An Ada County Commissioner, a CEO and a former superintendent will walk into a bar next week — no, this isn’t a setup for a cheesy bar joke. It’s a setup for a discussion about serious issues.
The University of Idaho’s Center for Public Policy Research is hosting a Policy Pub next Monday at a downtown Boise bar. The organizers want to bring together community leaders and the public to talk about housing affordability. They are hoping the atmosphere will spur relaxed conversation.
The panelists are Don Coberly, a former school superintendent; Diana Lachiondo, an Ada County Commissioner and Caleb Roope, CEO of Pacific Companies, an affordable housing development company.
Roope told Idaho Matters Monday that these discussions are important in places like Idaho, where housing and growth issues are just beginning.
”We don’t really have the policies in place, statewide especially, that encourage the production of affordable housing," says Roope.
Most of the forum is a Q & A between the public and the panelists. Katherine Himes from the research center says this open format makes the event unique.
“The whole idea is for the public to be able to engage directly with decision makers," says Himes.
The Policy Pub will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Pengilly’s Saloon next Monday, October 28. While there is no cover charge, attendees must be 21 years old.
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