Idaho mayor killed in snowmobiling accident

ATOMIC CITY, Idaho – The mayor of this eastern Idaho town has died after a head-on snowmobile accident with his wife.

Forrest E. Hawley, 61, known as “Frosty” for his white hair, and Gerry Hawley, 58, were driving snowmobiles about a mile and a half south of Atomic City when they collided about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Bingham County sheriff’s office.

Emergency personnel pronounced Forrest Hawley dead at the scene. Gerry Hawley, who was able to walk on her own and had no visible signs of injury, declined medical attention.

“Frosty was probably the most perfect guy for mayor we’ve ever had,” Dwain Payne, a city councilor in this town of 25 people, told the Idaho State Journal.

Hawley, a retired millwright, became mayor after the previous mayor, Lynn Staten, and three city council members decided to quit at the same time last June. Payne said that Hawley told him he would be mayor if Payne took one of the City Council jobs. Gov. Dirk Kempthorne appointed Payne to the position and Hawley became interim mayor until later being elected.