For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

Thorson wins big in SV mayoral race

Upsets Sun Valley Council President Williams

By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

In a mild upset Tuesday, Nov. 4, Jon Thorson defeated Latham Williams in a race to be the next mayor of Sun Valley.

With all votes tallied late Tuesday night, Thorson had earned the victory by a 380 vote to 213 vote margin.

Both candidates were vying to replace David Wilson, who announced in September he would not seek re-election.

Approximately 600 ballots were cast in the city election Tuesday, reported Sun Valley City Clerk Janis Wright. The city has approximately 810 reg-istered voters.

Some 400 votes were cast Tuesday at the polls, while an additional 200 or so were issued on absentee ballots prior to Election Day.

Wilson applauded Sun Valley voters for turning out in such large numbers. "That's a great turnout," he said. "Both sides campaigned very hard in this race."

Thorson, a retired physician, said during his campaign that he was run-ning for mayor to provide leadership in a fashion that values feedback from citizens. "This is an important time for Sun Valley, especially regarding development," he said. "This is a contest about leadership."

During his campaign, Williams told voters he also believed that the race for mayor was about leadership, asserting that he has the political ex-perience and skills to effectively lead Sun Valley for the next four years. "I want to preserve and enhance the quality of life," he said.

Williams, 42, a real-estate investor and entrepreneur, was elected to the Sun Valley City Council in 1999.

During his campaign, he vowed to pursue three primary goals as mayor of Sun Valley:

· Protecting hillsides from develop-ment by enacting and improving the city's Hillside Development Ordi-nance.

· Preserving open space areas along Sun Valley Road through rewriting the city's Comprehensive Plan and negotiating with Sun Valley Co.

· Keeping the city "fiscally sound" with a balanced budget.

Williams assured voters more than once that his experience in local gov-ernment the last four years has af-forded him the skills necessary to manage problems that arise at Sun Valley City Hall.

Williams had been endorsed by his three colleagues on the City Council: Ann Agnew, Kevin Laird and Lud Renick.

Williams told voters he would support further development of a Wood River Valley public transpor-tation system and implementation of a "Dark Sky Ordinance" that regulates light pollution.

Thorson, 72, had been campaigning very aggressively since he announced his candidacy in August.

He has not served on any city boards, but has attended nearly every Sun Valley City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meeting during the last two years. He alleged, "The attitude coming from city government is, 'We know what's best for you.'"

Thorson said his priorities as mayor would be:

· Ensuring citizens are asked for comments and listened to.

· Protecting and maintaining property values, particularly by protecting view corridors

· Working closely with Sun Valley Co. to ensure its well being and abil-ity to implement its forthcoming 50-year master plan.

· Limiting the influence of special interests, such as those of developers

Thorson said he would work to support the tourism industry in Sun Valley and Ketchum and would seek to implement a public transportation system that effectively connects all Wood River Valley communities.

Wilson said Tuesday night he believes the high turnout in the elec-tion was likely due to the contested mayoral race. Wilson ran unopposed for mayor in 1999.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.