There are times when we find ourselves blogging with a special energy, which we find is normally due to being either outraged, or proud.
Today, we’re writing with pride, pride in seeing how the heritage of the Basques is still looked on favorably around the world.
The mayor of Boise, David Bieter, is proud of his Basque heritage
We’ve spoken about David Bieter, the mayor of Boise, the capital of Idaho, and the only Basque-speaking mayor in the US. We did so when President Obama invited him to fly from Washington to Boise with him aboard Air Force One. We’ve also spoken of his brother, Mark Bieter, and his authoritative looks at the reality of the Land of the Basques. We’ve also spoken of that Catholic German from Milwaukee who was a defender of Basque, the father of both Bieter brothers, and of his wife, the daughter of a Basque shepherd who emigrated to the Far West.
Today, we’re speaking about David Bieter because the website Nation Swell, making the most of the 2017 The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), has selected the 5 best mayors in the US. Among them, of course, is David Bieter.
These are the reasons why he was selected (copied from the website):
This fourth-term mayor – the longest in Boise’s history – has expanded access to childhood education programs and affordable housing while taking a bold stance to protect immigrants and refugees. His city does better than many others at ensuring the safety of residents and providing them access to hospital beds and certain health outcomes, helping Boise rank at the top of the America’s best-run cities study.
In the study The Best-Managed Cities in the United States, which we link to below (created by Wallethub in 2016), Boise, David Bieter’s city, is at the top of the list, which gives you a good idea of how he’s doing.
He’s a Democrat who, we’re convinced, has his principles well-rooted in the best principles of what it means to be a Basque
Mayor David Bieter congratulates new enlistees in the United States Navy at Boise City
This fourth-term mayor – the longest in Boise’s history – has expanded access to childhood education programs and affordable housing while taking a bold stance to protect immigrants and refugees.
Running a city is a tall order. Not only must government officials navigate local politics, but they also must strive to balance the public’s interests with the city’s responsibilities and resources. And because resources generally grow limited as population sizes increase, especially when such increases occur rapidly, not all individual needs can or will be served.
