We asked Magic Valley mayoral candidates to answer three questions. Here’s what they said.

The Times-News contacted city and county clerks and filed multiple public records requests for contact information for all nine candidates, then reached out to each candidate to ask three questions.

All nine candidates answered the Times-News’ questionnaire. Here are their responses, with limited editing only for grammar and punctuation, by city, and in alphabetical order:

Bellevue

CHRIS JOHNSON

• Occupation/profession: Water and wastewater training and technical assistance
• Age: 46
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? I have served on the Bellevue Planning and Zoning Commission and I have served two terms as alderman on Bellevue’s Common Council. I am also currently chairman of the Blaine Soil and Water Conservation District and vice chair of the Wood River Resource Conservation and Development Board. As a combat veteran, I have a vast leadership background and experience in emergency and disaster response. As the EPA program coordinator for Idaho Rural Water Association, I work around the state with water and wastewater systems and their boards to address compliance challenges, funding needs, training requests and environmental enhancement.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? I want to ensure that we continue to provide the best services we can to our community. I will continue to support our Marshals Office and our Fire Department. Bellevue has great water but we need to improve our distribution system and rebuild our water team. We have challenges with our wastewater collection and treatment but we are working on that every day. We have a great streets crew and we are working to get them the equipment and support they need to fix potholes and to be prepared for snow removal.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? I grew up in the Northwest and Mountain West, with a lot of my youth in north Idaho and the last eight years here in Bellevue. I am not here to implement a plan from where I have been or where I use to live. I believe that it is time for Bellevue to reestablish its identity and quit pandering to policy pushed down to us by North Valley. Yes, we can work cooperatively and together and we can move forward with economic vitality and environmental sustainability. We are on a tight budget with many challenges. I will continue to work with our city staff, rebuild departments and develop a team that we can trust and that will support the needs of our community. I believe we have the opportunity right now with staffing and with our council to make good on the challenges ahead of us.

SUZANNE WREDE

• Occupation/profession: Software developer
• Age: 54
• Website or social media:https://bellevue.works
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? An important piece of improving Bellevue immediately is implementing systems that support city operations, better engage the community and establish accountability. My professional experience building information systems makes me uniquely qualified to get such a system implemented and help the community reap the benefits that such organization and transparency bring. My personal experience as a community activist and regular volunteer across groups and interests shows my habit and willingness to commit the time and effort needed to get things done.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? My priority is to ensure that the City of Bellevue delivers safe, timely and reliable services to the community. This means improving operations at city hall, using an integrated approach with more internal planning for the improvements needed across our infrastructure, and creating new city services to increase revenue so our operating budget better meets our annual needs now and into the future.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? I offer Bellevue a new approach at city hall but, at the same time, I don’t represent change to what the community values most. We all love Bellevue and want it to remain the small, beautiful, independent place that it is but the city must be more accountable and consistently provide the services it is expected to provide. I am asking voters to opt for new methods and ways of thinking and in doing so, minimize the changes to the community we love while improving the services we all need.

Declo

JAY DARRINGTON

• Occupation/profession: Education and athletic administration
• Age: 78
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? I have many years of experience with city government: creating and dealing with city budgets; using wisely a small city budget; setting priorities for the use of Declo citizens’ tax money. Because I have lived in Declo all my life, I have seen it grow; I know the people; I know Declo’s needs at this time.
  I am committed to serve the residents and to accomplish essential and potential growth in Declo.
  As an educator and athletic administrator, I have had the opportunity to serve Declo and the state in leadership positions that have helped school athletics as well as the city of Declo.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? My priorities:
  (a) Complete the grant where we are installing new water meters to all businesses and residents of Declo as well as upgrading the fire protection facilities.
  (b) Finish a sewer grant that will show the capacity for the existing sewer for future city growth.
  (c) Finish a water grant that will show the capacity for the existing culinary water well for future city growth.
  The above items are already in progress by the city council and mayor.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? INTEGRITY, EXPERIENCE, COMMITMENT.

LANCE OSTERHOUT

• Occupation/profession: Maintenance engineer at Cassia Regional Hospital
• Age: Did not answer
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? Declo has been my home my entire life. I am the son of Danny and Marcia Osterhout and graduated from Declo High School in 2000. I have lived within the city limits for most of my life. I am married to my wife, Carolina (Rios) Osterhout, who is also a lifelong Declo resident and the daughter of Hector and Elvira Rios. Together, we have three daughters.
  Currently, I am employed as a maintenance engineer at Cassia Regional Hospital. This position has given me experience in building construction, asphalt and sidewalks, and ground maintenance. Along with working with others to achieve goals, meet deadlines, and complete tasks.
  I am running for mayor because I have a deep love for my town and its wonderful residents. While Declo is a great community, I believe there are areas where improvement is needed. I am committed to working closely with the city council and the citizens of the community to develop a comprehensive long-term plan to achieve our goals.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? Some of the key objectives I aim to address include:
  - Connecting sidewalks along Main Street and enhancing the sidewalks around local businesses.
  - Collaborating with the state to establish a four-way stop at the intersection of Clark and Main streets to manage traffic flow and ensure safer pedestrian crossing.
  - Installing high-speed flashing signs on Highway 81 to prevent accidents and assist pedestrians crossing from the north side of town.
  - Enhancing street lighting on the side streets of Declo.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? I look forward to serving the citizens of Declo and being a voice for the people.

Hailey

MARTHA BURKE

• Occupation: Retired, Mayor of Hailey (and fervently hoping to continue)
• Age: 76
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? I have lived in Hailey for almost 50 years and over 24 of those years, I’ve been in public service, 1st as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner , then a City Council member and now completing my 1st term as Mayor. So it’s fair to say I have some pretty valuable experience. But I think my real value to our community is as a fiscally responsible person with a deeply compassionate soul. I have learned to listen to others and to the best of my ability, “hear” them.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? We continue to look for affordable housing options while making sure to maintain Hailey’s soul. We are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint and to conserving and protecting our water and all natural resources .I am excited about the on-going discussion regarding fire consolidation. To continue to make a Hailey a bike/ped community and to increase our paths and trails as we become truly interconnected. The beauty is that I (and my staff) have put in place through budgeting, council goal setting, grant writing and new staff hired to address specifically these priorities, are already carrying out and implementing these things.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? I think we can all be really proud of our community and I think I’ve had a positive role in helping make Hailey what she is today.

KEVIN WILSON

• Occupation/profession: Local contractor (home, maintenance)
• Age: 62 (lifelong Idahoan)
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? Forty years of living in the valley, watching how things are done, going to meetings, a lot of interaction with the city professionally. I am a contractor, so I understand building codes and the way things should be built right away, and I plowed snow for 20-years plus.
  I understand about keeping roadways, clear, and what it involves to do so. Why the pathways don’t work in the winter, and last year was a great example of how not to do.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? My No. 1 priority as campaign, I’ll be the peoples mayor with an open-door policy. I have an open door to any citizen that has a complaint or problem. I will listen to them; I’ll be accessible.
  I’m not really happy with the way our police force is run; we will looking into some better candidates probably older, more educated and try to form a friendlier environment between the city, law enforcement, emergency fire and EMT so that everybody enjoys seeing each other, and communicate the situation throughout the network easily.
  And the third big issue is figure out affordable housing
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? Voters should vote for me because of my open-door policy, my willingness to listen, and a new approach. I think I could be quite a benefit to the valley.

KRIS WIRTH

• Occupation/profession: Retired carpenter
• Age: 70 
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position?
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities?
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? The airport authority has not been forthcoming in acknowledging and addressing the health hazards and safety issues inherent with living by an airport.
  Hailey has continued to develop in close proximity to the airport with disregard for the threat it presents.
  The airport has defined and dictates our environmental profile, the character of our south valley and our economic potential with restrictive zoning, pollution, constant explosive distractions and massive property acquisitions.
  The airport represents a failed business model requiring local tax subsidies to operate.
  The airport is incompatible with our projected population growth. In defiance of understandings and agreements, the airport has more than doubled its size and restricted our capacity to provide the valley with needed community housing.
  The airport caters predominantly to a special interest elite of private craft owners. Replacement must be at the forefront of Hailey’s new comprehensive plan. Relocation should be a primary objective of the county’s climate action plan.|
  With resolve, hard work and commitment, replacement could be achieved with an aggressive tourist tax, federal infrastructure grants, bond sales, user fees, contributions and the increased tax base replacement would provide.
  The environmental issues of relocation could be mitigated with land swaps, the establishment of a winter elk refuge and development of a sage grouse breeding and recovery facility.

Hansen

ANTHONY (Tony) BOHRN

• Occupation/profession: Semi-retired carpenter and light commercial
• Age: 71
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? I’ve lived in Idaho since 1963. All my work and school experience has been right here in Twin Falls County. And doing so I met a lot of people, work with a lot of people, and was able to communicate with them so we both can get the job done now we both will be satisfied with. I've had three terms at city council here in Hansen. Presently serving as a city council now. The individual with my background in the building community I know the ups and downs of this community and hopefully what it needs to maybe improve it. I’m not saying I have all the answers, and that’s why we need people to come to the meetings to feed off them and get some better ideas as city councilmen or as mayor. Nobody has all the answers. But I’ll do my best to find those out.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? To update wastewater treatment plant so it won’t be a headache for the next mayor or the next city council and years to come. Try to answer the questions that the people of this town has been asking. Plus, our little town doesn’t have the tax base to go out and pay for it update the city Wastewater Plant. So we’re going to have to work with grants and little towns have to live off grants. I like to put new bathrooms in our city parks. We can’t afford a pool so maybe a splash park. These things can't come all at once but hopefully gradually we can get these things done. I'd like to see more businesses come to town and doing so maybe creating more jobs for people in this town. But that would have probably create a commerce committee with them helping maybe we can do so.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? Why should people vote for me. Why why would people vote for anybody. It’s not a popular contest or that person’s been here 50 years and you’ve been only here 20 years like myself. I hope they can trust in me to come across what they need to get done and what they want to get done. But as mayor, everyone knows. It takes a great city council with good ideas independent ideas to make this happen and as mayor I hope and way that I can oversee that and bring my own ideas there and see if we can come to conclusion what this town needs and what direction it needs to go and and how we’re going to do about doing it. Together, with the town of Hansen and always citizens and future citizens. We can make the light come brighter for this town. We have two perspective subdivisions that have been brought to the city council with their plot plans. That are just waiting to start building houses that means more people come into our town. So maybe with more people we can bring more Commerce and make this town still have its country values and that neighborhood feeling but yet keep going to the future. If you can’t improve little towns will die.

TODD STIMPSON

• Occupation/profession: People service manager, Watco
• Age: 52
• 1) How does your experience, both personally and professionally, qualify you for this position? I have lived in Hansen for over 35 years, attending school and graduating from Hansen High School. My father was a multi-term mayor when I was growing up and I have served on the city council for 10 years as the council president and two years as an interim mayor.
• 2) What are your campaign priorities and, if elected, how do you intend to successfully carry out those priorities? Hansen has water and wastewater treatment needs that need addressed. This is a very large project that will be required in order for Hansen to be prepared for any form of growth in the future. This will need to be staged in sections, tapping into as many financial resources we can find in order to not burden our tax payers too much.
• 3) Without mentioning other candidates seeking this same position, why should voters support you? I am willing to put in the time to find solutions and move forward as quickly as possible. Utilizing as many resources as possible to eliminate costly mistakes or stagnant progress.