Interesting that there was no coverage of this meeting in today's Mountain Express. How can they not cover one of the most important meetings of the year?
When the KURA was originally started under Rand Hall's administration it was to have NO MEMBERS of the City Council and was to be completely independent from the City Governments influence ... and now here we are ... in my view, the KURA should be completely dismantled ..it has become an arm of the Mayor and his Council and is no longer and actually NEVER been an independent organization spending millions upon millions of our hard earned tax dollars.
The Mayor is very very smart and has figured out how to manipulate all the instruments of government to achieve his agenda. It's even worse than you note, as it is literally TENS of millions of dollars, and KURA has stated a goal of spending every possible dollar it can before its authority expires. All of this diverts tax revenue away from the General Fund to the control of these unelected, unaccountable appointees of the Mayor. It is an incredible abuse of power. And this is being done not just with KURA, but also with BCHA and SVASB.
Why wasn't that specified in that governing documents of the KURA?
There are City Council members listed as Directors/Officers and all but one member is tied, directly or indirectly (e.g. a spouse) to the development/construction industry. The very manner in which they are funded drives projects like replacing parking lots with buildings that have a much higher tax assessment.
This is all so wrong that I wonder how this group was ever formed.
Well done Perry! Like the cicadas valley residents are finally starting to come out from underground following an extended period of isolation as a consequence of the Covid pandemic. During that time an aggressive malignant growth agenda driven by valley government owned by special interests has systematically bypassed legitimate analysis and review processes with limited public participation which once influenced healthy decisions and outcomes for the community.
Running a narrow agenda is easy. Bringing the public into conversations and applying critical in-depth analysis to both prospective financial and social consequences of important decisions being made by elected officials - DEMOCRACY - is difficult, why it is precious and worth fighting for whether in the WRV or Ukaraine. The troika is done, hopefully Putin as well sometime soon.
Well done sir, you have made a difference, and I respect and admire that.
How about an event open hosted by the business community to address these issues? A formal invitation can be made to the mayor for a productive debate. It's time that we get the voters and stakeholders together and it does not have to be at city hall where you only get 2 minutes and the Mayor disregards your comments. This will build the proper momentum to vote any corruption or reckless agendas out of office.
Ken, that is a sensible suggestion. It has actually been happening. The City Planning department has been hosting a series of informal coffee conversations at local businesses for the Mayor and Council. They have received the message that what they are doing with the Main Street and Washington Project will be devastating to local businesses.
Yet, they are full speed ahead in pushing through their agenda to remove parking from the commercial core while increasing demand for parking and in building more box-like massive Bluebirds in the commercial core to provide housing to transient, low-paid tourism industry workers as corporate subsidization for Sun Valley Co and large out-of-state tourism industry employers who seek to exploit what Ketchum has to offer.
This is so basic that I can't understand why it hasn't been addressed.
I would like to see a public debate between Perry and the Mayor on issues to hear the pros and cons. My guess would be that Perry would welcome this but the Mayor would not. Hence we have very little transparency on this local government and they just press on doing permanent damage to Ketchum and what Ketchum represents to the community and visitors.
Thanks for sharing your views. Absolutely if there is no where to park, customers and tourists will pass on visiting shops in our downtown core. Keep on advocating for our business owners and let’s get that necessary housing built outside of the retail area. Well done!
There will be a City lead (KURA) open meeting July 24 (I think that is the date set by Suzanne Frick). The meeting will most likely be held at the Limelight Hotel in the public meeting rooms on the West side of the building.
KBAB will rally as many people as possible to attend this meeting and voice their opinions and oppositions.
KBAB's mission leading up to this meeting will be focused on educating the public about their rights and needs, what they have and don't have and what they stand to lose if the centralized parking is non existent.
This is more than cars versus people.
We encourage everyone who reads this missive to sign our online petition and send it to others at change.org:
Agree with u 100%. Next battle forest service park. Give me a break what mayor and council are considering…how about leaving it alone and let us all enjoy the history and summer music.
I feel like we are fighting an enemy, rather than trying to manage a community. The Troika has permanently damaged Ketchum with their myopic, self serving planning. The checks and balances necessary in a Democracy have been decimated. Much of what has been done, or will be done, cannot be undone. There is no accountability for those that implemented these changes. More adverse changes to the town are on the docket, despite the outcry by the community.
Is it not time for a recall petition for the Troika? What other choice do we have?
One key complaint about the Troika is that it does not listen to the community. Although it holds many listening meetings, it never incorporates community feedback into its decisions. They make a lot of very costly decisions with no input from the people who would be impacted. For example, I just got an email from an essential worker who is housing challenged but makes too much to live in Bluebird and sees nothing from the City that would be helpful to a family like his. There is no survey work of employees or employers to find out what we really need--why bother when you plan to replace them all to accomplish your Aspen vision for Ketchum. Now, they want to commercialize Forest Service Park. It will never end as long as they are in power. A recall would be great. It is a lot of work and requires a leader to manage it.
You flatter me. I no longer even qualify as "middle-aged" and I have my hands full in Ukraine. I am hoping people like Tripp and his generation will step up--they are the ones who have the most interest in creating a Ketchum where they can thrive.
A better choice is the Council - Manager Form of Government. A recall is a bandaid with no guarantee of healing the wound. The Council-Manager Form of Government is a long-term solution for a government that Ketchum needs and deserves.
Perhaps that is a better form of government, in the long term. However, in the short term, Ketchum is bleeding and much of the damage already done is irreversible. In my view, we need to act now, before more damage is done. What's next? Take out the Forest Service Park? Once it's gone, it cannot be put back. In my view, something needs to be done now, as the Troika will just continue to do what they do. Time is of the essence.
Both a recall and form of government change require a vote of the people. The procedure of getting a recall on the ballot is limited to an initiative petition. The form of government needs either an initiative petition or a resolution by the council. I have been involved in both processes. A resolution of the council can be done immediately, while a petition takes months, therefore the form of government change could be accomplished in a more timely manner. See Idaho Statutes: 50-802
It would most likely require an initiative petition to get on a ballot, but yes, I think it is VERY possible.
In 2011, the elected officials were interested in considering the change, but hesitant to move forward with a resolution to get it in front of the voters. So a small, dedicated, grass roots group of people I worked with got the signatures needed on an initiative petition. It was highly contested by the special interest groups but we got it on the ballot, a feat in itself! The voter turnout was high, more than 50%. Even though the measure failed, we got 43% of the vote.
And the stakes are higher now...
Check out ICMA (International City/County Management Association at: icma.org search: Council/Manager Form of Government
I don't think the majority of the City Council would vote to mitigate the ability they now have to make decisions and change Ketchum to their vision. In waiting for a ballot measure, their damage will continue and cannot be undone.
Once the Forest Service Park is gone, its gone. A recall petition, while it also takes time, is at least a red flag that the Community does not approve of the direction that the Council has taken. This could be accomplished by publicizing the petition count along the way. If there was an overwhelming support, that would have to stall these detrimental actions. At least it might give pause to those Council members who believe they were elected to implement what they see fit, in contrast to understanding and implementing what the Community desires. On the flip side, maybe the Community does support the Troika, in which case the issue is settled and those of us who don't like their changes can just move? After all, to a number of residents, the affordable housing focus is "free stuff."
I have a vision of an event in the courtyard outside Starbucks hosted by all of the interested parties. We can advertise via the Mountain Express and your publication. It will boost awareness to these issues and get more people subscribing to your publication. Maybe some music and cheap drinks afterwards. The challenge is always getting the mass to be aware and take action. There is not a better time than in July or August. As you are aware, large groups attending meetings at the city were not effective with Troika
I like it! My challenge is that I am working with Ukraine on some things to help them win the war, so I am on a heavy travel schedule. I will be out of town from July 12-August 12. Maybe KBAC could organize this?
Interesting that there was no coverage of this meeting in today's Mountain Express. How can they not cover one of the most important meetings of the year?
AGREED!
When the KURA was originally started under Rand Hall's administration it was to have NO MEMBERS of the City Council and was to be completely independent from the City Governments influence ... and now here we are ... in my view, the KURA should be completely dismantled ..it has become an arm of the Mayor and his Council and is no longer and actually NEVER been an independent organization spending millions upon millions of our hard earned tax dollars.
The Mayor is very very smart and has figured out how to manipulate all the instruments of government to achieve his agenda. It's even worse than you note, as it is literally TENS of millions of dollars, and KURA has stated a goal of spending every possible dollar it can before its authority expires. All of this diverts tax revenue away from the General Fund to the control of these unelected, unaccountable appointees of the Mayor. It is an incredible abuse of power. And this is being done not just with KURA, but also with BCHA and SVASB.
Why wasn't that specified in that governing documents of the KURA?
There are City Council members listed as Directors/Officers and all but one member is tied, directly or indirectly (e.g. a spouse) to the development/construction industry. The very manner in which they are funded drives projects like replacing parking lots with buildings that have a much higher tax assessment.
This is all so wrong that I wonder how this group was ever formed.
Well done Perry! Like the cicadas valley residents are finally starting to come out from underground following an extended period of isolation as a consequence of the Covid pandemic. During that time an aggressive malignant growth agenda driven by valley government owned by special interests has systematically bypassed legitimate analysis and review processes with limited public participation which once influenced healthy decisions and outcomes for the community.
Running a narrow agenda is easy. Bringing the public into conversations and applying critical in-depth analysis to both prospective financial and social consequences of important decisions being made by elected officials - DEMOCRACY - is difficult, why it is precious and worth fighting for whether in the WRV or Ukaraine. The troika is done, hopefully Putin as well sometime soon.
Well done sir, you have made a difference, and I respect and admire that.
How about an event open hosted by the business community to address these issues? A formal invitation can be made to the mayor for a productive debate. It's time that we get the voters and stakeholders together and it does not have to be at city hall where you only get 2 minutes and the Mayor disregards your comments. This will build the proper momentum to vote any corruption or reckless agendas out of office.
Ken, that is a sensible suggestion. It has actually been happening. The City Planning department has been hosting a series of informal coffee conversations at local businesses for the Mayor and Council. They have received the message that what they are doing with the Main Street and Washington Project will be devastating to local businesses.
Yet, they are full speed ahead in pushing through their agenda to remove parking from the commercial core while increasing demand for parking and in building more box-like massive Bluebirds in the commercial core to provide housing to transient, low-paid tourism industry workers as corporate subsidization for Sun Valley Co and large out-of-state tourism industry employers who seek to exploit what Ketchum has to offer.
This is so basic that I can't understand why it hasn't been addressed.
I would like to see a public debate between Perry and the Mayor on issues to hear the pros and cons. My guess would be that Perry would welcome this but the Mayor would not. Hence we have very little transparency on this local government and they just press on doing permanent damage to Ketchum and what Ketchum represents to the community and visitors.
As usual, the truth and I’m for a vote by community about a lot of things!
Thanks for sharing your views. Absolutely if there is no where to park, customers and tourists will pass on visiting shops in our downtown core. Keep on advocating for our business owners and let’s get that necessary housing built outside of the retail area. Well done!
There will be a City lead (KURA) open meeting July 24 (I think that is the date set by Suzanne Frick). The meeting will most likely be held at the Limelight Hotel in the public meeting rooms on the West side of the building.
KBAB will rally as many people as possible to attend this meeting and voice their opinions and oppositions.
KBAB's mission leading up to this meeting will be focused on educating the public about their rights and needs, what they have and don't have and what they stand to lose if the centralized parking is non existent.
This is more than cars versus people.
We encourage everyone who reads this missive to sign our online petition and send it to others at change.org:
https://www.change.org/p/pause-washington-street-lot-development
Even if you live in the County or South Valley (and most of us business owners do) your voice counts.
If you drive a car, and everyone does, you need to park for more than 15 minutes or two hours in a centralized spot to enjoy Ketchum.
We appreciate our communities courage to speak out now.
Thank you to all of our customers and friends.
Agree with u 100%. Next battle forest service park. Give me a break what mayor and council are considering…how about leaving it alone and let us all enjoy the history and summer music.
I’ve never heard it presented better—-
I feel like we are fighting an enemy, rather than trying to manage a community. The Troika has permanently damaged Ketchum with their myopic, self serving planning. The checks and balances necessary in a Democracy have been decimated. Much of what has been done, or will be done, cannot be undone. There is no accountability for those that implemented these changes. More adverse changes to the town are on the docket, despite the outcry by the community.
Is it not time for a recall petition for the Troika? What other choice do we have?
One key complaint about the Troika is that it does not listen to the community. Although it holds many listening meetings, it never incorporates community feedback into its decisions. They make a lot of very costly decisions with no input from the people who would be impacted. For example, I just got an email from an essential worker who is housing challenged but makes too much to live in Bluebird and sees nothing from the City that would be helpful to a family like his. There is no survey work of employees or employers to find out what we really need--why bother when you plan to replace them all to accomplish your Aspen vision for Ketchum. Now, they want to commercialize Forest Service Park. It will never end as long as they are in power. A recall would be great. It is a lot of work and requires a leader to manage it.
Yes, and you are that leader. I am old and tired. The baton is passed to younger folks, like you.
You flatter me. I no longer even qualify as "middle-aged" and I have my hands full in Ukraine. I am hoping people like Tripp and his generation will step up--they are the ones who have the most interest in creating a Ketchum where they can thrive.
A better choice is the Council - Manager Form of Government. A recall is a bandaid with no guarantee of healing the wound. The Council-Manager Form of Government is a long-term solution for a government that Ketchum needs and deserves.
Your proposal bears a lot more discussion. Let's noodle on how to get the public informed on that option. Thanks!
Perhaps that is a better form of government, in the long term. However, in the short term, Ketchum is bleeding and much of the damage already done is irreversible. In my view, we need to act now, before more damage is done. What's next? Take out the Forest Service Park? Once it's gone, it cannot be put back. In my view, something needs to be done now, as the Troika will just continue to do what they do. Time is of the essence.
Both a recall and form of government change require a vote of the people. The procedure of getting a recall on the ballot is limited to an initiative petition. The form of government needs either an initiative petition or a resolution by the council. I have been involved in both processes. A resolution of the council can be done immediately, while a petition takes months, therefore the form of government change could be accomplished in a more timely manner. See Idaho Statutes: 50-802
As long as the Troika controls the Council, do you think this could happen? We need to make it an issue for the next election!
It would most likely require an initiative petition to get on a ballot, but yes, I think it is VERY possible.
In 2011, the elected officials were interested in considering the change, but hesitant to move forward with a resolution to get it in front of the voters. So a small, dedicated, grass roots group of people I worked with got the signatures needed on an initiative petition. It was highly contested by the special interest groups but we got it on the ballot, a feat in itself! The voter turnout was high, more than 50%. Even though the measure failed, we got 43% of the vote.
And the stakes are higher now...
Check out ICMA (International City/County Management Association at: icma.org search: Council/Manager Form of Government
I don't think the majority of the City Council would vote to mitigate the ability they now have to make decisions and change Ketchum to their vision. In waiting for a ballot measure, their damage will continue and cannot be undone.
Once the Forest Service Park is gone, its gone. A recall petition, while it also takes time, is at least a red flag that the Community does not approve of the direction that the Council has taken. This could be accomplished by publicizing the petition count along the way. If there was an overwhelming support, that would have to stall these detrimental actions. At least it might give pause to those Council members who believe they were elected to implement what they see fit, in contrast to understanding and implementing what the Community desires. On the flip side, maybe the Community does support the Troika, in which case the issue is settled and those of us who don't like their changes can just move? After all, to a number of residents, the affordable housing focus is "free stuff."
I have a vision of an event in the courtyard outside Starbucks hosted by all of the interested parties. We can advertise via the Mountain Express and your publication. It will boost awareness to these issues and get more people subscribing to your publication. Maybe some music and cheap drinks afterwards. The challenge is always getting the mass to be aware and take action. There is not a better time than in July or August. As you are aware, large groups attending meetings at the city were not effective with Troika
I like it! My challenge is that I am working with Ukraine on some things to help them win the war, so I am on a heavy travel schedule. I will be out of town from July 12-August 12. Maybe KBAC could organize this?