Three Democrats announced their intention to run for the Blaine County Commission's south valley seat during a "Pizza and Politics" forum in Ketchum last Sunday.
Tammy Eaton, Larry Schoen, and Jim Super will all battle for the Democratic ticket in the primary election, which is held May 23. The general election will be held in November 2006.
Dennis Wright, who has occupied the south valley, or District One, seat since 1996, said he has no plans to run.
Dale Ewerson, a former Bellevue mayor and City Council member, is currently the only Republican vying for the seat. All three members of the current Blaine County Commission are Democrats.
Blaine County Chair Sarah Michael, who represents District Three in northern Blaine County and was elected to a four-year term in 2000 and two-year term in 2004, said she will run for re-election. She's currently unopposed.
Candidates for the Blaine County Commission can not officially file for the race until March 6. The deadline is March 17.
The third and final seat on the Blaine County Commission is held by Tom Bowman, who represents District Two, or mid-valley. Bowman was elected to a four-year term in 2004.
Tammy Eaton
Tammy Eaton has served on the Bellevue City Council for five years and recently completed a 10-year stint with the Blaine County Sheriff's Department, where she was the civil administrator.
She grew up in Fall River, Mass., and has a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and an Associates degree in paralegal studies, both from New England College. She's also finishing her last year of study with the Northwest Community Planning and Development Institute.
She moved to the Wood River Valley 11 years ago.
Eaton's concerns—future growth, rising cost of living, preserving open space in the county—gel with the other candidates. But her problem solving tactics may set her apart.
With great challenges rapidly arising in the valley, Eaton said time is of the essence and differences must be set aside to focus on effective solutions.
"We need to put our differences aside, come together and work collectively," she said, adding that such collaboration has developed over the past few years and needs to continue.
Eaton believes her experience on the City Council in Bellevue, an area of the county that has undergone significant change over the past five years and faces great challenges in the immediate future, has prepared her well for a seat on the County Commission.
Larry Schoen
Larry Schoen, the current Chair of the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission, has been involved with county affairs in one form or another for 15 years.
He was a member of the steering committee for the USGS ground-and-surface water study, and is a member of the Blaine County Soil Conservation District. He served eight years with the Carey Rural Fire Protection District, and took a leading role in keeping a future airport out of the Bellevue Triangle.
Schoen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of California and a Masters in journalism from Columbia University.
He owns a farm along Silver Creek, where he grows malt barley and dairy alfalfa. In 2003, he was named environmental farmer of the year by Coors Brewery.
He's married with 5-year-old twins.
Schoen believes it's important to preserve both the character and natural resources of Blaine County. But he recognizes the importance of balancing interests.
"There has to be a balance point, and I've been a good proponent of finding that balance point," he said. "I come from an urban background, but I make my living as a farmer. In the county and throughout all of Idaho we're seeing growing urbanization and a loss of agricultural lands.
"I strongly believe in the concept of people on the ground getting together to work out their differences, finding common values and moving on from there."
Schoen also believes that citizens living in rural, southern Blaine County deserve a true representative in the Commission.
"I think the people in the southernmost part of Blaine County are ready for a representative from that part of the county, as opposed to someone from one of the cities," he said.
Jim Super
Jim Super's an Idaho native and owner of Super Outfitter Adventures of Sun Valley, which guides trail rides, hunting and fishing trips in the area.
He grew up in Emmett, and has fond memories of childhood trips to Redfish Lake when the waters still pulsed red with schools of spawning Sockeye Salmon.
"That's what Idaho was," he said. "But with population growth and no management, we lose those things.
"I don't want to lose those things any more."
Super, who has a Bachelor of Science in economics from Boise State University, moved to the Wood River Valley with his wife and two daughters in 1997. In 2002, he ran against Wright for the District One seat.
"I had a vision for this county, what it can and can't be," he said.
He has concerns about preserving the county's diversity, affordability and environmental resources.
"We need more sustainable economic growth," he said, "so our kids can make a livable wage so they can raise their families here."
He's also set on preserving the qualities that drew most people to the area.
"That's open space, wildlife corridors, winter feeding grounds, water and wet lands," he said.
Dale Ewerson
Ewerson served on the Bellevue City Council and as the city's mayor in the 1980s. He did not speak at Pizza and Politics.
Ewerson, a Bellevue resident for the past 32 years, works as an insurance agent out of his home and is a part owner of the Splash and Dash convenience store in Bellevue. He earned a Bachelor of Science in forestry from the University of Idaho in 1972.
Ewerson said the south valley will be challenged by future growth and development, which is what drove him to run for commissioner.
"(The south county's) where a majority of the growth is going to come," he told the Express in November. "I want to get involved again."
Water quality and supply may present the greatest challenges to the future of the county, he said.
"Water is a finite resource," he said. "People need to be reminded of that."
His other primary concerns involve transportation, zoning, and fiscal responsibility.
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Filing deadline
Candidates for the Blaine County Commission cannot officially file for the race until March 6. The filing deadline is March 17.
