North Enders face a choice in fight over control of Boise’s oldest neighborhood group
CORRECTION: This story has been revised to correct the list of board members subject to recall to include Tory Spengler and remove Chrystal Allen, to correct the spelling of the names of Daniel Keyes and Sitka Koloski, and to clarify that board member Daniel Foregger says he supports affordable housing in the North End but doesn’t want a tall building with a lot of parking on the block across Hays Street from the Cathedral of the Rockies.
The old regime wants its neighborhood association back. But its efforts might not be up to the job.
North End residents upset by the October election of five new members to the neighborhood association board now seek to recall them. They accuse the new members of forcing their way onto the board and opposing several issues that the previous board had supported.
The recall reflects a crisis in Boise’s oldest neighborhood association, and arguably the city’s most active and influential in recent decades. Formed in 1976, the nonprofit is one of 34 Boise neighborhood associations that are officially recognized by City Hall and collaborate with the city to guide the future of neighborhoods. It represents about 10,000 people between State Street and Hill Road and from 4th Street to 28th Street.
The recall targets North End Neighborhood Association Acting President Sarah Foregger, her brother, Daniel Foregger, and Carlos Coto, Tory Spengler and Sitka Koloski.
Following four board resignations, the five new members comprise a majority of the seven remaining members on the 11-member board. The new members clashed with the previous board over two North End development issues:
▪ Church services. In October, the Boise City Council affirmed that the Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts was able to use its space — a 113-year-old church building at the corner of Eastman and 14th streets — for private events, despite concerns from neighbors about parking, safety and noise. Coto and Sarah Foregger, who lived in the neighborhood, opposed the use. The previous board supported the project.
▪ A B&B beer garden. The new board members also opposed allowing the Franklin House bed and breakfast at 1502 W. Franklin St. to operate a previously unpermitted beer garden in the house’s back yard. The Boise Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the city deny owners’ Jennifer Bury and Gavin O’Neal’s request to operate the beer garden, but the City Council ruled last month that Franklin House can serve alcohol again, beginning this month.
Coto said he did not oppose TRICA or Franklin House but opposes the use of conditional use permits to degrade city codes.
Daniel Foregger, who lives across the street from the Cathedral of the Rockies, said members of the old and new boards had concerns about plans for Block 75, across Hays Street from the church. The neighborhood association asked to join in the conversation and work cooperatively with the church as it discussed whether to allow affordable housing on the parcel.
The prospect of low-income rentals drew opposition from many neighbors.
Foregger supports efforts to add more affordable housing in the North End.
“I am so pro-affordable housing,” Foregger said by phone. “I have seen so many of my friends priced out that are artists and entrepreneurs and it’s infuriating.”
At Block 75, he said, he doesn’t want to see a tall building with lots of parking that detracts from the residential nature of the neighborhood. Last year, he joined a neighborhood association committee to have a voice on the issue.
“I joined because I wanted to make sure all of the surrounding neighbors were involved in that conversation as well,” Foregger said. “I think working together we can find a solution that fits the neighborhood.”
Sheri Edmond, a North End resident who served on the NENA board from about 2009 to 2011, said the new board members had never volunteered at neighborhood association projects such as the Hyde Park Street Fair, which began in 1979 and raises money for the association and charitable groups.
The new board members, she said, have not been responsive to neighbor concerns.
“They demanded — and received — control of the board before spending time volunteering, gaining an understanding of the organization and its members and ensuring continuity and ongoing institutional knowledge,” Edmond said by email.
New board members look for change
Sarah Foregger, who became the acting board president after Chris Wagener resigned Feb. 7 over the conflicts, said she ran for the board because she thought the neighborhood needed change.
“Boise is growing and we need to represent our entire community, not just a few who think they know best,” she said by email. “This is the most diverse new board that has been elected in recent years. Perhaps people are uncomfortable with moving from the status quo.”
Animosity between the two camps began before the October election, when the five new members won a place on the board during a virtual neighborhood association meeting. Flyers left on doorsteps and posted on telephone poles before the election criticized the existing board and called on residents to vote for Coto, Marang and the Foreggers, along with incumbent Tory Spengler.
Historically, neighborhood association meetings throughout the city have been sparsely attended. Two to 15 people would normally show up to the North End board’s meetings before the coronavirus pandemic, unless there was an issue that involved taxes or the Ada County Highway District, which would attract more people.
At the October annual meeting where the election took place, 105 people connected virtually. Those who opposed the new board members accused them of recruiting residents to take part in the meeting and oust the incumbents.
Anyone of voting age who worked or resided within the neighborhood boundaries was eligible to vote. They were required to show photo identification.
The election had two phases. In the first phase, electors voted not to retain incumbents Autumn Street and Sherri Battazzo. Three other board positions were vacant. In the second phase, the top five finishers were elected. Coto’s wife, Sara Marang, lost her bid for a seat, along with Julie Madsen.
“They wanted to take power, because they want to influence the future,” John Llewellyn, who served on the board for about four years before resigning in January, said by phone.
Besides Llewellyn and Wagener, board members James Jones and Mark Baltes resigned in January, leaving seven members.
Llewellyn said he resigned because he didn’t want to work with the newcomers.
But there was nothing dishonest or improper with encouraging people to vote, Sarah Foregger said.
“If you’re eligible to vote and you make the effort to do so, then great,” she said. “Democracy requires participation. Maybe these voters turned out because they were unhappy with how things were being run.”
It’s unclear whether the March 18 recall meeting results will be accepted by the board. The vote is being taken under a provision of the North End Neighborhood Association bylaws and the Idaho Nonprofit Corporation Act. The provisions allow neighborhood members to call a special meeting to decide whether to remove or retain board members.
The board contends the petitions submitted by recall organizers did not contain enough valid signatures to meet the 100-person requirement to trigger the association’s bylaws provision. The petitions had the names of 134 residents. But one of the petitions, posted on www.change.org, contained names but no actual signatures, board attorney Daniel Keyes wrote in a Feb. 12 letter to Edmond.
Under the state code, 10% of the neighborhood residents would need to ask for a recall.
“The petition does not have merit,” Coto said by email. “It is not legally valid.”
The former board failed to seat the new members until January, though the transfer should have taken place in November. There were questions raised whether everyone who voted was eligible, but the new board members said previous board members failed to act because they didn’t like the outcome.
A lawsuit filed against the neighborhood association and members of the old board was filed in Ada County District Court on Jan. 6. It asked the court to order the new board members to be seated, a point that is now moot. It also asked that past meeting minutes and association financial records be turned over pursuant to a public records request.
No decision has been made.
“I am not angry with anyone and I hold no grudges,” Coto said. “Everyone should move past this. There are a few people that won’t give up on this election and do not want to see things for what they are.”
The recall vote will take place during a special meeting from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 18. Voting can be done online or in person at the Sun Ray Cafe, 1602 N. 13th St.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
