COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT PROCESS: APRIL/MAY 2025

Teton County map of Commissioner Districts
Idaho Statute 59-906A - County Commissioner Resignations, Vacancies and Appointments

​Mike Whitfield is scheduled to step down as Teton County Commissioner on May 15, 2025. The appointed new Commissioner will serve the remainder of Mike's term from that date until January 11, 2027. 

Press Release issued 5/2/25:
On Monday, April 28, the Teton County Democratic Party sent an official letter to Gov. Brad Little, nominating three well-qualified Teton Valley individuals for the governor’s consideration to replace retiring District 2 Commissioner Michael Whitfield. ​Supplemental information on the TCDP’s three nominees follows:

Bill Leake background: 
Bill Leake has previously served as a Teton County Idaho Commissioner from 2015-2017, and he has also served on the Board of Directors of the Teton Regional Economic Coalition, Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation, Driggs Urban Renewal Agency, Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, and District 7 Magistrate Committee. In addition he was the Teton County appointed representative to the Eastern Idaho Public Health Board and served as District 7 Board of Health Trustee to the State of Idaho. Bill has broad experience in personnel management, fiscal responsibility, and project management. His management style embraces respect for other’s opinions, focuses on the facts, strives to understand all aspects of an issue before finalizing solutions, and gets the best value while seeking out opportunities to multi-faceted challenges.
 
While at the Idaho National Laboratory, Bill had over 35 years of nuclear power plant engineering, operations and management experience. He was project manager for several multi-million dollar construction projects. He served as Director of Engineering and Construction for the US Dept of Energy responsible for overseeing complex nuclear facilities and infrastructure throughout the 890 square mile site outside of Idaho Falls. In this capacity he was responsible for all facets of nuclear facilities engineering and operations which included Emergency Management and Medical Services, long range planning, transportation operations/bus services, nuclear facilities regulatory compliance, and construction management, including several hundred miles of roads as well as radioactive/hazardous waste disposal. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a US Navy Submarine Service Veteran. Bill believes Teton County is facing many challenges that will require significant time and commitment. He is committed to doing whatever it takes to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of being a Teton County Commissioner.

Dan Powers background: 
Dan Powers has been involved in Teton Valley politics, primarily in the City of Driggs, for 25 years. Dan served on and chaired the Planning and Zoning Board for five years, during which time that body re-wrote the zoning code. He was appointed to a vacant seat on the City Council in 2007 and served in that capacity for two years. He next served one term as Mayor, initially elected in 2009, and overseeing projects like the Main Street design and reconstruction, Geotourism Center and Plaza construction and the Wastewater Treatment Plant construction. Dan’s term as Mayor saw the City emerge from the very challenging real estate bust of 2008―economic development was the lens through which most major decisions were made. Since then, he has continued to serve on the Driggs Urban Renewal Board, 2014-2018, and on the Driggs Impact Fee Committee, 2021-2024.
 
Dan has been the Owner/Principal of Powers Builders Inc since 1993, where he provided design-build services throughout Teton Valley, and from which he recently retired. Dan is married to Lynne Wolfe, and has been a Driggs resident since 1990. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, and an MS in Engineering from Dartmouth College. Dan’s priority is community over party politics. He describes himself as generally analytical in his approach to decision making as befits his education as an engineer. In both his public and professional careers, Dan has been effective at working with a wide range of people of all political persuasions and economic backgrounds. As County Commissioner his goal would be to continue that approach, advocating for what he believes is the best path forward while considering and being respectful of alternate views. He believes strongly that diverse groups of people ultimately make the best decisions.

David Susong background: 
David Susong would bring a broad skill set of experience in government, management, and natural resource issues to the Commission. As Director of the US Geological Survey Utah Water Science Center until 2018, he was responsible for about 60 employees and a $7 million annual budget. These responsibilities included normal administrative tasks, personnel, budgeting, and facilities and fleet management. David worked closely with federal, state and local agencies, and municipalities to develop collaborative scientific investigations to provide the data, models and information for water resources management and development. Nearly all this work was built on collaboration based on mutual respect, listening, and creative and innovative approaches to funding to solve complex resource issues. David will bring this collaborative approach to issues facing Teton Country. 
 
David and his wife both grew up on Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks where their fathers were park rangers. His father was the Bechler Ranger in the southwest corner of Yellowstone near Ashton for many years. David worked the potato harvest on a farm near Ashton while in college. His daughter graduated from Teton High School and was on the rodeo team. Although he and his wife spent their working careers in Utah, they have a long familial attachment to the Tetons and Teton Valley. He would bring this history and a broad understanding of economic and natural resource issues that rural communities and Teton County are facing to the Commission. Specific interests that David would pursue, if selected, include natural resources―wildlife habitat preservation and restoration, water resources, affordable housing, recreation and public access, community outreach and engagement, economic development, and intergovernmental relations. David believes we share many issues with surrounding counties and are stronger if we work together.