McLean-backed candidates win in most Boise City Council races, handing mayor majority

Four districts. Four races.

For the first time, every Boise City Council member was elected by a geographic district in 2023, after the Idaho Legislature passed a law prohibiting at-large, or citywide, council races in cities with 100,000 or more people.

To prepare for staggered elections in future years, winners in even-numbered districts were elected for two-year terms, with odd districts getting the standard four years.

A mix of candidates — some incumbents, some new faces — put forward their names to represent their neighborhoods. In two districts — District 1, which covers far West Boise, and District 6, which covers the western North End all the way to Northwest Boise — the elections were canceled, because just one candidate registered in each. Incumbents Luci Willits in District 1 and Jimmy Hallyburton in District 6 won reelection as a result.

At the end of the night, candidates in support of Lauren McLean’s housing and growth policies won in nearly every district, providing the mayor with a strong majority on the council when she begins her second term.

Colin Nash, Jordan Morales and Meredith Stead — all supported by McLean — won their races.

In District 3 in Southwest Boise, Kathy Corless won in a close race, according to unofficial results. Corless was critical of McLean when she considered swapping land slated as a large park in Corless’s neighborhood for development two years ago. But the former neighborhood association leader has also supported denser housing in the city.

In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Corless said she supports McLean and is glad she won a second term.

Candidate Theresa Vawter, whose campaign has also been largely supportive of McLean’s policies, lost.

District 2

Four candidates ran for District 2, which runs south of Garden City down to the Interstate 184 Connector.

Colin Nash, 33, a Democratic representative in the Idaho Legislature who was appointed to the council by McLean earlier this year, faced retired Idaho Sen. Grant Burgoyne, 70, lawyer Hillary Smith, 37, and Jesse Gonzales, 71.

With all precincts counted, Nash won with 4,086 votes, 45.6% of the total. Smith had 2,980 votes or 33.2% of the total, Burgoyne had 1,528 votes at 18.5%, and Gonzales had 371 votes at 4.1%, according to unofficial results from Ada County.

“I didn’t hide my support for the mayor and her policies on housing, and I think this city rewarded her for those actions,” Nash told the Statesman. “And I think the voters of District 2 also support her leadership on a number of housing issues which I hope to continue to champion in the new council.”

Nash said he wants to “keep the ball rolling” on affordable housing by identifying a “sustainable” funding source and improving resources for people exiting homelessness.

“I live in District 2, it’s my home, I want to protect my home,” he added. “And I want to give more people the opportunity to call Boise their home.”

Smith told the Statesman she ran to give voters a “meaningful choice,” and said she wishes Nash “the best of luck.”

Burgoyne did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gonzales told the Statesman by text, “hats off to all.”

District 3

On the Boise Bench and most of Southwest Boise, residents will be getting a new City Council member. The District 3 race included a slate of new faces.

Chris Blanchard, 55, a planning and zoning commissioner, faced Corless, 50, the former president of the South Cole Neighborhood Association; Josh Johnston, 40, an artificial intelligence and machine learning engineer; and Vawter, 40, the public relations and government affairs coordinator for the Idaho Foodbank.

With all precincts counted, Corless won with 32.9%, Johnston had 32.7%, Vawter had 20.9% and Blanchard had 13.6%. Corless and Johnston were separated by only 15 votes, 2,566 to 2,551.

Corless told the Statesman she ran a grassroots campaign and is excited about the result.

“I knew it was going to be a tight election, but I didn’t know it would be 15 votes,” she said.

Johnston told the Statesman that the “close result and the many conversations I had with voters show that there are many residents of the city who do not feel like their voices are being heard.”

He said he is considering whether to pay for a recount, given the narrow margin.

Blanchard and Vawter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

District 4

In South Boise from Micron west to Cole Road, voters were deciding between Jordan Morales, 35, who manages the Computer Science Department at Boise State University, and Janet Burke.

With all precincts counted, Morales won with 6,495 votes, 68.2% of the total. Burke had 3,034 votes, 31.8% of the total.

”There’s a lot of really good things happening in the city and we want to continue to move that forward,” Morales told the Statesman, noting that it is unusual for South Boise residents to have someone who lives in their neighborhood on the council.

Burke did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

District 5

From Harris Ranch to the North End, voters were choosing between Meredith Stead, 41, and Jeremy Gugino, 50.

McLean appointed Stead to the council earlier this year after spending five years on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Gugino was previously the spokesperson for the Idaho House and Senate Democrats and for Reclaim Idaho.

With all precincts counted, Stead won with 7,254 votes, 67.7% of the total. Gugino had 3,460 votes, 32.3% of the total.

Stead told the Statesman her priority will be implementing the city’s new zoning code, which governs rules about building in the city. The zoning code goes into effect on Dec. 1.

Stead said a lot of people have criticized the code or suggested modifications when it hasn’t been implemented yet.

“Let’s see what happens as it rolls out,” she said. “Let’s keep an eye on it.”

She also said she wants to make sure conditions imposed by the council on developers are enforced, and that she wants to review the city’s design and historic requirements in light of the new zoning code.

Gugino congratulated Stead on Wednesday in an interview with the Statesman.

“The city of Boise is going to be lucky to have her on City Council for the next four years,” he said.

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