NAMPA, Idaho — Nampa City Council appointed Darl Bruner as the city’s next mayor Monday night, but not before council members first addressed potential Open Meeting Law concerns tied to the appointment process.
The concern centered around an email sent to all council members during the mayor appointment process.
WATCH | Nampa appoints Darl Bruner as mayor after Open Meeting Law cure—
Councilmember Natalie Jangula said Councilman David Bills included all council members on one email, which she said created an Open Meeting Law issue.
“Councilman Bills included all of us on one email, and therefore that's in violation,” Jangula said. “So in order for us to move forward with the process, we did a cure so that it would allow us to move forward.”
In simple terms, that cure allowed the council to address the concern publicly before moving forward with the mayor vote.
In recent months, members have considered and rejected multiple candidates, including former Mayor Debbie Kling and Chief of Staff Clay Long, and have faced calls from some members and residents for greater transparency in the process.
Council President David Bills has been serving as interim mayor while the council worked toward selecting a permanent replacement.
After a lengthy deliberation that saw some candidates put up for multiple votes, the Nampa City Council voted 4-2 to appoint former City Councilman Darl Bruner as the next Mayor of Nampa. The two dissenting votes came from Natalie Jangula (District 2) and Dale Reynolds (District 4).
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Councilmember Sebastian Griffin said the back-and-forth reflected how difficult the decision was.
“So why the round and round? I think because we wanted to find a candidate and we wanted to be sure about that decision,” Griffin said. “It was a hard vote.”
Bruner steps into the role nearly three months after Mayor Rick Hogaboam died unexpectedly in March.
Bruner said his first priority is trying to bring council members together after a divided appointment process.
“First is hopefully uniting the council,” Bruner said. “It's been very divided, and that doesn't mean everyone votes the same or agrees, but there's a respect for each other.”
Bruner also said he wants to improve communication with residents.
READ MORE | Nampa continues search for mayor; council votes ‘no’ on two options
“And then citizens' communication,” Bruner said. “I would like to see increased communications.”
Bruner will serve until the mayoral seat appears back on the ballot in November 2027.
Council also delayed a separate discussion about the chief of staff position, saying that the topic needed more time. Griffin said the council wanted to keep Monday night’s focus on the mayor appointment.
“We're focused on the mayor,” Griffin said. “Let's focus on the mayor. Next week we'll focus on chief of staff.”
City Council says the job description of the chief of staff will be discussed at a future meeting, looking at how elected officials and city staff manage and share workload.
A swearing-in ceremony will be held during the scheduled Nampa City Council meeting on June 15.
Watch the full Nampa City Council meeting below—
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