Sun Valley City Council President Ann Agnew is looking forward to renewing her commitment to the city.
Agnew has joined the race for two Sun Valley City Council seats that will be decided in an election Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Sun Valley City Hall. The seats of Agnew and fellow incumbent Kevin Laird are up for re-election for a four-year term.
"I have been on the City Council for four years. I have served as president all four of those years. We have done really good things," Agnew said.
Agnew points to the implementation of the Hillside Ordinance, the Night Sky Ordinance and Sun Valley's 2005 Comprehensive Plan Update as important accomplishments completed under her leadership.
"What we have going forward is really the implementation of the things we have been working on over the last four years," she said.
Agnew became a full-time Sun Valley resident in 1996, after buying property there in 1988. She has served seven years on the St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center's board of directors. Her commitment to Sun Valley includes serving on the Hillside Ordinance Committee, the Night Sky Ordinance Committee and the Comprehensive Plan Committee. She has remained an active civil servant, despite the death of her husband, Jim Agnew, in September.
Agnew said she hopes to continue as a dynamic voice on the council.
"Going forward we will be adopting the Sun Valley Resort's master plan. We will be rezoning a great deal of the city to comply with the comp plan and the resort's master plan. We have a lot of decisions on community housing to be as effective as we can."
Agnew holds a bachelor of science and business administration degree from Miami University in Ohio. She also earned a master's degree in architecture from the University of California, Los Angeles school of architecture and urban planning. She is a licensed Idaho architect, who works from her Ketchum-based firm, Boss and Agnew Architects.
She maintains a regional view for government, emphasizing the importance of housing and transportation issues to be tackled through valley-wide efforts. She also views the health of Sun Valley Co. as an important issue for the community. She believes the company is the most important economic engine for the valley.
As for Sun Valley, she believes decisions for the city's five-acre parcel on Sun Valley Road should be made with a wide vision.
"The five-acre parcel is part of the entire gateway section. I don't think it should be considered in isolation. I think it should be considered as we make decisions for the entire gateway," she said.
Addressing potential housing on the parcel, she said housing should be examined as part of the overall plan for the gateway area near Ketchum.
"If that proves to be the best location, than we will be trading that for open space elsewhere as another part of the gateway."
Sun Valley Election
Sun Valley's Nov. 8 municipal election ballot lists five candidates vying for two open seats on the City Council. The candidates are the two incumbents, Ann Agnew and Kevin Laird, and three challengers: Nils Ribi, chairman of the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission; Dan Pincetich, a former Sun Valley city administrator, and Milt Adam, a political activist who is making his third attempt to gain a city council seat.
Voters must register with the Blaine County Elections Department by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Election Day registration is available. Registered voters can request an absentee ballot from the city. The deadline for receipt of absentee ballot requests is Nov. 2.
