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Nampa council deadlocks on interim mayor; no appointment after split votes
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Summary
At a special Nampa City Council meeting to choose an interim mayor, councilmembers split over whether to interview candidates or appoint a nominee. A motion to set date-certain interviews tied 3-3 and failed; a later motion to appoint Daryl Bruner also failed and the meeting adjourned without a successor.
The Nampa City Council met in a special session to discuss replacing the departing mayor but left without naming an interim mayor after split votes and procedural disagreement.
Council President Bills opened the meeting and framed the options: a full public application process, forming a large community committee, or having council members nominate and vet candidates internally. "It's gotta be a person of character, demonstrated ability to speak in public, experienced at administering meetings," Bills said, adding the council should consider candidates who could coordinate with council and staff.
Several councilmembers said a broad application process would be laborious and preferred council-driven nominations. "We, as a council, can collectively come to a decision," Councilman Reynolds said, urging a uniform interview process so each candidate receives the same questions and scrutiny. Councilwoman Jangula said she had collected public input: "Out of those a 104 that reached out to me personally, it it was 66 in favor of" Debbie Kling, with Clay Long receiving about 18% and other names about 16%.
Names discussed included former mayor Debbie Kling, Chief of Staff Clay Long, former councilmember Daryl Bruner and state Sen. Ben Adams. Supporters of Bruner argued his previous council service and local involvement made him a unifying choice. "He has served as an elected councilman for two terms... I believe he will bring this council together," Councilman Griffin said in support of Bruner.
The council debated two main procedural paths: (1) schedule public interviews with nominated candidates and then vote, or (2) move directly to an appointment. Councilman Reynolds moved to set a date-certain meeting for candidate interviews; after extended discussion the clerk called the roll and the motion resulted in a 3-3 tie and failed.
Griffin then moved to appoint Daryl Bruner as interim mayor. Supporters cited Bruner's experience; opponents said they had insufficient information and preferred interviews. That appointment motion was put to a roll-call vote and failed.
With continued disagreement over who should be included in interviews and the fairness of narrowing the list, Council President Bills withdrew a subsequent motion to set interviews and the council adjourned without scheduling interviews or taking an appointment. No interim mayor was selected at the meeting.
What happens next: Council members debated holding interviews—one proposal was for a morning meeting to allow extended questioning—but no date or plan was adopted before adjournment. The council reiterated its intent that the council itself would be responsible for selecting and vetting any interim mayor, but left unresolved whether they will pursue interviews or a direct appointment at a future meeting.
