Idaho Falls city councilman retiring after 20 years in office
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IDAHO FALLS – After 20 years on the Idaho Falls City Council, Thomas Hally is calling it quits.
The 80-year-old man opted not to seek re-election and is retiring in January. He tells EastIdahoNews.com the reason he’s stepping down is because he’s “got other things he wants to do.”
“Twenty years is a long time to be on the city council or in any office really,” Hally says. “We’ve got so many children and great-grandchildren and we want to travel a little bit more. It’s good to have a fresh voice on the council. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go (over the years). I just thought the time was right.”
He and his wife, Judy, go to the gym five days a week. Tom says they want to stay as healthy as they can so they can enjoy life as much as possible.
Hally says it was never his plan to stay in office this long. The reason he remained is simply because “there were more things to do” due to growth in the population.
Prior to being elected, Hally worked in the service industry and had a background in psychology and business. At the time, he felt the city needed a lot of improvements. Getting a new police department and cleaning up the riverbanks along the Snake River were two projects he was interested in from the beginning.
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With the encouragement of former city councilmen Ida Hardcastle, Wes Deist and Mel Erickson, Hally decided to run and was sworn in Jan. 2004.
He’s been an integral part of many development projects over the years, citing numerous examples.
When asked what his favorite project was, Hally eventually narrowed it down to two things.
“Fixing Memorial Drive got a lot of things going. I was really behind that and Sunnyside Road. That used to be a single lane and it’s pretty crowded right now with the (added) lanes. Those are two biggies,” says Hally.
Hally is passionate about economic issues, and spoke extensively about the importance of staying on top of depreciation and revenue in the city, something he says has improved drastically since his inauguration.
As Hally reflects on his association with three different mayors — Linda Milam, Jared Fuhriman and Rebecca Casper — he notes that each of them had a different style. He recalls a fond memory with Fuhriman.
“I remember Mayor Fuhriman always called me Tomas (the Spanish pronunciation of Thomas),” Hally says. “In his later years before he passed away (from Alzheimer’s), I had an opportunity to see him a couple times and he remembered me. I was surprised that he remembered me.”
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Hally says the mayors he’s worked with have been extremely hardworking, specifically referencing Mayor Casper who he says “works really hard” in making Idaho Falls a better place to live.
He’s enjoyed his association with his colleagues on the city council, and is going to miss serving with them.
Mayor Casper was not available for comment, but City councilman Jim Francis shares a few thoughts about Hally.
“I consider Tom Hally the dean of our council. He’s been around and he can call on his history for helping us make decisions and knowing the background to some decisions. He’s been a major resource in the council,” Francis says.
That historical knowledge and his sense of humor is what Francis is going to miss most about Hally.
During a training meeting for newly elected city council members in 2018, Francis recalls some advice Hally offered that has stuck with him.
“On the Idaho Falls City Council, we discuss, we vote and then we’re done. We don’t challenge each other out in the hall afterwards for the way we voted,” Hally said, according to Francis. “During all these years, even though there’s been significant disagreement periodically among council members, the respect among the six of us has held.”
Francis also cites Hally’s “dedication to the game of golf,” noting that he once got a hole in one.
While there are varying opinions about the idea of term limits for political leaders, Hally says it’s something he’s thought a lot about over the years. He didn’t offer a definitive answer, saying it’s “a two-edged sword.”
On one hand, Hally says turnover brings new blood and fresh ideas into the mix and prevents the possibility of council members taking advantage of people and financially benefitting.
But there’s also a sense of ownership, he says.
“During the last two elections, I thought I’m not going to run again. Then I’d look at these projects and think, I need to finish this. You find out who’s going to run for your seat and it’s somebody who wants to tear things down, and I don’t want that,” he says. “It’s the community that has the ultimate ownership. We just create a platform to develop the assets so the community can enjoy life here.”
Hally is grateful for the support of voters over the years.
Kirk Larsen and Barbara Miller are competing for Hally’s seat. Election day is Nov. 7.
WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH HALLY IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.