Lauren McLean , July 19, 2011

Minutes Page No. Summary
00:00 1 Introductions
00:40 1 Lauren McClean described how she first became aware of the foothills open-space levy and how she attended one of the initial meetings at the C.W. Moore building and voiced her interest in becoming involved as the campaign manager.
03:08 2 McLean explained that an initial poll was conducted by the Trust for Public Land and due to poor results national resources backed away from supporting the Boise foothills open-space levy. She also discussed that the campaign itself was funded through contributions.
06:45 4 Lauren described other events that took place around the committee and how at times people outside of the campaign would put on events, causing problems with messaging. Looking back she mentioned that all of the events showed how widespread support for the foothills really was.
09:30 7 McLean explained that the campaign initiated new ways of campaigning and meticulously tracked how many people they had spoken to as well as how many Boise citizens said they would vote for a levy. She also described how indispensible the volunteers in the campaign were to its overall success.
11:50 8 McLean described how the campaign maintained its platform. She recalled having all volunteers go through trainings so that everyone in the campaign was sharing the same message. She also shared her duties as the campaign’s manager. She also described several memories from her time as campaign manager including experiences with then Mayor, Brent Coles.
21:18 13 Lauren discussed how she felt the political machine that developed with the foothills open-space campaign did not dispel, but stayed together, especially at a municipal level. She also went into detail about the pressures she endured as campaign manager and the opposition the campaign faced.
27:29 17 McClean described the weeks leading up to election day as frenzied. She remembered that not many people had cell phones at that time, but she had three that would ring constantly in her office She also described how she felt the community was divided right up to election day.
29:31 18 Lauren shared that one of her lasting memories is election night up at the Boise Depot. She also remembered that on election day someone had dropped off a huge box of cell phones and over 50 volunteers were outside the Idaho Conservation League calling people and encouraging them to get out and vote.
33:44 20 Lauren discussed what she wanted future generations to know about the foothills campaign. She cited the need for the story to continue to be told, especially to those residents who have moved to Boise since the levy passing. Secondly, she explained how the campaign exemplifies how people can really make a difference in their community.
38:14 23 Lauren explained what she felt the impact of the foothills has been on the Boise community. She mentioned that it changed the way the Boise community thought about itself and also gave Boise credence in the region by passing something more progressive.
41:15 24 Lauren shared places in the foothills that provide her with a sense of place. She mentioned Daniel’s Creek and the 3 Bears Watchman area as two of her favorites.
44:28 24 END OF RECORDING

Lauren McClean
Brent Coles
Chuck McDevitt
Suki Molina
Rachel Winer
Boise Foothills
Foothills Open-Space Levy/Campaign
Boise Depot
Daniel’s Creek
3 Bears Watchman
Foothills Follies
Boise Chamber of Commerce
Foothills Political Machine