This four-term Boise-area elected leader will step down. Why is unclear. What we know

Rachel Spacek
·1 min read

After 13 years of drafting Canyon County’s budgets and managing county elections, Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto, 70, is retiring three years before his term ends.

Yamamoto, first elected in 2010, submitted his resignation letter on Wednesday, effective Friday, Feb. 2.

“The journey to reach a desired destination may not be what was originally intended, however the joy is in the journey not the destination,” Yamamoto wrote. “It has been my pleasure to serve Canyon County residents as your elected clerk for the past 13 years. I am pleased with what we have accomplished together.”

Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto speaks at his latest swearing-in ceremony in January 2023. Yamamoto resigned one year into his fourth term.
Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto speaks at his latest swearing-in ceremony in January 2023. Yamamoto resigned one year into his fourth term.

Yamamoto, a Republican, didn’t give a reason for his resignation, which comes one year into his fourth four-year term. He did not return a phone call requestingcomment. Rick Hogaboam, spokesperson for Canyon County, said Yamamoto sought privacy around his resignation and could not elaborate on why he resigned.

In April 2022, Yamamoto and other Canyon County elected officials clashed with a Canyon County commissioner, eventually asking her to resign. Yamamoto told the Statesman at the time that Commissioner Leslie Van Beek was accusing him “of hiding money and not telling the truth.”

Canyon County announced Yamamoto’s retirement in a news release on Thursday. It said Yamamoto was the county’s second-longest serving clerk.

“Under Yamamoto’s leadership, the county was recognized over successive years with the Certificate of Achievement in Excellence for Financial Reporting associated with the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report as awarded from the Government Finance Officers Association,” the news release said.

Idaho law says the local Republican Central Committee must provide three nominations for Yamamoto’s replacement within 15 days. The Canyon County Commission will then have 15 days to appoint one of the nominees to fill the vacancy.

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