For the week of October 22 - 28, 2003

Sun Valley Seat 2 candidates outline platforms

Renick, Adam square off in council election

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

The incumbent running for Seat 2 on the Sun Valley City Council said this week he would like to use his experience to guide city policies, while his challenger said he thinks it is time the city consider employing some new ideas.

Lud Renick, the incumbent who currently holds Seat 2, is seeking re-election to serve a second four-year term on the legislative panel. Longtime Sun Valley resident Milton Adam is challenging Renick for the seat.

Renick said this week that he is well prepared to serve another four years. "I’m running for re-election because I love the job," he said. "I think I’ve been useful and I think my experience will be useful to the city in the next four years."

Adam said he would offer citizens of Sun Valley a fresh outlook on city affairs and new approaches to addressing major issues. "I feel that I can give the City Council a slightly different perspective," he said. "I would like to give something back to the city."

 

Renick’s platform

Renick, 74, was elected to the council in November 1999, when he ran unopposed for Seat 2. He is a 16-year resident of Sun Valley.

During the last year, Renick has voted to support new zoning regulations for the city’s Commercial Core district, as well as a new "Hillside Development Ordinance" to limit construction on steep slopes.

He has served on numerous City Council committees, including the Finance and Personnel Committee, Air Transportation Committee and Arts Foundation Committee.

Renick said he believes the City Council has effectively managed the city during his tenure. "Teamwork and experience are important," he said.

If re-elected to City Council, Renick said he would seek to:

• Update the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan, with specific efforts made to maintain open space along Sun Valley Road.
  
   
• Support development of affordable housing in the city, possibly by expanding the city’s existing requirement that community housing be developed as part of new commercial-zone projects.
  
   
• Work to ensure that the Elkhorn Golf Club remains open to the "visiting public."
  
   
• Evaluate the effectiveness of—and if necessary revise—the city’s new Hillside Development Ordinance.
  
   
• Continue to develop an appropriate plan for the city’s five-acre parcel on Sun Valley Road. Renick said he is convinced the public wants the parcel to remain undeveloped but wants to see the city pursue using the site for temporary events.

Renick said he believes the City Council acted appropriately in approving the controversial Phase 4 of Crown Ranch subdivision. "We made the best out of a difficult situation," he said.

 

Adam’s platform

Adam, 68, is a retired mechanical design engineer for the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and Idaho. He was a candidate for Idaho Falls City Council in 1979 and for Sun Valley City Council in 1999.

Adam serves on the city of Ketchum Parking Committee, and is a longtime advocate of affordable housing in Ketchum.

Adam said he believes the primary concerns of Sun Valley residents stem from development projects in the city. Specifically, Adam said that the zoning of some city parcels—such as the Sunshine Parcel in Elkhorn—is inappropriate and should have been reviewed before a development application came forward.

He added that because the City Council has had several representatives with ties to the development industry, he believes he could more easily vote objectively in matters pertaining to development. "I can bring a fair, unbiased view to a lot of things," he said.

Adam noted that he believes it will be important for Sun Valley city officials to monitor all types of improvement projects in the community to properly evaluate the impacts they will have.

As a council member, he would strive to:

• Make changes to the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan to preserve commercial uses in Elkhorn and preserve open space along Sun Valley Road.
  
   
• Review the city’s zoning designations.
  
   
• Consider deleting zoning regulations that call for minimum densities.
  
   
• Monitor the impacts of development and traffic on citizens.

"I love the beautiful environment, ambiance and life of the Wood River Valley and my home city of Sun Valley," he noted. "I have great interest in maintaining and enhancing that for all the people of the area."

 

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