Letter from the Mayor, Lauren McLean

There is no place in the world quite like Boise. Nestled between our foothills and river, Boise is a great place to live, play, and do business, and we are always striving to do more. We are creating a safe and welcoming city for everyone, supportive of our local businesses, powered by clean renewable energy, with shared prosperity across all neighborhoods, for all our people. It’s been the honor of my life to make the city of Boise my full-time job.

From the day Scott and I first visited Boise, to leading the first campaign to protect our Foothills, to serving on city council and now as mayor, Boise has taught me important lessons about leadership and our community.

It’s simple: when we talk to each other, when we really take the time, there is nearly always more that unites us than divides us. We all need a place to live, we all want to feel safe, we all want to breathe clean air, have food on the table, and take care of the people we love. And we all love this city dearly. I learned - and have relearned - that every person you meet has some wisdom to impart. That there is value in the great breadth of experiences and viewpoints in this community.

These are the lessons I brought with me as mayor and how I set my North Star: a city for everyone. We are working every day to build a city for everyone – with everyone – because every person who lives, works, and plays in Boise is a valued member of our community. So, here’s what a city for everyone looks like. It’s affordable. It’s thriving. It’s safe.

From day one, I’ve directed my team and the incredible staff at the city to look for new and innovative, and some tried and true ways to get us closer to that vision. We have set lofty goals for Boise in the areas of housing, climate, transportation, and economic prosperity.

The cost of a good place to live in Boise puts homes out of reach for many of the people who work in – or want to work in – our community. For the past three years, and in close work with our City Council, I have put city investments to work, jumpstarting more homes affordable at Boise budgets. These are homes for our workforce, for the folks who power our economy.

We also know – as do you - that a city and her residents can only thrive when there are plenty of jobs that will pay a living wage – today and for years to come. When the pandemic hit, we worked quickly to support small businesses with grants and lessened the red tape involved in finding new ways to serve customers.

We’ve welcomed new companies to Boise, growing jobs by 8% since 2020. And we’re thrilled that Micron has chosen Boise for their new memory fab facility.

We set a goal of being at 100% clean energy for city facilities by 2030. We are on track and will beat our target date. We are moving to all electric buildings, integrating electric vehicles into our fleet, piloting a recycled water program, and expanding our geothermal system – saving money for our residents and businesses in the long run.

And none of this really matters if our city isn’t safe. Everyone in Boise deserves to feel safe, and to be safe. And I’m so pleased to let you know that our crime rate is the lowest it’s been in over 30 years, making us one of the safest cities in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West. We intend to keep it that way with continued investments in prevention and personnel.

Our city’s incredible success, today and into the future, is only possible through partnerships with organizations like the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. Together, we are building an economy and a city that uplifts our entire community, with opportunities for everyone.

Sincerely,

Mayor Lauren McLean City of Boise