BOISE, Idaho — Boise City Council Member Lisa Sánchez was not at Tuesday night's Boise City Council meeting after finding out her new home is not in her district.
The meeting started 20 minutes late, according to our news partners at BoiseDev. City Council President, Elaine Clegg began the meeting by thanking the audience at City Hall for their patience.
"We just learned that Council Member Sánchez may no longer be a legal resident of the district she was elected in," said Clegg. "We know this was not intentional and we are looking for a path forward."
Council member Sánchez posted on social media Tuesday night saying she was "shocked" to learn the news after working with staff at the City of Boise and Ada County Election Office.
this situation will be resolved swiftly so that I may continue my work on behalf of the City of Boise. My only desire is to fulfill my oath of office, and I stand ready to take the appropriate steps to rectify this matter. Thank you all for your patience and understanding.
— Lisa for Boise CC (@lisaforboise) January 11, 2023
"The day after Thanksgiving 2022, I received notice that I had to move by December 31, 2022. It is very challenging to secure housing in this tight rental market with only five weeks to move 10+ years of belongings," Sánchez wrote.
City Council Member Jimmy Hallyburton made a comment prior to the council moving on with the agenda. " I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be a renter and trying to navigate finding a new affordable place to live in this climate in Boise, while also navigating an old district, a new district, and these tremendous amount of changes," said Hallyburton. "I feel sad and frustrated for the situation Lisa is going through."
Mayor McLean thanked Hallyburton for his comments, and called the meeting to order without any other comments other than saying "We wanted to make it known and that is why the council member is not with us."
If Sánchez can not continue to serve in her current role, she will have to seek re-election in the fall.
Boise City Council Elects Leaders for 2023
At Tuesday night's meeting, the council also voted on new leadership for the new year.
Elaine Clegg motioned to nominate Holli Woodings as Council President, Patrick Bageant seconded the nomination. Woodings accepted and the council voted unanimously to install her as Council President.
Following the vote, Woodings said it was "bittersweet" to not have Lisa Sánchez at the meeting, then thanked her friends and family and council members for their support. Woodings got emotional when thanking her colleagues for helping to make her a better leader saying, "Council member Sánchez was a big part of that."
Council member Elaine Clegg motioned to nominate Jimmy Hallyburton as Council President Pro Tem. Patrick Bageant also seconded the nomination. The council voted unanimously to install him as Council President Pro Tem. Hallyburton thanked his colleagues for their support including Lisa Sánchez.
You can watch the full City Council meeting below.
