2003 Boise mayoral election

2003 Boise mayoral election
November 4, 2003
 
Candidate Dave Bieter Chuck Winder Vaughn Killeen
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 22,320 11,230 8,168
Percentage 51.87% 26.10% 18.98%

Mayor before election

Carolyn Terteling-Payne (interim)
Nonpartisan

Elected mayor

Dave Bieter
Nonpartisan

The 2003 Boise mayoral election was held on November 4, 2003, to elect the mayor of Boise, Idaho. Mayor Brent Coles, who was elected in 2001, resigned on February 15, 2003, after being charged with bribery. Under state law, in the event of a mayoral vacancy, the city council appoints an interim successor, who serves until the "next general city election," when a mayor is elected "for the full four year term." The City Council selected city Councilwoman Carolyn Terteling-Payne to serve as interim Mayor, and she did not run for a full term in the election.

Four candidates ran in the election: State Representative Dave Bieter, County Sheriff Vaughn Killeen, State Transportation Board Chairman Chuck Winder, and restaurateur Max Mohammadi. Under an ordinance approved in 2003, if no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election would take place. However, Bieter won the election in a landslide and avoided the need for a runoff, reeiving 52 percent of the vote to Winder's 26 percent, Killeen's 19 percent, and Mohammadi's 3 percent.