Shelly Smede resigns from Idaho Falls City Council
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IDAHO FALLS — Shelly Smede announced Thursday night she is resigning from the Idaho Falls City Council.
Smede, who was elected in 2017, shared the news at the end of a City Council meeting. She thanked the citizens of Idaho Falls, Mayor Rebecca Casper and her fellow council members.
“I feel at peace with the decision,” Smede tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I’ve been weighing it for the past year and want to dedicate more time to my family and my job. City council was starting to feel like it was dipping into third place in my life and the citizens of Idaho Falls deserve someone who can adequately represent them.”
Smede is the principal at Compass Academy and is working on a graduate degree. Her husband has been battling serious health issues for years and she wants to spend more time with him. Smede says the decision was difficult and she will miss serving on the council.
“It was important to me to finish some big things. I wanted to get the police complex through and make sure the swimming pool was good. These were big to me and I don’t like leaving things undone,” she says.
Following her announcement, Casper choked up and said Smede’s resignation is hard to accept.
“You have been dedicated and thoughtful about the way you have gone about your work, assignments and tasks,” Casper said. “I’m going to miss you.”
Smede’s resignation takes effect at the end of the month. Under Idaho law, Casper will now appoint someone to fill her seat until the completion of Smede’s term. The City Council will ratify the decision, and the position will be permanently filled in January by a candidate elected into office during the November election.
“The citizens here are passionate. I don’t have a negative thing to say about anybody,” Smede said. “I love them.”