For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

Boand, Renick elected to Sun Valley Council

Election officials tally ballots late into evening

By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Incumbent Lud Renick and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Blair Boand were elected to the Sun Valley City Council Tuesday, Nov. 4, in an election that will likely be remem-bered for its exceptionally high num-ber of voters.

In the race for Seat 1 on the coun-cil, Boand earned 355 votes to defeat businessman Matthew Colesworthy, who garnered 213 votes.

In the race for Seat 2, Renick nar-rowly defeated challenger Milton Adam. Renick gained 299 votes, while Adam earned 265 votes.

Janis Wright, Sun Valley city clerk, said voter turnout in the Sun Valley city elections was approxi-mately 75 percent, a figure that could certainly be considered "high" but may not be a record.

Of approximately 810 registered voters in the city, 594 cast ballots in the election.

Mayor David Wilson, awaiting the election results Tuesday night, said he was pleased to hear of the high voter participation. "That's a great turnout," he said.

In his aggressive bid for Seat 1 on the council, Boand, 54, told voters he wanted to:

· Integrate the city's new ordinances governing hillsides and commercial-zoned areas into an update of the city's comprehensive plan.

· Support a recently appointed citi-zen's committee convened to oversee the use of the city's five-acre open space parcel on Sun Valley Road,

· Ensure that the city watch over developments to see that all condi-tions of approval are met and imple-mented.

During his two-month campaign, Boand reiterated several times that he believes the most important overall goal for the city is to manage growth in a manner that respects property rights and public concerns.

Boand was endorsed by active City Council member Ann Agnew, as well as Renick.

Colesworthy, 49, told Sun Valley voters he wanted to:

· Ensure that an update of the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan properly addresses proposed changes in Elk-horn Village and proposed develop-ment in the forthcoming Sun Valley Co. 50-year master plan.

· Acquire affordable housing for the city, possibly through purchasing existing units in central Elkhorn, rather than developing new units.

· Use his knowledge of real-estate issues to educate the public about how property throughout the city is zoned.

Colesworthy has said he would work to protect the rights of landown-ers while also advocating "responsi-ble" development. He said he would be committed to "open dialogue and regular communication with voters."

City Council Seat 2 Renick, 74, told voters he would work diligently to serve his constitu-ents if elected to a second term on the council.

During his somewhat low-key campaign, Renick said he would seek to:

· Update the Sun Valley Comprehen-sive Plan, with specific efforts made to maintain open space along Sun Valley Road.

· Support development of affordable housing in the city.

· Work to ensure that the Elkhorn Golf Club remains open to the "visit-ing 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.

Adam, 68, a retired mechanical design engineer, for the second time in four years was seeking to earn a seat on the council. In a race for Seat 1 in 1999, he lost to Latham Wil-liams, who is currently the president of the City Council.

In running a remarkably civil campaign, Adam said he would offer citizens of Sun Valley a "fresh face" on the council.

Adam told voters he would strive to:

· Make changes to the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan to preserve commercial uses in Elkhorn and pre-serve open space along Sun Valley Road.

Review the city's zoning designa-tions.

· Consider deleting zoning regula-tions that call for minimum densities.

· Monitor the impacts of develop-ment and traffic on citizens.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.