Lisa Sánchez wants to lead ‘in a new way’ in Boise. What it means for November election
BOISE – Former Boise City Council member Lisa Sánchez is not running for re-election, ending months of speculation after she suddenly lost her seat in January and sued the city.
Sánchez recently took a job as an equal opportunity specialist fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a Facebook post. The position requires investigating allegations of housing discrimination and conducting civil rights reviews, according to the post. The job is with the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity office, where Sánchez will work in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
“I believed that I would be able to run for my third term on the council while also maintaining my position in my new job,” she said in a news release. “I am unable to do that.”
Campaign spokesperson Emily Walton said that Sánchez was advised that she could run afoul of the Hatch Act, which limits federal employees’ political activities.
“While City Council seats in Boise are nonpartisan, some candidates have engaged in partisan activities while seeking election,” Walton said by text. “Because of that, and out of an abundance of caution, Lisa has been advised to not seek re-election.”
Sánchez lost her seat in January when she moved to a new apartment a few blocks outside of her North End district. The city made new district boundaries last year and redrew the borders of that district.
“I am grateful to the people of Boise who elected me to serve two terms, and I wish I could have served all of my last term to honor the will of District 3 voters,” she said in the news release.
In April, she sued Boise, alleging she had been unlawfully “removed” from her seat and demanding she be reinstated. Her attorney, Wendy Olson, asked an Ada County judge to issue a preliminary injunction that would have forced the city to return her to her elected position. Fourth Judicial District Judge Derrick O’Neill denied that request in May. A trial is scheduled for December – less than a month before her term ends.
Since April, the board chair of Boise’s urban renewal agency, Latonia Haney Keith, has represented District 3, which covers the north end and Northwest Boise.
Last fall, Sánchez discussed her intention to run again. She was subject to scrutiny in January over the more than $14,000 in campaign funds she spent in 2022, a nonelection year. She spent some of the money on coffee shops, bars and restaurants.
A review by the Ada County Elections office said the payments complied with state law.
“It has been a great privilege to serve our city,” she said in the news release. “I hope that other under-recognized community members are inspired to seek elected office just like I did. I will continue to serve and lead in Boise in a new way.”
Sánchez, 52, was first elected in 2017. In District 6 – the new district she likely would have run for this fall – Council President Jimmy Hallyburton is running for re-election.