Of the five remaining Ketchum City Council candidates yet to break the silence, four have come forward to voice their reasons for filing for the election two and a half weeks ago.
The race has stacked up to a heap of seven opponents fighting for two seats in an open election. "Open" means the two candidates with the most votes win.
The Idaho Mountain Express previously reported the platforms of incumbent Council President Baird Gourlay and former Mayor Ed Simon but wasn't able to reach candidates Jan Hegewald, Carter Ramsay, Peter Lewis, Lee Chubb or Nina Jonas.
All have now come forward except Rickshaw restaurant owner Nina Jonas, whom the Express has repeatedly contacted without receiving a returned call.
Hegewald, 30, and Ramsay, 31, are the youngest of the candidates and have said that if elected, they would focus their energies on making Ketchum a more livable place for less affluent people—usually the younger crowd—who can't afford the high cost of living.
Hegewald said that for that to happen, the younger generation needs to get involved. And that's why he's running.
"I understand the issues," he said, "and I would like to think I could motivate our generation to take a more active role in the community."
Hegewald is the youngest board member of the nonprofit Ketchum Community Development Corp. and earned a bachelor's degree in politics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., with an emphasis on environmental theory and policy.
"People get to my age and leave," Hegewald said. "They ask themselves, 'What am I going to do so I can afford to live here?'"
He wants to provide them the option to stay, mostly by providing affordable housing, which he said is almost non-existent. He said the town's population is aging and the valley is losing its "luster" to resort crowds.
He said the city needs businesses that take advantage of recreation amenities year-round, whether it's mountain biking or whitewater rafting.
"Too many businesses have closed in the past two years," he said.
Hegewald said the proposed Warm Springs Ranch Resort is just what the valley needs to improve tourism, set it apart and raise it to the level of Aspen and Jackson Hole. The uniquely designed, posh resort will "put us back on the map," he said.
"I've been an advocate since its conception," he said, "and I live right across the street."
He said a resort like that would attract the younger crowd, whose members might eventually stake a claim here.
"We need to market ourselves to reach recent college grads and young professionals who are looking to move somewhere," he said.
Three years ago, Ramsay was one of these newly arriving young professionals, opening his general contracting business, Ramsay Solutions, in town. Knowing the plight of those like him, he sees a need to advocate "affordable and attractive" housing for those ages 25 to 45, he said.
He said the area has its share of high-end real estate but doesn't have enough options for first-time homebuyers.
"Most people just want to be here," he said. "I want to be able to live here."
Ramsay said that to even approach these issues, the city needs to first do one thing: stop.
"We need to get Ketchum to hit the brakes and say, 'Where do we want to go?'" he said.
He said the city needs to draft a new comprehensive plan or just look to the one it already has, even just for guidance.
Ramsay has never run for office before but said growing up on construction sites will do him well.
"With architecture as my first language and my background in planning, I would be an asset to the City Council," he said, "But I know I can't do it by myself."
He said he would need a council that works together, and the current council has done well in that regard.
Candidate Chubb couldn't disagree more.
"I'm very disappointed with (Council President) Baird Gourlay and (Mayor) Randy Hall," he said, "both of whom I voted for."
Chubb, a 51-year-old software engineer, said Gourlay and Hall made decisions based on short-term needs without considering long-term consequences. He's referring to the $5.56 million debt accrued by the Urban Renewal Agency and the "hurried" annexation and zoning of Warm Springs Ranch Resort to gain some tax revenue.
The mayor and council claim growth will pay off the debt, but Chubb said that growth would have to be enormous. He wonders if people want that kind of growth.
"The city administration hasn't negotiated on behalf of its citizens," he contended.
Chubb said he voted for Hall because he claimed he would curb against excessive growth.
"And then he put a nine-story hotel in a one- and two-story residential neighborhood," he said. "What is wrong with this picture?"
Chubb said that, if elected, he would be fiscally responsible and accountable to the public.
One of his largest concerns is that Ketchum is moving toward a "generic" tourist town.
"We used to have style," he said.
Candidate Lewis, Clarion Inn owner since 1990, also wants to see some "new blood" bring life back into the community.
"We need to ... reinvent our community so that instead of falling in the polls of best resorts every year, we reverse the trend," Lewis said.
He said construction projects like River Run and Warm Springs are just the ticket.
Lewis, a graduate of the University of South Carolina in accounting, wants to also inspire new growth through incentives and work toward making the valley more accessible by providing better transportation.
Trevon Milliard: trevon@mtexpress.com
Pizza and Politics forum
Voters will have a chance to hear from and question candidates for Ketchum City Council and mayor on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m. at Ketchum City Hall, in the Mountain Express' Pizza and Politics forum.
· For Sun Valley, the forum will be at Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m.
· For Hailey and Bellevue, the forum will be at the Old Blaine County Courthouse on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6:30 p.m.
Lee Chubb
Jan Hegewald
Carter Ramsay
