Garden City will have its first new mayor in decades. Who did voters choose?
Garden City voters went to the polls Tuesday to select the enclave’s first new mayor in almost 20 years.
Three candidates threw their hats in the ring after longtime incumbent John Evans announced this spring he wouldn’t seek another term. The candidates were Molly Lenty, 46, a College of Western Idaho trustee; Bill Jacobs, 60, a council member who got Evans’ endorsement; and Teresa Roundy, 54, who ran on her concerns with the family court system.
Unofficial returns showed Jacobs won, with 62.1% compared with Lenty’s 34.9%.
The election was a chance to see how Garden City voters feel in a period of change. Voters gave Evans decades in office, and their election of his preferred successor could mean they feel content with the city’s direction.
Garden City has shed its reputation as a less-than-optimal part of the valley. And though its housing prices remain some of the lowest in Ada County, there are questions about potential gentrification.
Many of the city’s mobile home parks have been replaced by apartments. Wineries and breweries have sprung up in town, which both Lenty and Jacobs noted in interviews with the Statesman. There’s also an artist-friendly culture.
Lenty positioned herself as an anti-status quo candidate, while Jacobs said his experience with the city would make him ready on Day 1.
As of Nov. 4, Lenty raised $26,000 compared with Jacobs’ just under $21,000, according to their campaign-finance reports.
Jacobs received $1,000 donations from Evans, the outgoing mayor; and Kate Souza, the Garden City Library board chair.
Lenty obtained large donations from the development community, including $1,000 each from developer Tony Tseng, Mark Guho Construction Co., and Torry McAlvain, the president of McAlvain Cos. Demetre Booker Jr., a mobile home park owner who drew criticism from residents this summer, donated $975.
Jacobs will serve a four-year term. The outgoing mayor worked part-time and made $50,000 a year in 2024, according to a salary database published by the Statesman.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 8:00 PM.
