New West Network

My Page: Jonathan Weber

Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

Our third annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference, Oct. 23-24 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula, is shaping up to be our biggest and best yet. Economist Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics will again be giving his highly entertaining (and exceptionally accurate) take on trends in the regional real estate market, and this year for the first time he'll be joined by three other eminent economists: Tony Madden of the Federal Reserve Bank, Larry Swanson of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West, and David Eacret, the North Idaho Real Estate economist. Rick Holley, CEO of Plum Creek Timber, will also be joining us for a keynote talk. And that's just for starters: you can see the full lineup at www.newwest.net/realestate08.

We also have a much-expanded pre-conference seminar program this year, with continuing education credit for real estate agents, planners, attorneys, and architects.

You can save more than 20% off the regular ticket price if you register by Friday, Sept. 5. Click here for all the details on the event, and as always give us a call at 406-829-1725 if you have any questions.

Presidential Politics

This one is sure to stir up the morality debate a little further: Republican Vice Presidential pick Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant, and plans to marry the father. The announcement came in response to persistent blog rumors alleging that Palin's recent baby, born last April 18, is actually her daughter's. Bristol is said to be five months pregnant. Will the religious right's love-fest with Palin come to abrupt end in light of the pre-marital sex, or will it be reinforced by the decision to marry and have the baby?

Public Lands

The Bush Administration and conservation groups have reached a compromise agreement on rules governing roadless areas in the state, reports the New York Times. The deal involves the much-contested rules that Clinton Administration put in place banning road-building and other development on federal lands that don't already have roads - rules that were then reversed by the Bush Administration and have been the subject of a convoluted legal battle ever since. The Idaho compromise allows some road-building to log burned areas, and opens up some acreage for development in exchange for continued protection of most roadless areas, according to the Times.

Presidential Politics

Sen. John McCain's choice of obscure Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate Friday was greeted with amazement in her home state and among many political analysts. The selection is obviously a gamble and, as was surely intended, reflects McCain's maverick streak. An appealing personality, Palin will shore up McCain's support among evangelical Christians, and the fact that she is a true Westerner who hunts and fishes (and whose husband is a champion snow machine racer) could help the ticket among rural blue-collar voters, especially in the Mountain West.

Yet the argument that she will draw disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters seems fanciful; the older feminists and veteran party loyalists who formed Clinton's base are more likely to be offended by the tokenism of such a thinly-qualified woman on the ballot than inspired to vote for McCain.

Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Palin moved to Alaska with her family as an infant, though later returned to the Gem State to attend college. She graduated from the University of Idaho with a journalism degree, though the Idaho Statesman reports that she left "light footprints" on campus, with no current faculty or staff remembering much about her. The media knows hardly anything about her either, and as James Rainy points out in the LA Times, with the press now racing to Alaska to look under every rock, "the rush to judge the governor promises absurdities from both sides of the spectrum."

No, Not You!

The Democratic Convention is one big party, surrounded by many smaller parties, and of course most of those parties are paid for by...corporations and lobbyists. This is not exactly news, but the Sunlight Foundation, in highly entertaining fashion, has made it its mission to track the parties, who is paying for them, and who is allowed to attend. It's actually a fun reporting assignment to see if you can get into a party, and Nancy at the Party Time blog is making the most of it. If you want to be vicariously bounced, or if you want to track the most quotidian sort of influence peddling, or if you're in Denver and just want to score some free food and booze, check it out.

Safety in Paradise

I recently overheard a new arrival to Missoula comment with astonishment on how few cyclists around town were wearing helmets. Back in Washington, he said, everyone wears a helmet. What's up with that?

Now I will confess that I personally do not wear a helmet when I ride my bike (which admittedly is not all that often). It sounds silly in this context, but I love the feel of the wind in my hair. And I can't quite get past the feeling that bike helmets are another manifestation of the nanny state. They didn't exist at all when I was a kid, and somehow generations of children managed to survive.

I have a somewhat different reaction, though, when I float the river and notice the almost complete absence of life jackets. I look at a kid, and wonder, can he swim? Can the accompanying grown-ups drinking beer - presumably his parents - swim themselves? Do they have any idea how easy it is to get in trouble on a river?

I'm firmly of the belief that adults should be able to do anything they want as long as any danger is only to themselves (and frankly that includes a lot of things that are currently illegal). Children are a different story, and reasonable laws aimed at protecting their safety are common sense. But the more complex question has to do with the social component of perceived risk, which is enormous.

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Marathons these days are mostly a big city affair, but not exclusively so: this weekend the town of Ashton, Idaho (pop: about 1100) will host the highly regarded Mesa Falls Marathon. (Ashton is north of Idaho Falls and south of West Yellowstone, a remote but gorgeous area that's well worth a visit if you ever have the chance.) Our friend and New West investor Brad Feld, who is on a quest to complete marathons in all 50 states, will be taking part, and he's raising money for the Accelerated Cure Project. Together with our partners at SunValleyOnline, we're pleased to make a small contribution of $200 towards Brad's goal of $2,000 for this race. Go Brad, and we wish everyone in Ashton a delightful time.

Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

We're very pleased to announce that author and New York Times columnist Tim Egan will be joining us for a keynote session at New West's 3rd annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference, Oct. 23-24 in Missoula. Egan, a long-time correspondent for the Times and one of the nation's most astute commentators on Western issues, will lead off an Oct. 23 session on political transformation in the region - a topic that will undoubtedly be on many peoples' minds just in advance of the presidential election.

Egan joins economist Chris Thornberg, Plum Creek CEO Rick Holley and a host of other luminaries for the two-day event, which is expected to draw more than 400 people. For more information check out the conference Website at www.newwest.net/realestate08, or click here to go straight to the registration page.

Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

We're very pleased to announce that author and New York Times columnist Tim Egan will be joining us for a keynote session at New West's 3rd annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference, Oct. 23-24 in Missoula. Egan, a long-time correspondent for the Times and one of the nation's most astute commentators on Western issues, will lead off an Oct. 23 session on political transformation in the region - a topic that will undoubtedly be on many peoples' minds just in advance of the presidential election.

Egan joins economist Chris Thornberg, Plum Creek CEO Rick Holley and a host of other luminaries for the two-day event, which is expected to draw more than 400 people. For more information check out the conference Website at www.newwest.net/realestate08, or click here to go straight to the registration page.

Innovations in Philanthropy

Start-up companies aren't usually in a position to spend money on philanthropy, and New West is no exception. Happily, though, one of our investors, Boulder-based venture capitalist Brad Feld, has helped develop an innovative new way for companies like ours to get involved in community philanthropy even at an early stage. I'm delighted to announce today our membership in the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado, which is affiliated with the national Entrepreneurs Foundation.

The concept is simple: entrepreneurial companies donate shares equal to about one percent of their equity to the Foundation. If the company is successful, those shares will have significant value and the Foundation will thus share in the success. Companies can designate preferred beneficiaries of the shares, and we've chosen the Missoula Community Foundation and the Idaho Community Foundation. We can't of course make any guarantees, but we hope our involvement with the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado will eventually translate into meaningful support for these organizations.

Our thanks to Brad and everyone involved with the Entrepreneurs Foundation for their creativity and commitment in developing this concept. And please be in touch if you're interested in getting involved.