Boise Council member announces he won’t run in 2021. Here’s why
Boise City Council Member T.J. Thomson announced Tuesday that 2021 would be his last full year on the Boise City Council.
Thomson, 46, the second-longest serving member of the council, was up for re-election next fall for his fourth term on the council. Instead, he told the Statesman he wanted to spend the time he usually spends on council activities with his 6-year-old daughter, Sena.
He first took office after winning the seat in 2009. He won his seat again in 2013 and 2017.
Thomson has been an advocate for animal rights, including working on an ordinance that would offer more protections for animals in the city. That ordinance, more than a year and a half in the making, will be coming before the public again soon, Thomson said.
In a news release announcing his decision, Thomson said he largely had achieved what he set out and called his time on the council “once of the most distinct honors I have ever had.”
“I’ve greatly enjoyed serving the amazing citizens of Boise over the last 11 years and playing a major role in the extremely important work we are so honored and humbled to do on your behalf,” he said. “Yet, missing so much time away from our (quickly growing) daughter is a cost I can no longer afford.”
Sena, he said, cheered when he told her of his decision.
Thomson, a native of Idaho Falls, first became involved in Boise while attending Boise State University, where he served as the student body president. An Air Force Veteran, Thomson now works at Idaho Power as a compliance analyst, making sure the company meets regulatory requirements.
A resident of the Centennial neighborhood on the far west side of the city, Thomson is the only member of the City Council who lives in that part of the city. The other five members live in the North End, the East End or the Highlands neighborhoods. Mayor Lauren McLean also lives in the North End.
He said that he will not be involved in choosing someone else to run for his seat, Seat 4, although he does plan to stay involved in local politics. He said he hoped that by announcing his decision so far before the 2021 local election, strong potential candidates would feel ready to step up.
Thomson supported Mayor David Bieter in the 2019 mayoral election. He made headlines when he criticized McLean, then the City Council president challenging Bieter,, saying McLean did not have support from members of the council who worked with her. After McLean defeated Bieter in a December runoff, Thomson praised her new hires and said he looked forward to what they would accomplish.
He ran for a seat on the Ada County Commission in 2016, losing to Republican Rick Visser. He supportedPresident-elect Joe Biden’s candidacy and helped launch the “Idaho for Biden” effort in 2019.
Earlier this year, protesters showed up at his home after he voted to approve Boise’s 2021 budget, which allocated more money for the Police Department. He told the Statesman at the time that while he had run for office, his daughter and his wife, Alisha, had not.
Council Members Lisa Sánchez and Holli Woodings are also both up for re-election next year. Sánchez has indicated she intends to run for her seat again.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 3:13 PM.
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