In the dark

Who’s running Hailey and Bellevue anyway? This week, it looks like it’s Hailey planning administrator Carl Hjelm.

Hjelm decided last week that it would be better for both cities if the press didn’t observe the deliberations of a committee trying to iron out major wrinkles in zone-of-impact negotiations between the municipalities. The cities differ over which one should control the property between Hailey’s southern border and Bellevue’s northern limit.

Hjelm claimed the public would be better off if it didn’t hear ideas being tossed around by an official committee assigned to work out the differences.

The committee met at a private residence instead of either city hall and at the last minute refused to give a reporter directions to the house.

We wonder what happened.

Since the public is in the dark, we can only guess. Perhaps Bellevue representatives threatened to block the highway between the cities if Hailey doesn’t give up control.

Maybe Hailey countered with the idea of installing an enormous sewage pond on Bellevue’s border if it doesn’t go along.

Hjelm might have proposed the matter be settled with an outdoor boxing match between Hailey Mayor Brad Siemer and Bellevue Mayor Monte Brothwell during the summer folk festival. Someone else may have suggested mud wrestling at the button barbecue. The winning mayor would get his way.

Someone may have suggested a merger of the two cities and doing away with Hailey altogether.

Someone else may have wanted to shut down the airport and install the world’s largest training center for Olympic curling.

Shocking? Visionary? No one will ever know. What a great way to do city business.

What will they think of next?