Jackson Hole Underground

When the filing period for the 2008 election closed last month, I was surprised to find no one challenging Mayor Mark Barron.

Fawning profiles in the local media nonwithstanding, there has been a lot of grumbling about Barron on barstools and coffee counters, owing mostly to the new parking garage and the rapidly changing face of downtown.

Another lawmaker ripe for a challenge is state Rep. Keith Gingery, a Republican who owes his election in 2004 to GOP gerrymandering. Gingery has rankled his constituency in Jackson by sponsoring abortion bills and his flip-flop on a secrecy bill that made correspondence between lawmakers and lobbyists off-limits to the public.

I wasn’t surprised to find him running unopposed because the Wyoming Legislature is an unpaid job that requires a lot of travel around the state and spending several weeks in Cheyenne each winter.

Should either of these pols be coasting to another term?

We who feel the issues merit more rigorous debate than a fill-in-the-blanks questionnaire from the local papers have another option: a write-in campaign.

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(Updated 5/20 with slide show and note about Grizzly No. 399)

Photos © 2008 by Sue Cedarholm. Click to enlarge.

At last, Mother Nature flipped the switch, and Jackson Hole was thrown from winter into the glory of summer.

There was no better display of the exuberance this weekend than the foxes denning in the Karns Meadow along Flat Creek in downtown Jackson.

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Last week’s enactment by the Teton County commissioners of a moratorium on large developments effectively killed the proposal for Teton Meadows Ranch, which even the staunchest supporters admitted was less than ideal. So what’s the next step?

Come up with a better plan. Most disconcerting about the fight over Teton Meadows was the backlash against affordable housing in general. Now with the focus on drafting a new Comprehensive Plan for the town and county, the naysayers will be busy at the keyboard, trying to insert their language into the document.

For affordable housing advocates, it’s easy to be discouraged by the furor over Teton Meadows. But it’s more essential than ever to stay involved in the process. Tonight there’s a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jackson campus of the Teton Science Schools (on Highway 22) where consultants will present scenarios for future development.

Showing up to these meetings and making your presence felt sends a message that the new plan won’t be shaped by a few. The easiest way to give input is to visit the Web site JacksonTetonPlan.com, where all documents are posted and comments will be accepted throughout the summer.

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Facing a lawsuit over their partnership with Imagine Jackson, city officials are trying to change the deed for property owned by the economic development corporation in South Park.

Mayor Mark Barron says the city attorney is looking into modifying ownership of the nearly $1 million property. Imagine Jackson purchased the land and building last year after receiving a state grant with the city’s help. The nonprofit corporation has leased the facility to Square One Systems Design, a robotics manufacturing firm.

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A bus that stops atop Teton Pass could reduce traffic and conflicts over parking.

Public bus service is set to begin next month between Jackson and Teton Valley, Idaho. And while the route is designed mainly for commuters, transportation officials are open to the idea of shuttling skiers to and from Teton Pass.

“It’s something that could be considered,” says Michael Wackerly, director of the START bus system in Jackson. “We’ll probably wait to see what the ridership level will be in winter to make that decision.”

Teton Pass is the area’s most popular winter trailhead, and limited parking at the 8,400-foot summit has created headaches for skiers and snowboarders wishing to access the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

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