Voter turnout low, voter impact high
By Eric Valentine
Ketchum is getting a new fire station. Hailey is getting a new city council. The school board has three new faces. And if anyone out there wished they had run for office, it’s—at least in Hailey—not too late.
What follows are snapshots from last Tuesday’s election that saw a mere 28.5 percent of eligible voters turn out to cast their yeas and nays. Even though just over a quarter of voters took part in the democratic process, their choices figure to have an impact on the Valley that could be felt fully and wide.
Ketchum Voters Fuel New Fire Station
According to the official Blaine County Elections Office vote count, it was a narrow victory for the City of Ketchum’s $11.5 million fire station bond, but a huge one nonetheless. A so-called super majority (66 percent) of the vote is required to pass this type of bond and just over 67 percent of Ketchum voters supported it at the polls last week.
“I think it’s great the fire station bond passed. The support by the people of Ketchum is so appreciated,” said Ketchum Fire Chief Bill McLaughlin, who took over his new post just a week after the election. “I am really excited to get that project moving and make sure that Ketchum Fire provides the best possible service to the community. I believe the new station will support keeping the fire department operationally current. The additional space for equipment will enhance firefighter safety and training.”
Ketchum’s existing fire station has been haggard for years with safety concerns and other operational issues. The city can now move forward with plans and permitting for the new 14,500-square-foot facility expecting to break ground in May. The station is slated for Saddle Road just north of the YMCA. The facility is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021.
Hailey City Council
“Bring it on!” That’s what longtime Hailey councilmember and newly elected mayor Martha Burke said regarding the changes that will be seen to the town’s leadership. Both incumbent councilmembers suffered clear defeats last week when Sam Linnet outpolled Jeff Engelhardt 1097 to 369 and Juan Martinez took in 891 votes to Pat Cooley’s 570.
The results raised questions about whether Hailey voters were responding to the significant age differences between the winners and losers. Linnet and Martinez are 30 and under. Engelhardt and Cooley are both in their 60s.
“I think this is a response to age in a way,” Burke said. “But I don’t mean that in the young and idealistic sense. I’m talking about the hopefulness we all feel during our life when we’re looking to tackle new opportunities.”
Burke elaborated that there’s a sense of “what if” in the community.
“What if Sam and Juan can figure out affordable housing, land acquisition, finding land donors, and so on?” Burke said. “There’s an excitement to that.”
During the campaign, Burke was openly critical of the outside-Hailey financial support and endorsements both challengers received from a group called Conservation Voters for Idaho, but had always said she’d be able to work with whomever got the voters’ collective nod. Post-election, Burke said credit had to be given to the amount of campaign work both Linnet and Martinez conducted.
“Their campaigns were like a ticket. They were extremely well organized,” Burke said.
Engelhardt and Cooley could actually still serve on the new city council in January. Now that Burke has been elected mayor, a city council seat will be left open in January. And in accordance with state law, Burke may appoint a qualified resident to fill the vacancy.
“I’m going to let the dust settle a bit first,” Burke said.
Mayor-elect Burke plans to present an appointment in early January to the Hailey City Council, who will then consider and vote on the nomination. Burke will take applications through the end of November, will conduct interviews along with certain city staff in early December, and will offer an appointment to the city council for consideration at the first meeting in January.
Interested residents must be qualified electors of Hailey, meaning that they must reside within the city limits of Hailey for at least 30 days prior to seeking the appointment, they must be at least 18 years of age, and they must be a U.S. citizen.
In other races:
- Ketchum voters re-elected city councilmembers Michael David and Jim Slanetz
- Blaine County School District will see three new faces on its board: Amber Larna (Zone 1), Keith Roark (Zone 3) and Lara Stone (Zone 5)
- For more races, visit www.co.blaine.id.us/196/Elections online