Chaney Calling It Quits Mayor Says Fuhrman Flap Not Reason For Leaving Race

Just before the city staff sang happy birthday to him, Mayor Ron Chaney announced Thursday that he won’t seek another term.

“It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to be mayor of this great city, the place of my birth,” said Chaney, 67. “But I have decided not to seek the position.”

Chaney served from 1988-1991 and was appointed interim mayor last year after Dwight Sheffler resigned.

The main reason for bowing out of the November election was time constraints of the full-time job, Chaney said. He now wants to pursue other business ventures, spend time with his family and sail off the Pacific Coast.

Chaney said the flak he received from some residents after his support of former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman was not a factor in his decision.

Chaney befriended Fuhrman when he moved to Sandpoint several months ago. He also stood by him when tape-recorded conversations of Fuhrman using racial slurs surfaced at the O.J. Simpson trial.

“That had nothing to do with this,” Chaney said. “The Mark Fuhrman that lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, the Mark Fuhrman that is my friend is not a racist. It was totally out of character, what was on those tapes.”

During Chaney’s tenure he helped push through a project that will relocate the Union Pacific Railroad tracks out of downtown by next year. A new city boat ramp and docks were built, and he negotiated a deal to move out of the old City Hall and into more spacious quarters that include a public safety office.

All the projects, plus raises for city employees, were done without tapping taxpayers, he said.

“The city is in fine shape and in a healthy financial condition for the future.”

Chaney will not endorse any candidates for the four open city council seats or for mayor.

Fourteen-year councilman Ray Miller has declared his candidacy for mayor along with David Sawyer, another city councilman. Miller has already run twice for the job unsuccessfully. Businessman John Conlan, who owns a local tavern, has also entered the race for the $800 a month job.

So far, no one has filed petitions for the council posts. Only four residents have picked up applications, and the deadline for filing is Oct. 10.

Chaney encouraged others to get involved with city government and said Sandpoint will soon have to consider hiring a city administrator or raising the mayoral salary to attract full-time candidates.

“I would hate the city to be in a position where only those with an outside source of income can afford to be mayor,” he said.

, DataTimes