For the week of October 1 - 7, 2003

Ketchum Council race draws two more

Incumbent Hall and former
mayor Young to run

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Six Ketchum residents will compete for two City Council seats up for election on Nov. 4, after two late entries last week joined four previously established candidates.

Incumbent Council President Randy Hall formally declared his candidacy late last week. Hall was appointed to the panel in May 1998 and was re-elected to a four-year term in November 1999.

Larry Young, a former Ketchum mayor and City Council member, also declared his candidacy late last week.

The filing deadline to enter the Ketchum City Council election was Friday, Sept. 26.

Four citizens had previously announced their candidacy. Incumbent Councilman Maurice Charlat, Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commissioner Greg Strong, former Ketchum Parks and Recreation Director Terry Tracy and longtime resident Mickey Garcia have now all formally entered the race.

The terms of both Charlat and Hall will expire on Jan. 4, 2004. The terms of Councilwoman Christina Potters and Councilman Baird Gourlay—which do not expire for another two years—will not be considered in the Nov. 4 council election.

Ketchum employs an open-seat election process that does not require candidates to run for a specific seat on the council. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the election will be sworn in on Jan. 5, 2004, to serve a four-year term on the legislative panel.

Hall this week said that if he is re-elected he will seek to maintain Ketchum’s "small-town character" by managing growth according to directives in the Ketchum Comprehensive Plan. "I am seeking re-election because there are some on the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission who wish to ignore the five years of work this community invested in our comprehensive plan," he said.

Hall noted that he believes the upcoming council election is "critical" because several large development projects are slated to be proposed to the city in the next two years. "Sun Valley Company wants to start annexation negotiations within six months to develop 130 acres at River Run," he said. "The draft proposal includes a 200-room hotel, over 100 condominiums, employee housing and a commercial component."

He added: "The YMCA will be developing the Park-and-Ride Lot. Plans for the development of the Warm Springs Golf Course and the Simplot lot are on the drawing board as we speak."

Young, an attorney, has lived in the Wood River Valley since 1970. He served as Ketchum’s mayor from January 1988 to January 1992. He also served twice on the Ketchum City Council, from January 1986 to January 1988 and from January 1992 to November 1992, when he was recalled.

Young said he would like to serve on the council to help balance the city’s budget and create a monetary reserve for future public projects and land acquisition. "I don’t think deficit budgets are appropriate in municipalities," he said.

Young said he would like to take a close look at the costs of putting power lines in the city limits underground.

He added that he believes the city can do a better job at promoting community housing. "I don’t think we’ve had a frank, honest discussion about community housing in this town," he said.

 

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