Guardian And Others Attend Voting Machine Accuracy Testing

Every candidate in this election in Canyon County got a personal invitation to come to the County Elections Office and witness accuracy testing of our voting machines.  Brad Jackson, Deputy Clerk for Canyon County walked all of us in attendance through the process. 

Your votes maintain a high degree of security from the time your ballot is filled out to the time it is counted electronically by the voting machine.  Write-in ballots are automatically segregated from ballots that have printed names on them.  There are only two write-in candidates in this election, one in Caldwell and one in Notus. 

Early voting ends Friday and the election happens Tuesday of next week on the 5th of November.  It is predicted to be another low turnout election for an off year round voting.  (3,000 people voted in the last Mayoral Election in Caldwell.)

Jim Ogstad Working For Me At 10th and Chicago

The picture in this post is a shot of my good friend Jim Ogstad.  He has returned to the streets of Caldwell once again with his sign campaign; this time to help me get elected mayor of Caldwell.

 Those of you who drove through town during the Jail Bond campaigns will remember Jim and his signs to Vote NO on the Jail Bond elections.  He is a man of his convictions and his support is remarkable given the time and effort it takes to stand out there every day on various corners holding his sign in support of my effort to become the next mayor of Caldwell.

Bicycle Hit And Run Accidents

The CALDWELL GUARDIAN has long suffered the indignities of getting from home and back again on my bicycle.  I have taken to picking the times of day that afford a minimal amount of vehicular traffic when I ride.  That said, those who ride to and from work or school don't have that option.  I can't remember how many recent bicycle hit and run accidents there have been in the Boise area recently but KTVB had a story with all the sites where then have happened lately and it is alarming to say the least. 

I do not think drivers target people on bicycles but I do think bicycle riders are not taking enough due caution to make themselves seen in the early morning, dusk and night times.  Dark clothing and other dark colored items like backpacks don't help motor vehicle drivers see bicyclists at the aforementioned times and can be a problem in the shade provided by all the trees along roads during daylight hours.

When a car hits a bicyclist it can be hard for the driver of a car or truck distinguish from a bump in the road and they keep driving.  Nearly all of the hit and run drivers have come forward and turned themselves into law enforcement and face some pretty nasty charges that are now a   FELONY in nature.  We can only wonder what steps the bicycle riders took to prevent these accidents but making yourself visible is the first step in defensive bicycle riding.

The CALDWELL GUARDIAN has long advocated bicycle riders heed the same approach as pedestrians by riding into oncoming traffic.  At least you have some kind of a chance to get out of the way of a vehicle about to hit you.  The laws for bicycles in Idaho require bicycles to be going with the flow of traffic and for the life of me I can't understand this requirement.  Riding into oncoming traffic may actually prevent bicycle/vehicle accidents.  If you have any insight into this please post your thoughts.  Every year we seem to have a spate of bicycle/vehicle accidents and I don't think they are due to inattentive drivers anymore than bicycle riders not taking a reasonable degree of caution.   One exception are the people who insist on texting while driving and they need to go straight to jail.

Nancolas Not A Good Fit Anymore

I got this photo from a friend and just had to post it on my blog.  I know I said I would not be doing any posts until after the election but this was just too good to pass up. 

Mayor Nancolas has been our Mayor for 16 years and served on the City Council for another 8 years.  Some have suggested he has served so long that it is now time for a vacation.

Early Voting and Sign Season Start Today

Just a quick reminder, early voting starts today October 7, 2013.  Your vote for local candidates carries way more impact than it does for any other election.  All you need is some form of ID and proof you have lived in your residence for 30 days.  The Canyon County Elections office is located at 1102 Chicago Street in Caldwell.  It is directly across the street from the Salvation Army building on Chicago and 10th Avenue.

The last Mayoral Election in Caldwell had a little over 3,800 people make the effort to vote. 

Early Voting Starts October 7th, 2013

THE GUARDIAN received word from the good people at the elections office about early voting start date.  You can start voting early on October 7th.  Typically it will stop on the Friday before elections.  That date is November 1st.

Only a little over 3,800 people made the effort to vote during the last mayoral election and even less are expected this time around.  This means every vote counts even more than ever.

Several people have approached me about not taking time off from the blog until the election is over and I am reluctant to do so because of a tendency to drift away from issues and having to moderate "snarky" anonymous posts either for or against candidates in various races.  People tend to take it personally when what they have to say is edited or outright removed.

Caldwell Guardian Running for Mayor of Caldwell

If you have not heard by now I am officially in the race for the position of Mayor of Caldwell.  In fairness to my opponent, Mayor Nancolas, I will be taking a hiatus when it comes to local government blog posts. 

 If you are not registered to vote, please consider doing so.  It is a quick process and can be done at the County Elections Office at the corner of 11th and Chicago in Caldwell. 

Unseating an incumbent is an uphill battle and it will take a lot of effort on my part and all the help I can get from supporters.  I expect a very low turnout for this election.  You can vote early, absentee or in person at your local polling place will have a lot of impact on who wins or loses this election.

City Elections This Fall Registration Deadline September 6th, 5:00PM

Think you have what it takes to make a difference in your city, then now is your opportunity to rise to the occasion.  I pay more attention to Caldwell than other cities because I live here.  Mayor Nancolas is up as well as four (4) city council seats.  Two are incumbents and have been there for a very long time and two are recent appointees.  They are in no particular order,  Rob Hopper, Dennis Callsen, Clarnece Biggers, and Mike Pollard.

Mayor Nancolas has served as Mayor of Caldwell for the last 16 years he also served two terms on the Caldwell City Council if my memory is still intact on this point.  Mayor Nancolas and his City Finance Director/Ubran Renewal Chairman have overseen the distribution of about $60,000,000 in URA funds appropriated from property taxes in Caldwell.  Mr. Hopper and Mr. Callsen have served on the URA board. 

City council people make about $12k/year and get health insurance as an added benefit for serving on the city council.  I will check on the pay and update this post as necessary.

It could not be easier to get your name on the ballot.  All you do is go to city hall and pick up a packet, get your affidavit filled out, get five and preferably 10 registered voters to sign your petition, go to the County Elections Office and have a clerk verify your supporters of 5 or more people and then take all the completed paperwork back to city hall and hand it over to the City Clerk. 

Before you can start spending any campaign money you will have to get a
Campaign Treasurer on your team.  That person can be anyone you choose like your wife or a relative.  They will be in charge of documenting you inflow and outflow of campaign money along with submitting campaign reports to the City Clerk on dates noted in the campaign stuff.  Anyone who can add and subtract at a 6th grade level can do this task.  It is all spelled out in all the paperwork.

For the rest of you, if you don't vote, don't complain about who is in office.

Caldwell Speed Trap Beware!

THE GUARDIAN has been made aware of Caldwell's latest speed trap in the worst possible way with a citation..  The speed trap is ARTHUR STREET between 12th and 19th Avenue.  This street is downhill when travelling from east to west and very easy to exceed the 20 MPH speed limit. 

THE GUARDIAN found this out today with a ticket with a $90.00 price tag.  I was cited for doing 31 MPH.  So be careful or Officer Gregory will he happy to issue you a citation.

New County Admin. Office Groundbreaking Ceremoney Sept. 3, 2013

The Board of Canyon County Commissioners will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new $6.5 million Canyon County Administration Building on Tuesday, September 3 at 11:00 a.m.  Representatives from Meridian-based Engineered Structures, Inc. will join the Commissioners to break ground and officially kick-off construction on the project.  Several community members will also be recognized for their valuable input and support during the planning phase.

Construction on the three-story, 50,000 square-foot facility, is expected to be completed in May 2014.  The building will house the Assessor’s Office, Clerk’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Development Services Department, Indigent Services Department and the Public Defender’s Office.

The project is being financed through an agreement with the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency and will not increase property taxes for residents of Canyon County.