City Government
Clan McLean Staff Changes Announced
January 9, 2020 
You may not be able to choose your relatives, but if you are Clan McLean you can choose your clan members. Here are some roster changes in the office of Mayor Lauren McLean, courtesy of Margaret Carmel at the IDAHO PRESS
Since Tuesday, four of former Mayor Dave Bieter’s employees left the city’s payrolls, including:
Communications Director Mike Journee
Intergovernmental Affairs Director Amber Pence
Mayor’s Office Administrative Assistant Tracy Hall Johnson
Constituent Services Coordinator Jeffrey Janis.
A list of employees in the Mayor’s Office provided to the Idaho Press Tuesday showed nine staff in the office, plus Bieter. A similar list Wednesday showed five employees and McLean.
Among those who stayed are:
Chief Operating Officer Jade Riley
Policy Advisor Robin Lee-Beusan
Mayor’s Office Administrative Specialist Danielle Torres
Director of Community Partnerships Wyatt Schroeder.
A new member of Clan McLean is Chief of Staff Courtney Washburn, the former executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, which was a major fundraiser for the McLean campaign.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jan 9, 2020, 8:07 pm
Miscellaneous thoughts:
1) Maybe will she try to struggle along with a couple fewer hungry mouths on the payroll?
2) My great-great grandma was a McNeil, from Tranent, Scotland. Am I a friend, or is a feud settin’ up?
3) Just a clarification for Guardian readers: The “Conservation Voters for Idaho” is NOT the same as “CONSERVATIVE Voters for Idaho”!! (I expect that distinction will play out over the next 4 years.)
Jan 10, 2020, 1:20 pm
Bikeboy, that’s a funny note for #3.
Conservative- to be conservative- “to conserve” or “to preserve.”
It would be great if more Conservatives actually DID conserve!
Can you imagine all of Idaho’s ‘conservatives’ making an effort to “conserve fuel”? All those 2c conservatives commuting on I-84 could actually decide to conserve their resources by investing in mass transit. Will never happen.
Or a national agenda of CONSERVING oil & coal reserves by developing and investing in ALTERNATIVE energy? What a fantasy!
Conserving existing clean water and air instead of polluting it to save a few dollars?
Conserve personal choices and freedom?
A 20-year-old man, can’t even legally smoke tobacco now- thanks to one “Conservative”. Enlist? Kill someone? Yes. Enjoy some fine Virginia pipe tobacco -Nope.
Conserve our access to publicly owned land? Up for sale!
Our ‘conservative’ governor sings about reducing regulations- despite most regulations have been made to ‘conserve’ or protect one thing or another, such as consumers, children, wildlife, and human life. And technically leaving Idaho in a state of limbo since July 1.
Pres Nixon, A Republican and a “conservative”(?) created the EPA.
Now the EPA is a lightning rod for the for Conservative Voter of Idaho.
President Reagan was instrumental in reducing CFCs in our atmosphere to CONSERVE the ozone layer and he led a global effort to do so. Can you imagine the same effort today to reduce greenhouse gases? Laughable for the next 11 months.
Today, our Republican party is anything but “conservative”: Fiscally or with our natural resources.
As for your reference to the two – Conservative Voters vs Conservation Voters– 1 is active and well known; the other is not. Not much confusion or need for distinction between DOA and lively.
And I expect the new Mayor will be MUCH more conservative [let’s underline that word] than the legislators working down the street from her.
Jan 10, 2020, 7:22 pm
Okay…..here’s my assessment of those leaving and staying.
Leaving:
Mike Journee – friend of Bieter. No significant impact for change. Mere spokesman of hizzhoner’s tropes.
Amber Pence – possibly a good change, incidentally. This position is a key liaison that is essential for coordinating good or bad policy.
Tracy Hall Johnson – an assistant’s position for admin affairs is probably duplicative. If left unfilled, the better.
Jeffery Janis – just what does a Constituent Services Coordinator do, anyway? Which constituents? Handmaiden for special projects, like real estate deals? Best to leave unfilled.
Staying:
Jade Riley – it seems that a Chief Ops Officer can steer agendas from their dug in positions of what is know as “process.” Regardless of who is Mayor or sits on the Council, stubborn agendas live in these Deep State spider holes.
Don’t think there is a Deep State? Go back and read THIS, long before Trump….
https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/10/18/vote-all-you-want-the-secret-government-won-change/jVSkXrENQlu8vNcBfMn9sL/story.html
Robin Lee-Beusan – a perfect deep stater to ensure that McClean stays on THE agenda, but I’m certain that they are perfectly in-synch, anyhow.
Danielle Torres – Hmmmn…just why do we need a Mayor’s Office Administrative Specialist? Sounds like another special projects handler to me. More deep staters.
Wyatt Schroeder – Community Partnerships sounds soooooo communistic, doesn’t it? When did we discover that we needed this position? What are it’s true goals. More deep state, anyone?
On balance, too many special positions retained to hand carry agendas that Commiefornia is suffering from, right now. I’m sure they too, have alllllll of these special positions created and filled by “gifted” process people that ensure that the peoples’ needs are attended to.
Jan 10, 2020, 10:31 pm
Any predictions on where Dave B washes up? My guess is he takes a few weeks off and returns with a tan to a waiting office at the Chamber or the Gardner Company.
Jan 14, 2020, 6:48 am
Ms. Mayor please give new directives to your police department to meet this new problem and crush it. It’s not very exciting for them but it’s what we need now (see video link).
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/10/package-theft-how-amazon-google-others-are-fighting-porch-pirates.html
Jan 25, 2020, 9:31 am
Forced Air, you should be called Hot Air. You have no idea what you are talking about.
Amber Pence – Other than Chief Doan, she was the closest person and most influential to Mayor Bieter. In the office she did all the politics and lobbying. Took a leave of absence to work on his campaign. Woks for Michael Bloomberg for President now.
Tracy Hall Johnson- Worked on Bieter’s Campaign staff in 03 and was hired as his assistant and ran his schedule for 16 years. Left before McLean even took office
Jeff Janis – Very low level. Coordinated responses to Mayors Hotline questions and Public Information Requests. Little to no influence on Bieter or city.
Mike Journee- Bieter spokesperson. Obvious person to replace. Worked for Kempthorne before Bieter.
Here is the big question. Why is Jade Riley and Adam Park staying? Where is the change?
Jade Riley runs the city and has for 16 years. All the Department Heads report to him. Jade is the most influential person in the entire city, including the Mayor and Council. He sets the budget and gets it by Council without them questioning. He is the true power in the City. Keeps the Council in complete dark. You want to look behind the curtain, then look here.
Adam Park did Mike Journee’s job for years then moved to Community Engagement. All the department PIO’s report to him. Close to Bieter.
Danielle Torres – New and is just a front desk person. Answers the phone. Low level.
Wyatt Schroeder – Took over for Diana Lachiondo when she left to run for Ada County Commissioner. He is in charge of homelessness and housing.
Robin Lee-Busan – Another low level position. Little to no influence.
No Department Heads have turned over yet.
Follow the money. The Conservation Voters for Idaho pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into McClean’s campaign now the previous Executive Director Courtney Washburn is the Chief of Staff. Watch this position carefully.
Feb 14, 2020, 3:26 pm
Adam Park announced his resignation (was fired) today. Who will be next? My guess is Chief Doan. Should see his retirement announcement soon.