Wetzel, Mangold seek re-election

Posted 5/15/18

Meanwhile, Councilman Eric Paul says he will not seek re-election and Councilman Tim Sapp is undecided.

Wetzel is seeking to continue filling the unexpired term of the late Mayor Don Hillman, while Mangold will be running for a full term on the …

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Wetzel, Mangold seek re-election

Posted

Ahead of Thursday’s opening of the filing period for the primary election, Powell Mayor John Wetzel and City Councilman Scott Mangold say they will be running to keep their posts.

Meanwhile, Councilman Eric Paul says he will not seek re-election and Councilman Tim Sapp is undecided.

Wetzel is seeking to continue filling the unexpired term of the late Mayor Don Hillman, while Mangold will be running for a full term on the council representing Ward 2, after being appointed to the seat Wetzel had held.

“I’m planning on running for the position,” said Wetzel, who was appointed as mayor in February 2017 after Hillman’s death.

Wetzel said he would like to help Powell grow economically and to continue to deliver quality services to the city’s residents.

“My No. 1 priority is to maintain consistency of operations and deliver quality services to the citizens of Powell within a constrained budget framework,” Wetzel said. “Beyond that, I will be proactive in economic development opportunities that will help lead our community to a productive future.”

Meanwhile, Mangold is looking forward to a full term on the city council after serving as mayor from 2005 to 2012.

“I haven’t been on the council part very long, [but] I was mayor for eight years,” Mangold said. “Council is still fun, so I plan to give it another go. Of course, that’s [still] up to the voters.”

If elected to a full term on the council, Mangold lists the Powell Aquatic Center, improvements on Absaroka Street and continuing to lobby for state funding for cities and counties as priorities.

“Every couple of years, it seems like we’ve got to continue to lobby for that,” Mangold said.

Mangold also has other issues on his radar if he remains on the city council.

“We’ve had a lot of things that have popped up recently,” Mangold said. “The dog park issue, I’d like to look into that. There’s also some people that want to revisit the camper ordinance and there are also a couple of people in town that want to have a beehive in their yards.” 

Councilman Paul, who represents Ward 1, does not plan to run again.

“My plans are just a big old no,” Paul said.

Paul said he recently purchased a business, Heart Mountain Realty, and wants to devote his energies to running it.

“I’ve been there seven years,” Paul said of the council. “I’ve had to be re-elected three different times in seven years and I’m not looking to do it forever. I was doing it in the beginning because no one else would. I’ve enjoyed it, but I think it’s time to let someone else have the opportunity.”

Sapp, who represents Ward 3, is still debating his future on the council.

“I haven’t made that decision as of yet,” he said Friday morning. “I know that time is getting close, but I haven’t made that decision yet.”

The filing period for the Aug. 21 primary runs through June 1.

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