Item: Coeur d'Alene ready to compete: Mayor stresses livability factors, national attention in State of the City address/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: It was her 10th end-of-the-year speech as the only three-term mayor. "If we want to grow jobs, we need to score big points," she told a packed room inside The Coeur d'Alene Resort. The points are what the city has accomplished to land numerous awards, high-profile recognition from Forbes Magazine and USA Today and the City of Excellence title it has held for more than a decade, she said. And it's the blueprint to follow as the city pushes through the recession and builds to its vision as a top-tier city. "The culture we live by in our city is guided by that word, excellence," she said. "It's a prevailing attitude."

Question: How does Coeur d'Alene compare to other towns that you've lived in for taking care of basic services, for livability, as well as for pursuing excellence?