Stories

The results are in! Jim Slanetz and Michael David have won the 2 seats on the Ketchum City Council!

It was a very close election with runner-up Charles Friedman, losing by one vote!

Here is the break down:

Jim Slanetz 437

Michael David 316

Charles Friedman 315

Julie Lynn 96

Mickey Garcia 83

The Ketchum City Council will conduct the final hearing on a green building code on May 7, 2012 after 5:30 pm.  The City has proposed adoption of the National Green Building Standard, developed by the National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council, with minor amendments.

The agenda, staff report and draft ordinance will be available about 5 days before the meeting on the City’s website:  www.ketchumidaho.org, click on Public Meeting Information/City Council Meeting Packets.  For additional information, please call Rebecca Bundy at 208.726.7801. 

Ketchum Voters and interested citizens, 

Don't miss "MEET THE CANDIDATES"  tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the Ketchum City Hall Meeting Room.

hosted by: Ketchum Committee For Better Government

Get ready for the May 15 Ketchum City Council Election.  There five candidates -  MIchael David, Charles Friedman, Mickey Garcia, Julie Lynn and Jim Slanetz.  Two will be elected to represent you for 4 years.  To get to know these candidates, bring your questions and come to:

                                                                          "MEET THE CANDIDATES"

                                                                          Wednesday - April 25, 2012

                                          ... (more)

Who May be Eligible for Assistance

Because of the complexity of the mortgage market and this agreement, which will be performed over a three-year period, borrowers will not immediately know if they are eligible for relief. Borrowers from states who did not sign the settlement will not be eligible for any of the relief directly to homeowners. Borrowers from Oklahoma will not be eligible for any of the relief directly to homeowners because Oklahoma elected not to join the settlement.

The settlement provides assistance for:

• Homeowners needing loan modifications now, including first and second lien principal reduction.  The servicers are required to work off up to $17 billion in principal reduction and other forms of loan modification relief nationwide.

  State attorneys general anticipate the settlement’s requirement for principal reduction will show other lenders that principal reduction is one effective tool in combating foreclosure and that it will not lead to widespread defaults by borrowers who really...

Federal and state officials announced this morning that the federal government and 49 state attorneys general – with Oklahoma as the lone exception – have reached a $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address what authorities describe as “loan servicing and foreclosure abuses.” 

News release from the Idaho Democratic Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Date:

Contact:

GOP Leaders Above the Law

Republican leaders have taken another shot at the redistricting process by “firing” two redistricting commissioners who have shown that they were effective and non-partisan. Make no mistake, this is a Republican against Republican fight and a clear example of the unacceptable culture in the GOP-controlled Statehouse. That culture is one of ongoing bullying and arrogance as GOP leaders seek to purge moderate, reasonable lawmakers from their ranks.

Larry Grant, Chairman of the Idaho State Democratic Party said, “This year’s redistricting fight is not between Democrats and Republicans.  It’s a fight with GOP Party bosses on one side and reasonable Republicans on the other. The first redistricting commission stalemated and was unable to draw new legislative and congressional districts for the State because the GOP commissioners were instructed not to agree to anything.”

The Attorney General’s office has... (more)

Statement to City Council January 19 by Mayor Briscoe

“I have made the decision to take action as provided by the City Administrator Employment Agreement to terminate the City Administrator under the provision in Section 3, Paragraph A, which provides for immediate termination and a lump sum severance pay equal to six months base salary. The Agreement further provides that according to this condition, the City Administrator waives her right to bring a claim of any kind fordamages against the City of Sun Valley arising from such a termination. With this action, I will now be able to turn my attention to the management of the City's business with a City Administrator for my administration.”  The City Council, by unanimous vote (4-0) confirmed the action recommended, and directed Mayor Briscoe to take such action as authorized by the employment agreement.

Idaho Democrats believe that we have a shared responsibility to ensure our public officials serve the people of Idaho and work for the common good, not special interests and the well-connected. The people of Idaho expect a level playing field where their lawmakers play by the rules. During the last week we have heard the Idaho Democratic Legislative Caucus pledging to do everything they can to restore public confidence and faith to those in public office. 

For the first time in many years it appears that the GOP might be willing to work towards meaningful ethics reform. Shelley Landry, Executive Director of the Idaho Democratic Party said, “We’re thrilled that GOP leadership has decided to join our Idaho Democratic legislators and make this a bi-partisan issue.”

 Ms. Landry went on to say, “Simply review the past year’s worth of headlines, there should be nothing divisive about us pointing out the facts.  If the GOP doesn't want to be criticized for unethical behavior, then the GOP should help... (more)

City of Sun Valley Press Release January 16, 2012

The day after a contested court hearing, including motions to stop Plaintiff's harassing discovery requests and sanction Attorney James Donoval, Sharon Hammer voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against the City of Sun Valley, Councilman Nils Ribi, City Attorney Adam King and Councilman Robert Youngman. Ms. Hammer's two other lawsuits against the City of Sun Valley are still active.

City of Sun Valley officials are glad to see that this unfounded lawsuit has been dismissed. While their counsel, Kirtlan Naylor, communicated all settlement offers by Ms. Hammer to the City, this resolution of a voluntary dismissal by Hammer is the appropriate action.

At no time did the City's insurer, ICRMP, threaten that legal counsel or insurance coverage for the City was in jeopardy, contrary to allegations by Hammer.

Mr. Naylor stated in court at the hearing, held January 11, that the City's investigative report, which has been the subject of much discussion in the news and... (more)

If your thinking about doing business in Camas County - this article is worth reading, but even more factual information is available by opening the links to legal cases filed against Camas County and the Judges final conclusions.

CLICK HERE:http://bit.ly/CamasCountyCorruption

Just thinking about this stuff again turns my stomach and puts me in a toxic mood.

George Martin, Jr.

Tried to make a difference, but lost . . .

[Update: See full agenda below]

Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter announced today that the Blaine County community of Sun Valley will be Idaho's 'Capital for a Day' on Wednesday, December 21st. The event will coincide with the celebration of Sun Valley's 75th anniversary.

Governor Otter brings State government to Idahoans living outside Boise each month by making a different town in Idaho the state's 'Capital for a Day.' The events provide local residents an all-day opportunity to have open discussions about government issues with Governor Otter, members of his Cabinet and other senior State officials.

The open meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sun Valley Inn, Continental Room. Governor Otter will join Mayor Wayne Willich and other local leaders for a lunch at noon at the same location. The public is encouraged to attend the lunch, which will cost $10 per person.

Officials joining Governor Otter and First Lady Lori Otter at Capital for a Day will include Lieutenant Governor Brad Little; Secretary of State... (more)

In a move the city anticipates will provide better service to town residents and improved working conditions for city employees, the City of Bellevue has wrapped up a major move and remodel that has relocated the town’s library and marshall’s office, remodeled city hall and expanded the council chambers. The library opened its door for business in its new space on November 21 but the quiet opening belies the amount of work it took to relocate this community resource, as well as the changes that have taken place at city hall.Nearly a month ago, the library began moving its entire inventory of books, computers and the librarian’s office out of city hall, next door to the building that formerly housed the Bellevue Marshall’s office.  As part of the move, the ground floor space in the city hall the library used to occupy was recently re-modeled, allowing city staff to reconfigure office spaces to complete their work more efficiently. The Bellevue Marshall’s office swapped spaces with the relocated library... (more)

We would like to thank everyone who helped on our initiative campaign, which brought the opportunity to the voters to choose which form of government would best serve Ketchum’s future.  And thank you to the voters, especially those who took the time to study the issue and understand that the Council-Manager Form of Government is simply about professional management and enhancing the ability for elected officials to set policy and plan for the future. 

The Ketchum Committee For Better Government is a broad based group who believe that Ketchum is a gem.  It is our greatest asset and we will continue to participate because we want our community to move forward to a positive and prosperous future.  We hope that our efforts will encourage greater involvement and that our government becomes one that is transparent, and encourages diverse, open discussion in the future.

Thanks again and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 Ketchum Committee For Better Government

In 2004, Congress passed and President Bush signed a “tax holiday” for America’s largest corporations. The thinking was that if corporations could bring back, or “repatriate” funds they were holding in off-shore accounts, that money could be used to hire new workers.

It didn’t quite work out that way. Turns out, 92 cents of every dollar corporations brought back to the U.S. didn’t go to hiring American workers, but rather ended up in the pockets of CEOs and shareholders through bloated compensation packages, stock buybacks and bigger dividends.

Example: the top five executives at Johnson & Johnson, which laid off 9,900 American workers since their last “holiday,” saw their pay increase by $33 million a year in just three years. For the CEOs, this really was a holiday.

Now guess what? They’re back. Lobbyists for many of the nation’s largest corporations are telling Congress that if they can just have one more tax holiday, one more tax break, they will bring home hundreds of billions of dollars and use the cash to... (more)

Three new city council members were elected with a single vote deciding the third slot. The three with the most votes were Janet Duffy, Amber Avila and Dave Hattula. The $375,000 bond issue to support Fire Department failed to get the necessary 66% with just 58% voting in favor.

Fritz Haemmerle handily won the mayoral race over incumbent Rick Davis with nearly twice as many votes. Voters rejected the ban on plastic bags. In the one city council position vote, Pat Cooley won with 56% of all of the votes. 

The $14 million bond for capital infrastructure needed 66% to pass but received 64% so it failed. In the race for mayor, Sun Valley Council President, Dewayne Briscoe won narrowly over current Sun Valley mayor, Wayne Willich. In council elections, Michelle Griffith won the most votes followed by Franz Suhadolnik. The top two vote getters will sit for four years with existing council members Youngman and Ribi.

A strong turnout in Ketchum. Voters weighed in on whether they wanted to change the form of government. Fourty-three percent voted in favor of change while 57% voted against.

As a result, the city council vote was null and void since the form of government didn't change. Thus, Mayor Randy Hall and council members Larry Helzel, Baird Gourlay, Nina Jonas and Curtis Kemp held their seats.

(Chicago) – The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to City of Sun Valley by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).  Mayor Wayne Willich and the City Council were instrumental in achieving this prestigious award.  It would not have been possible without their support. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

                An Award of Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to the individual(s), department or agency designated by the government as primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning CAFR.  This has been presented to:

Sharon Hammer, City Administrator

Michelle Frostenson,... (more)

Sun Valley, Idaho – At their Fall State Central Committee meeting, Democrats voted unanimously to keep their primary open to everyone in order to encourage voter participation 2012 primary election. 

State Chair Larry Grant said, “We didn’t waste any time talking about closing our primary. Not a single person on our State Central Committee was interested in disenfranchising voters.  The Democratic Party welcomes everyone that has been thrown out of the Republican Party by the extremists trying to purify their ranks by closing their primary.”

Other Democratic Party leaders agreed. House Minority Leader John Rusche said, “Our Democratic Legislators represent everyone in their districts, not just the Democrats but Republicans and Independents as well, so our election process should reflect that.” Susan Eastlake, Idaho Democratic Party Treasurer, went on to add, “We have always been the party of inclusivity and openness and I don’t want to see that change now just because the Republicans have closed their... (more)

A GE study of airspace around Sun Valley Airport has identified significant improvements in airport access that could be achieved during periods of inclement weather with the deployment of new, advanced instrument approach procedures. The study found that new procedures, using Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology, would allow Bombardier Q400 passenger turboprops, like the ones operated by Horizon Air, to operate at Sun Valley on days of low ceiling and visibility that currently force diversions and cancellations.

In addition to lowering decision heights and visibility requirements for commercial carriers, new RNP procedures could also provide benefits to general aviation and business aircraft operators at Sun Valley, depending on aircraft type, crew training and performance capabilities.

Based on study findings, the deployment of new optimized RNP approach paths would allow Q400 Turboprops to land at Sun Valley on days during the year when weather conditions currently prevent them from operating. Unlike... (more)

Dear Friends: If we don't create the community we want, who will?

The City of Ketchum is embarking on a very important project in the upcoming year "Planning Our Common Future" a rewrite of the Ketchum Comprehensive Plan. The comprehensive plan turns community visions and values into a roadmap for its future, complete with an outline for action. Joyce Allgaier, the Ketchum's Planning Manager is managing this project. She wants to confirm and build on the work we did in January, to create a foundation document that will be representative of the visions and aspirations for the people of our community.

To do this we need to keep involved and share our knowledge, experience and passion. The process is beginning with a kick off event* "Planning Our Common Future" this Wednesday, October 26th at River Run Lodge from 6-8 p.m. * An engaging speaker from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Chris Gates ,will host this all-community forum. A past president of the National Civic League, Chris is a thought leader in... (more)

The government may turn to foreigners to shore up the weak housing market.

A bill co-authored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) aims to use the appeal of U.S. residence visas to entice foreigners to buy American homes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

If passed, the bill would offer a U.S. residence visa to any foreigner who makes a cash investment of at least $500,000 in U.S. residential real estate.

"This is a way to create more demand without costing the federal government a nickel," Schumer told the WSJ.

Foreign demand for American homes has been growing as prospective American buyers remain skittish. Foreign purchases of U.S. residential real estate rose 24 percent to $82 billion in the year ending in March 2011 compared to the year before, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Both low housing prices and a weak U.S. dollar have made American real estate an enticing bargain for foreign investors, according to a Capital Economics report cited by DSNews.com. For example,... (more)

The Blaine County Hearing Examiner meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening at 6:30 pm has been cancelled. The Variance requested by the owner of 110 Whipsaw Lane is under further review and may be scheduled at a later date. If you have any questions, please call the Land Use Office at 788-5570 between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday.