County’s review of Lisa Sánchez’s campaign spending has finished. What did it find?
Lisa Sánchez’s campaign spending did not violate state elections laws, the county elections office determined after the Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a complaint about it.
The January complaint raised questions about more than $14,000 in campaign funds that Sánchez spent in 2022, a non-election year. Some of the money was spent at restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other locations.
“Ada County Elections has reviewed the matter with the assistance of attorneys from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office and determined that the expenditures comply with Idaho law,” said a letter sent to Sánchez on Wednesday. “Accordingly, we conclude that no further investigation is necessary at this time.”
The complaint from the Freedom Foundation, which says it fights “socialist public policies” in Idaho, was not the first time questions have been raised about Sánchez’s spending. In 2021, she told BoiseDev that she had mistakenly charged about $200 in expenses to her campaign.
Last year, the amounts other council members spent on their campaigns varied. Council members Elaine Clegg and Patrick Bageant logged no expenses, while Jimmy Hallyburton spent $18. Holli Woodings spend about $3,000, and Luci Willits spent about $3,300.
Sánchez lost her seat on the council in January after she accidentally moved out of her district. She has since moved back into it, and she has applied to be re-appointed to the vacant seat. She has also said she plans to run for the council again in November.
“I appreciate the work of the Ada County Elections office and I am pleased that they have confirmed that my campaign expenditures comply with Idaho law,” Sánchez told the Statesman in a text message. “I am committed to transparency as I do the work I love in serving the people of Boise.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 3:41 PM.
