‘Ridiculous:’ Saloon owner offers bounty for incriminating info on Boise mayor
The conservative real estate agent and firebrand who owns Eagle’s Old State Saloon has a new venture: offering at least $10,000 in exchange for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of Boise Mayor Lauren McLean.
Mark Fitzpatrick, who was behind the poorly attended Hetero Awesome Fest in June, told the Idaho Statesman that Idaho had become more politically liberal and that elected officials should always be scrutinized. When leaders push “morally wrong” ideas, you can reasonably suspect that there could also be illegal activity, he told the Statesman.
Fitzpatrick also pointed to the city of Boise’s decision to continue flying the Pride flag and an organ donor flag after state lawmakers passed a law banning most flags from public property. The Boise City Council declared the Pride and organ donor banners as official flags to circumvent the law.
“I want to wake up and expose evil, and I want to do it for the glory of God,” Fitzpatrick said by phone.
McLean’s spokesperson, Emilee Ayers, did not return an email requesting comment.
Luci Willits, the lone conservative Boise City Council member, criticized the idea when asked for comment.
“It’s ridiculous,” Willits told the Statesman in a text message. “If Idahoans want Boise to be lead by a non-progressive, put your money into supporting an electable leader.”
On Tuesday, McLean welcomed everyone to the final Boise City Council meeting of the year, smiling as the council appointed a man to the building-code board.
Boise police have not received any tips about McLean this week, spokesperson Haley Williams said in a text message.
There’s an online fundraising page to help “increase the bounty,” to $50,000, according to the Old State Saloon website. So far the campaign has raised $237. But Fitzpatrick said he had three people willing to match $25,000 and another “anonymous Boise-area patriot” willing to give $1,000. The reward is available forever, he said.
Fitzpatrick said he plans to put energy toward elections, but just doing that wouldn’t get attention.
“This is about alerting people,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m standing for truth and righteousness, so the most attention I can get, the better … it’s not about fame for me. I’m willing to stand up and take all of the junk that all the evil people throw at me, because I’m getting the word out there that’s true and right.”
Boise wasn’t the only city to get around the flag legislation this year; in North Idaho, the city of Bonners Ferry declared a year-round special occasion to continue flying the Canadian flag.
The bounty offer comes after Old State Saloon on Nov. 29 offered free beer for a month to anyone who helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport undocumented immigrants in the state. Afterward, the Idaho Tax Commission notified the business it was selected for a “full sales & use tax audit,” according to an online fundraiser. Fitzpatrick and the Old State Saloon crew seek to raise $1 billion for security, to deal with the audit and to build a “real kitchen.” Donors have given just under $7,000.
Fitzpatrick suggested this could be the start of even more bounties, though he added that he doesn’t have anyone specific in mind.
“Maybe we will have a bounty for other representatives too, or anybody in general,” Fitzpatrick said.
