Newcomers challenge old guard in GBAD election

Kristin Muchow and Scott Mecham will challenge each other and incumbents Hy Kloc and Judy Peavey-Derr in this spring’s election for two spots on the board of directors for the Greater Boise Auditorium District.

Peavey-Derr and Kloc are the senior members of the board.

Mecham said he’s the owner of KMS Financial, a Downtown Boise investment and accounting firm.

Muchow said she’s the general manager of Meeting Systems, Inc., which helps companies find venues to hold conventions and other events. She said that experience will be useful if she’s elected, because the auditorium district’s primary responsibility is operating Boise Centre, the newly expanded convention venue on The Grove Plaza in Downtown Boise.

Muchow said she’s attended district board meetings occasionally for a while, but she started going regularly after some friends put the idea in her head to run for a spot.

“Some of the conversations and questions that came up during the meetings — I’m sitting in the back — I’m like, ‘Oh, I can totally answer that question,’” she said. “And I just really saw the need for an industry person on the board. Because I really think it can maybe help move some of the questions along, move some of the progress a lot faster and have a more informed decision-making process just because I’m the customer.”

Mecham said his friends encouraged him to run for spot on the board, too. He declined to comment further, saying he’s too busy right now in the height of tax season.

The election is at-large, so the top two vote-getters will win.

Whoever that ends up being could have a big decision to make soon on whether the district should invest money in a Downtown stadium. A new plan recently surfaced for a stadium where the Boise Hawks, a minor-league baseball team, and other minor-league or college teams would play. The stadium also could be a venue for concerts, festivals and other major events.

Muchow said attracting that type of event would be a big factor in convincing her to back the stadium. She likes the general idea of a stadium and the cultural and economic benefit it might yield, but “how the details work out is TBD,” she said.

“There’s a community aspect to it that could really be maximized,” Muchow said. “We just have to have the right people in the conversation. And I think I’m one of those people who has a lot of input and knowledge about how it could be used.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Newcomers challenge old guard in GBAD election."