BOISE, Idaho — After 16 years, a new face is leading the city of Boise. Lauren McLean is getting adjusted to her new role as mayor after being sworn in earlier this week on Tuesday.
One the pledges throughout her campaign was to have an open and transparent administration, and she unveiled how she plans to do that on Thursday.
There will be some changes such as a daily calendar that residents can view online to see who the mayor is meeting with and when. McLean’s transition team is also working on having a direct text line, so Boiseans can ask questions directly to the mayor if they want.
“As technology changes, people prefer to text instead of getting a phone call,” she said. “I thought it was a great to understand people with where they're at.”
The mayor announced she's planning on continuing her listening sessions around the city.
She started this as council president and as candidate for mayor. She would host informal listening sessions at libraries, coffee shops, or other locations around the city.
“I just want to make sure I'm in as many neighborhoods as often as possible and talking with as many people as possible,” McLean said. “So that I have a sense of what's happening, and people understand where I'm coming from and why I'm making the decisions I'm making.”
McLean also told KTVB she plans on meeting with Boise Working Together, the group responsible for getting Propositions One and Two on the ballot. The props allowed for a future vote on projects like a library and stadium, if they met certain thresholds.
“To me, honoring ballot measure outcomes is very important,” McLean said. “Moving forward, what that means is if we're going to have a conversation about a library, it's incumbent on the mayor to shepherd a process that engages people and comes out with a proposal that will be celebrated by the people rather than so controversial.”
The citizens advocacy group said they like the message coming out of city hall about an open and transparent government.
“Any improvement of the process, any widening of the conversation, any taking into multiple viewpoints, opposing viewpoints is a step in the right direction,” Boise Working Together spokesperson David Klinger said.
All the details on the mayor's text line and online calendar are being worked out at city hall. They plan to release more info on those at the end of the month.
Also coming in the next few months are policy ideas on affordable housing, transportation, and other big issues impacting the city as the mayor continues her first 100 days in office.
“We have a series of transition committees that are looking at affordable housing, transportation, equity, climate, the economy and from those committees I'll be taking in policy recommendations.”