Taxation without representation. It's frustrating to see what is going on, try to alert the public and still watch people vote against their best interest. Keep up the passion for Ketchum Perry! There are a bunch of us who feel the same way. Elections are coming...
I think you asked about cost overruns, correct? Did you notice Mr Reilly did not answer the question about Main Sreet project cost overruns? He just said the City budget hadn’t needed to be adjusted. When I pointed out that the city’s cash contribution to Bluebird ended up 4x the original budget he started with a personal attack before asserting this time it will be different. It could be different. But he doesn’t work for KURA and does not control this project or its budget. Ms Frick does. His point that this protect would be fixed price with cost overruns borne by the developer is unlikely to be true in my juudgment. The developer has no money. They are a non profit. They have shifted all of their costs to date for this project to KURA under a reimbursement agreement should the project not move forward.
Also, Mr Reilly knows that parking is not on the council’s work plan—he presented that work plan himself at the last council meeting. Last night was just theater to mollify KBAC.
It was a foregone conclusion when the mayor put Ms Frick, who he has honcho Bluebird, in charge of KURA. I am saddened that Mr Reilly has allowed himself to be part of the PR campaign. He knows there is no parking plan for Ketchum because he was tasked with cresting it and didn’t do it. What really troubled me about the meeting was the tacit acceptance that Ketchum needs to be more like Park City and Aspen.
@ BB & EC - Nor will the Doctrine of Sustainability which has been adopted and used for shelter by elected officials of Ketchum, Hailey and Blaine. Note that the adopted budgets of those three exceed $100 million for the coming fiscal year. I exclude City of Sun Valley from the total, as its primary concern is prosperity of the Resort, and the Republican majorities of SVC are OK with that (apparently).
Jim Little and his Motley Band of Whiteboy Marionettes spew the traditional right-wing, clichéd pablum that 'Big Government is Bad Government' and that it needs to be refrained from meddling with the free market, but it has no problem enacting legislation that denies small resort towns the ability to manage and regulate the proliferation of short-term rentals, not to mention the right of women to decide whether they will carry a child to term. That mindset is also working very well with global heating on full-boil.
Part of this is patriarchal, part of it is the fear of being irrelevant and impotent, and part of it is a lame and puerile belief that they know what is right in the eyes of their “god” (Man shall have dominion...) It’s closer to a form of herd mentality grounded in ignorance and self-infatuation than a mandate to govern. In addition to fighting KURA, the KBAC might consider raising its game and including the cretins in the State Capitol in their lawsuit.
The right-wingers have created a realm of false promises and one reason that there are blueprints for Bluebirds on the books is because the people who want to rent to short-term visitors can do so with alacrity. It's the Wild West all over again, transposed to the universe of the internet.
Perry, you think Ketchum has problems? It's the tip of an iceberg. Your problems are symptomatic of the kind of white-boy thinking that's rampant in Boise.
Little Jim Little and His Marionettes are closer to the root cause of an economic and legislative ecosystem that making it possible to slowly turn the WRV into a typical American quasi-suburban nightmare. The Troika is just another brick in the 'effing wall.
From today's NY Times: How One of the World’s Richest Men Is Avoiding $8 Billion in Taxes
My point is: quite dicking around at City Hall. Take the fight to Boise with a lawsuit on behalf of Idaho's resort towns. Bradshaw, Breen and Hamilton are two-bit players in a rigged game. They are just cretinous and unconscious tools of the system that is locking in Climate Change. Remember, they do NOT care what you think. Why? Because they don't have to. This pretty much applies to the KBAC, too. You're barking up the wrong tree.
Personally, I think you and the KBAC are going to get played by a regulatory environment in Idaho (and the country) that is actually the root cause of the issue you're trying to address. You're actually tilting at windmills and your adversaries are laughing all the way to the bank. Think in terms of First Principles, not like rubes. You think the next mayor is going to solve your problems? Think again. Go for the jugular. It's in Boise, not at Ketchum's City Hall.
Remember, it doesn't have to be this way. The last time I touched on this topic with you, your response was "State laws will not allow it". Well, change the 'effing laws. A costly effort? The gods know there's some money in that little town.
The trouble is, a lot of the people who could easily fund a lawsuit are going to oppose it because they are deeply vested in maintaining the status quo. Your so-called Troika is an example of puppets whose strings are pulled by the people (and a way of thinking) that created the status quo in the first place.
Case in point:
Canmore vacancy tax could bring in $9 million in 2025 -
Assuming you are right on all of this, I remain flummoxed at the depth of your anger regarding a subject matter that in reality affects you so little on a day to day basis. Much like my friends who went off the rails at the outcome of our recent election, your intense reaction to Ketchum's governance is curious to me.....
Bill, maybe you could share a little more context about why you are not angry about how Ketchum is being changed. From your comment I am inferring you own your home, are retired, don’t need to worry about money, are in good health and dont have kids living in Ketchum. In short, on the back nine but not yet at the 18th tee. What did I get wrong?
I envy your zen-like isolation from the world that surrounds you. In the town I live in, the changes enacted by the troika to replace the middle class with tourists, to blot out the sky with boxes on every lot they control, to encourage unbridled development and ever more visitors, and to make it hard to raise a family in Ketchum effect me deeply.
But this doesn’t seem to bother you and I’d be interested in understanding why it doesn’t.
Perry.....all I am really saying here is that I have finally gotten it through my head that the only thing in this world that I can control is my attitude.
Being on the back nine allows me to ask why I am reacting to that which I have no control over. Ketchum is a boom town. Get used to it......Bill
I’m still in the fight. I don’t think we can stop growth but we can do a much better job managing it. Certainly better than the total sell out job of the troika. I’m looking forward to the 10th tee!
I don't think that response is called for. I'm guessing that you just don't understand the breath and depth of the opposition to the Troika's plans to turn Ketchum into just another high end resort town. Many of us moved here due to the ambiance of the town, the views of the mountains, the eclectic nature of Ketchum, and on and on. who benefits from all these changes to Ketchum; out of state developers, local property speculators...?
I certainly respect your point of view, but it feels to me that the ship has sailed, and the only recourse now is through the ballot box or petitions signed by a huge number of Ketchumites......
No, the current City Council does not represent the residents and they must be stopped and a recall in itiated. Are you in the real estate or construction industry?
No. My only claim to fame is that I started Silver Creek Outfitters many years ago and then sold it to Terry Ring. Since then, I have served as a judge in San Francisco, then later as a mediator which I still do and with a passion. I live in Hailey, far from the madding crowd! I am writing you with the conviction that this angry tone will get you nowhere......
Bill I share Perry's anger. (I do begrudgingly admit that anger can backfire and inadvertently turn people away from your message). But seeing what's happening in Ketchum is like a punch in the gut. As Perry said, they are literally blotting out the sky with buildings. The rate at which the council and others have built up the town is staggering. The WORST part of all that growth, is that none of it is doing a single thing to improve the daily quality of life for people who live here. It's worsening quality of life. I miss the low-key (and high-functioning) businesses and restaurants. There are very few original Ketchum buildings/businesses. The town is less walk-able, less park-able, less visually appealing, less green (they are cutting down all the trees!), less functional. I don't know who the hell they are catering to. Which businesses would a tourist even frequent in our town? Bizarre, high-end shops? The whole thing is ass backwards.
You and I are on the same page. I cannot mentally process why the Council works for the people who don't live here instead of those who do.
Their actions are to accommodate development and to bring in as many new residents as possible--but ONLY if they need Ketchum taxpayer-subsidized housing.
I don't get it. What is wrong with the people live here now? Why not work for their quality of life?
Annie.... all I am saying here is that anger is not a solution; it is a feeling. There are many who share your feeling and frustration, but you all need to band together and find a solution....Bill
Bill 100% it’s not a solution. I tried some solution. Ran for mayor. Lost. Ran for council. Lost. Got to posts of meetings and speak up. Write letters. Try to make people aware and get more engaged in their town. I think I’m having some success—850 people signed up for this blog and the list keep growing.
But the real solution doesn’t depend on any one individual. We need to come together as a community and find some people to run for office who put the residents of Ketchum first instead of imposing their own agenda on the residents.
Our next opportunity for real change comes a year from now at the next election. Let’s not squander it.
In the meantime I’m going to maintain the course I’m on and hope more people jump into the boat with me.
Taxation without representation. It's frustrating to see what is going on, try to alert the public and still watch people vote against their best interest. Keep up the passion for Ketchum Perry! There are a bunch of us who feel the same way. Elections are coming...
Thank you for stating the obvious at the meeting last night-the troika has already made up their minds about the 1st & Washington project.
I think you asked about cost overruns, correct? Did you notice Mr Reilly did not answer the question about Main Sreet project cost overruns? He just said the City budget hadn’t needed to be adjusted. When I pointed out that the city’s cash contribution to Bluebird ended up 4x the original budget he started with a personal attack before asserting this time it will be different. It could be different. But he doesn’t work for KURA and does not control this project or its budget. Ms Frick does. His point that this protect would be fixed price with cost overruns borne by the developer is unlikely to be true in my juudgment. The developer has no money. They are a non profit. They have shifted all of their costs to date for this project to KURA under a reimbursement agreement should the project not move forward.
Also, Mr Reilly knows that parking is not on the council’s work plan—he presented that work plan himself at the last council meeting. Last night was just theater to mollify KBAC.
It was a foregone conclusion when the mayor put Ms Frick, who he has honcho Bluebird, in charge of KURA. I am saddened that Mr Reilly has allowed himself to be part of the PR campaign. He knows there is no parking plan for Ketchum because he was tasked with cresting it and didn’t do it. What really troubled me about the meeting was the tacit acceptance that Ketchum needs to be more like Park City and Aspen.
@ BB & EC - Nor will the Doctrine of Sustainability which has been adopted and used for shelter by elected officials of Ketchum, Hailey and Blaine. Note that the adopted budgets of those three exceed $100 million for the coming fiscal year. I exclude City of Sun Valley from the total, as its primary concern is prosperity of the Resort, and the Republican majorities of SVC are OK with that (apparently).
Jim Little and his Motley Band of Whiteboy Marionettes spew the traditional right-wing, clichéd pablum that 'Big Government is Bad Government' and that it needs to be refrained from meddling with the free market, but it has no problem enacting legislation that denies small resort towns the ability to manage and regulate the proliferation of short-term rentals, not to mention the right of women to decide whether they will carry a child to term. That mindset is also working very well with global heating on full-boil.
Part of this is patriarchal, part of it is the fear of being irrelevant and impotent, and part of it is a lame and puerile belief that they know what is right in the eyes of their “god” (Man shall have dominion...) It’s closer to a form of herd mentality grounded in ignorance and self-infatuation than a mandate to govern. In addition to fighting KURA, the KBAC might consider raising its game and including the cretins in the State Capitol in their lawsuit.
The right-wingers have created a realm of false promises and one reason that there are blueprints for Bluebirds on the books is because the people who want to rent to short-term visitors can do so with alacrity. It's the Wild West all over again, transposed to the universe of the internet.
Perry, you think Ketchum has problems? It's the tip of an iceberg. Your problems are symptomatic of the kind of white-boy thinking that's rampant in Boise.
Little Jim Little and His Marionettes are closer to the root cause of an economic and legislative ecosystem that making it possible to slowly turn the WRV into a typical American quasi-suburban nightmare. The Troika is just another brick in the 'effing wall.
From today's NY Times: How One of the World’s Richest Men Is Avoiding $8 Billion in Taxes
nytimes.com/2024/12/05/business/nvidia-jensen-huang-estate-taxes.html
My point is: quite dicking around at City Hall. Take the fight to Boise with a lawsuit on behalf of Idaho's resort towns. Bradshaw, Breen and Hamilton are two-bit players in a rigged game. They are just cretinous and unconscious tools of the system that is locking in Climate Change. Remember, they do NOT care what you think. Why? Because they don't have to. This pretty much applies to the KBAC, too. You're barking up the wrong tree.
...*quit* dicking around at City Hall"...
*that's* making it possible...
Personally, I think you and the KBAC are going to get played by a regulatory environment in Idaho (and the country) that is actually the root cause of the issue you're trying to address. You're actually tilting at windmills and your adversaries are laughing all the way to the bank. Think in terms of First Principles, not like rubes. You think the next mayor is going to solve your problems? Think again. Go for the jugular. It's in Boise, not at Ketchum's City Hall.
Remember, it doesn't have to be this way. The last time I touched on this topic with you, your response was "State laws will not allow it". Well, change the 'effing laws. A costly effort? The gods know there's some money in that little town.
The trouble is, a lot of the people who could easily fund a lawsuit are going to oppose it because they are deeply vested in maintaining the status quo. Your so-called Troika is an example of puppets whose strings are pulled by the people (and a way of thinking) that created the status quo in the first place.
Case in point:
Canmore vacancy tax could bring in $9 million in 2025 -
rmoutlook.com/canmore/canmore-vacancy-tax-could-bring-in-9-million-in-2025-9869910
Variances approved for Canmore Community Housing affordable housing project -
rmoutlook.com/canmore/variances-approved-for-canmore-community-housing-affordable-housing-project-849034
Canmore moves ahead with housing action plan -
rmoutlook.com/canmore/canmore-moves-ahead-with-housing-action-plan-7110234
Understanding the future of visitor accommodation for Canmore -
rmoutlook.com/local-news/understanding-the-future-of-visitor-accommodation-for-canmore-1571645
Barcelona mayor defends ban on tourist flats saying ‘drastic’ action needed to cut housing costs -
theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/19/barcelona-mayor-defends-ban-tourist-flats-drastic-action-needed-cut-housing-costs
Assuming you are right on all of this, I remain flummoxed at the depth of your anger regarding a subject matter that in reality affects you so little on a day to day basis. Much like my friends who went off the rails at the outcome of our recent election, your intense reaction to Ketchum's governance is curious to me.....
Bill, maybe you could share a little more context about why you are not angry about how Ketchum is being changed. From your comment I am inferring you own your home, are retired, don’t need to worry about money, are in good health and dont have kids living in Ketchum. In short, on the back nine but not yet at the 18th tee. What did I get wrong?
I envy your zen-like isolation from the world that surrounds you. In the town I live in, the changes enacted by the troika to replace the middle class with tourists, to blot out the sky with boxes on every lot they control, to encourage unbridled development and ever more visitors, and to make it hard to raise a family in Ketchum effect me deeply.
But this doesn’t seem to bother you and I’d be interested in understanding why it doesn’t.
.................................Prozac?
Perry.....all I am really saying here is that I have finally gotten it through my head that the only thing in this world that I can control is my attitude.
Being on the back nine allows me to ask why I am reacting to that which I have no control over. Ketchum is a boom town. Get used to it......Bill
I’m still in the fight. I don’t think we can stop growth but we can do a much better job managing it. Certainly better than the total sell out job of the troika. I’m looking forward to the 10th tee!
Enough with the anger, depersonalize, gather signatures, and you will be better for it, both personally and professionally. Just sayin......Bill
I don't think that response is called for. I'm guessing that you just don't understand the breath and depth of the opposition to the Troika's plans to turn Ketchum into just another high end resort town. Many of us moved here due to the ambiance of the town, the views of the mountains, the eclectic nature of Ketchum, and on and on. who benefits from all these changes to Ketchum; out of state developers, local property speculators...?
I certainly respect your point of view, but it feels to me that the ship has sailed, and the only recourse now is through the ballot box or petitions signed by a huge number of Ketchumites......
No, the current City Council does not represent the residents and they must be stopped and a recall in itiated. Are you in the real estate or construction industry?
No. My only claim to fame is that I started Silver Creek Outfitters many years ago and then sold it to Terry Ring. Since then, I have served as a judge in San Francisco, then later as a mediator which I still do and with a passion. I live in Hailey, far from the madding crowd! I am writing you with the conviction that this angry tone will get you nowhere......
Bill I share Perry's anger. (I do begrudgingly admit that anger can backfire and inadvertently turn people away from your message). But seeing what's happening in Ketchum is like a punch in the gut. As Perry said, they are literally blotting out the sky with buildings. The rate at which the council and others have built up the town is staggering. The WORST part of all that growth, is that none of it is doing a single thing to improve the daily quality of life for people who live here. It's worsening quality of life. I miss the low-key (and high-functioning) businesses and restaurants. There are very few original Ketchum buildings/businesses. The town is less walk-able, less park-able, less visually appealing, less green (they are cutting down all the trees!), less functional. I don't know who the hell they are catering to. Which businesses would a tourist even frequent in our town? Bizarre, high-end shops? The whole thing is ass backwards.
You and I are on the same page. I cannot mentally process why the Council works for the people who don't live here instead of those who do.
Their actions are to accommodate development and to bring in as many new residents as possible--but ONLY if they need Ketchum taxpayer-subsidized housing.
I don't get it. What is wrong with the people live here now? Why not work for their quality of life?
Annie.... all I am saying here is that anger is not a solution; it is a feeling. There are many who share your feeling and frustration, but you all need to band together and find a solution....Bill
Bill 100% it’s not a solution. I tried some solution. Ran for mayor. Lost. Ran for council. Lost. Got to posts of meetings and speak up. Write letters. Try to make people aware and get more engaged in their town. I think I’m having some success—850 people signed up for this blog and the list keep growing.
But the real solution doesn’t depend on any one individual. We need to come together as a community and find some people to run for office who put the residents of Ketchum first instead of imposing their own agenda on the residents.
Our next opportunity for real change comes a year from now at the next election. Let’s not squander it.
In the meantime I’m going to maintain the course I’m on and hope more people jump into the boat with me.