Paul Boehlke/KTVB

Brent Coles sat down with KTVB for his first full-fledged interview since resigning in 2003.

While Brent Coles was certainly the center of controversy during the 2003 City Hall spending scandal, there were many others caught in the wake of the scandal.

Five years ago, the Coles administration began collapsing under the weight of revelations that some business related expenses just weren't adding up.  About $4,000 worth of taxpayer money had been used for personal purchases - show tickets and excursions while Coles and his staff were traveling on city business.

In February of 2003 Coles stepped down.  In his first television interview since that day, he says that resignation was a low point of an otherwise distinguished political career.

"The worst part was leaving office,” he said. “The worst part was feeling I had let my community down, my family down and I would not be able to provide for myself and my family again. It's the worst feeling an individual can have is that I can't move forward, I can't see - it's dark.  You look forward and all you can see is darkness. People come up and say, 'you're going to be fine'...you're crazy!  I'm not going to be fine, I'm not fine..."

Today, Brent Coles says he is fine - better than fine in his estimation.  But, looking back on that challenging chapter in Boise's past, there is obvious regret. 

The city travel and spending scandal took away not only his career, but the livelihoods of many around him.  His assistant, a city attorney, Boise's police chief, and others - at will employees who lost the confidence of the council.

"That's very significant and very unfortunate,” Coles said. “People that really should have been given the opportunity to develop and grow and stay in their positions were taken out of their positions were taken out of their positions after doing nothing, but their jobs and serving well the city for years...were hammered also and I felt very concerned for them and helpless to do anything."

Coles' Chief of Staff, Gary Lyman, was also implicated in the scandal. In fact, many pegged him as the mastermind behind the  ordeal.  Lyman pleaded guilty to four felonies and spent about six months in jail for misusing taxpayer money during work-related trips, some of which he took with Coles.

“I wasn't following my intuition, some people call it your gut - and I should have made some changes within my staff, within my administration early on,” Coles said. “But, I take responsibility for that and I also take responsibility for some poor judgment I used in taking some trips, I shouldn't have done that.  It was my responsibility, it was my fault, there were others who were advising me to do this or to do that, but I knew better...my gut told me better and I should have followed that."

"I made some very serious mistakes and I paid dearly for that,"

Coles was acquitted on misdemeanor charges, but pleaded guilty to two felony counts of misusing public funds.  For that he was sent to jail.

"I knew I was going to go there.  I knew I was going to go there as this thing was rolling along, it had to happen.  The judge had to put me in jail. It was what the community was calling for, at least part of the community,"

Coles was granted a withheld judgment...meaning his guilty pleas were set aside and his case was dismissed after jail time and probation were completed.  It also meant he could vote and run for office...but will he?

“I can't, I can't see myself being a public servant. I'm having so much fun with my family.” When my daughter has a dance recital I'm there, when my kids have a game they're involved in or we want to go to the BSU game, we're just there. That's the kind of life I have. I can't imagine abandoning that life for any reason."

Coles said he doesn’t correspond with any of the other political players from that time – but wishes them well as they too rebuild lives and careers.