Donald R. Brennan , July 14, 2010

Minutes Summary
Track One
00:00 Introduction
00:31 Brennan described his political activity before moving to Boise. he was elected mayor of Pocatello during the 1960s. He used this as a platform on which to run of the House of Representatives. He also worked on the Law Enforcement Planning Commission.
01:44 Brennan discussed what changes were going on in Boise when he joined the city council in 1988. He mentioned the new regional mall as well as the convention center and more downtown parking.
03:08 Brennan discussed what some of the goals of the city council were when he first joined. These included improving the quality of life in Boise as well as upgrading the police and fire departments.
04:53 Brennan described the improvement of the airport which took began during his time on the council.
05:16 Brennan explained who else served on the city council concurrently with himself, including former Mayor Kempthorn, Sara Baker and Brent Coles. He described them as a pleasure to work with.
06:20 Brenna explained that it was the issue of semi-trucks potentially being driven on the main streets of Boise which prompted him to become involved with the city council.
07:31 Brennan describes the opening of the Boise Town square. He saw the addition of a shopping center to Boise, as well as its placement on the west side of town as being very positive.
08:21 Brennan discussed the opening of Catherine Albertson Park.
08:55 Brennan discussed the Velma Morrison Plaza. He credited former mayor Kempthorn with facilitating the creation of the plaza in front of City Hall.
11:03 Brennan explained which members of city government were easiest to work with and who he felt greatly helped him in his office.
12:04 Brennan described some of the changes he has seen take place in Boise. he mentioned the growth of Boise’ population as well as the improvement of the city’s parking infrastructure.
13:18 Brennan mentioned the major businesses which were operation in Boise during his time on the council. Among these were Hewlett Packard, Albertsons, and Boise Cascade. He said that Micron was only getting started at that time.
14:04 Brennan discussed some of Boise’s neighborhoods. He mentioned that Highlands was a prestigious place to live when he moved to Boise. Now, he says that the most desirable places to live are gated communities in Eagle.
14:53 Brennan spoke of being able to take the commuter train to and from Boise. he said this was much cheaper and easier than driving a car.
15:35 Brennan explained which changes in Boise he likes the most. Among these were the expansion of the library.
16:20 Brennan described how downtown Boise has maintained its viability.
16:45 Brennan discussed Boise’s current mayor David Bieter and how he approves of the job the new mayor is doing.
17:19 Brennan explained what many of the men who served with him on the city council have gone on to accomplish.
18:10 Brennan explained that it was his political service in Pocatello which encouraged him to become active in Boise’s city government. He was also prompted to run for council by the issue of trucking in Boise.
20:58 Brennan described in which ways Boise’ downtown has changed and the ways in which it has been revitalized. Specifically he spoke of the increase of shopping.
26:40 Brennan discussed the Greenbelt. He spoke of wanting to have the Greenbelt on both sides of the rivers, but this became too costly. He spoke of some of the negative responses and concerns he received from the community.
30:35 Brennan spoke of Boise’ swimming pools. The public swimming pools all had heating systems which would frequently break and Brennan worked to remedy this.
31:57 Brennan described the Boise River Festival.
33:45 Brennan discussed which issues and projects he would have liked to have seen completed during his time on the council. He mentioned the completion of the Greenbelt as well as preserving the land above the city.
35:33 Brenna explained that his time serving on different city boards formed the defining moments of his time on the city council. He spoke also of the learning to serve as a council member after having been a mayor in Pocatello.
37:31 Brennan mentioned the opposition to building a shopping center he encountered from certain members of the business community.
38:28 Brennan described how the expansion of the Boise airport and the addition of parking structures downtown were the defining projects of his time on the council.
39:32 Brennan explained that he moved to Boise with his family because of his job at the time. He was selected to be the state director of vocational education, which required him to live in Boise.
40:27 Brennan discussed the need for efficient transportation in Boise and how the addition of the connector to downtown was designed to improve traffic in the city.
42:43 Brennan explained that former councilmen Smith took a job in Washington, and was replaced with Paula Forney.
Track Two
00:14 Brennan discussed working with former mayor Dirk Kempthorn. He described Kempthorn as easy to work with as well as being direct.

Pocatello, Idaho; Boise River Festival; Dirk Kempthorne; Boise Airport; Greenbelt; Boise public swimming pools; State Director of Vocational Education; transportation; Paula Forney; Redevelopment; David Bieter; Boise’s downtown; Boise Public Library; Eagle; Neighborhoods; Hewlett Packard; Albertsons; Boise Cascade; Micron; Velma Morrison Plaza; Boise Town Square Mall; Katherine Albertson’s Park; Sara Baker; Brent Coles; Convention Center; Downtown Parking.