Former police chief Masterson has filed to run for mayor of Boise

Mike Masterson, the former Boise police chief, is running for mayor in the November election.

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On Monday, he filed a candidacy declaration with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office. Masterson, 68, was police chief under former Mayor David Bieter from 2005 to 2015.

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Maryanne Jordan, a former Democratic state senator and former president of the Boise City Council, is his campaign treasurer.

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“In the coming weeks, I will be talking to as many Boiseans, organizations and businesses as possible to determine what my campaign would look like if I chose to move further with my candidacy,” Masterson said in an emailed statement. “… We need a mayor who prioritizes public safety, affordable housing, fiscal responsibility within the city’s budget and mayor’s office, finds permanent solutions to address homelessness and, above all, who can restore public faith and transparency in our city’s government.”

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Lauren McLean, Boise’s mayor, began her reelection campaign earlier this month.

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In a February interview, Masterson told the Idaho Statesman that he was dissatisfied with McLean’s leadership of the Police Department. Earlier that month, a survey of Boise Democrats was commissioned to examine how some voters felt about a potential Masterson campaign.

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In December, he published a guest opinion in the Statesman about an ongoing investigation into potential racism at the Police Department, in which he criticized McLean for “casting aspersions” on the department.

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McLean initiated the investigation after revelations that a veteran, retired captain, Matt Bryngelson, had made racist posts online under a pseudonym.

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In February, McLean’s campaign manager, Melanie Folwell, told the Statesman by email that McLean “owes it to both the people of Boise and our Police Department to look into this matter. An independent investigator with serious experience in this field is doing just that, and as quickly and transparently as possible. Everyone in Boise deserves to feel safe, period.”

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In an email, Jordan told the Statesman in reference to City Hall that, “For some time I’ve been very concerned about the amount of information being withheld from the public.”

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She added, “I’ve worked with Mike Masterson for years and know him to be a person of great integrity. I’m proud to support him.”

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Masterson has not yet reported any fundraising. During an election year, candidates are required to report fundraising monthly.

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He told the Statesman by phone that he plans to run as an independent. City offices are nonpartisan under Idaho law.