In annual city address, Boise mayor bemoans ‘division,’ outside influence
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said Thursday in her State of the City speech downtown that residents live in a time of “division” and uncertainty.
McLean said mayors are unsure how to work with fewer resources, business leaders are concerned about the economy, and everyday people are worried about national politics and their monthly bills.
“Despite that uncertainty, I also hear a belief that we will get through it,” said McLean, who sought to reassure the crowd that the city was in a strong economic position. “Though we have to tighten our belts and look for ways to stretch a dollar this year, I’m proud of the investments that we’ve made in previous years that are now coming to life.”
During the speech, McLean mentioned uncertainty in federal funding sources while discussing affordability in Boise.
McLean also alluded to federal and state decisions that “upend” the city’s ability to serve its residents. A spokesperson for McLean, Emilee Ayers, did not respond to questions asking which federal and state efforts were impacting what services.
Just this year, the Idaho Legislature passed at least two bills affecting the city of Boise directly. One banned public camping in the state’s largest cities, including people who sleep in their cars, according to previous Statesman reporting.
After Gov. Brad Little signed the homelessness bill into law, McLean criticized it for removing local police officers’ discretion and flexibility. She has sought to distance herself from the legislation, calling it the “Galloway bill,” after its sponsor, Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise.
The Republican-dominated Legislature also targeted Pride flags as part of a new law preventing most flags from flying on government property. McLean kept the Pride flag up, prompting a warning letter from Attorney General Raul Labrador. The law has no enforcement mechanism.
In response, McLean and the City Council made the Pride flag and an organ donor flag official flags of the city, which are allowed under the law.
Before her speech, large screens played a video that included images of the Pride flag flying under the Boise flag at City Hall. The crowd applauded while watching the flags flap in the wind.
“In times like these, when there are so many who seek to divide, we have a choice,” McLean said. “Succumb to division or do what we have always done: Come together to care for each other and for the city.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM.
