H. Brent Coles
Encyclopedia
H. Brent Coles served as mayor of Boise
, Idaho
, from 1993 to 2003.
Coles was appointed mayor upon the resignation of Dirk Kempthorne
, who was elected to the United States Senate
. He was elected to a full term as mayor in 1995 and reelected in 1999.
In 2000 and 2001 Coles served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors
.
In February 2003 Coles resigned after being charged with accepting an illegal trip from an insurance company to the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City
, Utah
. Prior to his resignation Coles had been the target of a recall election
drive. City council member Carolyn Terteling-Payne
was appointed to finish the remaining 11 months of his term.
In May 2003 Coles was indicted by an Ada County
grand jury
for five felonies stemming from the incident and related activities. In November 2003 Coles pled an alford plea to a count of presenting a fraudulent account or voucher and a count of misuse of public money by officers. The remaining charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain
. In January 2004 he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation.
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, from 1993 to 2003.
Coles was appointed mayor upon the resignation of Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne , was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who served under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as the 30th Governor and as a U.S. Senator from Idaho...
, who was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He was elected to a full term as mayor in 1995 and reelected in 1999.
In 2000 and 2001 Coles served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
.
In February 2003 Coles resigned after being charged with accepting an illegal trip from an insurance company to the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Prior to his resignation Coles had been the target of a recall election
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
drive. City council member Carolyn Terteling-Payne
Carolyn Terteling-Payne
Carolyn Terteling-Payne served as mayor of Boise, Idaho, from 2003 to 2004.Terteling-Payne was appointed to the Boise City Council in 1993. She won full terms in 1995 and 1999. In February 2003 she was appointed mayor to serve the remainder of the term of H. Brent Coles, who resigned...
was appointed to finish the remaining 11 months of his term.
In May 2003 Coles was indicted by an Ada County
Ada County, Idaho
Ada County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census, the county had a population of 392,365. The county seat and largest city is Boise, which is also the state capital. Other cities in the county with over 10,000 residents include Meridian, Eagle,...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
for five felonies stemming from the incident and related activities. In November 2003 Coles pled an alford plea to a count of presenting a fraudulent account or voucher and a count of misuse of public money by officers. The remaining charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
. In January 2004 he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation.