{"id":6294,"date":"2022-08-10T10:39:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T16:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/?p=6294"},"modified":"2023-06-01T17:07:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T23:07:02","slug":"is-meridian-id-a-liberal-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/is-meridian-id-a-liberal-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Meridian, Idaho a Liberal City?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With the tidal wave of Californians pouring into Idaho’s most family-friendly city, it’s a valid question: How liberal is Meridian? If you’re planning on living there, you probably want to get a feel for the political atmosphere beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meridian is mostly Conservative, with a consistent history of voting Republican. However, almost half of the city is Liberal or Independent, so the political climate is fairly moderate. Radical Liberals tend to move to Boise, and radical Conservatives tend to live on the outskirts of Ada county.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having lived in Meridian for over fifteen years, I can honestly say that it’s a welcoming place for most political affiliations. Though schools, businesses, and churches here do favor traditional values, there’s also a healthy amount of open, progressive conversation. If you’re seriously considering living in Meridian, here’s a little bit more about the city’s political history and its current social climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voting History<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Generally speaking, Ada county has a history of voting for and financially\"Opens<\/a> supporting conservative campaigns. In the 2020 presidential election, 46.1% of the people voted for the Democratic Party and 50.0% voted for the Republican Party, while the remaining 3.9% voted Independent. Across the board, from local to national elections, the races have come within 5% of a voting difference about 13% of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2018 to 2021, financial contributions from Ada county to the Democratic Party totaled about $97,000, averaging at about $75 per contribution. During the same years, Ada county’s financial contributions to the Republican Party were more than double that, at about $270,000 and almost $200 per contribution. Similar percentages\"Opens<\/a> and financial contributions have been manifested in every election since the year 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though Meridian favors conservative candidates and ideologies, it is also home to more liberal citizens than neighboring cities. In my experience, this means that conservative citizens are bound to have close associations with liberal citizens, as your daily spheres of interaction will inevitably overlap. The almost 50-50 political split means that you’ll probably have neighbors, coworkers, managers, schoolmates, teachers, or even fellow churchgoers who believe something different than you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something that I actually love; it gives people the chance to have intellectual, genuine conversations about what they believe without feeling threatened or misunderstood. Yes, the people of Meridian are patriotic, religious, family-oriented, and harbor traditional values, but to most of these, respectful relationships are more important than political disagreements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, you’ll always have radicals who do and say inflammatory things, but that’s true anywhere you live. The short of it is No matter where you’re from, who you are, or how you vote, you’ll have friends in Meridian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Politics: Mayor and City Council<\/h2>\n\n\n
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In terms of local politics, the citizens and politicians of Meridian care mainly about the fundamentals that determine the quality of life: Good education, job security, protected personal life, access to parks and recreation, etc. Major movements and political protests are rare, likely due to the size of the city and its suburban dynamics. In every area, that enhances personal and family life, however, Meridian’s politicians work hard to respond to voters and help the city continue to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayor Robert Simison\"Opens<\/a>, an Idaho native with over two decades of public service experience at national and local levels, maintains a personal blog to update Meridian citizens on the city’s political activity. So far Simison’s efforts have contributed to rebuilding the Meridian Road Interchange, creating the city’s first Strategic Plan, and responding to residents’ vote for the City Council to expand from four seats to six for an increased variety of voiced opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simison also strongly advocates volunteer work, believing that it is the key to developing a strong community. He personally volunteers as a youth coach for soccer and basketball and often encourages public involvement on his blog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent posts\"Opens<\/a> have honored veterans for Memorial Day, thanked volunteers for their contributions to city charities and nonprofits, and encouraged citizens to get involved with service projects and volunteer opportunities. Like most people in Meridian, Simison is primarily focused on family life. He and his family live in south Meridian and love enjoying outdoor activities together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meridian City Council’s Strategic Plan\"Opens<\/a> offers the best outline of the city’s current political priorities. This plan is based on the following vision and mission:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Vision<\/strong>: By 2035, Meridian will be the West\u2019s premier community in which to live, work and raise a family.
Mission<\/strong>: Meridian will deliver superior service through committed, equipped employees, dedicated to the stewardship of the public\u2019s resources while being a vibrant, livable and connected community.”<\/p>MeridianCity.org\"Opens<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To implement this plan, city officials are focusing on the following areas of development, each with a set of detailed objectives and a plan for measuring the outcomes. Simison and current Meridian City Council members are extremely motivated to increase local transparency with political activity, which is why they’ve developed detailed pages for each aspect of the city’s Strategic Plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n