‘Making history’: Boise swears in new mayor, has tense council leadership debate
For the first time in 16 years, Boise has a new mayor.
Hundreds of people — far beyond what fire code allows for the Boise City Council chambers, Mayor David Bieter joked at the beginning of the meeting — attended the council’s meeting Tuesday night to see Bieter’s last moments as mayor and Lauren McLean’s first.
The meeting began with a parade of bagpipers and a short business session before transitioning to the ceremonies. Scot Ludwig, a council member who opted not to run again, and Bieter each thanked the crowd for allowing them to work in office.
“When you are fortunate enough to be able to serve in a job that you love as much as I love this job, you don’t accept thanks for that. You give thanks for that,” Bieter said before thanking many groups of people, including his family, members of the council and the city staff.
After applause for Bieter and Ludwig, the outgoing mayor left the room, and McLean and the new members of the council were sworn in.
McLean talks about love of Boise, work to be done
McLean, who bested Bieter in a December runoff election with 65.5% of the vote, spoke to the crowded room after being sworn in by Magistrate Judge Dan Steckel.
She began by thanking people for their support before recounting the story of moving to Boise with her husband, Scott, soon after college. She talked about how many Boiseans are not from the city originally, but come to cherish it and call it home, creating unique opportunities — and problems — in a rapidly growing place.
“We’re going to have to name the challenges that we have and recognize that the solutions lie in this room and in this city,” she said. “That’s what I think is so special about Boise. From the time many of us arrived here, when we rolled up our sleeves, we set to work. We innovated; we took risks. We failed. And we tried again. That’s what it’s time to do here.”
McLean also recognized Carolyn Terteling-Payne, who was Boise’s first appointed female mayor — although the honor of being Boise’s first elected female mayor belongs to McLean. And she commented on the historic nature of her own election. (Terteling-Payne, who was in attendance, was appointed interim mayor in 2003 after scandal forced Brent Coles from office. Bieter was elected later that year.)
Boise City Council leadership debate
Elaine Clegg was sworn in for a fifth term to Seat 5 on the City Council, and newcomers Patrick Bageant and Jimmy Hallyburton were sworn in for Seats 1 and 3, respectively.
The council then had to elect a new president, the role previously held by McLean, and a new president pro tem, previously Clegg’s job. Clegg was easily elected president, a role she has held before.
After that, council member T.J. Thomson nominated Holli Woodings to be president pro tem.
“It’s time we make history one more time tonight and have all three positions of leadership in the city of Boise for the first time be all women,” he said. The motion was seconded by Clegg, and then it went to a roll call vote.
Council member Lisa Sánchez, the first to be called, spoke for several minutes before voting. She said she and Woodings “have not always had an easy relationship” since they worked together on the local board of directors for the Girl Scouts.
She said that while Woodings didn’t need Sánchez’s vote to become president pro tem, Sánchez, the first Latina on the council, needed Woodings to succeed on the council.
“The reality is, in order for someone like me to be among these people, I need these people to be good people,” said Sanchez, who was elected in 2017. “I need them to welcome me.”
She asked Woodings to consider mentoring her through the year before nominating Sánchez to be president pro tem in 2021.
Woodings was silent for a few moments. Then she said she felt “put on the spot” and uncomfortable. She did not commit to mentoring Sánchez or to nominating her.
“Council member Sánchez, it’s been an honor to watch how much you’ve grown on this council, and I commit to helping you continue that growth in your service to the city of Boise,” Woodings said.
After a moment, Sánchez voted to approve Woodings as president pro tem. The rest of the council voted unanimously for Woodings before ending the meeting.
‘I wanted to make the point’
Afterward, Sánchez said she just wanted to make a point.
“It’s 100 years of the women’s right to vote, and there’s three white women in leadership,” Sánchez told the Idaho Statesman. “When you compare the year I had in 2019 to what Councilwoman Woodings did, I think mine was more something that was substantial in terms of work. But I wasn’t approached to run for pro tem. I wanted to make the point that people of color have to work much harder, and we don’t get the credit.”
She said she voted yes on Woodings to show that she’s “always having to be the one to exhibit grace.”
Asked about that, Woodings reiterated to the Statesman that she was committed to mentoring anyone on the council. She said she had talked to Sánchez a little about the leadership election but said it was a surprise that the conversation came up “in the public meeting.” She declined to comment further.
This story has been revised to correct Magistrate Judge Dan Steckel’s title.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 9:33 PM.
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