Denied her old City Council seat, Lisa Sánchez to file ‘legal action’ against Boise
Former Boise City Council Member Lisa Sánchez plans to file legal action against the city, according to a letter her lawyer sent to an attorney representing the city on Wednesday.
The planned lawsuit comes after Mayor Lauren McLean decided not to appoint Sánchez to the council seat she won in 2021 and then vacated earlier this year, choosing instead Latonia Haney Keith to represent the district that covers the North End and Northwest Boise.
McLean announced two appointments to fill vacancies on Wednesday morning in a news release, and the City Council plans to hold a special meeting at noon on Thursday to take up the appointments. State legislator Colin Nash was the other selection, to fill an at-large position. Both appointed members would serve until the end of the year.
The letter, which was obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a source, was sent by Sánchez’s lawyer, Wendy Olson, to attorney Dan Williams of the firm Jones Williams Fuhrman Gourley. Olson confirmed to the Statesman that she had sent a letter on Wednesday.
Olson’s letter said Sánchez “intends to file a legal action” against Boise “for its unlawful removal of her from her position on the Boise City Council.”
“Rest assured that any actions taken by the City Council to act on the mayor’s action will be unlawful and the subject of the litigation,” the letter stated. “I urge you to counsel your client to refrain from taking any further unlawful action.”
The letter also said that Sánchez was “promised she would be appointed if she did not pursue litigation” and that she has had to pay “out-of-pocket medical costs” since losing her seat.
“Her belief that the mayor would honor the will of the District 3 voters is the only reason Ms. Sánchez has not already filed a lawsuit,” according to the letter.
In a previous email, Council Member Jimmy Hallyburton denied that such an arrangement had been suggested, telling the Statesman that “I don’t believe this is how the conversation went.”
In January, city attorneys concluded that Sánchez effectively lost her seat when she accidentally moved out of her district. She then attempted to correct the mistake by moving back within the District 3 boundaries, and she was one of three finalists after the city took applications to fill the post.
A spokesperson for McLean, Maria Weeg, did not immediately provide comment.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sánchez authored a tweet asking the council to “decline” to seat Haney Keith. In a text message, Sánchez told the Statesman that “my goal has been to honor the expressed wishes of District 3 voters by completing the second half of my second term.”
In interviews with the Statesman, a majority of City Council members indicated that they would have been reluctant, or would have declined, to consent to Sánchez’s appointment had she been McLean’s choice.
Sanchez has said she intends to run for the District 3 seat in November when city elections take place.
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 9:21 PM.
