will do their best to give aid.

    It is hard to understand how this wiring issue is such a damn emergency. There are surely millions of homes, trailers, and old barns that haven’t had the wiring upgraded since electricity was made a part of our daily lives. Just because the new stuff is better doesn’t mean the old stuff doesn’t work. Check out about a zillion cities back East – does anyone think all those old buildings have upgraded wiring? Please.

    While I try to resist being part of the conspiracy theory nuts I have to say that the response of the City of Boise is peculiar at best and suspect at worst.

    As I mentioned in my last post, this is just the beginning of an avalance of old parks being sold off for bigger profits. I respect the rights of owners to sell their property. However, we must put some laws in place to provide for the relocation of tenants. These folks, for the most part, are among the least able to fend for themselves and they have no idea how vulnerable they are.

    Poor people have to live somewhere. A decent society will try to see that they get treated fairly and that a reasonable safety net is there to provide help in the worst of circumstances. I have noted that various groups, including the Catholic Charities, have stepped up to help. That gives me hope that our society is trying to do the right thing. And thank you, Ben Stenkamp, and others, for contacting the mayor about this problem.

    P.S. – Junkyard – where did you Google up the sale of the park? I thought I knew something about Googling but that one I didn’t get.

  7. I feel very bad for the people of this trailer park and the high-handed method both the mayor and owner are using to evict these good citizens. Why not show some concern and empathy for your constituents, Mayor Bieter? The landlord has shown a contempt for the law and certainly has very little concern for the welfare of the tenants. My problem here is City Hall is backing a corrupt landlord by punishing the people instead of hauling the owner off to jail until they do repairs that meet city code. Thats the way we do it everywhere else in America, Dave…how about some help for these people?

  8. I appreciate your remarks, Joe. I guess we all notice that the mainstream media has gathered up its cameras and has scurried down the street to another story. That is what happens to stories about poor people – they get covered with the dust of the departing TV newspeople. And I guess we can assume these folks are not voters or they might get just some tiny bit of respect.

    I want to hear what happens to the jerk landlord and how the city will demand justice for the people left homeless. This reminds me of FEMA and the victims of Katrina on a small scale, except it is caused by a rotten human instead of bad weather.

    I can’t remember when a human interest story got me so riled. Will just one news department, print or otherwise, please give us an update on this situation? Thanks.

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