Candidates for Sun Valley City Council and the mayor's office will convene at Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, for Pizza and Politics, the main event for voters seeking to plug office-seekers with questions before the Nov. 6 election.
This year, voters will be asked to elect a new mayor and to fill three City Council seats.
Councilman Dave Chase, owner of an Internet news and blogging site, will be defending his appointment to retired Councilwoman Ann Agnew's seat. Milt Adam, a retired engineer from southeastern Idaho, is challenging Chase for the two-year term on the council.
The mayoral candidates are incumbent Mayor Jon Thorson and opponent Wayne Willich. Thorson is a retired ophthalmologist and pharmaceutical executive. Willich is a retired Boeing executive.
In addition, incumbent Councilman Blair Boand, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairwoman Joan Lamb and challenger Dewayne Briscoe are running for two four-year council seats.
Both mayoral candidates have been volunteers in their communities. While in the Seattle area, Willich participated in city government by volunteering with the Roads and Trails Department on Mercer Island. His role was to help mitigate the effects placed on the island's roadways as Interstate 90 was built. Thorson continues to donate time as a member of the board of directors of St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center, as well as to Hospice of the Wood River Valley and St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
Visions for the future of Sun Valley and the role of government are the hot topics in this race for mayor and for the City Council seats. Thorson, who has been a full-time Sun Valley resident for the past 19 years, said he got involved in politics to help implement policy that would support the city's comprehensive plan. Willich said the city can be more efficient in the way it implements policy and cooperates with constituents.
Thorson said he expects questions at Thursday's Pizza and Politics about why the city uses local option tax money to pay non-profits like the Blaine Ketchum Housing Authority and the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber for services. Willich plans to challenge Thorson on the city's significant legal costs in recent years, particularly where land-use lawsuits are concerned.
In addition, Thorson said the city of Sun Valley needs to be about "regional planning," especially with regard to workforce housing and transportation. These issues also concern Willich, who advocates heavy communication with the public as a means for efficient leadership.
Thinking about the future vitality of Sun Valley, except for a unified interest in maintaining a cooperative relationship with Sun Valley Co., the platforms of Chase, Lamb and Boand differentiate from those of Brisco and Adam. The former candidates advocate welcoming regional planning efforts and specific environmental agendas. Briscoe, Adams and Willich all question whether the current administration has acted in the best interests of Sun Valley citizens.
Other topics of discussion prior to the election are certain to include recycling and questions about future development regulations.
Wayne Willich,
Jon Thorson
