Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Election in Blaine County reaches fevered pitch

Hot-button local issues and national issues drive voters to polls


By TREVOR SCHUBERT
Express Staff Writer

Mickey Garcia rides between Ketchum and Hailey to garner local support in his bid for a seat on the Blaine County Commission. Photo by Chris Pilaro

Blaine County experienced an unprecedented flurry of political activism for the 2006 mid-term elections. Registered voting numbers were up. Polling stations were full, and politically charged signs and banners lined roadways from Bellevue to Sun Valley on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The number of registered voters in Blaine County grew 10 percent since January, from 10,827 to 11,426.

"Voting is up big time," said Leila Angle, Sun Valley issuing clerk. Normally, there are lines in the early morning, during lunchtime and after work with long lulls in between.

"Today we have had a steady flow since the polls opened, and most of the time there's been a line," Angle said.

The paramount forces behind the ballooning numbers appeared to be the private property rights measure, Proposition 2, and general discontent with politics at the national level. That discontent with national politics appeared yesterday to have permeated down to the local level.

"Everyone is looking for change," said one Hailey resident exiting the polls. "It has resonated down from the national level."

Some voters went a step further.

"I feel a lot of people are dissatisfied with the Republican leadership," said Carl Hjelm, the assistant chief of the Hailey Fire Department.

Hjelm said his assertion was evident in the Idaho gubernatorial race, where for the first time in recent memory there was a legitimate Democratic challenger in Jerry Brady.

"Butch Otter has a lot of connections, and people are suspicious of the corporate-political intermix," Hjelm said.

At the local level, property rights was one of the catalysts hardening the resolve of Blaine County residents.

"I am delighted with the turnout," said Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson. "Prop 2 has been the issue receiving the greatest coverage. I predict a smashing defeat" of Proposition 2.

He admitted, however, that the measure was an interesting controversy to watch unfold.

Polling stations and ballot booths were not the only places where the fervor of political activism was evident this season. Street corners, local living rooms and the well-traveled stretch of highway between Ketchum and Hailey also served as platforms for incumbents and challengers alike.

The corner of state Highway 75 and Elkhorn Road became the staging ground for Hailey resident Dan Heed to make his voice heard.

His purpose: "Simply to get people to vote," Heed said. "And hopefully to vote for Dale (Ewersen) and Mickey (Garcia)," candidates for Blaine County Commission.

Elaine Charlat, wife of Maurice Charlat, the chairman of the Blaine County Republicans, has held living-room discussions with local political candidates in the past. This year, County Commission candidate Ewersen was invited and participated before a "wall-to-wall" audience. The discourse that ensued "stirred up a great deal of emotion," Charlat said.

It appears that, regardless of political affiliation or economic status or the outcomes of the contested seats, this year's political season was a pivotal time for all Blaine County residents.




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