Race for county office
Eclectic candidates promise a hot contest
By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer
With a slew of eclectic candidates registered at Friday’s election
filing deadline, this year’s campaigns for county office should prove to be loaded
with meaningful debate, perhaps creating some difficult choices for voters during
November’s general election.
At stake are the north county commissioner’s seat, being vacated by
Len Harlig, and the south county seat, for which incumbent Democrat Dennis Wright plans to
run again.
Altogether, seven people have designs on the commission seats; two
candidates will compete for sheriff, including the incumbent; and one person is running
for a county prosecutor open seat.
The filing deadline for candidates was March 31.
Democrat Sarah Michaels, Democrat Sally Donart, Republican Ivan Swaner and
independent Sue Noel vie for north county commissioner. In the South county, independent
James Super and Democrat Robb Peck challenge incumbent Wright.
For prosecuting attorney, Bellevue Democrat Jim Thomas plans to run
unchallenged to fill the vacating Doug Werth’s position.
For sheriff, Democrat Dan Tiller challenges incumbent Republican Walt
Femling.
Party primaries are scheduled for May 23.
Commissioner candidates say they are deeply concerned about growth,
transportation and housing issues in the county.
Sarah Michaels, 53, has a long history of working on transportation
issues, mostly in California. Before moving to Blaine County in 1992, she worked as a
consultant for the California Assembly Transportation Committee and for the California
Energy Commission, she said during a telephone conversation on Monday.
For those organizations, she said, she analyzed legislation dealing with
transportation and planned alternative transportation in the 1970s.
"From my experience, there’s not one single solution to our
transportation policy," Michaels said. "The options that are on the table (in
Blaine County) have to be pursued.
"There’s talk of a regional transit authority. I think we need
to develop that. I think the highway needs to be expanded. I think we need to work with
employers to develop ride-share programs. If we’re going to expand the highway, we
need high-occupancy vehicle lanes. You need to have incentives for people to
ride-share."
Michaels, a former manager of the Ketchum/Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce,
said she is running for office because she feels now is a very critical time for the
county.
"I think we need to stay the course in preserving our scenic
corridor, protecting our rivers and continuing to concentrate our services and
high-density development in our cities," she said. "That’s kind of the
overarching issue. I think it’s been the policy of the county to concentrate
development and support open space. I think in doing that, we need to work with landowners
in activating programs such as transfer of development rights and land trust
acquisition."
One of Michael’s challengers, Republican Ivan Swaner, 66, said during
an interview Monday, "I haven’t been keeping up on too many of the issues, right
now."
Nevertheless, Swaner said he is seeking office because he doesn’t
like the way things are currently being run.
Having lived all his life in Blaine County, where he has worked as a ranch
hand and a snow cat driver on Bald Mountain, Ivan peered over his two-inch-high handlebar
mustache and said, "It seems to me, the property owner should have the right to do
whatever he wants with his own property."
As for Highway 75, Swaner said the Idaho Transportation Authority should
make improvement decisions on its own because state roads are paid for by state taxes, not
just taxes from Blaine County.
"The ITD shouldn’t pay too much attention to individuals up
here," he said.
In the south county, independent James Super, 46, brings to his campaign 6
1/2 years experience on the Emmett, Idaho, city council and time on the Ketchum/Sun Valley
chamber of commerce board of directors.
For Super, who owns Ketchum-based Super Outfitter Adventures of Sun
Valley, providing affordable housing so employees can afford to live in the area is a top
priority.
During a telephone conversation Monday, Super estimated that 15 to 20
percent of the valley’s unskilled labor commutes from south of Highway 20, which he
calls "the equator."
Only high wages will continue to motivate those employees to commute,
Super suggested, adding that, eventually, increasing wages closer to home might persuade
those employees to stop working in Blaine County altogether.
Without affordable housing in the county, Super predicted, wages could
skyrocket.
"I think affordable housing is important for the entire
community," he said, "not just Ketchum. Ketchum, Hailey and Bellevue have a
responsibility to help."
As an outfitter, Super also is deeply concerned about preserving open
space, which he said "wildlife depends on as much as hunters, photographers and
everyone else."
Two other Blaine County politicians registered by the Friday deadline to
run for state office. Democrat Wendy Jaquet of Ketchum, the House of Representatives
minority leader, plans to run again. And Democrat Clint Stennett, the Senate’s
minority leader, also said he would run again.
