For the week of November 7 - 13, 2001

Burke beats Kramer for council seat

Hailey’s voter turnout only 15 percent

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By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer

Incumbent Hailey City Councilwoman Martha Burke defeated challenger Pete Kramer for Seat 1 in Hailey’s municipal election Tuesday.

Burke won 240 votes to Kramer’s 175 votes out of a total of 416 ballots cast.

Al Lindley, running unopposed for mayor, won 330 votes or 79 percent of the vote.

Don Keirn, running unopposed for council Seat 2, won 347 votes or 83 percent of the vote.

The other part of the Hailey election story was the low voter turnout on Election Day.

Hailey City Clerk Heather Dawson said 2,730 residents were registered to vote, however, only 416 came to the polls for a turnout of 15 percent.

Nevertheless, the town’s new mayor said he’s ready to serve.

"I’m really excited now and looking forward to the challenge," Lindley’s said.

Burke said she had been having "butterflies" all day when she heard the news of her victory.

"Thank you all for your votes, support, encouragement. I’m honored," she said.

"I can only promise my absolute best for Hailey, her citizens and her future.

"Pete Kramer is a great guy and we need him more than ever at the airport," considering the times, she said.

Kramer is chief of emergency services and airfield operations at the Hailey airport. "My aspiration is to help keep Hailey on track" in facing the problems of the future, he said.

Then he quoted his old boss, Henry Kaiser. "Problems are opportunities in working clothes.

Burke and Kramer had different views about several issues affecting Hailey during the campaign.

One of them was the possibility of the city building a city shop for its vehicles adjacent to Lion’s Park.

Burke was solidly against the possibility.

She said she wanted to see Lion’s Park and Heagle Park connected by a pedestrian/horse trail along the Big Wood River.

Kramer said he wasn’t opposed to the idea.

"I know there are resident who are concerned about the traffic on Bullion Street," he said.

But, he said, Hailey residents have to work together to mitigate such impacts.

 

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