BOISE, Idaho — The Boise City Council held a swearing-in ceremony for its council members elected in November Tuesday evening.
It was the first ceremony for seats that were elected by geographic districts rather than at-large, forced by a law the Idaho Legislature adopted in 2020.
The law required Idaho cities with populations of 100,000 or more to elect council members by district. This year, that threshold was based on the 2010 census, when the populations of Meridian and Nampa, Idaho's second- and third-largest cities, came in below 100,000.
Until this year, all Boise City Council members were elected in citywide votes, and were not required to live in specific areas of the city.
Voters in Boise City Council District 1 elected candidate Luci Willits to fill the seat currently held by TJ Thomson, who decided to not run for another term in 2021. Tuesday's meeting will be Thomson's final as a Boise City Council member.
District 1 includes, generally speaking, the westernmost part of Boise north of Interstate 84 and south of Chinden Boulevard.
Council Pro Tem Lisa E. Sánchez in District 3 and council member Holli Woodings in District 5 both retained their seats in the November election.
District 3 includes most of the North End, foothills and Northwest Boise. District 5 includes several Central Bench neighborhoods as well as the downtown area and the East End.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the swearing-in ceremony was limited to 50 people, including Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, Boise City Council members and staff, as well as friends and family of elected council members.
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