Good morning. I’m honored once again this year to welcome you to Boise for this great annual conference.

Thanks to Ed Torgerson for inviting me to be with you, and a special “City of Trees” welcome to this morning’s keynoter, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakove. I also want to open this conference by expressing my appreciation to all of you for your commitment, your resourcefulness and your skill.

As some of you know, my late father was a professor of education, a teacher of teachers. And it was from him that I learned that, next to parents and family, no one has a greater influence on the lives of our children than our teachers.

So at a time when our teachers and even the very institution of public education have become something of a punching bag across the nation -- an easy scapegoat for a host of ills that have little or nothing to do with learning -- I’d just like to say “Thank you” for all the work you do.   

I think it was Mark Twain who once said, “The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”

Well, we seem to be in the midst of one of those rhymes now, as we continue to negotiate a global economic downturn and wonder: Is the bad part over, or is the worst yet to come?

We in the City of Boise have fared better than many communities, worse than others. But we recognize that the recovery, whenever it comes, will favor the prepared -- cities that are positioned for new jobs and rejuvenated businesses.

That means preserving and even enhancing our livability -- those qualities that make Boise a place where people want to work and raise families, and where business want to come and grow.

One of the things we’ve done is continue to support and encourage our arts and cultural organizations, including those devoted to researching and celebrating Boise’s history and heritage.

Along with Boise State University, we continue to sponsor the Fettuccine Forum, a free public affairs lecture series that launches its 2011 season tonight. I know many of you will be attending. It has proved to be tremendously popular -- a great way to get people talking about a wide range of issues, from historical topics to current events.

And just two weeks ago, we gathered hundreds of people at the old Idaho State Penitentiary for our biennial Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Arts and History.

Among the individuals and organizations we honored for their contributions to our understanding and appreciation of local history were artist Mark Baltes, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, John Bertram and Planmakers, teacher Doug StanWiens, and columnist and author Tim Woodward.

My office has sought to make history a part of everything that we do as a municipal entity serving the public. I truly believe that this kind of emphasis on our community’s heritage and culture is key to good decision-making throughout city government.

As we forge through this time of rhyme, we rely on you, our guides through history, to help provide context and perspective -- and most of all, to ensure that in looking eagerly toward the future, we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

Once again, welcome to Boise, here’s to a great conference, and I wish all of you the very best not only for the future, but for the past that’s so important to all of us.