Council member Martha Burke announces she will run for mayor in November
By Eric Valentine
Hailey’s next two elections took clearer shape in one city council meeting this week. Sitting councilmember Martha Burke declared her candidacy for mayor of Hailey and the city council as a whole declared the need for more revenue. That is, if residents want the “streetscape” improvements many folks say Hailey needs.
Council members voted unanimously to place on the May 21 special election ballot an increase in Idaho Power’s so-called franchise fee from 1 percent to 3 percent. A franchise fee is a charge to the utility from the city, and is usually based on a percentage of the utility’s gross
revenues collected from customers located within city limits.
In other words, everyone’s power bill is going up a bit if a simple majority of voters say it’s OK to do so. The measure, if approved, would likely add an additional $120,000 to the city public works budget.
The vote came on the heels of Burke’s surprise announcement at the beginning of Monday’s session at City Hall. Burke said her time on the council and involvement in the community has made her ready for a more “enhanced” role in city government.
“I think it’s high time you stepped up,” Mayor Fritz Haemmerle told Burke. “I’d be happy to pass the baton to you.”
Ballot May 21
City staff gave the council three ballot initiatives to choose from Monday night. Behind door 1: a tax levy that would have raised nearly half a million dollars more per year for the next two years. Behind door 2: a tax levy that would have raised nearly half a million dollars more per year, permanently.
Those options, staff and council predict, would not only fund the streetscape improvements, but a still-being-concepted town square many residents want to see. The town square would be located in a central Hailey area and could play host to both permanent and temporary vendors, special events and more. Think Ketchum Town Square and you get the idea, but so far a preferred location has not been identified.
The council and the mayor all agreed that asking voters to support a levy for an unformed idea—as popular as it seems to be—would not be politically or fiscally very wise.
“We’re not anywhere near stepping forward and saying ‘cut the ribbon,’ we can do it,” Burke said.
However, the council did show interest in the idea of a so-called town square “pop-up” (a temporary location and/or set of structures) this summer.
Ballot Nov. 5
Since Haemmerle’s surprise announcement in February that he would not be seeking reelection as Hailey’s mayor, no one has stepped up to throw their proverbial hat into the ring, until Burke did so Monday night. Haemmerle hosted a special town hall session in March he dubbed “political karaoke” to elicit mayoral candidates. While many residents spoke about their vision for their city, no one declared their candidacy.
Burke is a veteran councilmember, having served since 1993. Among other community and civic roles, she has also served a 15-year tenure on the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority board of directors.