ISSUE #46: They Want Locals Out of Ketchum for the World Cup

Ketchum City Council wants to replace locals with tourists that week

Nov 05, 2024

NB: I am not against the World Cup coming to Ketchum. Sun Valley Co. can host whatever event they want on their mountain. But there are a couple of things you haven’t been told about your role in the event.

Sun Valley Isn’t Enough For Sun Valley Co: They Want Ketchum, Too

We all know that the City of Sun Valley is a company town. But Sun Valley isn’t big enough for Sun Valley Co. They want Ketchum, too.

In previous issues, I have exposed the many ways the Ketchum City Council hands Ketchum taxpayer money to Sun Valley Co. This ranges from helping SVC depress wages by providing their employees with subsidized housing (aka, Bluebird),1 to paying to shuttle their hotel guests around (Mountain Rides), to paying to promote Sun Valley as a tourist destination (LOT for Air—it’s not for Air).2

And they keep raining gifts on Sun Valley Co.

BTW, there is an Open House at Bluebird on November 7th, from 4 pm to 6 pm. If you are one of the essential workers who thought you would be moving in there only to have been told by BCHA that Bluebird is not for you, you might want to show up and let the Council members know what you think about the plan to house Sun Valley Co. workers there instead of you. The 25% of the units that have not yet been rented aren’t for you. They are advertising to fill some of those with homeless people in Twin Falls.3

Ketchum Taxpayers To Provide Corporate Welfare for World Cup

In Issue #39, I wrote about how the Ketchum City Council is using your tax dollars to subsidize the World Cup profits of Sun Valley Co and 5B Productions. This week, we learned that it goes beyond what I had written. The City has offered an additional $50k of your money to subsidize the World Cup—this time to Sun Valley Co.4 That’s on top of the $100k they are giving to 5B Productions.

The City staff (Dan Hansen) described the City’s relationship with Sun Valley Co. as a “partnership.” I think that accurately reflects the business of tourism focus of Ketchum’s City Council. But, as with almost every deal this Mayor strikes, it is bad for the Ketchum partners (you).5 SVC gets free Ketchum public resources: exclusive use of streets, public safety professionals, City Hall staff overtime, etc. They pay zippo. Our role in the “partnership” is to subsidize SVC profits. Shouldn’t they be paying for this stuff?

The Mayor said this was an investment. Just like Trailing of the Sheep and Wagon Days. He said the “economics are compelling.” Compelling for who? ToTS and WD are non-profit public events. The World Cup is a for-profit event where the promoters will sell $5k VIP packages and want the locals to clean up their garbage and leave their homes so the promoters can house the World Cup people. What is the return on investment for the quality of life for locals?

Ketchum Council Wants to Replace Locals with Tourists: And Airbnb is Going to Help Them

I didn’t learn until this week’s City Council meeting that they want you to leave town so they can accommodate the expected World Cup tourists. Turning West Ketch into a virtual hotel is not enough; Warms Springs is also on their list.

How many of you readers live in Warm Springs? Do you know what SVC has planned for you during the World Cup (March 20-27)? Their representative said they have consulted with you. Do you feel consulted? They are essentially going to shut down your neighborhood for the week.

They want you locals gone. SVED’s Harry Griffith said he needs housing for the event. With the Council’s approval, he is working with Airbnb to convert more Warms Springs units to Airbnbs. Not figuratively, as in working with local short-term rental companies. Literally, with Airbnb, the company. The same company that successfully lobbied the state to prevent us from regulating short-term rentals. And The Ketchum Council is in on it.

How is the World Cup a “community event” if the Ketchum Council wants the community to leave town for it?

The Ketchum Council Calls A Spade A Spade: Tourists First!

One of my observations from looking at how they vote is that the Council wants to replace low-paying locals with higher-revenue tourists, but this week, it came right out of their mouths.

The guy who ran for Council as the local’s local, Spencer Cordovano, said part of the job of the City Council is to bring events to Ketchum. He mentioned “profiting” off events. I don’t see that anywhere in the City Charter or the Comp Plan. For the World Cup, he wants to ensure that locals don’t put up any “No Parking” signs on Warm Springs Rd by their driveways—he said it wasn’t visually appealing.

In his own words:

“And I think that, you know, the job of a city would be to hold these events and planning that into our year, or manage the infrastructure on the yearly cycle, monthly cycle, just, I think that there's certain departments that that would be what they're tending to that time of year anyway, and part of the program. So I like the numbers, and just wanted to think through that with anybody.”

Council Member Hamilton:

“Yeah, and I think that's a great point that you know, not only do we need to help support this event to make it, make it a success, but at this point, this event is coming, whether we support it or not, and it's our duty as a city to make it beneficial to our taxpayers and our constituents and help make it run smoothly so that everyone can appreciate and survive the week.”

I know that one is hard to follow, but the “survive” part struck me as and honest concern.

The Mayor:

“Look, I think our job as a city is to invest in authentic events that align with our community values. This is one that's so aligned with our community values, just like Wagon Days, just like Trailing of the Sheep. And so investing in it not only has looks like it would make a profit in the over the eight days, but in terms of the long term character of this town, there's, there's ongoing benefit benefits from from this type of event. So just doing the math looks encouraging, and even if it wasn't, I would still be very much in favor of this kind of investment. But, you know, but I really appreciate you kind of doing the math for the public and for yourself right in front of everyone, because it's pretty compelling.

The Mayor is transparent in at least this one area.

The only one who seemed concerned about all of this was Council Member Hutchinson. He zeroed in on the key issue: transportation. As of this week, there is no transportation plan. Or public safety plan. Should we be nervous? (See “survival” comment above).

Chain Stores Coming to Main Street! Just Like Aspen!

When the Mayor got his Main Street Project done without the support of the local business community, I wondered if they realized that it was only one aspect of his war on locals.

Guess what the retailers will be in his friend’s new building where Formula Sports once stood. Faherty and Johnny Was. National chains. Just like Aspen! I wonder how much those jobs pay. Will those workers be living in Bluebird? It's pretty convenient to be able to walk to work.

I’ve been saying the plan is Aspenization, and many of you didn’t believe me. You thought the Starbucks and the Lululemon were it.6 Take a pass by and check out the windows. Is this why he got the Council's agreement last week to build a new sidewalk leading to these stores?

By the time of the next election, the Ketchum Council may have turned Main Street into a shopping mall of national brands.