Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Merger proponents call it quits

Conn will not seek re-election


Ketchum Councilman Charles Conn and Sun Valley Councilman Dave Chase, spokesmen for the group One Community, One Town, announced Monday that their effort to consolidate the neighboring cities is over, at least for the time being.

Conn also said the divisiveness that has surrounded the issue over the past two and a half months led to a decision that he will not try to hold onto his council seat in November.

That merger effort lasted less than three months, but in that time, it became one of the most controversial and hotly debated issues in the valley.

"I don't regret one bit bringing this idea forward," Conn said in an interview. "Consolidation of services is an idea that's sweeping the nation and I continue to believe that some form of consolidation makes sense. It's an idea whose time has come."

Conn also said, however, that he and Chase made a mistake by beginning the effort with a push for a petition to put the consolidation on a ballot, possibly as early as this fall.

"We need to take accountability for our missteps," Conn said. "The call for a petition frightened many people because it had a near-term feel to it and didn't give them time to get comfortable with the idea. Perhaps it would have been better to start off with a joint committee to look into the issues."

Since proposing the merger idea in February, Chase and Conn have faced stiff opposition, often bitter, with arguments against ranging from the possible loss of the Sun Valley name to the potential dilution of voting power for Sun Valley residents if the two cities were combined.

At one Sun Valley City Council meeting in early April, a resident asked for Chase's resignation over the matter.

In March, Save Sun Valley, a group formed in response to the consolidation effort, held a meeting at which about 200 people, mostly Sun Valley residents, rallied against the merger, citing a difference in culture between the cities and arguing that there would be a negative impact to Sun Valley's financial situation.

"It was not a good idea to start with and was not very well executed," said Sun Valley Mayor Wayne Willich, who had maintained a vocal opposition to the merger. "We're better off with a small, flexible, responsive government."

Throughout the process, Willich repeated that the issue was a "non-starter" and not worth exploration. To that end, Willich drafted a resolution stating Sun Valley's intention of remaining an independent city. The resolution passed last week 3-2, with Willich casting the deciding vote.

Conn and Chase, on the other hand, had repeatedly called for a moderated public debate, as well as an independent financial and legal analysis.

"I don't understand why some citizens and public officials worked to smother public debate," Conn said. "It ended up being a toxic combination of emotion and misinformation. I believe that if you disagree, then you fight hard, but without personal attacks."

He said those attacks had dampened his interest in public service.

"The work itself is tough and very important—the new hotels and new ordinances really matter," Conn said. "But the difficulty is the relatively bitter and personal public comment and lack of civility with controversial issues. I just don't enjoy it enough to continue."

While Conn won't likely be at the helm of any similar consolidation efforts, he said that it's not an issue that should fade away.

"We hope this conversation leads to a serious demand from taxpayers for cost savings," Conn said. "They need to ask their public officials, 'Are you looking out for my pocketbook, and my kid's job and not your own interests?'"

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com




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