BOISE, Idaho — Holli Woodings has served on the Boise City Council since she was elected in 2017, but on Tuesday, she announced she will be resigning from her position.
Woodings and her family will be moving to Washington D.C. and her last day as City Council President will be July 21.
“It’s bittersweet to leave early, but it’s with the health and happiness of my family in mind," Woodings said in a statement on Tuesday.
In the last six years, the city council has tackled a lot, from the city's climate action plan to police accountability. One thing Woodings is proud of is the Zoning code rewrite.
Related | Boise City Council Passes Modern Zoning Code Rewrite
The code passed last month and now awaits its third reading, scheduled for next week.
The code faced some backlash from a group called Reject Boise Upzone. The group says the plan will destabilize neighborhoods in Boise.
Supporters of the new code say it's needed to address the rapidly growing city.
“I’ve been working on [the zoning plan] in some capacity for so long now, so it was really a great full circle moment when we were able to adopt that zoning code," Woodings told Idaho News 6 on Thursday. "We need to plan for it, we haven’t planned well for our growth. So I think this really gets at that.”
With Wooding's departure, Mayor Lauren McLean will be appointing someone to replace her seat. This will be the third time this year McLean will be appointing someone to an elected position. Latonia Haney Keith and Colin Nash were picked to replace Lisa Sánchez and Elaine Clegg respectively.
RELATED | Mayor McLean set to fill council vacancies
After Wooding's replacement is selected, three out of the six city council members will be appointed by the Mayor instead of elected, at least until November.
This is something Woodings doesn't see as a problem. She says the people who have been appointed so far have been good and the appointment process is sound.
“The Mayor does the selection and that’s ratified by the city council and if somebody’s just completely out of line from the mayor’s office, the city council doesn’t have to ratify that person," Woodings said. "It hasn’t happened, I think that everyone is really thoughtful in those selections.”
Woodings has been on the city council and has been a State Representative, but she says her move to Washington D.C. isn't politically motivated, at least not for a while. She says she hopes to take a break from elected office.
“It almost puts up a wall between you and your title and just everyday people that you interact with," said Woodings about being in an elected office. "So, I’m looking forward to having that wall come down, doing really good work, and doing that on behalf of our country, I hope.”
Applications for candidates for the District 5 replacement are being accepted beginning immediately.
Candidates seeking appointment must be qualified electors in District 5, using the legal boundaries from the 202aho1 election map. Previous applicants who are eligible to serve in District 5 are encouraged to apply. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 1, 2023. More information can be found on the city's website.
