As we begin 2024, your Meridian City Council will look a little different now that we completed our first election where we elected Councilmembers by Districts. While we had three City Council races, we had four City Council districts that were decided by the November election. Two current City Councilmembers are returning to serve our community: Liz Strader and John Overton. Since no other candidate filed to run in District Four, Councilman Overton was declared the winner earlier this year. His election is for two years as he is serving out the rest of the term, he was appointed to a year ago. Councilwoman Strader was re-elected for her second four-year term representing District Two.

Also elected is Councilwoman Anne Little Roberts from District Five. While she is one of our new City Councilmembers, Anne is serving a second four-year term. Anne served on the Meridian City Council for four years from 2016-2019, and also worked at the Meridian Chamber of Commerce where she held the titles of Executive Director and CEO for seven years. Anne has also served as the President of the Idaho Chamber Alliance. Her efforts as a member of the Meridian Anti-Drug Coalition are also notable, as we sustain low drug crime rates in Meridian. Her depth of knowledge about our city and commitment to our community makes her a great addition to the City Council.

Councilman Doug Taylor is newly elected from District Three. Doug’s family roots run deep in Idaho as a fourth generation Idahoan. Doug joins Council with five years as a policy advisor in the U.S. Senate, three years representing the Idaho National Laboratory, and almost six years as a Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. Locally, Doug also participated on the steering committee for Meridian’s Comprehensive Plan. His time serving in these roles fills his strong passion to serve and give back to the community, and I look forward to working with Doug in this new Councilmember capacity.

These new additions join our other Councilmembers who were not on the ballot: Councilman Joe Borton and Councilman Luke Cavener. Together they all will be asked to make decisions that are best for our community. You can learn more about each member of our City Council at www.meridiancity.org/council.

With this election in the books, each District now has a City Councilmember that lives in the district in which they represent. What I know from each of these individuals, is they want to hear from you, and they look forward to connecting at events, over email or during our City Council meetings. City Council workshops are held at 4:30 p.m. and regular meetings are at 6:00 p.m. every Tuesday (except the fifth Tuesday in any given month). The community is invited to attend in-person at Meridian City Hall or virtually via Zoom. You can also view a LIVE video stream online at www.meridiancity.org/live from the comfort of your home. More information about our Public Meetings can be found on our website at www.meridiancity.org/publicmeeting.

As I begin a new term as well, I look forward to continuing the City’s work with our new City Council.