The senior member of the Blaine County Board of Commissioners, Ketchum-area resident Sarah Michael, submitted her resignation from office this week.
In an interview with the Express Wednesday, the longtime Hulen Meadows resident made the surprising announcement that she will officially step down from her position on the County Commission effective July 1. Her decision sets off an immediate process to fill her soon-to-be vacant seat by Aug. 1.
Michael—a 30-year on-and-off resident of the county—plans to embark on a 10-month odyssey through the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal and northern India later this year with her husband, Bob Jonas.
Whoever is chosen to fill the full-time position will serve out the remainder of her term through Jan. 11, 2011. Because the position is elected on a partisan basis, the replacement must be a Democrat, like Michael.
Michael, who turned 62 earlier this week, said she and her husband recently concluded the timing couldn't be any better to begin the next chapter of their lives. Theirs has been a life drawn to the world's wildest landscapes and remote peoples, and that's what they want their remaining years to be dedicated to, she said.
Michael said they already had plans to travel to the Himalayan region for about a month later this fall, but after discussing their options they decided to extend their stay in the magnificent mountain range in Asia. The fact that her husband has traveled extensively around the world in other remote regions but hasn't yet been to Himalayas was a big factor in the decision, she said.
She said her husband told her that "if I go all that way I want to walk across the Himalayas. I want to see the whole thing."
To folks who know this couple's penchant for lengthy adventures through wild country, the decision likely will not come as a surprise; past adventures have included a lengthy trek through some of the most remote and grizzly-thick reaches of Alaska.
"We felt like there's no time to wait. What we're passionate about is remote, wild places."
Michael, who spent much of the 1970s leading treks through the Himalayas, said she wants to show her husband the region she fell in love with. Like many travelers who have journeyed to what's been dubbed the rooftop of the world, she said she was drawn to the area by its scenery, but stayed on for another reason.
"I went for the mountains and fell in love with the people," she said.
Michael's ties to the Himalaya go even deeper than a simple love of the mountains and their people. She said they will also be visiting a family she came to know during her travels in the Himalayas. She said she considers them her adopted family.
The family's eldest son now attends school in the United States, she said.
They will also be visiting a memorial site for one of her friends there, Mingma Norbu Sherpa, who died in a tragic helicopter accident just over a year ago in the Himalayas along with 23 other conservationists. Mingma was the head of the World Wildlife Fund in the Himalayan region.
"We want to pay tribute to him," she said.
Apart from their trip later this fall, Michael said she also wants to support her husband's endeavors in the outdoors and with Wild Gift. Wild Gift, which Jonas founded, is a nonprofit organization that supports the initiatives of leaders, ages 21 to 30, selected to take part in a leadership action project that benefits the environment and human community. The organization selects five people each year to take part in projects around the globe.
Jonas, former owner of Sun Valley Trekking Co., organizes donor trips for Wild Gift.
This summer, Michael and Jonas will be leading a two-week sea-kayaking trip in Alaska for the organization. She said she will be responsible for preparing food on the trip.
Michael's love for wild places and the natural world has been evident in both her three terms on the County Commission and in her many endeavors in public life before.
In the upper Wood River Valley, she helped forge an agreement between snowmobilers and backcountry skiers dictating where each user group can recreate in the backcountry on lands managed by the Sawtooth National Forest Ketchum Ranger District. Out of that process she helped found the nonprofit Winter Wildlands Alliance, which is now a national organization working to preserve the quiet winter wildlands experience.
Michael said she feels confident that she is leaving the County Commission in very capable hands. She said her fellow commissioners, Tom Bowman and Larry Schoen, share her love for Blaine County and want to see all of its many qualities preserved.
"I admire Tom and Larry very much," she said. "The county is going in absolutely the right direction."
Michael points to her role in helping to launch the valley's Peak Bus system and Hailey-based La Alianza multi-cultural center as among her proudest accomplishments.
Michael hopes many people will be interested in throwing their names in for consideration to serve out the remainder of her term as the county's District 3 commissioner, which represents the area from East Fork Road north to Smiley Creek. Applicants must live within this region.
"Being an elected official in Blaine County is one of the most rewarding things people can do," she said.
Commission seat
People interested in applying for the District 3 seat have until July 7 to submit a letter of interest to Betty Murphy, chair of the Blaine County Democratic Party. Letters should be sent to bmurphysv@aol.com or to P.O. Box 3557, Ketchum, ID 83340. The county Democratic party will select three names from the applications and send them to Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter for a final decision.
People sending a letter of interest should state why they're interested, their education and experience, ideas about the future of the county, participation in the Democratic party and county issues, and location of residence. Candidates should be available for interviews July 9-13.
The County Commission is a full-time position with meetings each Tuesday except for the fifth Tuesday of each month. It pays about $51,000 per year plus benefits. For questions about the position, contact Tom Bowman or Larry Schoen at 788-5500 or call Sarah Michael at 720-1588. Other questions should be directed to Betty Murphy at 726-6423.
Three-term Blaine County Commissioner Sarah Michael is stepping down from her position with the county, effective July 1. Michael and her husband, Bob Jonas, will embark on a 10-month trip in September. Photo by David N. Seelig
