For retiring Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Pat Cooley, one thing is for sure. He will no longer have to take questions from the media or see his name in print.
A private man, Cooley stepped up to the plate as a public servant in 1998. He first completed a term for departing Commissioner John Stokes and in 1999 was nominated to his own seat. For about $67 per month Cooley has been attending two or more meetings a month to help plan Hailey's future.
"The commission is dedicated and I think we do good work," Cooley said. "I did enjoy the position very much. It was a challenge."
Citizens still have a chance to see Cooley and fellow departing Commissioner John Seiller in action before they exit after the last two meetings of the year in December. Commissioners are charged with a great deal of homework, including study of architectural plans and applications to the city for everything from text amendments to city ordinances to annexation requests.
Cooley said one of his best moments on the commission came when Albertsons first came to the city with plans for a large development and an attitude that Hailey should bow down to the company's requests.
"The commission said Hailey is not dying on the vine. If you want to be in our city, you've got to play by our rules," he said, "They came back with a redesign."
Cooley noted that "it is a challenge to try to maintain the quality of town we all came here for." But, he added that one way to make a contribution is to get involved in the public process of government.
"You can't be a consumer your whole life. At some point you've got to made a contribution," he said.
The self-deprecating Cooley won't qualify his own work, but he did say Hailey has made great strides in the last five years. Part of what appealed to him about the job is that every meeting was different and he could see the steps it took to make positive changes in the city.
He is pleased that there are now sidewalks from McKercher Boulevard to Fox Acres Road and to the Middle School and the High School. He is also happy that the city has a nationally recognized dark sky ordinance, rules to protect the city from big box stores and that the city has moved forward in its partnership with the Blaine County School District.
Cooley said the job has not always been easy. The bus barn project at the high school was a contentious and difficult issue to sort out. He thought it belonged in the industrial area by the airport.
But, on the whole Cooley said commissioners have treated each other with respect, even when they disagree.
Another challenge has been that the city has been reworking and refining ordinances and the Hailey Comprehensive Plan in past years, which has made things challenging for the public when they come to meetings and try to understand what is going on.
"I feel compassion for people who get out and speak up. It is not easy," he said. "The commission is in a position now to give more weight to public comment."
Cooley viewed part of his job as chairman as both one of facilitator and educator. He certainly performed a balancing act. Often he would patiently convey the rules of engagement to the public and explain where the commission was in the review process and what needed to be done.
When thinking about growth and development in Hailey, Cooley said it is important to start with an understanding that Idaho is a property rights state. He looks at Hailey's comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances as working documents. Developers, neighbors and the city will have different interpretations. The key is to apply city standards and ferret out the real issues, he said.
Cooley has worked for the Ketchum Water Department for over 20 years. As someone who has also read "Cadillac Desert," he knows water will always be an issue in the West. Keeping track of the carrying capacity of city infrastructure is "the means by which guided responsible growth occurs," he said.
Cooley concluded that although it felt good to give back to the community and he will stay involved in planning, the people who should get the real credit are the three women who run the Planning Department, Kathy Grotto, Diane Shay and Tara Hyde.
"They deserve the story," he said. "They're getting crushed by applications, but they're so professional, right down the line. They have my complete respect and admiration."
As he departs Cooley may not be able to get entirely out of the spotlight.
"I will continue to be involved," he said, recalling his signature admonition to the public as meetings get under way: "Remember these are your friends and neighbors."
Pat Cooley Photo by David N. Seelig
