Idaho Falls man running for city council wants to help the city be ‘strategic and purposeful’ about growth
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is part of a series of profiles of the 2025 Idaho Falls City Council candidates.
IDAHO FALLS – Brandon Lee, a lifelong resident of Idaho Falls who owns a real estate company, is vying for a seat on the city council.
The 49-year-old man is one of seven candidates vying for Seat 2, currently occupied by Lisa Burternshaw. Burtenshaw is running for mayor. Other candidates running for this seat include Jordan Bardsley, Teresa Dominick, Mosy Moran, Stephanie Taylor-Thompson, Christopher Joseph Brunt, and Brad Whipple.
In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Lee cites his personal experience selecting sites for development in other communities as a motivator for throwing his hat in the ring.
“I (once) worked for Target Corporation and I did land acquisition and site selection for them across the country,” Lee says. “I saw communities that … were strategic and purposeful about (growth). I also saw communities that just let it happen as it happened. It was amazing to look at the difference in leadership it took to be purposeful and strategic.”
Lee says the lessons he learned in observing this pattern have always stuck with him.
If elected, Lee says one of his primary focuses will be strategic planning for future growth. As a CPA, Lee also takes the responsibility of being a good steward of voters’ tax dollars seriously.
Lee feels his background makes him uniquely qualified to serve as a city councilman.
Lee earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and his CPA from KPMG, an accounting firm in Washington, D.C.
He’s worked in commercial and residential real estate development for the last 20 years. He currently owns 208 Real Estate Ventures.
Lee views his candidacy for local elected office as a chance to serve the community he loves. For him, it’s less about politics and more about community engagement.
He was recently elected to serve as a precinct committee officer for the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee. He’s also been a commissioner with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for the last seven years.
Lee is a member and former president of the Bonneville Youth Soccer Organization, one of Idaho’s largest nonprofit youth sports organizations.
“I’ve coached soccer since my oldest son, who’s 23, was 5. Sometimes I’m coaching four teams at a time,” Lee says. “Currently, I’m honored to be the head coach for the Idaho Falls Tigers girls’ varsity soccer program. I think it’s important to give back and be engaged in the community.”
His interest in civic involvement stems from his dad, who served as a leader in the Salvation Army when he was a kid. Lee remembers attending one of the nonprofit’s annual dinners with his dad and sitting across from a man who was poor and needed food.
“This man told me how much he appreciated my dad,” Lee says, holding back tears. “It just stuck with me as a young man … what a difference one person can make. For me, it’s always been critical to be involved.”
He recently partnered with Mosy Moran, another city council candidate, to encourage people to be civically involved and vote for candidates they support.
He speaks highly of the other candidates in this race.
“I love that there are so many people who want to be engaged and have ideas for how to make our city better,” says Lee.
Lee is pleased with the city’s current state of growth and development and hopes to be part of planning for its future by getting elected.
“I want to be purposeful and strategic in the decisions that we make and I feel that I can help do that,” he says.
Election Day is Nov. 4.
WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH LEE IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.
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