For the week of May 8 - 14, 2002

Jaquet sets his last day as city administrator

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Ketchum City Administrator Jim Jaquet, who announced his retirement last summer, has declared an official last day. Meanwhile, the Ketchum City Council is scheduled to interview for the position during an executive session Friday.

Jaquet will leave city hall for the last time as city administrator May 29, ending a 25-year tenure in Ketchum. He said he plans to volunteer at Atkinson Park this summer to coach Little League.

Though his departure is imminent, the arrival of a new city administrator is not.

"I don’t anticipate we’ll have anybody start before July, anyway," Mayor Ed Simon said.

The delay between this Friday’s interviews and an eventual start date is because of time consuming background checks, salary negotiations and final decision making, Simon said.

The city administrator’s position, according to Jaquet, "is as expansive as the mayor wants it to be. The mayor’s position, at least historically, has been part-time."

The main focus of the job is to prepare the city’s budget, he added.

Of the close to 30 applicants, which were screened by a Sacramento-based firm, four will interview Friday with the Ketchum City Council and a citizen board compiled by Simon.

"I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the candidates, and I don’t think we would have gotten that without hiring a professional firm to assist us," Simon said.

Three of the finalists are town managers, one each from Connecticut, Colorado and Wisconsin. One works in private business. Three have masters degrees in public administration.

Of the nearly 30 total applicants, one was from Idaho, and none were from the Sun Valley area, Simon said. He was intentionally vague about the candidates’ credentials.

But Jaquet is preparing to leave all such city business behind. This admitted baseball junkie appears anxious to arrive at the park this summer.

"One of the reasons I’m excited to be down at the park is, during the off hours, I’ll be able to get in the batting cage, so I’ll be able to do a little better in the men’s hard ball league in Hailey."

And, he added, "I’ve always wanted to be a park rat."

 

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