Boise News

Column: City Politics

TJ Thomson Declares for Boise City Council

By Jill Kuraitis, 6-09-09

Boise City Council races are surprisingly lively. Even when there’s no challenger, Boiseans love to wave their political energy around during a council campaign.

Most of Boise’s state legislative seats are in Democratic hands, and with the landslide election and re-election of Democratic mayor Dave Bieter, the core of the city is a liberal island surrounded by a sea of conservative districts. (The mayor’s seat is technically nonpartisan, but nobody believes that anymore, if ever they did.)

The City Council, now centrist with a sight tilt left, has six seats, one of them held by Jim Tibbs, who spent 34 years with the police department, most of them in leadership roles, including interim police chief in 2003. He is on the board of the Human Rights Task Force and has won, among other honors, a human rights award.

New: Correction thanks to the Idaho Statesman:  Tibbs has said he won’t run again, and a credible candidate, TJ Thomson will kick off his campaign Wednesday with a party in Boise’s Linen District.  Thomson, an Idaho Power auditor, former NASA policy analyst and leader of Idaho for Obama and Veterans for Obama, has already tidied up a whopping list of endorsements, including Mayor Bieter, current council members Vern Bisterfeldt, Maryanne Jordan, David Eberle and Elaine Clegg, former Governor Cecil D. Andrus, the Honorable Bethine Church, the Boise Central Trades & Labor Council, Boise Business & Economic Development Professional Ben Quintana, most of Boise’s state legislators, and the coveted support of the Firefighter’s Union.

Firefighter’s Local #149 Secretary-Treasurer Jim Walker said, “TJ Thomson and fire fighters have a shared vision for Boise that goes well beyond public safety. Fire fighters are also citizens and we, too, want a strong economy, good schools, safe streets, affordable health care, and a clean environment. TJ is the man who can lead this city in the right direction. We’re going to be with him every step of the way. We want him to accomplish his vision for Boise.”

There’s no question what will get Thomson’s vote if he’s elected. After Bieter’s state of the city address in May, Thomson said, “Once again, Mayor Dave Bieter is showing true leadership by looking to the future, rather than the past, to develop strong, innovative ideas that will benefit the City of Boise.”

It would be best to have Tibbs’ comments about his possible replacement, but after an editorial critical of Tibbs which ran during his unsuccessful race for Mayor against Bieter, Tibbs does not talk to NewWest.Net. But award-winning writer David Frazier of the Boise Guardian wrote of Thomson, “Frankly, our biggest concern is that he sounds just like every other candidate for public office. He supports smart growth, preserving the foothills, helping coppers and firemen, protecting quality of life, bikes, energy conservation, clean water–WHAT A GUY!”

“We tried to get [Thomson] to show some passion for things like citizen control of police–a police commission. To be for or against annexation without a vote of the people. A position on long term debt without a vote of the people as mandated by the constitution. Passion on ANYTHING. Smart guy. He wouldn’t tell us.”

A challenger to Thomson has plenty of time to emerge. All we know now is that the citizens of Boise will actually attend debates and citizen forums, have letters-to-the-editor matches, and prove once again that “freedom rings where opinions clash.”

Ain’t America great?

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.