Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Ketchum mayor to marry same-sex couple

Jennifer Smith and Heather Johns are city employees


By AMY BUSEK
Express Staff Writer

    The city of Ketchum has announced the upcoming nuptials of two Ketchum Parks and Recreation employees, following the statewide legalization of same-sex marriage on Oct. 15.
    An Oct. 16 city newsletter indicated that Jennifer Smith, director of parks and recreation, and Heather Johns, a city information services coordinator, were among the first gay couples to apply for a marriage license in Blaine County.
    They will be joined in a ceremony this month with Mayor Nina Jonas officiating. Their legal marriage was recorded by the county last week.
    “To me, it’s finally being able to acknowledge someone’s love in a public forum in a traditional way, never mind all the elements that come with a legal license,” Jonas said.
    Smith and Johns met on Bald Mountain in 2008 while skiing, the city newsletter states. Smith has worked for the city for 13 years and Johns moved to Ketchum from Boise after the pair met. She previously served in the U.S. Air Force.
    “It didn’t take long for us to realize how much more we had in common,” Smith said. “Love of the outdoors, the live-and-let-live nature of Idaho, dogs, political debates and the humor that we found in every way and in everything possible.”
Amy Busek: abusek@mtexpress.com




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