NAMPA, Idaho — The Nampa City Council is still struggling to reach an agreement on how to move forward with appointing a new mayor, after another special meeting on Monday ended without a clear path forward.
Council members gathered on Monday, April 20, to continue discussions following the sudden death of Mayor Rick Hogaboam last month, a loss that left the city needing to appoint someone to serve the remaining 18 months of his term.
The meeting came after a previous council session where no agreement was made on how the process should unfold — prompting leaders to reconvene in hopes of settling on a plan.
But once again, divisions within the council prevented any resolution.
“Some ready to move forward, some preferring a little slower process… council wants to be involved in the selection and the voting,” said Council President David Bills.
At the center of the debate was whether the city should open the position to a public application process or limit the pool to candidates selected and vetted directly by council members.
Some leaders argued that opening the process could complicate and delay the decision.
“I’m definitely not in favor of doing an application process… we as a council can collectively come to a decision,” said District 2 Councilmember Natalie Jangula.
Others pushed for a more transparent approach that would allow for broader consideration.
“I’m open to reviewing applications… I would like to see who comes forward,” said District 1 Councilmember Debbie Skaug.
As the discussion progressed, council members appeared to move closer to a compromise — agreeing in principle that interviews could be part of the process. However, that agreement quickly broke down when it came to deciding who should be interviewed.
“We need to follow the same process for everyone,” said Jangula.
Concerns over fairness and transparency became a central theme throughout the meeting.
“It’s not a clear and transparent process… It’s very concerning to me that we would go down this road without open discussion,” another councilmember said.
Council members also acknowledged the weight of the decision, noting the unique power the appointed mayor will hold.
“This potentially will be the most powerful mayor ever because we can’t fire them… and there’s no way to get rid of them,” said District 4 Councilmember Dale Reynolds.
“This is a very, very hard decision… we have to have someone that can move this city forward and not damage the city,” Reynolds added.
Throughout the meeting, multiple motions were introduced in an effort to move the process forward — including proposals to establish interview timelines and even appoint a candidate outright — but each failed to secure enough votes.
“It’s a tie. Motion fails,” said City Clerk Char Tim.
As time went on, frustration among council members became more evident, with some warning that the conversation was going in circles.
“This conversation can go round and round and round,” said Jangula
Toward the end of the meeting, Council President David Bills attempted to narrow the path forward by proposing interviews with two candidates — Clay Long and Darl Bruner — as a way to break the deadlock and move the process ahead.
That proposal, however, quickly sparked further disagreement, with some council members arguing it excluded other potential candidates and did not reflect the input they had received from constituents.
Councilmember Jangula became visibly emotional during the exchange, voicing frustration over what she described as an unfair process.
“I’m not okay going through a process and not allowing everyone equal opportunity… I have citizens that I represent, too,” Jangula said.
She went on to emphasize that she felt both her vote and the voices of her constituents were being overlooked as the council debated narrowing the candidate pool.
With tensions rising and no agreement on how to proceed — including disagreement over whether to move forward with interviews, which candidates to include, or whether to vote outright — the council ultimately adjourned the meeting without a plan in place.
As it stands, the city of Nampa remains without a clear timeline or agreed-upon process for appointing its next mayor, leaving uncertainty over what comes next as council members continue to work toward a decision.
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