A bill to bring the date Bellevue holds its city elections into conformity with the rest of the state has been approved by the Idaho Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
With the bill's passage, all future city elections in Bellevue will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each year, just as municipalities throughout the rest of the state conduct their city elections.
"It's a big policy change for the city of Bellevue," said Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, the key sponsor of the bill.
Guiding the bill through the Legislature on its way to unanimous passage was a fairly straightforward process, she said. The only hang-up was when she brought the bill to the Senate's Local Government Committee, Jaquet said. Several members of the committee expressed displeasure about Bellevue's status as the only remaining charter city in the state, she said.
"I said, 'Bellevue has an opportunity to be unique,'" Jaquet said.
The change means Bellevue's next city elections will be held this coming November rather than next year, Bellevue City Clerk Dee Barton said. Up for election will be the position of mayor held by Jon Anderson and three seats on the City Council currently held by Tammy Eaton, Chris Koch and Shaun Mahoney, Barton said.
Last December, the City Council directed city attorney Jim Phillips to proceed with the necessary steps to amend the Bellevue city charter to follow Idaho state statute as to the method of nominating candidates and election dates, Barton said.
Although Bellevue worked closely with the Association of Idaho Cities to bring the bill to the Legislature, the biggest thanks for its passage goes to Jaquet, Phillips said.
"It's really nice to have someone that has the willingness to see this through," Phillips said. "She's the one who deserves the credit."
