Eagle’s mayoral race pits an unlikely politician against a well-seasoned one.
When the City Council worked its way through 15 external candidates for the mayor’s vacancy, Reynolds was the last applicant standing. A year after his appointment, he runs in his first election, opposed by Norm Semanko, the state Republican Party chairman who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006 and won a City Council seat in 2009.
After years of drama and turnover, City Hall needs more stability and less political theater. That’s one big reason Reynolds gets our endorsement. The other centers on Semanko’s questionable financial dealings with his employer, the Idaho Water Users Association.
In a free-for-all for two City Council seats, we endorse Mark Butler and Gary Tanner, sharp candidates with local land-use experience.
JAMES REYNOLDS
Reynolds and Semanko do agree on one key point. Both realize Eagle needs to do a better job of recruiting and retaining businesses.
It’s an attitude change in an aesthetically conscious bedroom community that has earned a reputation for being less than business-friendly.
With more than a quarter-century’s experience in sales and business, Reynolds is better prepared to address economic development.
Reynolds’ approach to the job is even-keeled — sometimes too much so. Reynolds deferred a lot to Semanko earlier this year, when the council member took the lead in renegotiating a contract with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. While Semanko and the rest of the council are pushing Garden City to open a contested stretch of the Greenbelt to bicycles, Reynolds said his first impulse is to let Garden City make its own call.
Reynolds will need to step up in a full term. As a retiree, he will have the time and focus to do just that.
With Semanko, it’s not so clear.
Semanko’s stated desire is to treat the mayor’s position as a full-time job — but he has also said he will accept only a $30,000 salary and reject the $12,000 raise given to Reynolds. He also hopes to do some consulting or legal work. “I’m not willing to say (Eagle mayor is) going to be my only job.”
So what job would be Semanko’s priority? A $30,000-a-year elected job? Or consulting and legal work for the water users’ group, to which Semanko owes $161,000 in home loans?
This isn’t just a matter of divided loyalties. While legal, these loans are also inappropriate — since they are financed by the water users’ members, including cities and publicly funded water and irrigation districts.
Semanko’s taxpayer-funded loans far eclipse the $990 Reynolds spent (also legally) while taking city employees and other officials to restaurants or coffee shops. Reynolds voluntarily reimbursed the city.
Semanko raised a fuss, even though Reynolds’ spending had the council’s approval. And while this makes for (more) City Hall drama, it doesn’t change the fact that Semanko’s debt to the water users is troubling — and a deal-breaker.
MARK BUTLER, GARY TANNER
In a field of eight council candidates, Butler and Tanner stand out.
Butler’s 20 years’ planning experience includes five years as the city’s zoning administrator.
By no means is Butler a rubber stamp for big government. He defends Eagle’s decision to hold the line on the budget, passing up a 3 percent increase allowed under state law. He also thinks Eagle has gotten a bad name with businesses. “Our processes for businesses need to be overhauled.”
Tanner, an attorney specializing in real estate and business law, has served three years on Eagle’s planning and zoning commission.
Tanner takes a conservative stance on the budget, on business regulation and on the M3 development in the Foothills, which he calls “a good case study of over-regulation, inefficiency and interference with property rights.” But he’s no knee-jerk conservative; for instance, he says the mayor’s salary should be increased to ensure the city can attract quality candidates.
The lone incumbent in the running, consultant Al Shoushtarian, ran four years ago on a platform of slowing growth — something the recession handled on its own. To his credit, he helped the city make tough spending cuts in response to the downturn. But along the way, the council has earned a reputation for marathon meetings that are mired in minutiae. Butler and Tanner would bring focus to the job.
“Our View” is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman’s editorial board. To comment or suggest a topic, email editorial@idahostatesman.com.
