Carolyn Terteling-Payne , July 1, 2010 and July 28, 2010
File
Scope and Contents
From the Collection:
This collection contains recorded interviews with Boise citizens. Notable topics include Boise Bench history, Greenbelt history, Foothills Levy history, Boise Fire Department history, Boise Police Department history, and personal and political histories of former mayors and councilmembers.
Dates
- July 1, 2010 and July 28, 2010
Biographical / Historical
Carolyn Terteling-Payne was born in Buhl, Idaho and then moved to Boise when she was three years old. She attended Lowell Elementary, and then went to North Junior High, and graduated from Boise High School. Terteling-Payne attended the University of Idaho and went to graduate school at Arizona State University. When she returned to Boise she became a dedicated volunteer for many organizations and served on the City Council from 1994-2002, and served as acting Mayor in 2003.
Extent
1.4 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Terteling-Payne served during the 1990s, a time that was marked by a surplus budget and a general positive feeling from the community. Boise was growing quickly, and development was on the fringes of the city as well as in the downtown core. Brent Coles was mayor, he focused on transportation, fighting drugs, and neighborhood reinvestment.
In an interview with Brandi Burns on July 1, 2010, Carolyn Terteling-Payne discusses growing up in Boise and her volunteer activities that were a precursor to entering city government. She described her childhood in the North End and the changes she witnessed over time including witnessing the era of Boise’s redevelopment.
In a second interview on July 28, 2010, Carolyn covers how she became a member of the city council up through to her time as mayor. She described the time that she was on the city council as a “charmed” time for Boise. She discusses some of the challenges that she faced while serving as Mayor for a year following the resignation of Brent Coles, including revisions to the purchasing card policies and replacing staff members. She also touches on the high points she experienced during her service, including developing better working relationships with other agencies, supporting the growth of public art, expansion of the parks and preservation of open space, and the relocation of the Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel synagogue to Morris Hill.
Names and Places Index
St. Luke’s Hospital; North End; downtown redevelopment; Eastman building; old City Hall; 1980s Recession; University of Idaho; Arizona State University; Boise Museum of Art; Historic Preservation Council; Boise Public Library; Foothills; Foothills Levy; Regio Sprinter train; Ice World; Esther Simplot Park; Greenbelt; Boise Visions Plan; Futures Foundation; BoDo; Linen District; Community Block Development Grants; Boise State University; Morris Hill Cemetery; Ahavath Beth Israel; Foothills Fire; Brent Coles.
Time Index
July 1, 2010 Interview
Minutes Summary
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Carolyn Terteling spoke about raising her sons in Boise and how she came to be involved in the Boise school system. She explained how volunteering in the school system encouraged her to run for city council.
01:12 Carolyn Terteling discussed her time volunteering with St. Luke’s hospital. She explained how she sat on the board of trustees and was the first woman to do so. She explained how this inspired her belief in the importance of health care in a regionally isolated area such as Boise.
01:48 Carolyn Terteling discussed her childhood growing up in Boise’s Northend. She described the homes she lived in and how she still enjoys the Northend. She describes her father’s work as a grocery man and her mother’s profession in business.
05: 32 Carolyn Terteling talked the benefits of growing up in a smaller city like Boise. She described how she has maintained contact with many old friends and teachers.
08: 35 Terteling discussed Boise’s slow transition from a small town to a regional center. She discussed how the city did not have a good city plan allowing for “gate way” highways and streets when she joined the city council. She described how Boise has grown considerably from the time of her youth.
09: 46 Terteling explained how World War Two and the Great Depression effected her life and her family. She described how the war negatively effected the stability of her parent’s marriage.
10: 05 Terteling discusses the redevelopment of Boise’s downtown. She described the debate surrounding the placement of the Boise mall and the effect that it had on the development of downtown. Though she was not politically active at the time, Terteling described her feelings as a citizen towards redevelopment as being concerned about preserving the historic nature of downtown.
13:47 Terteling describes her disappointment at the loss of several historic downtown buildings. Among these were the Eastman building and the old City Hall. She discussed the loss of several historic theaters which were torn down.
16:07 Terteling talked about her memories of downtown Boise from when she was growing up. She described how teenagers would go downtown to the old theaters as well as to the community pool.
17:56 Terteling discussed further the issues that surrounded redevelopment of downtown. She mentioned the founding of the Boise Futures Foundation. She described how the Boise Futures Foundation worked to lay out a longtime plan for Boise’s growth.
20: 02 Terteling discussed the recession of the 1980s. She explains how Boise was able to survive the recession better than many other places. The recession did not effect her very much at that time.
20:50 Terteling describes how she enjoyed walking through the foothills and fishing and spending time outdoors while growing up and how this impacted her feelings towards development.
23:23 Terteling discussed her time spent at the University of Idaho. She talked about her sorority and being the first person in her family to go away to college. She explained how she met her husband while teaching in graduate school. She talked about how difficult it was to transition to Arizona State University for graduate school. She described her instinct to move back to Boise after graduate school.
27:25 Terteling discussed what made her want to begin volunteering. She started first volunteering in the school system. She describes her time volunteering at St. Luke’s. She talks about volunteering as a stepping stone to her public service career. She talked about her involvement in the C.A.R.E.S. program at St. Luke’s as well as other programs she worked with or helped to establish.
38: 02 Terteling talked about her time at the Boise Museum of Art. She talked about how the museum building was a WPA project. She described her involvement in the remodeling of the museum. She talked about the concerns which surrounded the museum’s private collection and the formation of the Collectors Forum.
40:53 Terteling discussed her involvement in the Historic Preservation Council. She described the movement around the time of the bicentennial to rediscover Boise’s historic legacy. This involved the beginning of the formation of historic districts. The historic preservation movement was not popular at the time. She mentioned the benefit of historic preservation on many aspects of historic communities, including the study of traffic patterns.
43:40 Terteling mentioned the Historic Preservation plan of 1979. She talked about the effect of the recession on the historic preservation movement. She discussed her involvement in the preservation of the train depot. She explained some of the resistance they experienced from the community.
47: 02 Terteling talked about the role of volunteering in the community. She explained how many more women were able to volunteer at the time because they did not work. She mentioned the creation of many new daycare projects in the area. She discussed the importance of volunteers within the school system.
49: 28 Terteling discussed her time serving as president of the Boise Public Library foundation. She described the need for the library to raise money and the creation of the Bucks for Books project. She talks about Bob Hendron’s involvement in fundraising for the library. She described the importance of giving to community entities. She explained where the idea for putting an exclamation point on the library sign came from. She described the importance and benefit of having a library in the community.
END OF RECORDING
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Carolyn Terteling spoke about raising her sons in Boise and how she came to be involved in the Boise school system. She explained how volunteering in the school system encouraged her to run for city council.
01:12 Carolyn Terteling discussed her time volunteering with St. Luke’s hospital. She explained how she sat on the board of trustees and was the first woman to do so. She explained how this inspired her belief in the importance of health care in a regionally isolated area such as Boise.
01:48 Carolyn Terteling discussed her childhood growing up in Boise’s Northend. She described the homes she lived in and how she still enjoys the Northend. She describes her father’s work as a grocery man and her mother’s profession in business.
05: 32 Carolyn Terteling talked the benefits of growing up in a smaller city like Boise. She described how she has maintained contact with many old friends and teachers.
08: 35 Terteling discussed Boise’s slow transition from a small town to a regional center. She discussed how the city did not have a good city plan allowing for “gate way” highways and streets when she joined the city council. She described how Boise has grown considerably from the time of her youth.
09: 46 Terteling explained how World War Two and the Great Depression effected her life and her family. She described how the war negatively effected the stability of her parent’s marriage.
10: 05 Terteling discusses the redevelopment of Boise’s downtown. She described the debate surrounding the placement of the Boise mall and the effect that it had on the development of downtown. Though she was not politically active at the time, Terteling described her feelings as a citizen towards redevelopment as being concerned about preserving the historic nature of downtown.
13:47 Terteling describes her disappointment at the loss of several historic downtown buildings. Among these were the Eastman building and the old City Hall. She discussed the loss of several historic theaters which were torn down.
16:07 Terteling talked about her memories of downtown Boise from when she was growing up. She described how teenagers would go downtown to the old theaters as well as to the community pool.
17:56 Terteling discussed further the issues that surrounded redevelopment of downtown. She mentioned the founding of the Boise Futures Foundation. She described how the Boise Futures Foundation worked to lay out a longtime plan for Boise’s growth.
20: 02 Terteling discussed the recession of the 1980s. She explains how Boise was able to survive the recession better than many other places. The recession did not effect her very much at that time.
20:50 Terteling describes how she enjoyed walking through the foothills and fishing and spending time outdoors while growing up and how this impacted her feelings towards development.
23:23 Terteling discussed her time spent at the University of Idaho. She talked about her sorority and being the first person in her family to go away to college. She explained how she met her husband while teaching in graduate school. She talked about how difficult it was to transition to Arizona State University for graduate school. She described her instinct to move back to Boise after graduate school.
27:25 Terteling discussed what made her want to begin volunteering. She started first volunteering in the school system. She describes her time volunteering at St. Luke’s. She talks about volunteering as a stepping stone to her public service career. She talked about her involvement in the C.A.R.E.S. program at St. Luke’s as well as other programs she worked with or helped to establish.
38: 02 Terteling talked about her time at the Boise Museum of Art. She talked about how the museum building was a WPA project. She described her involvement in the remodeling of the museum. She talked about the concerns which surrounded the museum’s private collection and the formation of the Collectors Forum.
40:53 Terteling discussed her involvement in the Historic Preservation Council. She described the movement around the time of the bicentennial to rediscover Boise’s historic legacy. This involved the beginning of the formation of historic districts. The historic preservation movement was not popular at the time. She mentioned the benefit of historic preservation on many aspects of historic communities, including the study of traffic patterns.
43:40 Terteling mentioned the Historic Preservation plan of 1979. She talked about the effect of the recession on the historic preservation movement. She discussed her involvement in the preservation of the train depot. She explained some of the resistance they experienced from the community.
47: 02 Terteling talked about the role of volunteering in the community. She explained how many more women were able to volunteer at the time because they did not work. She mentioned the creation of many new daycare projects in the area. She discussed the importance of volunteers within the school system.
49: 28 Terteling discussed her time serving as president of the Boise Public Library foundation. She described the need for the library to raise money and the creation of the Bucks for Books project. She talks about Bob Hendron’s involvement in fundraising for the library. She described the importance of giving to community entities. She explained where the idea for putting an exclamation point on the library sign came from. She described the importance and benefit of having a library in the community.
END OF RECORDING
Time Index
July 28, 2010
Track One
00:00 Introduction
00:24 Carolyn Terteling discussed what caused her to want to join the city council. She talked about how Brent Coles’ council seat became available when he became mayor. She felt that she had enough background within the city through her volunteer efforts to be qualified for city council.
02: 05 Terteling described the period when she was on the city council as being a “charmed” time for Boise. Starting in 1993, for the entire duration of Terteling’s time on the council the city ran a budget surplus which allowed the city to grow substantially. She mentioned the plan to protect the foothills as well as sewage planning and the purchasing of more park land. She talked about reacquiring the depot, expanding the airport and other city projects which she was a part of.
07:52 Terteling talked about the visit of the Regio Sprinter train to Boise. She discussed how the council saw retaining train transportation as extremely important to the region. Due to a lack of support from other regions of the state and to the smaller population of Boise, however, the idea of the Regio Sprinter was not pursued.
10:34 Terteling discussed an arrangement made while she was mayor between the city and Simplot Industry to give Ice World to city as well as Esther Simplot Park.
11:36 Terteling talked about the success of the foothills levy. She discussed how the community worked together to help this project come together.
13:30 Terteling describes how the Greenbelt project was started. She mentions how many different groups and people were instrumental in the project. She talked about how volunteers for the Parks Department help to maintain the Greenbelt. She mentions how the Boise Greenbelt differs from other city Greenbelts in terms of its large size. 16:17 Terteling discussed the Boise Visions Plan. She talked about how the Futures Foundation began the Visions project and provided a foundation for later planning. She mentioned the importance of finding a place for the Boise mall which would not detract from downtown. She talked about the importance of maintaining Boise’s downtown as a viable central hub for the surrounding area. She mentioned the Urban Land Institute’s role in planning Boise’s expansion. She talked about the importance of revitalizing BoDo (Boise Downtown) and the Linen District.
21:08 Terteling discussed her involvement in expanding Boise’s transportation system. She described taking the bus during her childhood and the importance of making the city accessible, especially to disable or elderly citizens. She talked about how expensive retrofitting the transportation system would be and the importance of connecting the different counties within the region. She mentioned the importance of bike trails throughout the city.
24:50 Terteling discussed need to bring affordable housing to Boise. She talked about positive effect of Community Block Development Grants. Terteling spoke about the need for more affordable housing to coincide with the growth of Boise State University.
27:33 Terteling described her enthusiasm for the arts and her involvement on various councils and projects to promote art throughout the city. She spoke about the ambivalence towards public art on the part of the city council. She discussed how the arts have gained a more prominent position within the city council.
30: 22 Terteling talked about how the city was able to acquire several different farm properties to create a park. She said that the city was able to do this because of the budget surplus they had during her time on the council. She describes how they were able to trade property in order to develop parks. She talked about acquiring the land for Morris Hill Cemetery through a land trade.
33:32 Terteling talked about the push from many citizens in Boise to keep a protected, undeveloped green area around the city. She said that this was not possible, however, due to the cost and the fact that the city did not own this land.
34:18 Terteling described her memories of the day the Ahavath Beth Israel temple was moved to its new location. The temple was moved due to the congestion of traffic and lack of parking at its previous location. She stressed the importance of the temple as an active, historic monument. 36:26 Terteling explained what the role of council pro-tem entails. The mayor only votes in case of tie and the council president runs the meetings. In the absence of the council president, the council pro-tem takes over that responsibility. She mentioned that Mayor Brent Coles was often criticized for being gone frequently during her time as council president, and this gave Terteling the opportunity to act as mayor on numerous occasions.
38:37 Terteling discussed the foothills fire which took place while she was council president. The fire evolved from the police shooting rang. The fire was spread rapidly by strong winds. She describes watching the flames from her backyard. She goes on to describe the floods that occurred during the first large rain after the fire had stripped the foothills of their vegetation. She mentioned new building regulations put into place following the fire, including requirements for fire-resistant roofing.
43:28 Terteling described her efforts to make circumspect, thoughtful decisions while on the city council. She discusses how difficult it was sometimes to make decisions that effected the citizens of Boise. She also mentions, though, the satisfaction she felt working together with the city council to make positive changes for the city.
46:25 Terteling discussed how the rapid growth of Boise effected the financial procedures within the city. Each department was required to produce a voucher with an explanation for they money that they spend. She criticized former mayor Brent Coles for being absent too often and for delegating too much responsibility to other people which left him unable to review the various departments’ spending. She described how it was sometimes a difficult process to remove anyone from a city office without sufficient support from Brent Coles. 48:48 Terteling discusses how the city council held a forensic audit in an attempt track where city money had been going. She chaired the audit with Vern Bisterfeldt. She describes how the audit revealed numerous financial discrepancies within the city and resulted in her loosing confidence in many aspects of the city bureaucracy. The final result was Mayor Coles leaving office and Terteling assuming his seat.
END TRACK Track Two
0:00 Continuation of interview
0:01 Terteling discusses the use of purchasing cards, or company cards needing to be revised during her time in office. Discuses the tightening regulations and better control that occurred during her time. These include not being able to spend over a certain amount, and tracking vacation purchases to ensure that purchases made were business related.
1:15 Terteling discusses the problems that arose when the financial department transferred an amount of money and responsibility to the governor’s office, explains that things went wrong when that happened due to the amount of responsibility the finance department put in the hands of people who did not know what to do with it.
1:51 Discusses that salary increases for employees were not reviewed as much by council as they should have been. Led to a lack of oversight, monies, among others.
2:20 discusses that she felt the problem was easy to fix with the right amount of checks and balances between the mayor’s office and city council. More a matter of “tightening up.”
3:32 Terteling recalls and incident during which a mayor had hired a performer as entertainment for a mayoral event that was supposed to be billed to the U.S. congress of Mayors, but was instead somehow charged to the city of Boise.
4:03 Discuses how the annual internal audit led to the appointment of a department manager. Steve Purvis was appointed as the first manager of Internal Auditing; began to see bonuses coming out of the mayor’s office that had never been mentioned or discussed before.
4:52 Terteling comments on budgeting and transferring of funds and the need, once again, for a checks and balances system. Goes on to discuss the benefits of information technology and the investments made in the 1990s to make records computerized.
6:06 Comments on the use of computerized records and hard to follow paper trails. Information technology made reviewing records that much easier.
6:44 Terteling discusses donations and contributions; anything over $25,000 needed the proper paperwork. Comments on the idea that the money being decided by the mayor rather than council is a bad choice to make for the city. Also discussed is the decision making process of who needed city vehicles. Appreciates the new system of leaving the vehicles at City Hall that can be taken when needed, but are never taken home.
7:56 Comments on the feeling that council should have had more oversight, but concedes to a strong mayoral system and the growth of the city. Zoning and development were first on the list during this time.
8:25 Terteling notes that creating the Office of Internal Auditing was a huge move for the capitol and council. Mentions that during her time on council there was a director of finance, but the need for more council oversight and the strength of a department head was needed.
8:50 Terteling discusses her view that employees of the Office of Internal Auditing should be objective, neutral, and not feel a threat of termination for being so. While these employees are not at-will employees, they are still selected by the mayor. Also mentioned is the fact that it would only take five council votes to vote out a member of that office in order to maintain political neutrality.
9:42 Discusses personal thoughts on budget and taking the money available as far as possible, with good information, in both city and state situations. Mentions that during her time, she did not see as many budget issues as she didn’t issues of hidden accounts.
10:25 The discussion of Mayor as City Manager was brought up in council, as well as referenced with different-larger-cities. Terteling did not believe the system was as flawed as some made it out to be, and again mentions the benefits of strengthening checks and balances. Also comments on the fact that a City Manager can always be reviewed.
11:22 Terteling discusses her feeling on representatives being elected in districts. More appreciates the idea of representatives being elected at large due to the belief that one should be represented by the council member no matter where the member or citizen may live.
12:37 The discussion of an Economic Development war chest and the amount of businesses it could have saved and started. Discusses the slowing of growth in the early 2000s and that the chamber needed to be working with businesses in recruiting with the help of the war chest. Comments on the amount of major employers that had been lost since then, and having an economic war chest would have helped start-ups, recruiting, and help to maintain businesses.
14:06 Terteling discusses the origin of her nickname “The Velvet Hammer.” It was apparently given due to the fact that her ability to deliver bad news in a way that made the recipient feel as though it was for the good of the cause. Had once mentioned in a council session that she would rather be “the velvet hammer and not the axe handle.” One council member confirmed the notion by stating that Terteling had a way of making her feel good even when she was saying “no” to a motion; thus the nickname Velvet Hammer was adorned upon her.
15:19 Terteling discusses the difficulty she had letting go of the head of the legal department during her first day in office. Tells the story of a meeting she had with the entire department later that day, and her running late made the department employees fear the worst. She reassured them all that they had a job, none of them were being held responsible, and that she was going to hire the replacement from within.
16:51 Goes on to discuss the process of selecting the replacement: having the staff leave the room and discuss among themselves who they may want in that position. She then interviewed all of them individually to ask, and those who did not want the position gave their personal recommendations. The following day she interviewed three people, then two of them, and had decided on the replacement by the end of the day. The replacement for the head of the legal department was replaced when Mayor Bieter came into office with his own people, but went on to become a very prominent judge.
20:03 Terteling speaks on the issue of programs and goals during the time of Mayor Coles that had been affected by the situation during her term. Mentions no issues on the matter, but does discuss her desire to stay on board to see them come to fruition. Eventually they did, example: detox center and public libraries, and notes that we should be thanking the original planners.
22:12 Terteling discusses her joy of working with different Treasure Valley agencies. She was familiar with some of the surrounding cities mayors, and enjoyed creating working relationships with those she did not know. Mentions the development of good relationships with different commissioners, as well as ACHD.
24:00 The topic of public relations is mentioned again when Terteling discusses her present work with St. Luke’s Hospital. She mentions that the hospital has and external relations committee and are in constant contact with people. At this point the idea that better communication between governments, not necessarily binding contracts, would be highly beneficial.
25:20 Discusses the difficulty of having multiple commissioners for agencies, example used was ACHD having three commissioners at the time.
25:58 Further discusses the critical nature of working relationships; example used is several different commissioners making a difference; they would get together, without the mayor present, and prioritize and make decisions together. Mentions that public safety was almost always number one on the list.
27:02 On the topic of being the first female mayor of Boise, Terteling mentions that the thought never entered her mind until someone had asked her that question. Discusses that in a time of crisis, one does not think about gender, just solutions. Goes on to tell the story of her process of becoming mayor: had called a few council members the day after Mayor Coles had resigned and discussed her desire to be mayor for one year. The members she had spoken to then contacted other members, and two to three days after Mayor Coles had resigned, Mayor Terteling was in office.
28:33 End of questioning. Terteling offers more information anytime.
28:48 End of Track Two
Track One
00:00 Introduction
00:24 Carolyn Terteling discussed what caused her to want to join the city council. She talked about how Brent Coles’ council seat became available when he became mayor. She felt that she had enough background within the city through her volunteer efforts to be qualified for city council.
02: 05 Terteling described the period when she was on the city council as being a “charmed” time for Boise. Starting in 1993, for the entire duration of Terteling’s time on the council the city ran a budget surplus which allowed the city to grow substantially. She mentioned the plan to protect the foothills as well as sewage planning and the purchasing of more park land. She talked about reacquiring the depot, expanding the airport and other city projects which she was a part of.
07:52 Terteling talked about the visit of the Regio Sprinter train to Boise. She discussed how the council saw retaining train transportation as extremely important to the region. Due to a lack of support from other regions of the state and to the smaller population of Boise, however, the idea of the Regio Sprinter was not pursued.
10:34 Terteling discussed an arrangement made while she was mayor between the city and Simplot Industry to give Ice World to city as well as Esther Simplot Park.
11:36 Terteling talked about the success of the foothills levy. She discussed how the community worked together to help this project come together.
13:30 Terteling describes how the Greenbelt project was started. She mentions how many different groups and people were instrumental in the project. She talked about how volunteers for the Parks Department help to maintain the Greenbelt. She mentions how the Boise Greenbelt differs from other city Greenbelts in terms of its large size. 16:17 Terteling discussed the Boise Visions Plan. She talked about how the Futures Foundation began the Visions project and provided a foundation for later planning. She mentioned the importance of finding a place for the Boise mall which would not detract from downtown. She talked about the importance of maintaining Boise’s downtown as a viable central hub for the surrounding area. She mentioned the Urban Land Institute’s role in planning Boise’s expansion. She talked about the importance of revitalizing BoDo (Boise Downtown) and the Linen District.
21:08 Terteling discussed her involvement in expanding Boise’s transportation system. She described taking the bus during her childhood and the importance of making the city accessible, especially to disable or elderly citizens. She talked about how expensive retrofitting the transportation system would be and the importance of connecting the different counties within the region. She mentioned the importance of bike trails throughout the city.
24:50 Terteling discussed need to bring affordable housing to Boise. She talked about positive effect of Community Block Development Grants. Terteling spoke about the need for more affordable housing to coincide with the growth of Boise State University.
27:33 Terteling described her enthusiasm for the arts and her involvement on various councils and projects to promote art throughout the city. She spoke about the ambivalence towards public art on the part of the city council. She discussed how the arts have gained a more prominent position within the city council.
30: 22 Terteling talked about how the city was able to acquire several different farm properties to create a park. She said that the city was able to do this because of the budget surplus they had during her time on the council. She describes how they were able to trade property in order to develop parks. She talked about acquiring the land for Morris Hill Cemetery through a land trade.
33:32 Terteling talked about the push from many citizens in Boise to keep a protected, undeveloped green area around the city. She said that this was not possible, however, due to the cost and the fact that the city did not own this land.
34:18 Terteling described her memories of the day the Ahavath Beth Israel temple was moved to its new location. The temple was moved due to the congestion of traffic and lack of parking at its previous location. She stressed the importance of the temple as an active, historic monument. 36:26 Terteling explained what the role of council pro-tem entails. The mayor only votes in case of tie and the council president runs the meetings. In the absence of the council president, the council pro-tem takes over that responsibility. She mentioned that Mayor Brent Coles was often criticized for being gone frequently during her time as council president, and this gave Terteling the opportunity to act as mayor on numerous occasions.
38:37 Terteling discussed the foothills fire which took place while she was council president. The fire evolved from the police shooting rang. The fire was spread rapidly by strong winds. She describes watching the flames from her backyard. She goes on to describe the floods that occurred during the first large rain after the fire had stripped the foothills of their vegetation. She mentioned new building regulations put into place following the fire, including requirements for fire-resistant roofing.
43:28 Terteling described her efforts to make circumspect, thoughtful decisions while on the city council. She discusses how difficult it was sometimes to make decisions that effected the citizens of Boise. She also mentions, though, the satisfaction she felt working together with the city council to make positive changes for the city.
46:25 Terteling discussed how the rapid growth of Boise effected the financial procedures within the city. Each department was required to produce a voucher with an explanation for they money that they spend. She criticized former mayor Brent Coles for being absent too often and for delegating too much responsibility to other people which left him unable to review the various departments’ spending. She described how it was sometimes a difficult process to remove anyone from a city office without sufficient support from Brent Coles. 48:48 Terteling discusses how the city council held a forensic audit in an attempt track where city money had been going. She chaired the audit with Vern Bisterfeldt. She describes how the audit revealed numerous financial discrepancies within the city and resulted in her loosing confidence in many aspects of the city bureaucracy. The final result was Mayor Coles leaving office and Terteling assuming his seat.
END TRACK Track Two
0:00 Continuation of interview
0:01 Terteling discusses the use of purchasing cards, or company cards needing to be revised during her time in office. Discuses the tightening regulations and better control that occurred during her time. These include not being able to spend over a certain amount, and tracking vacation purchases to ensure that purchases made were business related.
1:15 Terteling discusses the problems that arose when the financial department transferred an amount of money and responsibility to the governor’s office, explains that things went wrong when that happened due to the amount of responsibility the finance department put in the hands of people who did not know what to do with it.
1:51 Discusses that salary increases for employees were not reviewed as much by council as they should have been. Led to a lack of oversight, monies, among others.
2:20 discusses that she felt the problem was easy to fix with the right amount of checks and balances between the mayor’s office and city council. More a matter of “tightening up.”
3:32 Terteling recalls and incident during which a mayor had hired a performer as entertainment for a mayoral event that was supposed to be billed to the U.S. congress of Mayors, but was instead somehow charged to the city of Boise.
4:03 Discuses how the annual internal audit led to the appointment of a department manager. Steve Purvis was appointed as the first manager of Internal Auditing; began to see bonuses coming out of the mayor’s office that had never been mentioned or discussed before.
4:52 Terteling comments on budgeting and transferring of funds and the need, once again, for a checks and balances system. Goes on to discuss the benefits of information technology and the investments made in the 1990s to make records computerized.
6:06 Comments on the use of computerized records and hard to follow paper trails. Information technology made reviewing records that much easier.
6:44 Terteling discusses donations and contributions; anything over $25,000 needed the proper paperwork. Comments on the idea that the money being decided by the mayor rather than council is a bad choice to make for the city. Also discussed is the decision making process of who needed city vehicles. Appreciates the new system of leaving the vehicles at City Hall that can be taken when needed, but are never taken home.
7:56 Comments on the feeling that council should have had more oversight, but concedes to a strong mayoral system and the growth of the city. Zoning and development were first on the list during this time.
8:25 Terteling notes that creating the Office of Internal Auditing was a huge move for the capitol and council. Mentions that during her time on council there was a director of finance, but the need for more council oversight and the strength of a department head was needed.
8:50 Terteling discusses her view that employees of the Office of Internal Auditing should be objective, neutral, and not feel a threat of termination for being so. While these employees are not at-will employees, they are still selected by the mayor. Also mentioned is the fact that it would only take five council votes to vote out a member of that office in order to maintain political neutrality.
9:42 Discusses personal thoughts on budget and taking the money available as far as possible, with good information, in both city and state situations. Mentions that during her time, she did not see as many budget issues as she didn’t issues of hidden accounts.
10:25 The discussion of Mayor as City Manager was brought up in council, as well as referenced with different-larger-cities. Terteling did not believe the system was as flawed as some made it out to be, and again mentions the benefits of strengthening checks and balances. Also comments on the fact that a City Manager can always be reviewed.
11:22 Terteling discusses her feeling on representatives being elected in districts. More appreciates the idea of representatives being elected at large due to the belief that one should be represented by the council member no matter where the member or citizen may live.
12:37 The discussion of an Economic Development war chest and the amount of businesses it could have saved and started. Discusses the slowing of growth in the early 2000s and that the chamber needed to be working with businesses in recruiting with the help of the war chest. Comments on the amount of major employers that had been lost since then, and having an economic war chest would have helped start-ups, recruiting, and help to maintain businesses.
14:06 Terteling discusses the origin of her nickname “The Velvet Hammer.” It was apparently given due to the fact that her ability to deliver bad news in a way that made the recipient feel as though it was for the good of the cause. Had once mentioned in a council session that she would rather be “the velvet hammer and not the axe handle.” One council member confirmed the notion by stating that Terteling had a way of making her feel good even when she was saying “no” to a motion; thus the nickname Velvet Hammer was adorned upon her.
15:19 Terteling discusses the difficulty she had letting go of the head of the legal department during her first day in office. Tells the story of a meeting she had with the entire department later that day, and her running late made the department employees fear the worst. She reassured them all that they had a job, none of them were being held responsible, and that she was going to hire the replacement from within.
16:51 Goes on to discuss the process of selecting the replacement: having the staff leave the room and discuss among themselves who they may want in that position. She then interviewed all of them individually to ask, and those who did not want the position gave their personal recommendations. The following day she interviewed three people, then two of them, and had decided on the replacement by the end of the day. The replacement for the head of the legal department was replaced when Mayor Bieter came into office with his own people, but went on to become a very prominent judge.
20:03 Terteling speaks on the issue of programs and goals during the time of Mayor Coles that had been affected by the situation during her term. Mentions no issues on the matter, but does discuss her desire to stay on board to see them come to fruition. Eventually they did, example: detox center and public libraries, and notes that we should be thanking the original planners.
22:12 Terteling discusses her joy of working with different Treasure Valley agencies. She was familiar with some of the surrounding cities mayors, and enjoyed creating working relationships with those she did not know. Mentions the development of good relationships with different commissioners, as well as ACHD.
24:00 The topic of public relations is mentioned again when Terteling discusses her present work with St. Luke’s Hospital. She mentions that the hospital has and external relations committee and are in constant contact with people. At this point the idea that better communication between governments, not necessarily binding contracts, would be highly beneficial.
25:20 Discusses the difficulty of having multiple commissioners for agencies, example used was ACHD having three commissioners at the time.
25:58 Further discusses the critical nature of working relationships; example used is several different commissioners making a difference; they would get together, without the mayor present, and prioritize and make decisions together. Mentions that public safety was almost always number one on the list.
27:02 On the topic of being the first female mayor of Boise, Terteling mentions that the thought never entered her mind until someone had asked her that question. Discusses that in a time of crisis, one does not think about gender, just solutions. Goes on to tell the story of her process of becoming mayor: had called a few council members the day after Mayor Coles had resigned and discussed her desire to be mayor for one year. The members she had spoken to then contacted other members, and two to three days after Mayor Coles had resigned, Mayor Terteling was in office.
28:33 End of questioning. Terteling offers more information anytime.
28:48 End of Track Two
Source
- Terteling-Payne , Carolyn A. (Narrator, Person)
Repository Details
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