Hundreds gather to remember mayor ‘excited to make Nampa a better place to live’

Hundreds of people gathered to remember Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam at a public service at the Ford Idaho Center.

The Northwest Nazarene University Choir and Orchestra performed as Hogaboam’s teal-green casket lay among lavish bouquets before a large stage at the center of the arena.

On March 18, Hogaboam, 47, died suddenly of cardiac tamponade while addressing a regional town hall in Eagle. Cardiac tampondade is a buildup of blood or other fluid around the heart that prevents the heart from pumping blood properly, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

He had served as mayor for just 11 weeks.

Before his election in November, Hogaboam spent years supporting Nampa’s development, including two years on the Nampa City Council, two years as Canyon County clerk and four years as chief of staff to then-Mayor Debbie Kling. As chief of staff, Hogaboam made an immediate impression.

“I knew back then that Rick would be mayor someday,” Kling said during her address Tuesday. “Someone once told me Rick was ‘their favorite thing that came from California.’”

Born in Torrance, California, in 1978, Hogaboam initially pursued a career in professional baseball before studying theology at The King’s College and later earning a master’s degree in public administration from Corban University. As a pastor in Marion, New York, he became a devoted fan of the Buffalo Bills and, as one speaker noted, “was possibly one of the two members of the Bills Mafia in the state of Idaho.”

Many eulogies reflected on how Hogaboam — a former pastor and elder at Sovereign Grace Fellowship — held a deep love of scripture and “walked the walk.” Keith Waggoner, lead pastor of Grace Bible Church, recalled Hogaboam’s frequent references to Romans 1:16-17, emphasizing pride in one’s faith.

Hogaboam was the executive director of Lifeline Ministries’ Nampa chapter. Waggoner said his friend and colleague was a strong opponent of abortion rights but believed that if abortion were restricted, there “needs to be ample support for the mother and her family.”

Hogaboam’s mother, Michong Chong, spoke with pride about her son’s legacy. “Rick was a great patriot. He loved his country and he loved the city of Nampa,” she said.

She described a call with her son on March 1, when he said he was “so excited to make [Nampa] a better place to live any way he could.”

Hogaboam is survived by his wife, five children and one grandchild.