BOISE, ID – Voters throughout Idaho Tuesday night elected mayors and city council members. In the capitol city, political freshman Ben Quintana is the newest Boise city councilor. But Quintana’s already a veteran campaigner focused on job creation.
At 33, Ben Quintana becomes the youngest member on Boise’s city council. So a downtown bar and restaurant seemed a fitting place for him to declare victory. But it wasn’t all drinks and good cheer that got him this win. Earlier in the day, Quintana was at his campaign headquarters in downtown Boise calling voters:
Ben Quintana: "Hopefully, you’ll decide to turn out to vote today because the polls will be open. It’s the same polling location that you go to for every other opportunity that you have."
This was Quintana’s first run for public office. He resigned his public relations position with the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce to focus full time on his bid for office. That campaign reflected Quintana’s P-R and business development background.
Ben Quintana: "Basic principles of marketing - you need to have a minimum of three touch points sometimes up to seven before someone actually makes a buying decision. Same thing with a vote."
That meant he sent out more than 15,000 mailers to targeted, registered voters. Quintana’s campaign also used social media like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out. Quintana says it worked. Now, he says, he’s ready to get to work.
Ben Quintana: "Top goal is really focusing on the economy. I want to get in there and do everything I possibly can to make Boise an even more friendly place for business, entrepreneurship, and innovation."
Quintana faced challengers Michael Cunningham, who works for the Boise School District, and Lawrence Johnson, a small business owner. Quintana joins the city council in January.
Copyright 2011 Boise State Public Radio