Glimpse of Rush Hour

I took this pic while on my bike at the intersection of Broadway and Jefferson at "rush hour" (6:00 p.m.). I pulled up to the light, where there has often been a line of cars backed up at a light that's slow to turn. Today I pulled up to the light next to three bikes and a scooter. Sign of the times?

Mourning the passing of an Idaho statesman

I was saddened to find in today's paper the obituary of former State Senator Richard "Dick" High. Though we'd only spoken a few times, Mr. High (as he was known in his Imperial Plaza building) impressed me as a kind, thoughtful, and optimistic man and one who placed the public interest over partisanship. And the encouragement and counsel that he gave me when I first ran in 2004 meant a great deal to me.

As a Republican state senator from Twin Falls, Mr. High became the co-chair of the powerful JFAC committee. His seven-term tenure was marked by strong support for Idaho's public schools and the modernization of Idaho government. He was a leader at a time when our state's Legislature was less polarized, more moderate, and generally more collegial.

Read his obit to learn more about the kind of life that inspires people like me to take up public service.

Gergen Provides Wake-Up Call to Idahoans

Veteran political advisor and pundit David Gergen touched down in Boise last week to address the Association of Idaho Cities annual conference and the packed house of local and state officials wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

Certainly he had solid partisan bona fides for the many Republican muckety-mucks in attendance. After all, Gergen had served in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations (he also served a tour with the Clinton administration). And Gergen even staffed George H.W. Bush's 1980 campaign. And on the MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour, which moderator Dr. Jim Weatherby cited as the single finest example of political dialogue on television, Gergen represented the conservative viewpoint with foil Mark Shields.

But I have to believe Republicans walked away feeling slightly deflated (and perhaps betrayed) after hearing Gergen. He lambasted President Bush (who at one time enjoyed his highest popularity in Idaho, despite declining numbers everywhere else), pointing out that he's even less popular than Nixon was on the day he resigned. He also noted that Bush's great failures can be attributed to a lack of well seasoned judgment and intellectual curiosity and quoted Harry Truman, "Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader." Bush, as Gergen reminded the audience, is not a reader and almost prided himself on his anti-intellectualism.

But more to the point, Gergen weighed in on the presidential race and predicted, without hesitation, that Democrats will achieve a "swollen majority" in Congress as well as in various statehouses around the country. "For the average American, these have not been good years. Poverty has gone up. Average wages have gone down. More wealth has flowed to the top....This is a country that is unhappy and anxious and that's bad news for Republicans."

Perhaps Gergen's most instructive and sobering comments were saved for his conclusion, in which he outlined what he viewed as the country's transcendent challenges. He prefaced these warnings with a grim assessment of our current state: “The campaigns have not yet come to grips with the reality…. The country is not well prepared for the challenges…. ‘Sacrifice’ is barely passing from people’s lips.” Then, the challenges:
1) Getting our house in order: The overall theme here, and it’s one that’s particularly salient in Idaho, is that we have postponed action on so many different problems and now the bills are coming due. Health care costs need to be controlled; Social Security and Medicare must be reformed or Moody’s will downgrade our nation’s credit rating (read: bad news). A sensible, long-term energy plan, that guarantees some modicum of energy security, is also long overdue according to Gergen. And, we need to lift the quality of our public education system or our children simply won’t be able to compete in the global marketplace.
2) Nuclear proliferation: The world is about to become a much more dangerous place, as many countries will assert their nuclear aspirations—“a very serious issue with very grave implications.”
3) Climate change: “There’s no debate. We’ve created damage and instability. We will have to act fast to avoid a catastrophe.”
4) The Rise of Asia: The world’s center of gravity has already moved to Asia. How will we avoid wars with the great emerging powers? Will the U.S. still be at the table of the great powers???

Gergen was even-handed and witty throughout, lavishing praise on John McCain and Mitt Romney, denouncing anti-Mormon bigotry and pointing out the downside risk (as well as huge upside potential) of Barack Obama.

But the most important takeaway was this: a man who has been an eyewitness to power for over 30 years is convinced that timid leadership will only further exacerbate the crises we face. We can no longer afford to tinker at the margins of the enormous challenges we face (nor refuse to pony up the money to tackle these challenges—i.e. make sacrifices). Gergen’s address was a clarion call for authentic and courageous leadership—leaders who don’t shirk from our challenges, but see them for what they are and seek to solve them by mobilizing Americans behind a common cause. Such leaders aren’t just needed in the White House; we must elect them at every level of government and in every state. As Bill Moyers has said of the upcoming 2008 elections, “There’s never been more at stake.”

Calling All Small Business Owners

Let's hear it for all the little people (and by that I mean the people who create roughly 80% of all new jobs in this state): that not-so-rare breed known as small business owners. The Boise Metro Chamber is sponsoring the 2008 Small Biz Conference, featuring keynote speaker Rhonda Abrams. If her name doesn't ring any bells, she's like the Suze Orman of entrepreneurship (though less grating). She's a small biz guru, a prolific author, and nationally syndicated columnist. And she's a very successful business owner (and brand) in her own right. Buying one of her books was one of my first steps on the path to entrepreneurialism.

Abrams will provide the keynote address following breakfast. Then, as an added bonus, she'll stick around for a few hours to lead the workshop "Owning your Niche: How to Compete with the Big Guys and Win!"

There are several other interesting workshops to attend throughout the morning, including "Marketing and Advertising on a Budget" and "Develop, Delegate, and Disappear." At noon, we'll celebrate some of the region's small biz success stories at the annual Small Business Awards Luncheon. Afternoon highlights include a panel discussion, networking opportunities, the chance to polish and perfect your elevator pitch, and more networking at the B2B Trade Show and Business After Hours.

I know from personal experience that owning and running a business can be an isolating experience. These sorts of events always help us to recharge, refocus, connect and share with other small biz folks, and infuse our businesses with new ideas and strategies. The agenda offers a fitting balance of inspiration and practical advice. Just the networking along ought to be worth the price of admission.

Treat yourself to an entire day dedicated to making you a better business owner. First 100 registrants will get a free copy of Abram's book, "The Owner's Manual for Small Business." Don't delay: sign up at the Chamber's web site.

Disclosure: I'm on the Chamber's Small Business Success Center Advisory Council.

Utah Gets It

I attended the luncheon and keynote speaker at Kickstand's Idavation event, a gathering of inventors, entrepreneurs, investors and service providers, this past Thursday. Candidates and elected officials were scarce, though Boise Mayor Dave Bieter was there to greet the conference attendees and talk a bit about what Boise is doing to support entrepreneurialism and innovation.

Bieter was followed by Don Dietrich, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. After Mayor Bieter had spoken of the "doorbelling" he does--visiting local businesses and learning about their needs, hopes, plans and gripes--Dietrich noted that he did the same, though he then explained that doesn't make house calls (businesses have to come see him in his office). Dietrich seemed defensive: at least four different times, he assured the audience that Idaho government and Gov. Otter are listening to them, seemingly aware that many in the room had long ago concluded just the opposite.

Dietrich was followed by Brian Cummings, Executive Director of the Technology Commercialization Office at University of Utah. Cummings rattled off an extraordinary track record of success at attracting private and public research dollars, facilitating tech commercialization (he rejects the term "tech transfer"), providing services to start-ups, growing technology clusters, and increasing the number of start-ups resulting from partnerships with the university. By many measures, Utah seems to be doing this better than most places in the country. A few key indicators:

• Commercial sponsored research (when companies pay the university to do research) went from $16.5M in 2006 to $38.2M in 2008.
• New inventors went from 10 in 2004 to 70 in 2007.
• Number of start-ups went from 3 in 2004 to 24 in 2008 (the national average is 2.8 companies per university).
• 4 new angel funds have emerged in Salt Lake City in the last two years.

If Cummings has made U of U into a major league player, Idaho, it would seem, is playing at a junior varsity level at best. Cummings mentioned that the university convinced the Utah Legislature to invest $375 million in the tech commercialization efforts--money that would be spent on building a facility to house research and innovation efforts and attracting world-class inventors. Idaho comes nowhere near making such investments. During the Q&A, a participant suggested asked Cummings how they got the Legislature to support and invest in tech commercialization, adding that Idaho legislators don't seem to get it. Cummings responded that the university president did an amazing job of conveying value--couching the program in terms of industry creation and job growth.

As a legislator, I will make the case to my colleagues that these sorts of investments produce real returns and are imperative if we are to remain competitive with other states and countries around the world that are attempting to lure the very same innovators and entrepreneurs. Utah's example offers much for our universities and Legislature to learn and emulate.

If you don't build it, they won't come

I'm not sure why this story didn't get a bit more play in the media. It pertains to one of the hottest political issues of the next decade: infrastructure.

The reason Idaho has fallen so behind in investing in infrastructure, argue pundits and political junkies, is because the rurally dominated Legislature simply doesn't see the value (or direct benefit) in investing in the sorts of the things that the Treasure Valley and other growing urban areas are clamoring for: road improvements, air quality controls, and public transit, to name a few.

If this is true, rural legislators might do well to familiarize themselves with this story. The relatively small town of Buhl lost a planned $125 million dollar canola processing/biofuel plant, ostensibly due to lack of infrastructure. The president of DISCO Associates, which was the financial backer of the project, specifically cited the costs of power, water, sewer, railway and road infrastructure as the key reason for his company's decision to pull out.

The extreme "fiscal conservatives" who rule the roost at the Statehouse continue to promote their pennywise, pound-foolish ideology, compromising public safety and our economic future by neglecting to invest in infrastructure. I've written about this issue at the Idaho Business Review; I'll be posting more on this topic soon, particularly with respect to the Chamber's Regional Leadership Conference that was held last month in Sun Valley and the infrastructure concerns voiced by local and national business leaders.

Boise Bike Week

Boise Bike Week wrapped up yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend Saturday's festivities, including the parade, due to a ballet recital (my daughters') and a party to honor our preschool's teachers. Nevertheless, I'm happy to say that I went the entire week commuting to work (and other places) by bike. I did drive the car once for a night-time pharmacy run, but other than that it was pure pedal power. I even had a great ride with my girls to the Green Expo on Saturday.

Thanks to REI for sponsoring free bike "check-ups" on 8th Street on Friday (see picture). My bike, which is a garage sale special, was definitely in need of some TLC.

I've been inspired to commit more fully to keeping the car at home as much as possible. I've signed up for the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance Commuter Challenge. Check it out. I don't hold out high hopes of winning anything--after all, when I was out campaigning door to door earlier today, I met a neighbor who bikes out to HP every day (from the East End). Now that's commitment!

To learn about ACHD's Roadways to Bikeways program--Ada County's first bicycle master plan--click here.