Meridian City Councilor Treg Bernt said he will resign from the council after he won District 21’s state Senate seat in Tuesday’s election.
Bernt received 83% of the vote, according to unofficial results. It’s not unheard of for a city councilor to also serve in the Legislature — Maryanne Jordan served in District 17 and the Boise City Council at the same time from 2015-2017.
“It’s so hard. Bittersweet,” Bernt said Wednesday morning. “Like last night when I was taking down my signs and just a flood of emotions hit me like a ton of bricks.”
His last day will be Dec. 13, he said.
Bernt said there wasn’t enough time in the day to be fully engaged in both city council and the state Legislature, though both positions are part-time.
“I just think that with my business, and my family, and the city of Meridian, and the state, my responsibilities in the Legislature, it’s just too grandiose,” Bernt said. “It would be a disservice to the citizens of Meridian if I didn’t resign.”
Bernt was originally elected to the Meridian City Council in 2017. He was previously president of the Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission and sat on the city’s Planning and Zoning commission. He was reelected to the council in 2021.
In his resignation email, Bernt told the mayor it had been an honor to serve and that Meridian was on the right path, according to a copy of the email provided to the Idaho Press.
A press release said Mayor Robert Simison was currently accepting letters of interest to fill the vacancy. Interested and qualified individuals should complete, sign and deliver a resume and letter of interest to the City Clerk’s Office, the release said.
Letters and resumes must be postmarked, delivered or emailed to the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Nov. 23.
{span}“First, I want to thank and share my appreciation for the time and dedication Treg has provided the City of Meridian, and I believe he will continue to do the same at the State level now,” Simison said in the release. “As we look to the future of our community, I will be reviewing all letters of interest to find someone who will serve our community and work to address the challenges we face with growth, transportation, and education.”{/span}
Asked what would happen if a councilor resigned, City of Meridian Communications Manager Stephany Galbreaith pointed the Idaho Press to City Code section 1-7-4.
The section says that in the event a city council seat becomes vacant, the mayor will appoint a replacement, with the approval of the city council, until the next election.
The code also says that if an appointment is made after the establishment of city council districts, the appointee must reside in the district that corresponds to the vacant council seat. Bernt serves in seat 4 which corresponds to District 4 in eastern Meridian north of Interstate 84.
