This past Sunday was yet another example of the failings in the leadership—elected and appointed—for the city of Ketchum.
Sunday was a very heavy snow day with snow falling virtually all day into the evening. While the snow piled up to a point where driving became very dangerous, not a single snowplow was seen clearing the streets of Ketchum. In contrast, the roads in Sun Valley remained in good condition due to frequent snowplow activity, and Highway 75 from the cemetery north was totally cleared.
This reminds me of last year when the Wood River Valley lost all electrical power and we were left with no phone, Internet or cell service. With no source of news on the status of outage repairs, I drove over to Ketchum City Hall expecting to find someone—or at least some posted notices—with updates on the outage. Both the Police Department and Fire Department were locked up tight and abandoned, with no notices posted with news for local residents.
I drove over to Sun Valley City Hall and a fire engine was stationed in the parking lot with two firemen waiting for any emergency calls. They were very helpful in providing me with an update on the outage and projected times for service to be resumed.
We have city government for the purpose of providing residents and visitors with the essential public services we need, especially in times of severe weather conditions or emergencies. Those services need to be provided 365 days per year—no Sundays and holidays off for city employees. The leadership of Ketchum prefers to spend its time playing politics and fighting over non-essential public services. We need a change in attitudes, or a total change in the leadership—elected and appointed. Sun Valley makes Ketchum look like an inept community.
David H. Anderson
Ketchum
