New campaign aims to keep Boise Nice, remind us why this is such a great place to live
Even though spring was days away from officially announcing its arrival, it was a beautiful spring day in Boise on Saturday, March 15, 2003, when I first met up with our fine city. With my first of four interviews for the presidency of Boise State on Monday, St. Patrick Day’s, and with my mother’s maiden name of Shaughnessy, I was hoping to bring the luck of the Irish to a search process that drew interest from candidates all over the country.
To this day, I can mark the spot where I left the hotel on ParkCenter Boulevard over the weekend and jumped on a rented bike to explore this Greenbelt thing that was the talk of the town and heralded in all the tourist guides. As I headed east toward Barber Park, the Boise Foothills off to my left stood guard over the valley, the Boise River and the first homes built in Harris Ranch, surrounded by an agricultural landscape since overtaken by residential development to accommodate our record-breaking growth.
What really caught my eye that day were the cyclists, walkers and runners heading the other way. Nodded heads, smiles and brief hellos as we whizzed past each other, it was not the way I had experienced life in the Midwest and South. I often tell the story of a faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University who told me he had been in Kentucky for 30 years and was still considered an outsider. In his words, “if my granddaddy wasn’t trusted by your granddaddy, then there was little hope of ever being considered one of them.”
I remember calling Kathy on my cell when I returned and telling her I better get out of town right after the interview for fear of falling for Boise before I knew whether I had the slightest chance of surviving a rigorous search process. At this early stage of the search process, this was no time to wax sentimental over a new place to live.
Looking back on it all, Kathy and I realize how fortunate we were to have arrived at Boise State in the City of Trees at that stage of our lives and careers. So often in those early days we remarked to friends how welcoming and friendly Boise was compared to other places we lived. Those greetings I experienced on the Greenbelt were not “one-offs” but part of what we would come to know as Boise Nice. Whether it was a stroll downtown or a walk through the neighborhood, folks were friendly and shared “hellos” and “hi’s” to perfect strangers as we were in those days.
We joked with our friends and family that the easiest way to know you are not in Kansas anymore, or Chicago in our case, was the driving experience in Boise. If you drive in Chicago and care to change lanes, the last thing you do is flip on your directional signal. That often causes the car who should be slowing a bit to let you change lanes speed up and prevent you from doing so. In Boise, we found that a directional signal actually caused the driver next to us to slow down so we could make our move to the next lane.
But let’s face it. Boise’s reputation as a community that respects the rights and privileges of others has been challenged lately by behavior much more serious than lane usage or unfriendly greetings on city streets. When gun-toting vigilantes show up at prayer vigils at the state Capitol, trucks waving Confederate flags parade through Boise downtown and protesters demonstrate in front of public officials’ homes instead of the chambers of government, Boise Nice doesn’t seem to live here anymore.
Well, it does and it’s about to get a major assist from some Boise citizens who have embarked on a campaign to shine a spotlight on Boise Nice and remind Boiseans why this corner of southwestern Idaho has been such an attractive and pleasant place to live. Every community boasts its civic pride, but not every community can back it up with a culture that respects its neighbors and spreads goodwill on its streets to the nth degree. That’s what Boise Nice hopes to underscore when it officially kicks off its project next week at the Boise Chamber of Commerce.
Rourke O’Brien came to Boise from Seattle three years ago and picked up on Boise Nice immediately in contrast to his experience in the much larger city by the Sound. Joined by Nancy Buffington and Julia Kertz Grant who both have a rich history of community engagement in Boise, the trio decided it was time to model and applaud how Boiseans have treated each other over the years. They hope to share with newcomers and long-termers alike this very special tradition of civic goodwill and respect Boiseans have for each other.
Learn more about “Boise Nice: It’s Who We Are” by visiting its new website, (https://www.boisenice.org/news/). It sets out its goals and even offers up some questions that serve as models of what it means to be Boise Nice. You can learn more about special places and unique events that bring Boiseans together to celebrate its history and culture. You can also find a growing network of engaged businesses that support the cause
What kind of city does Boise choose to be? The Boise that makes national news when swastikas are placed on the Anne Frank Memorial last December or the Boise that reacted to the occasion thanks to the Boise Downtown Association and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights raising 60 banners of “Love Everywhere” for all to see? Boise cannot allow the vicious and unlawful behavior of a very few define a city known for extending its welcoming arms to refugees over recent years.
The new Boise Nice campaign will add another strong voice to the overwhelming majority of Boiseans who are proud of Boise Nice. After all, it’s who we are.
Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Reader’s Corner on Boise State Public Radio and he writes a biweekly column for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.
