Disgraced former Boise mayor says he’s running again

A former Boise mayor who resigned amid a City Hall travel and spending scandal and later served time for related felonies says he’s running for the office again.

Brent Coles announced his campaign for mayor Friday morning, first apologizing for the events in 2003 and then taking aim at what he called poor financial decisions by the city’s current leadership.

Coles was first elected to the Boise City council in 1983 and was appointed mayor a decade later before twice being re-elected to the post. By the end of his final term Coles was facing accusations of accepting an illegal trip to the 2002 Winter Olympics from a city contractor, of using taxpayer money to pay for pleasure trips to New York City and the Oregon coast and otherwise misusing city funds.

He pleaded guilty to two related felonies in 2003 and spent five weeks in jail the following year. A judge expunged the felonies from his record and restored his civil rights in 2007.