Mike Silva, October 1, 2010
Scope and Contents
This collection contains recorded interviews with Boise citizens. Notable topics include Boise Bench history, Greenbelt history, Foothills Levy history, Boise Fire Department history, Boise Police Department history, and personal and political histories of former mayors and councilmembers.
Dates
- October 1, 2010
Biographical / Historical
Mike Silva moved from Chicago to Boise to work for the Boise Cascade Corporation. While he lived in Boise, Silva served as a commissioner for the Ada County Highway District, and then a year on the City Council before leaving for a job in San Francisco. He served on the Boise City Council from 1980 to 1981.
Extent
418.7 Megabytes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Mike Silva served on the City Council during the height of opposition to urban renewal; people were upset with how long it was taking to redevelop the downtown. His service on the ACHD Board of Commissioners occurred while the agency was new and there was hostility between the agency and other local governments.
In an interview with Brandi Burns on October 1, 2010, Mike Silva discusses moving to Boise and running for the Ada County Highway District. He related that serving as an ACHD commissioner prepared him for his time on City Council and discussed that while on Council he opposed the regional mall downtown and the construction of the Connector. He described wanting to expand the number of bike lanes, as well as improving the bus system.
Names and Places Index
Time Index
00:00 Introduction.
00:26 Mike Silva explained that he moved to Boise to work with the Boise Cascade Corporation. He mentioned being involved with the theater in Boise and the city Music League.
01:16 Silva explained that he moved to Boise from Chicago. He worked as the Editor in Chief of the Britannica Book of the Year, but could not tolerate the cold weather.
02:51 Silva discussed running for Ada County Highway District (ACHD) commissioner. He described his time with ACHD as being a valuable learning experience which taught him to better consider the needs of the people.
05:05 Silva described the relationship between the Boise City Council and ACHD as resentful but cooperative. He mentioned the limited contact between the two organizations.
06:10 Silva discussed the experiences which prepared him for city council. He explained that working in journalism taught him to ask a lot of questions and the best way to find out information.
08:11 Silva explained that it was the encouragement of a friend which prompted him to run for ACHD and city council. He also expressed the desire he had for his children to be active, involved citizens.
10:48 Silva explained his opposition to putting a regional mall in downtown Boise. He mentioned the destruction of historic buildings and the growth that downtown has seen without the addition of a mall.
13:23 Silva discussed the growth of Boise. He described the growth as unmanaged and destructive. He cited the expansion of cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco and the effect that growth had on their street traffic and city services.
18:01 Silva discussed urban renewal in Boise. He described the disconnect between development planning on the regional level and the city level. 20:10 Silva explained his opposition to putting in a connector. At the time he did not think this would help downtown Boise. There was also disagreement about where the connector should have been put.
22:40 Silva described the issue of transportation. He spoke of the desperate need to improve the bus system. He mentioned also the idea of a light rail system. He described the opposition on the city council to accepting federal money and improving the transit system.
26:25 Silva discussed the Greenbelt. He mentioned the interest in adding more bike lanes and making the city more accessible to bicyclists.
28:44 Silva described how the old city hall building was torn down.
29:37 Silva discussed the dynamics of the city council during his time serving. He said that he was probably viewed as a maverick and a radical. He described the antagonism he felt from fellow councilman Glen Selander. He mentioned also his friendship with Ralph McAdams.
32:30 Silva mentioned that the issue of the Foothills was not on the forefront during his time on the council.
33:00 Silva explained that he was recruited to work in San Francisco which caused him to only serve for one year on the city council. He spoke of his belief that city council members should be paid better.
34:13 Silva spoke of the defining moments of his time on the council as being centered around the placement of the regional mall. He said that there had never been very much support among the citizens of Boise for putting the mall downtown.
36:30 Silva described his time on the council as being primarily “day to day” business. He spoke of redefining the highway district. Among other things, this included putting more of the cost of development onto developers.
39:45 Silva explained that if he had not been recruited to work in San Francisco, he would have probably run for mayor of Boise.
End of Recording.
Source
- Silva, Mike (June 14, 1930-June 28, 2022) (Narrator, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Collections Repository