Instant analysis: Bieter goes on the offensive in debate, but is that a good strategy?
The first head-to-head debate between incumbent Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and City Council President Lauren McLean was Bieter’s opportunity to go on the attack and, as he put it, highlight the stark contrast between the two candidates.
Unfortunately, in a race that’s as much of a referendum on Bieter’s style of management and perceived inability to accept criticism or opposing views, going on the attack might not be the best strategy.
Bieter and McLean faced off Tuesday in a debate hosted by the City Club of Boise, the first one-on-one meeting between the two since the Nov. 5 election, in which McLean received 45.7 percent of the vote and Bieter received 30.3 percent for second place, setting up a runoff election on Dec. 3 because no candidate got a majority of the vote.
Bieter repeated that “being mayor is about making tough decisions,” and that will certainly play well with his supporters. But to his detractors, that will come out as, “I make the decisions around here, and I don’t care what anyone else says.”
Bieter pointed out that he had to make a tough decision to break up the Cooper Court homeless camp, a decision that led him to “lose friends and lose sleep.”
He said he had to make a decision to ask voters for money to build branch libraries to “find a way to give the people what they want, and that’s what this job is all about.”
When McLean talked about listening to voters, whether it’s about the library or the downtown stadium or the homeless camping ordinance, Bieter would attack with, “Lauren wants to have it all ways,” suggesting the mayor has to make decisions that not everyone is going to like.
McLean repeated that she ran for mayor because people felt they weren’t being heard in City Hall.
When asked specifically by moderator Bill Manny about whether he’s stubborn, Bieter said he’s “stubborn in the right ways,” pointing again to the branch libraries and Cooper Court. “That’s being stubborn in the right ways. … That’s fundamental to this job.”
On a question about term limits, at which McLean said she supported three terms for mayor, Bieter bristled: “Would you tell your accountant, ‘Sorry, you’re just too experienced for me?’’’ He said it’s “interesting that term limits come up now that she’s running for this office” and “people are born again when they want to look for something else.”
Regarding the stadium, McLean said she was open to the concept and even visited a similar stadium in another city to get an idea, but eventually came to realize that there are other priorities, such as housing and transportation, that need to be tackled.
Bieter responded, “You were for it until it got difficult.” He said the city can tackle affordable housing and build “a place to have fun.” I think he’s right, but the way he put it is going to be off-putting for many voters, I think.
When McLean suggested that the stadium “is about a legacy project,” Bieter repeated, “Whoa, whoa,” interrupting McLean.
Bieter also went on the offensive over public transit, saying, “The first time, Lauren, you ever went to a Valley Regional Transit meeting was two months ago. That’s a fact, ladies and gentlemen,” chiding McLean for her suggestion that she would work with cities such as Caldwell and Middleton to chip in more money. “If she’d been to those meetings, ... what she’d learn is they have a really tough time dedicating any money to transit,” Bieter said, noting they are trying to pay for basic services.
His delivery, saying “for nine years, she’s never gone, she’s never cared,” isn’t going to win new fans.
Bieter pointed out — rightly — that he has a strong record to run on, that the city was “a train wreck when I came into office.” But since he was elected in 2003, the city has new parks, new recreation centers, affordable housing efforts, programs to help those experiencing homelessness, new branch libraries and a Boise Kind campaign. Resident surveys show satisfaction with living in Boise.
Regarding the runoff, Bieter said he welcomed the opportunity to have a one-on-one debate “where the contrasts come into play.”
However, the contrast that McLean is offering is one of openness and listening to voters respectfully. With that message, she won 46 percent of the vote.
Jeff Kuhns, who voted for McLean on Nov. 3 and plans to do so again on Dec. 3, said he felt that Bieter complained too much about McLean, and added that elected officials shouldn’t be in office for so long.
“My biggest takeaway,” Kuhns told me after the debate, “is that I want a candidate to tell me why she would be good for the city, not tell me why her opponent is not good for the city.”
