Bellevue’s Marshal Gunter moves on
Plans to rejoin Hailey police
By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer
The man who doggedly built Bellevue’s reputation as the slow-down
town will be leaving for "greater career opportunities."
Bellevue Marshal Jeff Gunter sent out a press release Monday morning
saying he will leave office to further his career with Hailey’s police force.
Gunter’s last day as marshal will be Nov. 15, after which he will
join the Hailey department as a lieutenant.
According to Hailey Police Chief John Stoneback, Gunter will be the only
lieutenant on his 10-man force.
Asked if Gunter is being hired specifically to bring speeding in Hailey
under control, the chief said he is not, but that he is aware of Gunter’s reputation
for braking speeding in Bellevue.
Stoneback said Hailey has the new position budgeted for the end of
October.
Gunter will also leave his position as Bellevue’s city administrator.
In that position he oversaw the everyday operation of the city and its employees.
In a telephone conversation, Gunter said Bellevue is searching for a new
marshal and that he would remain the acting marshal until Nov. 15.
Gunter, 40, has been the city’s marshal since April 1998, after eight
years in the Hailey Police Department where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He and his
wife live in Bellevue.
Before his time on the Hailey force, he served as a reserve officer in
Bellevue from 1988 to 1990, finishing his training at the Boise Peace Officers Standards
and Training (POST) academy in 1990.
According to Gunter, the average speed through the city was 37 to 39 miles
an hour in the early 1990s. When he conducted a traffic survey last June, the average
speed was down to 31 to 32 miles an hour.
Some people have criticized Bellevue and its marshal for what they
considered an overzealous enforcement of speed limits.
But an analysis of speeding tickets by the Mountain Express showed
that the marshal and his deputies granted speeders a 9-miles-an-hour over-the-speed-limit
margin before issuing a ticket.
In his press release he said it was "a pleasure to work for the
citizens of the city of Bellevue."
"I feel the level of service the marshal’s office provided has
continually improved over my two and a half years as marshal. I am proud of the job we
did."
