Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hailey voters to elect new mayor, council member

Race for single vacant council seat could be tight


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Hailey city election

Where: All registered voters can vote at the Community Campus gymnasium (old Wood River High School).

When: Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For one of three candidates for Hailey City Council, there will be no shortage of challenging issues to face once elected to public office. Questions of growth, affordable housing, and the economic vitality of the city have come to the forefront as chief concerns of the voters as the Nov. 6 city election nears.

With current Councilman Rick Davis in the running for mayor, his soon-to-be open City Council No. 4 position is being contested by three candidates with differing backgrounds and experience: Stefanie Marvel, Geoff Moore, and Fritz Haemmerle

Marvel, a member of the Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission, of which she is currently the chair, has served on a variety of committees and boards since she moved to the city in 1981.

A textile artist whose work is collected and exhibited internationally, Marvel has listed the vibrancy of Hailey's downtown core as an area of focus, explaining that it could be increased through transportation infrastructure improvements. This would not only make downtown Hailey more walkable, but also make it more attractive to prospective retailers.

Moore, a superintendent for a local contacting company who has attended nearly every Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council meeting over the last two-years, Moore, spent 11 years as a member of the Hailey Fire Department. He believes the potential upcoming consolidation between the Hailey and Bellevue fire departments could be a step towards a greater consolidation throughout the entire south valley. However, he cautioned that this could have a negative impact on Hailey residents by way of increased taxes.

Fritz Haemmerle, the only council candidate born and raised in the valley, is making his first attempt to enter city government, although he spent a number of years serving the public as the county's prosecuting attorney. Haemmerle, who is a partner with his wife, Jennifer, in their own Hailey-based law firm, has spent a significant portion of his private practice litigating against wrongful government acts and has listed the transparency of city government as a top priority if elected.

Out of all the elections taking place throughout the Wood River Valley on Nov. 6, perhaps none have candidates as different as those running for mayor of Hailey.

Erin Dunn, a 28-year-old account executive for Edge Wireless, is looking to make his first foray into city politics with Hailey's top spot.

Rick Davis, on the other hand, has been a member of the Hailey City Council for 16 years, currently serving as the council president, and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1998. He was forced to cut his campaign effort short this week to travel to Vietnam, to honor a pre-existing commitment.

Dunn and Davis present their views in a Q&A with the Mountain Express, on Page A11.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.