101 YEARS TeTon Valley news - noVember 4, 2010 - Page a1

Voter turnout high, races close in Teton County

Lisa NyrenTVN Staff

A race that was largely overshadowed by a more heated competition in the county this season is now the one

everybody is talking about.

A rookie to the political scene, Kelly Park narrowly defeated incumbent Larry Young in a bid for the District 3 county commission seat Tuesday.

Park’s win came in an election that saw

a 60 percent voter turnout in the county, a strong showing for a midterm election.

County Clerk Mary Lou Hansen said Valley residents always seem to hit the polls, no matter the time of year.

“We always have a good turnout in this county,” she said.

Park, born and raised in the Valley, did little campaigning but in October’s candidate debate emphasized his desire to help farmers and valley natives succeed and prosper.

“I’ve been nervous all day,” Park said, minutes after he learned Tuesday night that he was the victor. “I’m shocked.”

Park garnered 1,721 votes to Young’s 1,653.

“I’m really happy,” Park said. The commissioner seat will be the first public office Park has ever held.

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Supporters of Kathi Rinaldi and Ralph Mossman wave election signs at the intersection of Main Street and Bates Road Tuesday evening. Jen Calder and her son Bode, 5, joined the group.

Park defeats Young, Rinaldi tops Goe

LocAL MAn coMpLETEs iRon

MAn, REAdiEs foR AnoTHER

See page b3.

I n d e x

sEAsonAL REcipE is off

THE HookSee page b4.

TVN Photo/Ken Levy

Roadside for Rinaldi

Transportation priorities to be addressed todayKen LevyTVN Staff

Local transportation options and needs will be discussed and identified during planning meetings sponsored by the Community Transportation Association of Idaho.

Jeff Osgood, District 6 mobility manager, said the Local Mobility Management Network meeting for District 6B — covering Teton, Clark, Butte, Jefferson, Madison, Bonneville and Fremont counties — will begin at 1 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Driggs City Council chambers.

These meetings are an opportunity to review the community’s local mobility plan, understand existing needs, and identify additional community transportation and

Neil GleichmanFor the TVN

The Teton men’s cross country team brought home another 3A State Cross Country Championship on Saturday and its first ever individual men’s champion with senior Tavner Wilson. The men’s team put six harriers on the podium, the most ever by a Teton team. The previous best was two all-state runners.

The women’s team took fourth as a team, while Hannah Cheney was fourth overall in individual times.

Clouds hung thick and grey over the Kelley Park course in Soda Springs. The moist trails and daunting hills seemed indifferent to 750 scholastic athletes warming up in the cutting

wind. The Teton men had dominated all

small school challengers all season and only a few large schools had gotten past us, but anything can happen at the State race. The pack ran with purpose though and no one deviated one millimeter from the race plan. On Heartbreak Hill, Teton was already in control of the race but had not played its hand yet. On the plateau, at a familiar 6,000-feet elevation, the local harriers shifted gears and within another mile and a half, Teton harriers laid claim to six of the top 13 spots.

Tavner Wilson (senior) was leading his sophomore comrade, Caleb Moosman at the front of the race and as he moved dominantly in the final

Men’s harriers take title, women grab fourth at state

Harriers continued on A12Mobility continued on A13

daylight Saving Time is Sunday. Set your clocks back an hour.

Kelly Park

Election continued on A9

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tetonvalleynews.net

101 YEARS Page a8 - November 4, 2010 - TeToN valley News

TeTon CounTy

Commissioner DisTriCT 2 (Driggs)Four-year term

Kathy rinaldi* 1,742

Tony goe 1,649

Treasurer

Four-year term

Bonnie C. Hatch* 2,999

Coroner

Timothy V. melcher* 2,565

Commissioner DisTriCT 3 (TeTonia)

Larry s. young* 1,653

Kelly C. Park 1,721

Two-year term

CLerK oF THe DisTriCT CourT

mary Lou Hansen* 1,841

richard a. (rick) Beard 1,533

Four-year term

assessor

Bonnie Beard* 2,410

Kirk olsen839

Four-year term

E l E c t i o n

Four-year term

Keith Allred DEM

C.L. “Butch” Otter REP

u.s. senator

P. Tom Sullivan DEM

Mike Crapo* REP

u.s. representative — District 2

Mike Crawford DEM

Mike Simpson* REP

state senatorRobert L. Geddes* REP

state representative — Position aMarc Gibbs* REP

state representative — Position BRalph Mossman DEM

Tom Loertscher* REP

senaTor/u.s. rePresenTaTiVe raCes - sTaTewiDe LegisLaTiVe - sTaTewiDe District 31 – Bear Lake, Bonneville, Caribou, Franklin and Teton Counties

* Denotes incumbent

CanDiDaTes For goVernor - sTaTewiDe resuLTs

S.J.R. 101 University of Idaho Pass

H.J.R. 4 Hospitals Pass

H.J.R. 5 Airports Pass

H.J.R. 7 Electric Pass

iDaHo ConsTiTuTionaL amenDmenTs - sTaTewiDe resuLTs

General results

View a complete summary of election results

for Teton County at tetonvalleynews.net

Statewide election results are available at

idahovotes.gov.

101 YEARS TeTon Valley news - noVember 4, 2010 - Page a9

Young, a 28-year valley veteran with 12 years of county government experience under his belt, congratulated his opponent Wednesday.

“I know that he’s a good man. He’ll do his best,” Young said.

The former commission chairman, who survived a recall election in 2007, is proud of his accomplishments over the years, but recognizes the work is not done.

“There’s still a lot of unfinished business, but I think that I contributed to taking the county in a better direction,” he said.

The contest that drew the most attention in the county, the bid for the District 2 seat on the commission, was also a very close race. Incumbent Kathy Rinaldi topped Tony Goe 1,742 votes to 1,649.

“I think Tony put on a really good campaign,” Rinaldi said Wednesday. “He really put in a lot of effort and I definitely know how close it was.”

Rinaldi said the voters’ concerns come through loud and clear at the polls.

“How close the election was is certainly a message to our community that we need to come together around things that are important [to us],” she said.

Rinaldi also acknowledged her supporters.

“It would be impossible without all the help that I got … from

volunteers and people who went above and beyond,” she said.

Despite the defeat, Goe’s determination to help the county move forward remains.

“This loss won’t stop me from participating in attempting to make this county a better place to live, especially for the people who live here full-time,” Goe said. “I appreciate the support I received in the community at the polls.”

Goe said it was disappointing that Rinaldi’s win came primarily from absentee ballots, but Rinaldi

said absentee voting is simply a mechanism to make it easier for people to exercise their rights to vote.

“It’s not about where you vote or how you vote on Election Day. It’s the sheer numbers,” she said. “What we can do as an electorate, as a community, as a nation is to make it easy and convenient for people to vote, and I think that absentee voting does that,” she said, noting commuters who head over the pass early and arrive home late may find it easier to cast their vote before

Election Day.Hansen defeated opponent Rick

Beard, and Bonnie Beard will remain assessor as she overwhelmingly topped challenger Rick Olsen.

Locals running for state offices fared well in this district but fell short of overall victory across Idaho.

In the contested District 31 state representative race, Ralph Mossman won the county 1,955 to incumbent Tom Loertscher’s 1,403 votes, but Loertscher ultimately took the race overall by a large margin.

In the U.S. Senate race, Tom Sullivan, a local business owner, narrowly missed taking Teton County with 1,564 votes to incumbent Mike Crapo’s 1,766. Crapo easily won the rest of the state.

All four constitutional amendments passed in the county and statewide. The passing of HRJ 4, the amendment that would allow for public hospitals to take on private debt, is a good sign for Teton Valley Hospital, Ann Loyla, TVH spokesperson said.

“[That it passed] is heartening,” she said. “It’s a very positive feeling knowing that the capability is there … to get a loan that is more short-term instead of having to go to a tax levy … We’re feeling relieved.”

Complete county election results by precinct are available at tetonvalleynews.net. Statewide results are available at idahovotes.gov.

Election continued on from A1_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Residents from the Driggs precinct voted at the new county courhouse Tuesday.TVN Photo/Lauren Hall

Clockwise from above: Election officials, Candy Davis and Sherry Hill sit alongside Election Watcher Jamie Casperson at a table for the local voters to check-in and ask any questions they may have pertain-ing to the voting ballots.

Teton County resident Tim Black sits in his poll booth Tuesday morning as he gets ready to make his official decisions in the election.

Supporters of Kathi Rinaldi and Ralph Mossman wave election signs at the inter-section of Main Street and Bates Road Tuesday evening. From left, Jen Calder, Sue Lincoln, Marlene Wusinich and daughter Vivian, 5, Bob Fitzgerald, Missy Colyer, Claire Vitucci and Mossman.

TVN Photo/Lauren Hall TVN Photo/Lauren Hall

TVN Photo/Ken Levy

For complete election results visit tetonvalleynews.net.