Welcome to Boise, turn your clock
back 250 years... where there´s only one branch of government in Idaho, The
Bobs: Gov Joe Bob, Senator Billy Bob, and Supreme Court Justice Suzy Bob.
What an incestuous mess!
Strap yourself in. Boise´s
Watergate is a political roller coaster. Someone stole $136 million in
Public Education funds at University Place -- after tricking the taxpayers
into "renting" a new Court House for $100 million. Whodunit? Was it
Cryptic Partners or the Boise lawyers or Governor Kempthorne or Colonel
Mustard in the Library with a Revolver?
If you think Boise´s Watergate can´t
happen in your city, think again:
- Florida´s Overland Express, FOX, pulled the plug
when the estimate for its public-private Florida bullet train ballooned
from $4 billion to $13 billion to $40 billion. (FOX was cited as one of
Cryptic Partners´ qualifications to develop Boise´s Watergate.)
- In Honolulu, Hawaii, 40% of the contractors working
on the $1 billion BRT were under investigation, indicted, or convicted for
money laundering to local politicians.
- Sioux City, Iowa taxpayers financed a $35 million
Theatre-Hotel Complex. Then, public-private developer Cryptic Partners --
who forgot to add the seats, drinking fountains and bathrooms -- defaulted
on 67% of the Complex.
- Seattle, Washington´s $2 billion light rail system
was derailed when public-private estimates skyrocketed to over $8 billion.
A recent study, Megaprojects and Risks
(Cambridge University Press), cited the leading cause of public-private
failures: "lying" by public-private developers.
What they´re saying
about Boise´s Watergate...
“Of course it
was a fix. It’s an incestuous mess.” –
Senator Stan Hawkins (R-Ucon), 18-year veteran legislator who voted NO on the
University Place fiasco (source: Idaho Statesman)
“You are on
the right track. But you need deeper background. I have it. I know where
every skeleton is buried. But I need deepest cover. You cannot reveal
anything about me, not even where or how or by what means you obtain info
from me. Zip, zilch, zero, nada. You must protect this source even if a
judge threatens to send you to jail for contempt.” – Deepest
Throat, anonymous source
“I was the
odd-man out on the Ada County Commission during the new court house fiasco
and opposed that absurdly obvious scheme to evade the Idaho Constitution´s
prohibition on long-term indebtedness without a vote of the people.”
– Gary Glenn, Ada County Commissioner (1991-1997)
“Weighted,
W-E-I-G-H-T-E-D.” –
Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthome, referring to his alleged rigging of the
Idaho Water Center’s bidding process with a secret 27 percent “co-location”
factor (source, Idaho Statesman)
“Finally,
somebody with the brains and guts enough to connect the dots between the
$100 million Ada County Court House scam and the $136 million University
Place fiasco as one big crime spree against the taxpayers by the Boise
lawyers, politicians, and Cryptic Partners. A fast read, this book deserves
to become a best seller.” – Sharon Ullman, Ada County
Commissioner (2001-2003)
“This book
follows the trail of the illegal laundering of public funds through a scheme
orchestrated by judges, county commissioners, law firms, urban renewal
officials, and private developers.” – Idaho Rep Bob Forrey
(R-Nampa)
“[University
Place] was a speculative real estate development [that threatened] an
Enron-like implosion of our finances.” – Wayland Winstead,
Executive Director IPB, University of Idaho (source, Idaho Statesman)
“This book
reveals the popular public-private partnership scams for the tax money
rip-offs they often are.” – Iowa Rep Ron Nutt (R-Sioux City)
“Public-private partnerships have infected local communities across the
nation and cost taxpayers billions.” – Laird Maxwell,
Chairman, Idahoans For Tax Reform
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
Introduction: Welcome to Boise, turn your clock back 250 years
Chapter
1 -
The Cookie Monsters
Chapter 2
- All The Governor´s Men
Chapter 3 - Cryptic Partners
Chapter 4 - Shark Frenzy: Give-Us-Your-Purses
Chapter 5 - Holy Eureka, It´s "Hoover Time!"
Chapter 6 - UI and UIF Cookie Jars
Chapter 7 - Nolo Conflicto?
Chapter 8 - Governor´s Legislative Dog & Pony Show
Chapter 9 - Boise´s Watergate
Chapter 10 - ISBA Throws Monkey Wrench at UIF
Chapter 11 - UIF fires Cryptic Partners
for $18 mil? Excuuse Me?
Chapter 12 - Whistle Blower Winstead
Chapter 13 - Follow The Money
Chapter 14 - Absolute Power Corrupts
Epilogue
Appendix A: Who´s Who in Boise´s Watergate
Appendix B: Law Governing Conflicts of Interest Under the Idaho Rules of
Professional Conduct
Appendix C: Article VIII, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 -- Idaho Constitution,
Public Indebtedness and Subsidies
Appendix D: Brief Background on the ISBA -- Idaho State Building Authority
Contact author
Deep Throat II
