Sun Valley election
The Sun Valley city elections will take place Tuesday, Nov. 6. For more on the races and candidates, including a question-and-answer overview of city issues, see the Friday, Nov. 2, edition of the Express.
Stumping in equal measure for their chance to serve the people, seven Sun Valley candidates did their best to impress during the final Idaho Mountain Express Pizza and Politics forum prior to the Nov. 6 city elections. The event was held Thursday, Oct. 25, at Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge, in Sun Valley.
The contest for four open seats include a mayoral race between incumbent Jon Thorson and Wayne Willich and a two-way race for a two-year City Council term between incumbent David Chase and challenger Milt Adam. Chase, owner of Sun Valley Online, was appointed to retired Councilwoman Ann Agnew's seat last summer. There is also a three-way race for two City Council seats between incumbent Blair Boand, Dewayne Briscoe and Planning and Zoning Commission Chairwoman Joan Lamb.
Brief opening statements were followed by questions posed to each candidate from reporters, the audience and finally from opponents. Questions covered the gamut from whether or not Friedman Memorial Airport should be moved, to whether the city should spend local option tax dollars on nonprofit organizations and what should be done about recycling. No candidate came out strongly in support of moving the airport, and most said they want an airport commission seat. Briscoe said an economic impact statement would be essential to taking a position on Friedman. Thorson said that, according to his research, the Federal Aviation Administration will require it.
Milt Adam, a retired engineer, sold himself as "conservative and pragmatic." Adam reflected that this race marks his fourth time running for office.
"This time, it might be charmed," he said, adding that he doesn't believe government is the answer to all problems. As an engineer, he said, you learn to work with what you have, "not with what you think would be wonderful."
Chase spoke about his efforts to promote fairness in politics and business and his skill as an independent thinker.
Out of the blocks, the first question was about affordable housing, a hot-button issue each candidate faced, and a top priority for candidates Boand and Lamb. The pair said they would work closely along with the mayor and organizations such as the Blaine County Housing Authority, with which the city has already contracted for services to seek regional solutions. Adam said Sun Valley could acquire land for a third-party development under a lease agreement and build apartments above the city fire station.
"There are ways the city can help. But, not directly," Adam said, echoing opinions of Thorson's rival Willich, who has ideas about creating a housing trust where those who put money into the trust can get a tax break on their contribution. Trust money would go to help people buy homes. When owners sell their homes, a percentage of the gain would go back to the trust.
"At the core, land is the issue," Chase said, recommending that land costs be taken out of the equation, be it through a land trust, use of federal land or employers' investment.
On the recycling issue, Thorson said an equitable and efficient system would be established under his watch. He also promotes running a bus every quarter hour during high commute times and on the half-hour thereafter.
"That would be huge for us," Thorson said.
On the subject of economic vitality, candidates varied between supporting a diverse economic base, like Chase, and stalwart support of Sun Valley Resort goals, like Adam. Both mayoral candidates said they supported the resort's vision, although they differ on how to maintain the relationship.
Resort General Manager Wally Huffman voiced frustration at the slow pace of city review of the resort's long-term development plans. Lamb said the city had indeed been busy completing the zoning laws that would be used to evaluate development applications as submitted.
Huffman also posed a question about using the city's "five-acre parcel," also known as the Festival Meadows, for a housing project. Bringing a roar of laughter from the audience and Huffman, Adam said he was amenable if the resort gave the city another five acres.
As part of his platform, Briscoe, who bristled under heat during the forum when questioned about his Idaho residency status, said protecting the parcel as a gateway to the city was a priority of his campaign. He also said he would not be a "rubber stamp" and cautioned the city against becoming a company town. Briscoe said that although he is retired he has and still does pay Idaho taxes. In Idaho, all that is required to run for City Council is proper status as a qualified elector.
When a citizen questioned the value of city support of the YMCA being constructed in Ketchum, candidates who have sat on city government spoke of the fitness center as a boon to the city. Huffman, who had been a detractor, conceded in side comments that the YMCA was also good for the resort.
Perhaps the most moving moment of the forum came when Chase asked Adam about his proudest achievement. Adam became deeply emotional and shared his pride in helping to establish the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, in Idaho Falls.
City Council candidates Blair Boand, left, and Dewayne Briscoe confer during the Sun Valley Pizza and Politics forum last week.
Incumbent Jon Thorson, left, and challenger Wayne Willich are competing for a four-year term as mayor of Sun Valley.
Photo by David N. Seelig
