STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Jared Murphy had only been in the Wood River Valley for a few months when he decided he had to step up and run for Bellevue mayor.
Never mind that he’s only 26.
“I came here in March and started talking to people and they were not happy with the way things were being run,” said Murphy. “I was always taught you can’t rely on others. I was taught, ‘You’re in charge and it’s up to you to make changes.’ ”
Murphy, a native of Wisconsin, became interested in law enforcement while serving with the Army. He served in the Army Reserves in South Dakota and accepted a position as a police officer with the Hailey Police Department after falling in love with Idaho while visiting his brother in Coeur d’Alene.
“Look outside—we see mountains every day. Who wouldn’t want that?!” said Murphy from his seat at Hailey Coffee Company.
Murphy’s not done yet, though. He hopes eventually to become a lawyer, like his brother, after he gains some experience in law enforcement. And he thinks this kind of ambition will parlay well into a role as mayor.
“The Army taught me leadership skills. Now I’m looking at: How can I give back?” said Murphy.
Murphy says he believes the residents of Bellevue lack confidence in their leadership And he thinks he can provide leadership when it comes to improving roads and housing.
“We have to broaden the tax base, provide sustainable development and put businesses and houses in the right areas. And why not use the employee who deals with the city’s water department to help out the employee in the street department and vice versa to save some money and get more work done.”
Murphy sees the cars heading north and would like to create events to get them to stop.
“I spent time in a town of the same size in South Dakota and they sectioned off a city block to hold an event. Then they’d section off another block and hold an event so the businesses on that block would benefit.
“I think we can do that here, staging concerts and other attractions. And we can get businesses and we can make people come to Main Street, get concerts vendors, other events. And that’ll encourage the businesses to work together.”
Murphy said he would like to look at rezoning in order to spur housing starts. And he’d like to review setbacks, as well.
“Right now, we have 80-foot setbacks and that limits a lot of potential projects from expanding a garage to putting in multiple family housing.”
“Really, Bellevue is a small unique town with a lot of history. It’s a mining town and a working class town with lots of hard working people. I say: Give me two years and see what I can do for you.”
JUST IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING, Jared Murphy would not be the youngest mayor in U.S. history if he won. Two young men in Michigan and Texas took office at 18. And there have been a couple handfuls of mayors who were younger than 26 when taking office.