The Old Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey was packed Wednesday night for the last of the 28th annual Pizza and Politics forums, sponsored by the Idaho Mountain Express. Two veteran city council politicos in Hailey and Bellevue faced off against challenges from younger, untried opponents.
In about two weeks, voters in both towns will have to decide what matters most: a proven track record of governing experience or fresh perspectives and new ideas.
Hailey City Council
In a city that prides itself on a diverse economy and family-friendly neighborhoods, this race may be largely a matter of trust with voters, rather than a choice between divergent interests. Both candidates want to expand job opportunities while maintaining the town's charm and "walkability." Neither of them say they want Hailey to become the increasingly vacant town of second-home owners they say Ketchum and Sun Valley have become.
Hailey City Council incumbent and former P&Z Commissioner Martha Burke faced off against challenger Anthony St. George, a 33-year-old real estate agent with Ketchum-based Rokan, a real estate investment firm, saying she had fought for years to maintain Hailey's charm in the face of development pressure.
"We have fought off K-Mart and Walmart," said Burke, who lives in the same Old Hailey neighborhood as her opponent, a neighborhood that has faced what she called "business creep" from commercial developments in recent years.
"The biggest threat to Hailey is outside interests that will sacrifice Hailey for big profits," said Burke, who questioned the intentions of St. George, whom she described as "an agent" of real estate development interests.
St. George conceded that he works for developers, but that he would not "sell out" the city.
"Trust me," he said.
Burke is staking a large part of the city's economic future on development of the acreage under Friedman Memorial Airport, which she said could accommodate businesses, affordable housing and even a college campus, when the airport is relocated.
St. George was hesitant to express clear support for the airport relocation, even after former Hailey Mayor Keith Roark loudly challenged him on the issue for an "unequivocal" answer.
"It seems like a done deal to me already," he said, adding that he would like to see Ketchum and Sun Valley have a part in the relocation process.
Both candidates called the Hailey Planning Department's expectation that the town's population would nearly double by 2025 a "high estimate." Burke said "densifying" Old Hailey would not be in the best interest of the city, while St. George said he would not like to see the canyons surrounding the city "sprawl" with annexations.
Burke added that the town's population would ultimately be controlled by the amount of water resources and the city's sewer capacity.
The candidates differed sharply on the matter of development impact fees, which were challenged by a ballot initiative last year. St. George said the fees "disincentivize" new businesses. Burke said the philosophy has long been that growth should pay for itself by having developers buy in to the city's amenities and services by paying the per-square foot fees.
St. George said he would like to see "more Marketrons," referring to the high-tech company that built an office in Hailey 10 years ago, but then expanded to Boise. Burke said the city has been proactive already in bringing in Rocky Mountain Hardware.
Both candidates support extending the city's local option tax for 20 years, an initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot that will need 60 percent of voters to succeed.
Both candidates also supported expanding state Highway 75 between Hailey and Ketchum to four lanes. And both said they would like to keep Hailey economically viable, with jobs enough to keep and attract young families.
"My daughter in Jackson said she would rather not be able to afford living here than in Jackson," Burke said with a laugh.
Burke said affordable and workforce housing was "a step in the right direction," to overcome the high cost of real estate. St. George said there were plenty of young people in Los Angeles, despite high real estate costs there.
"They rent. They used mixed-use apartments," he said.
After the forum, St. George said he would not let his real estate concerns affect his judgement as a councilman.
"The city of Hailey would be my client," he said.
Incumbent Don Keirn is running unopposed for his seat.
Bellevue City Council
Down the road in Bellevue, three council seats are being contested. Incumbents Brett Gelskey and Gene Ramsey face challenges from David Hattula and Tom Perry.
Perry could not attend the forum because he was teaching a class at CSI. Gelsky said he was feeling sick and could not attend.
Hattula, with no experience in government, said he was "not a politician, but a public servant" who would seek volunteer efforts from the community to attend to the city's economic problems during the recession. He recently volunteered time and materials to paint the historic Old City Hall.
Ramsey, chief deputy of the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, said he would like the city to build a new City Hall, and supported working in cooperation with other municipalities in the valley.
"There was a league of mayors here at one time," he said.
Ramsey said he was proud of the efforts of the council in annexing the Strayhorn subdivision after four years of work on the details, but that he would not support annexations in the near future.
Hattula, who lives beside the future site of Strayhorn said he was "up in the air" about the development. He said in comparison to other cities to the north, "Bellevue already is affordable housing."
Both candidates said they support keeping the controversial 25-mph speed limit through the city, and the relocation of the airport from Hailey.
Hattula said the city could help stimulate the local economy by allowing for increased use of business signs and by increasing parking allowances. Ramsey expressed support for the efforts of Sustain Blaine in regional economic development.
"There are already more people shopping locally, rather than going to Twin Falls," he said.
Both candidates said they support more community involvement in Bellevue politics and decision making, something that was missing at Wednesday's forum. Only two Bellevue voters turned out for the event.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
Bellevue City Council hopeful David Hattula fields a question from incumbent Gene Ramsey.
