Look inside for the Eagle and Star Candidate Election Guides Volume 6 • Issue 11
NOVEMBER 2015
Local residents get ready to go to the polls.
Cooperation, Economic Development Common Theme During Eagle Candidate Forums
By Philip A. Janquart EAGLE – The Eagle Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum Oct. 13 at the Church of the Nazarene where candidates running for mayor and city council were given the opportunity to express their views on a variety topics. They were given a second opportunity at a forum held at Chateau des Fleurs on the Camille Beckman campus in Eagle on Oct. 19. At both forums, candidates were asked about their priorities if elected, about economic growth and their vision for the city’s future. Some central themes surfaced during both events, starting with greater cooperation and respect between council members, the mayor and citizens, especially those who attend council meetings “to be heard.” Council candidate Stan Bastian said there is a need for a “united council” that takes a “team approach” to running the city, a belief expressed by most candidates, including Craig Soelberg who said he wants to help “re-establish trust in a city council that conducts itself in a professional way.” All candidates expressed the need for economic growth, which they say includes attracting commercial development that would help build a sustainable economic foundation for the city. Several candidates pointed out that approximately 90 percent of the city’s current revenue stream comes from residential development. Mayoral candidate Stan Ridgeway said there is a need for more businesses that support the community’s service needs, pointing out that “there is only one (automotive) garage” in Eagle, and that the city needs to nurture a more cooperative relationship with the chamber of commerce in a combined effort to “encourage jobs here that offer a livable wage.” Incumbent Jim Reynolds said the city must actively “seek out” and bring in companies that
could build in areas that are fit for commercial development, including near Highways 16 and 55. Council candidate Shane Curry said the city could benefit from an industrial complex. Council candidate and business owner Naomi Preston said that re-establishing a business development committee could help the city make doing business in Eagle easier. Some candidates said growth must be managed “wisely” and that the city’s comprehensive plan – the city has been working on a revised comprehensive plan – is an important step in that process. Others said the city’s approval processes must be simplified and streamlined to make them more developer friendly. Most candidates, however, said that while attracting commercial development is key to Eagle’s fiscal future, supporting current businesses, including small businesses, is a top priority, as well as retaining the quality of life and aesthetics that attracts most people to the area. Bastian said the city, and its residents, can’t be afraid of growth, but that it must be done the right way. Council candidate Jeff Laughlin said that “balance is the key.” Reynolds said the city needs to “embrace growth, but in a way the community wants.” Ridgeway agreed, saying that while the city “need[s] growth,” its most appealing characteristics, such as parks and open spaces, should be retained. "I was very pleased with the turnout this evening. It's wonderful to see so many folks engaged in the civic process," said Camille Beckman event organizer Mary May. Elections in Eagle are Tuesday, Nov. 3. Log on to www.cityofeagle.com for more information.
l-r: Craig Soelberg, Kevin Keep, Mike Olsen, Jim Reynolds, Stan Ridgeway, Naomi Preston, Rick Murphree, Stan Bastian
Over 140 people attended the Oct. 19 Forum Photos by Matthew May
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID EAGLE, IDAHO PERMIT NO. 60
ECRWSS
POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
Meet Coach Doug Corta pg. 3
www.theindnews.com
Visions for Growth Surface at TIN’s Star Candidate Forum
By Philip A. Janquart About 150 residents gathered at Star Elementary to hear candidates answer questions about the future of Star at a preelection forum hosted by The Independent News on Thursday, Oct. 22. Some recurring topics that were explored during the roughly two-hour event included growth, commercial development and revitalization. “When it comes to development, we must make sure that we find a fair and good balance between residential development and bringing in the proper commercial applications, to ensure fair, proper and steady growth,” said council candidate David Hershey when asked about his thoughts on land use decisions. Randy Furniss said that although the current council and mayor have “paid a lot of attention to planning in the proper manner,” there must be a continued diligence. “I think we are at a crossroads here in Star and I think that if we aren’t watching and following the plan, we could be overcome, and I don’t think that Star wants to be just another bedroom community,” he said. Some of the candidates made loose reference to the recent issue surrounding a proposed low-income housing development planned for property directly adjacent to Pinewood Lakes subdivision, and the heated public backlash and subsequent demand that city ordinances be changed to prevent the project from moving forward. Part of the answer in avoiding issues like the low-income housing project, some candidates said, is to make a habit of revisiting the city’s comprehensive plan. “It’s always a balancing act between private property rights and community rights,” said Doug Gochnour. “The plan we have is about seven and a half years old, so it’s time to take a look at it, make sure it still says
what we want it to, and then create a cycle of reviewing it about every two years so we can avoid the kind of [situation] that happened with this issue down the street.” Kevin Nielsen agreed. “One of the issues we have going in our community is a symptom of not keeping that plan as fresh as it could be.” Another topic included commercial development, which the candidates said hinges on many factors such as reasonable regulatory procedures, keeping the city safe and putting a greater effort into revitalizing the downtown core. “We need to think about maybe creating a city plaza, replacing some of the landscape, some of the lights and make it look like somebody actually lives here,” said Robert Wurster. About 80 percent of the city’s revenue is based on residential properties, candidates agreeing that a better balance needs to be reached through commercial development. Mayor Mitchell stressed, in part, the importance of attracting more service-oriented businesses to serve the community’s needs. “It’s going to be a combination of a regulatory atmosphere that presents a path of least resistance and taking an active recruiting role to bring in business that serves our city’s specific needs,” he said. Bell agreed, adding that the city must continue to work with state and local agencies in developing downtown infrastructure. “We typically work with ACHD (Ada County Highway District) and ITD (Idaho Transportation Department) and sometimes those hurdles are hard to overcome … because we have a highway going right through our city,” he said. “It’s extremely crucial for us to continue to work very hard with those entities to help them understand how crucial it is for our town to grow businesswise.” Elections in Star are Nov. 3, 2015.
Candidates answer questions at TIN’s Star Candidate Forum
Eagle Drilling Concerns Continue pg. 5
Lowincome housing in Star pg. 9