BOISE, Idaho — Boise Mayor Lauren McLean is appointing a College of Idaho administrator and a state legislator to fill two vacant seats on the Boise City Council.
After reviewing applications from 54 Boiseans, conducting two rounds of interviews, checking references, and discussing possible choices with council leadership, McClean has chosen Latonia Haney Keith to fill the remainder of the term for District 3, succeeding Lisa Sánchez, and Colin Nash for what is currently an at-large seat, succeeding Elaine Clegg.
Council member Patrick Bageant told KTVB via text, "I am impressed by the credentials and depth of experience of each of the two nominees and I am looking forward to welcoming them as colleagues."
The seats were vacated earlier this year when Clegg stepped down to become CEO of Valley Regional Transit and Sánchez moved out of her district.
Sanchez posted on Twitter later after the nomination: "Mayor McLean has made her nomination choice for District 3. To honor the will of District 3 voters who re-elected me on November 2, 2021, I humbly request that the four current council members decline the nomination."
Keith is currently vice president of high impact practices with The College of Idaho and a member of the Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC) board. As a CCDC board member, she "has helped steer the agency's groundbreaking investments in affordable housing," according to a City of Boise news release. Keith, a Harvard Law School graduate, also served on the faculty and administration at Concordia Law School from 2015 to 2020. Keith launched a worldwide pro bono practice and spearheaded a housing and homelessness law practice. She lives in the North End with her husband and two children.
Nash is an attorney who has twice been elected to the Idaho House from District 16, which includes Garden City, Boise's West Bench and the Winstead Park neighborhood, where Nash, his wife, Hailey, and two young children reside. As a state lawmaker, Nash, a Democrat, "strengthened Idaho's sexual assault laws, defended the City of Bose's renter protection ordinance, helped advance meaningful housing affordability measures, and developed a track record of fiscal responsibility in his work on state budget setting," a spokesperson for the City of Boise noted in the news release announcing his appointment.
The Boise City Council will take up the appointments of Keith and Nash during a special meeting set for noon Thursday, April 6. All Boise City Council seats are up for election, by district, on Nov. 7, 2023.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: