For the week of January 8 - 14, 2003

Ketchum’s mayor considers his first year

Simon ready to tackle city’s
biggest challenges

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Ketchum’s mayor reflected last week that his first year in office seemed long and was marked by a slow steep learning curve.

But with the first year  behind him and an enormous transition of city employees nearing completion, Mayor Ed Simon said he is looking forward to wrestling with more of the city’s biggest challenges.

"Learning from the experiences from this past year will mean the learning curve will be a much smaller one," he said. "With a new staff in place, I have a lot more tools to work with."

Ed Simon. Express photo by Willy Cook

Simon’s role as mayor, which began last January, is his second foray into Ketchum politics. In 1992, Simon and two other former city council members were recalled by the people of Ketchum following a tumultuous year spent debating personnel issues.

This year, despite a summer-long power struggle that, in some ways, mirrored the 1992 debate, the mayor said there are few parallels to draw between his 1992 political junket sojourn and his present term as the city’s chief executive.

"We’re focusing on problems and solutions rather than on personalities," he said. "We (the 1992 council) got bogged down in one issue."

But rather than dwell on the negative or the past, Simon was eager to talk about successes he believes he can build on in the coming year. Topping the list is a government that is open and accessible to its people.

Simon said he accomplished that goal through general town meetings, special meetings on significant issues and by instituting citizen panels for hiring of key city officers. They’re practices he said he plans to continue.

The citizen panels "turned out better than I ever expected," Simon said. "It changes the whole mix in the interview."

Another item topping Simon’s list of things to continue is institution of a city-wide capital improvement plan. The plan will be incorporated into the city’s 2003-2004 fiscal year budget and will provide the basis for sound fiscal planning, Simon said.

Another success the mayor said he hopes to build on is citizens’ willingness to come to the city with their own ideas on city-wide issues. Though not all of last year’s citizen proposals were popular, Simon said the effort shows "a willingness to listen" and "openness in government" on behalf of the city.

Accomplishments aside, Simon is an admittedly controversial public figure. Before even taking office last January, he made waves when he proposed to replace the city’s long-standing and successful city attorney. He opened an even more controversial debate last spring when he second-guessed a personnel decision made by Cal Nevland, the city’s 22-year police chief and the same man the city council voted to fire in 1992 shortly before the citizens of Ketchum voted to recall Simon and two other city council members.

Controversy, Simon said, contributes positively to the public discussion.

"Because we have such challenges facing us, some people are going to have divergent opinions, and you can’t be afraid to confront them," he said. "When you have hard choices, you are going to have controversy. It is not something that should be shied away from."

As for major issues that are on -deck at Ketchum City Hall, Simon said one of the foremost might be a policy issue that was brought to light by a tall hotel proposal for downtown Ketchum.

Though citizens spent nearly a year in workshops and meetings with a design specialist from Colorado two years ago to write new city design review standards, Simon said some of the rules might need rewriting.

"The method by which we try to encourage affordable housing and hotel rooms gives the perception that there are no rules," he said. "That makes me question whether the ordinance itself is adequate. Density in the (downtown) is where you want it, and height has always been more contentious."

Simon said he may propose offering developers density incentives rather than height incentives in exchange for housing or hotel rooms.

Wrestling with parking issues, preserving open space and working toward a potential 1 percent increase in the local resort sales tax are also in the offing.

 

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