For the week of  October 31 - November 6, 2001

Sievers and Potters face off for Ketchum Council Seat 2

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

The race for Ketchum City Council Seat 2 heated up earlier this month, with Rod Sievers quickly and purposefully going after his goal of unseating eight-year incumbent Christina Potters.

"I bring a lot to the table in my candidacy for city council, but the main overriding values I bring are integrity, honesty and voting my own mind in an effort to best serve the city of Ketchum," Sievers said.

Using strong speech and a determined demeanor, Sievers outlined during candidates’ forums a goal of bringing more fiscal responsibility and accountability to the city.

"In light of the Sept. 11 tragedy and our projected known shortfalls in option tax this year, I made a point that we really need to develop a hunker-down budget that would reflect we don’t have the money in our budget we thought we had," he said. "We have to do that."

Potters, on the other hand, said her focus as a councilwoman is and will be on the people of Ketchum.

"As a 21-year resident and eight years on the council and four years on the P&Z, I have demonstrated my commitment to quality of life issues that concern us all, and I feel honored by the trust that the community has placed in me over the years, and I look forward to continuing in my efforts on the community’s behalf," she said.

Potters said residential neighborhood integrity, river access preservation and affordable recreation for families are among the issues she most wants to focus on.

"Our quality of life and our strong sense of community must not be allowed to be compromised by the pressures of growth," she said. "Our families and preserving our small-town character come first."

On budget issues, she said the city obviously can’t and won’t spend more than it collects.

Both candidates advocated expanding the valley’s public transportation system and implementing more proactive solutions, such as parking meters, to help solve the city’s traffic and parking issues.

And on affordable housing, Sievers said the city needs to examine every piece of property it owns, including the city-owned Chamber of Commerce site, for affordable housing suitability.

"There’s a lot of sentiment that Main Street is too valuable property for affordable housing, and I happen to agree with that," he said. "There’s also a lot of sentiment that the chamber doesn’t need to be in the most expensive rent in town, and I happen to agree with that."

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