Idaho
28-year-old business owner vying for seat on the Idaho Falls City Council – East Idaho News
Mosy Moran, 28, is one of seven candidates vying for a seat on the Idaho Falls City Council. Watch our interview with him in the video above. | Photo courtesy Mosy Moran
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is part of a series of profiles of the 2025 Idaho Falls City Council candidates.
IDAHO FALLS – Mosy Moran, a 28-year-old business owner in Idaho Falls, is one of seven candidates vying for a seat on the city council.
He’s running for the seat currently occupied by Lisa Burtenshaw, who is running for mayor. Others running for this seat include Jordan Bardsley, Teresa Dominick, Brandon Lee, Stephanie Taylor-Thompson, Christopher Joseph Brunt and Brad Whipple.
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In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Moran says he’s had numerous people encourage him to run for office, which was his primary motivation for putting his hat in the ring.
In recent months, Moran says he’s had his own battle with the city and what he calls “the breakdown of communication” between the city and small business owners. This experience, along with “the city straying from its priorities,” was another motivating factor.
“In January, I stood up before the city council to talk about an issue with my business,” Moran explains. “I do have at least a small voice in the community and I’ve already shown that I have no problem standing up for what needs to be done.”
The issue he’s referring to revolved around a building where he’d relocated his business. Moran owns The Heart Event Center, a venue providing a DJ and equipment rental services for local bands. He was initially told the building was up to code before the city later told him it wasn’t.
“The city had no documentation on the building, so we ended up getting pushed around a little bit. First it was a zoning thing then it was a change of use thing,” says Moran. “We ended up being shut down for about nine months because we weren’t given clear steps (on how to proceed).”
Moran says his efforts in raising the issue resulted in changes being made in city code to provide clearer instructions for business owners in similar situations.
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Government transparency, including communication between city leaders and the public, along with transportation are the focuses of his campaign.
Just like the court system provides advocates for divorce and child custody cases and a host of other issues, Moran feels there should be a similar position for small businesses.
“I lean towards … making sure there are advocates who know how to communicate between the people and the city departments,” he says.
He’s also a strong proponent for having a comprehensive public transportation system with regular bus stops, as opposed to the city’s current on-demand rideshare service.
“If we were to have regular bus stops with 15-20 minute intervals in between, we would solve a lot of transportation issues for people without a reliable vehicle. We could reduce the amount of parking downtown,” says Moran. “It would be cheaper for everybody and it would (provide greater efficiency) in getting people where they need to go.”
Moran has lived in Idaho Falls since he was 14. He originally hails from Sacramento, California.
Moran launched his business about eight years ago and loves calling Idaho Falls home.
Although he’s never held public office, he has served on several committees. Among them is the committee that hosts the Juneteenth celebration and community heritage festival. He’s also been involved with the YMCA and been a consultant on committees in the mental health space.
Moran feels his background makes him uniquely qualified to serve on the city council.
“During the day, I try to find ways to lift up the community. If we’re paying somebody to be in public office, I think a fair portion of that time should be spent at local businesses and functions, making sure that we’re not just elected and not seen again,” he says. “We are elected to be a part of the community in a broader way and not just when election cycles come around.”
Additionally, Moran says his name defines his identify as a servant. In California, he was involved in a ministry that provided resources for homeless people. His mentor at the time called him “a real man of service.” This led to the stage name MOS.
“Slowly, people started calling me Mosy,” he says. “At the core, I am a servant. I’m going to serve the public, whether or not it’s an office.”
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If elected, Moran, according to historical records from the Museum of Idaho, will be the city’s first black city council member.
Election Day is November 4.
WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH MORAN IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.
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Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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