"I think it went great and I was lucky to be mayor at a very dynamic time," said Susan McBryant, whose five-year run as the mayor of Hailey will end when she steps aside in January.
McBryant, sitting in her Sun Country Management office in Ketchum, explained that a strong economy led to opportunities for growth and development that might not be available for her successor, current City Council President Rick Davis.
"This could all change because of the economy," said McBryant, an Idaho native who moved to Hailey with her husband, David, in 1979. "I hate to say it and hope it doesn't happen, but there's a chance that this community is ripe for some economic struggles."
With this in mind, McBryant offered some advice that probably won't be well received by some.
"We need to stop growth and assess where we are as a city," McBryant said. "A study of our current inventory would be useful as a planning tool."
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In accordance, McBryant said it would be unwise to consider any annexations at this point in time, as the city has an obligation to maintain the health of the existing community and not add to the burdens already facing Hailey.
"It's not a stretch to think that there could be default with current construction," McBryant said, advising the planning department to keep a close eye on development projects in order to prevent the presence of abandoned and incomplete work sites. "Denying the next 'big project' wouldn't be to keep a developer from making a profit, but rather to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of Hailey's current residents. That's what we were elected for."
McBryant said the dip now being experienced could easily turn around in the next year and a half, but without sales money streams could start drying up.
Fortunately for McBryant, the majority of her tenure was marked by an escalating economic atmosphere, which allowed for a number of amenities, such as the creation of both the Parks Department and Art Commission.
"We did some things that hadn't been done before, as with the arts and parks," McBryant said. "I was especially proud of these as they had been opposed by the former mayor and didn't come easily."
McBryant also pointed to the in-house climate protection work as one of the greatest achievements while she held the city's top post.
"I feel really lucky to have had a cohesive and collaborative council that worked with my vision."
Three of those council members, Davis, Don Keirn, and Martha Burke, were directly responsible for McBryant's initial appointment to the mayor's seat in 2002, when she replaced Al Lindley amidst what has become an infamous episode in Hailey politics.
Lindley resigned in November 2002 after two city employees filed grievances against him for alleged verbal sexual harassment, then attempted to rescind his resignation. However, the council denied his request and instead named McBryant, then the council president, to the position. The pair then faced off in the following year's general election, which McBryant won in a landslide.
"I find no humor looking back on the situation," McBryant responded when queried on the string of events that led to her four-year term. "If anything, hindsight's lesson is for our residents to get involved. Lindley ran uncontested, and while I heard he was regarded as a great 'party guy,' he might not have been the best leader."
On the eve of her exit from City Hall, McBryant repeatedly emphasized the importance of getting citizens interested and personally involved in Hailey politics.
"I can't think of anything more meaningless than having no connection to the community you live in," said McBryant, who spent 15 years in public office and described her background as politically engaged. "I'm sure I will regret in some way not having the same influence on the direction of the city, but I can still be effective by encouraging others to participate."
While McBryant plans on using some of her newfound free time this winter for recreation, she said she will find "a variety of ways" to remain active within the city. To this end, McBryant hopes to continue serving out the remaining year and a half of her two-year term on the board of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority.
McBryant said she declined to run for reelection, not because she was burned out, but rather as an attempt to bring fresh faces into city hall.
"I really hoped more people would run," McBryant said, expressing her disappointment that November's mayoral race featured merely two candidates. "That was my reason for stepping aside."
Although the effects would have been significantly different had Erin Dunn, the election's 28-year-old underdog, been elected, McBryant said that veteran Councilman Davis will bring about change as well.
"Of course it won't be the same," McBryant said of Davis's upcoming turn at the city's helm. "Rick will fit in great—he's been doing this for 30 years. He will develop his own style and areas of interest."
McBryant added that differences will stem from the fact that she considered herself a moderate liberal, whereas Davis is a conservative who ran on a pro-business platform.
Looking into the future, McBryant said the marijuana initiative passed in the general election last month will be both challenging and time consuming for the mayor and council.
As for the potential consolidation of the Hailey, Wood River Fire & Rescue, and Bellevue fire departments, another issue that has stirred the emotions of residents and public officials, McBryant didn't appear hopeful.
"I think it's a dead issue," she said. "It faces the same problems as 15 years ago. I did the best I could to come up with ideas and solutions, but they went nowhere."
Despite never finding a resolution to this issue, McBryant said she thinks her run as mayor was a success.
"I hope my time with the city has been meaningful," she said. "And now I'll have the time to learn how to program my cell phone."
Susan McBryant will conclude her five-year run as Hailey mayor in January. She expressed concern that the downturn in the economy could result in tough challenges for the city and encouraged younger generations to take an active role in Hailey politics.
