Lauren McLean
56th Mayor of Boise
Assumed office
January 7, 2020
Preceded byDave Bieter
Personal details
Born
Lauren Stein

(1974-10-20) October 20, 1974 (age 49)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA)
Boise State University (MPA)
WebsiteMayor's Office

Lauren Stein McLean (born October 20, 1974) is an American politician and entrepreneur serving as the mayor of Boise, Idaho. McLean served as a member of the Boise City Council from 2011 to 2019, and as council president from 2017 to 2019, before defeating four term incumbent Mayor Dave Bieter in the 2019 mayoral election.

Early life and education

McLean was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Houston, Texas, and Cazenovia, New York.[1] McLean received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1997 and a Master of Public Administration in environmental policy from Boise State University in 2001.

Career

McLean serves on the board of governors of the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University. She is also a member of the Boise City Planning and Zoning Association and Boise Parks Commission.[2]

Mayor

2019 election

McLean was a candidate in the 2019 Boise mayoral election, running against incumbent Dave Bieter, former mayor H. Brent Coles, and others. Since neither Bieter nor McLean had surpassed the 50 percent vote threshold required to claim victory, the two competed in a runoff election held on December 3, 2019.[3] McLean won with 65.5 percent of the vote to Bieter's 34.5 percent.[4][5][6] The mayor's office is a nonpartisan position, though McLean is a registered Democrat.[7][8]

McLean is the first woman elected to the office, and the second to serve as Boise mayor after Carolyn Terteling-Payne, who served briefly on an interim basis from 2003 to 2004.[9] McLean was inaugurated on January 7, 2020.[10]

Tenure

On July 1, 2020, McLean presided over the swearing-in of Boise's new police chief, Ryan Lee, who had been confirmed to the position by the Boise City Council.[11][12] The ceremony took place the day following a Boise Black Lives Matter rally. McLean does not support defunding the police to divert funds to social services. In response to a question about her position, she stated that "We have to have a safe city if we’re going to have a city where everyone can thrive. I’m in full support of our police department."[12] McLean has stated that she supports increasing funding for social services while maintaining funding for the police department.[11]

McLean announced in March 2020 that April rents in city-owned public housing would be forgiven, and that during the same period the city would place a moratorium on evictions from public rental housing.[13]

In November 2020, in response to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and occupied hospital beds, McLean issued a mask mandate and closed public facilities.[14] In response to the mask mandate, there were protests outside McLean's residence, in addition to a mask-burning ceremony.[15] The city of Boise announced in January 2021 that public facilities would expand services beginning on February 1, 2021. McLean noted that "We have seen a steady hold in cases the last couple weeks and our city is here to serve the public."[16]

McLean announced Idaho's votes in the roll call at the 2020 Democratic National Convention where she also promoted the city's efforts to combat global warming.[17] Due to Idaho's rising population, McLean has worked with city developers to build affordable housing.[18]

2023 election

McLean was the incumbent candidate with former police chief Mike Masterson running against her. Also running for mayor was Joe Evans who received 0.9 percent of the vote and Aaron Reis who received 0.3 percent of the vote. She won with 55.4 percent of the vote in an election year with 43.8 percent turnout of registered voters. [19] The voter turnout was much higher than it had been in previous years.

Personal life

McLean and her husband Scott have two children.[20]

Electoral history

2019 Boise mayoral election results[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Lauren McLean 23,669 45.7%
Nonpartisan Dave Bieter 15,711 30.3%
Nonpartisan Rebecca Arnold 6,863 13.2%
Nonpartisan H. Brent Coles 3,804 7.3%
Nonpartisan Wayne Richey 847 1.6%
Nonpartisan Adriel Martinez 588 1.1%
Nonpartisan Cortney Nielsen 360 0.7%
Total votes 53,303 100%
2019 Boise mayoral runoff election[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Lauren McLean 30,306 65.5
Nonpartisan Dave Bieter 15,998 34.5
Total votes 46,304 100%
2023 Boise mayoral election[21]
Candidate Votes %
Lauren McLean (incumbent) 33,926 55.45%
Mike Masterson 26,542 43.38%
Joe Evans 563 0.92%
Aaron Reis 153 0.25%
Total votes 61,184 100.00%

See also

References

  1. ^ "For the Press". McLean for Boise. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "Boise Alumni". boisestate.edu.
  3. ^ "Bieter, McLean to face off in Boise mayoral runoff election". KTVB. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "See live Boise mayor and Caldwell City Council runoff election results here". KTVB. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Dougherty, Conor (December 3, 2019). "How Far Can Cities Go to Police the Homeless? Boise Tests the Limit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Mayoral election in Boise, Idaho (2019)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "Lauren McLean". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "City of Boise". cityofboise.org.
  9. ^ "Madam Mayor: Lauren McLean first woman elected mayor of Boise". BoiseDev. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ "McLean sworn in as Boise mayor". KIVI. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Harding, Hayley. "Boise swears in new police chief day after fights erupt at Black Lives Matter rally". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Harding, Hayley. "Boise mayor, new police chief are asked about defunding police. Here's what they said". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  13. ^ "City of Boise forgiving April rent for Boise-owned rental housing". Idaho News. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  14. ^ Scribner, Herb. "It's official — Boise is getting a face mask mandate, and it starts Monday". Deseret. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  15. ^ The Editorial Board. "One year in, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean earns good marks in overall job performance". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  16. ^ "City of Boise to expand in-person services starting Feb. 1". KTVB. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  17. ^ Staff (August 19, 2020). "Watch Full Roll Call at the 2020 Democratic National Convention". Chicago Sun-Times.
  18. ^ https://www.kivitv.com/cooper-mccauley (May 21, 2023). "Boise Mayor talks affordable housing, city safety in State of the City Address". Idaho News 6 Boise Twin Falls (KIVI). Retrieved July 6, 2023. ((cite web)): External link in |last= (help)
  19. ^ Staff (November 7, 2023). "November 2023 Consolidated Election". City of Boise.
  20. ^ "About the Mayor". Cityofboise.org.
  21. ^ "Ada County, Idaho November 2023 Consolidated Election" (PDF). Ada County Clerk's Office. November 7, 2023.
Political offices Preceded byDave Bieter Mayor of Boise 2020–present Incumbent
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