Blackfoot is getting another soccer coach for a mayor.

Mayor-elect Scott Stufflebeam often refers to his 31 years coaching soccer and how it taught him the importance of teamwork.

Stufflebeam’s top priority upon assuming office in January will be to get to know all the department heads and see how they can be an effective team working to make life better for citizens.

He plans to ask each director four questions: What’s working in your department? What isn’t working in your department? What do we need to do less of? And what do we need to do more of?

Stufflebeam says he doesn’t have an agenda going into office. His approach is to ask these questions and listen. He is also fond of asking, “What if?” — challenging himself and the directors to think outside the box and discover what would serve the city best.

Not only are his questions assessing the health of city departments, but he is also learning each director’s style of leadership and how it will work with his approach. According to Stufflebeam, this is especially important between himself and City Administrator Grahm Anderson, who oversees roughly half of the departments. They will need to work well together as a team.

Stufflebeam’s next priority is to communicate better with the public and network better with county and state legislators. He says he wants to hear about problems and what is good in the city.

To achieve this communication, he is committed to being accessible to citizens, explaining why things are as they are, creating agendas that summarize the issues being considered and maintaining a “proactive” website. Again, to Stufflebeam, this is all about being a team player.

The third priority he mentioned was the one that lit his eyes up the most — starting an ordinance overview. Stufflebeam maintains that Blackfoot has too many regulations and that they aren’t consistent, understandable or organized and may need clarity to be enforceable. He plans to task Planning and Zoning Director Travis Allen to start this overview as soon as he is in office.

Other improvements he mentioned include having a civil engineer and a grant writer on staff — more team players to bring greater efficiency to City Hall.

Water issues came up as well. Stufflebeam wants to read the fine legal language of the Jensen Grove agreement with Snake River Valley Irrigation District. He is concerned there might not be a default clause that will return the water rights to the city. He also has a wait-and-see attitude about whether the new well will solve the water pressure problems in town.

As to a pool, Stufflebeam is asking, “What if we put in a splash pad?”

Have an opinion or concern? Respectfully let him know. His contact number from campaign literature still works: 208-680-2413.