City of Boise pays a six-figure sum to former chief of staff
The city of Boise paid a six-figure sum to the mayor’s former chief of staff, according to data obtained via a records request.
Courtney Washburn, who served as chief of staff for six years, left her role in March. The city paid almost $113,000 in severance, almost $77,000 in unused leave and $7,000 in a benefit distribution, according to the records request.
A spokesperson for the mayor, Emilee Ayers, declined a request Thursday to interview Mayor Lauren McLean.
“There’s no other information that we can provide other than what you received in the (records request),” Ayers wrote in an email. “This is a personnel issue and separation agreements legally prohibit either party from discussing the matter.”
McLean and Washburn have known each other for decades, according to the Idaho Press, which reported earlier this year that McLean biked over to Washburn’s house after she won her election in 2019 to offer Washburn the job.
Both have backgrounds in environmental activism. Washburn used to work as the community conservation director for the Idaho Conservation League, according to previous Statesman reporting. McLean also worked for the organization in the 2000s, lobbying for the league, according to previous Statesman reporting.
The payment was first reported by BoiseDev.
Washburn was already at the top of the pay scale — she was one of a small group of city staff who made north of $200,000 a year, according to previous Statesman reporting.
She’d also clearly received multiple raises over the years: In 2021, Washburn made $172,000, which was itself an almost 7% raise, according to previous Statesman reporting. That year, top city officials raked in more substantial raises than municipal employees at the bottom of the pay scale.
Since she left, Hannah Brass Greer has been filling in. In the interim, McLean told the Statesman in an early May interview that things were “moving along.”
“Anytime you have staff transition in any organization, there are of course bumps,” McLean said. “Really appreciate the time that she spent here.”
