Aspen’s City Hall is pictured. The four-candidate runoff for two seats on the Aspen City Council will be held Tuesday, April 1.
The four-candidate runoff for two seats on the Aspen City Council will be held Tuesday, April 1. Eligible city voters may choose two candidates. Early, in-person voting is underway at Aspen City Hall, 427 Rio Grande Place. Those who received mail-in ballots may make their choices and then drop the ballots off at the voting box in front of City Hall. Election Day voting at City Hall will be conducted until 7 p.m.
With the runoff a mere five days away, the Aspen Daily News is publishing pitches to voters from each of the four candidates. Because a recent story focusing on each candidate was presented in alphabetical order based on each candidate’s last name, the Aspen Daily News has chosen to present this feature in reverse alphabetical order.
Torre
Be sure to vote! The Aspen City Council runoff election is Tuesday, April 1 — no foolin! Two seats are up for election and with four good candidates, there are choices to be made.
The differences are clear, and I ask for your vote to represent your voice and values on the issues, challenges and opportunities in front of us. Aspen is the best, let’s keep it that way. There are a few issue stances that set me apart from the other candidates and make me worthy of one of your votes.
The entrance to Aspen is a priority issue, and we have made good strides toward a community supported plan, but we need to keep working with the Colorado Department of Transportation to see it through. I am the candidate that supports the modified split shot as a two-bridge compromise solution that best fulfills the project goals while eliminating the tunnel and traffic light, increasing Cemetery Lane access and reducing negative impacts. We must keep pushing on other levers as well for transit and mobility progress like Highway 82 corridor improvements, FLMM solutions and alternate mobility modes.
The Armory Hall redevelopment is an incredible one-time opportunity for a community and visitor hub that we must get right. I am the candidate that advocates for more community programming, access and affordability. The top floor can be so much more than just a bar/restaurant. Community events, nonprofits, school events, weddings, a holiday market, game hall, gatherings, dances, local art, authors, fundraisers, as well as a bar and food service can all be the future for this historic place.
Affordable housing is an amazing Aspen asset that may be having some midlife-crisis concerns. While I have helped move many housing projects forward and want to see the Lumberyard finished, I am the candidate that supports capital maintenance funding and partnering with HOAs, car share and ebike programs, lowering insurance costs, and refining guidelines for compliance and personal growth in community housing.
Our natural environment and Aspen’s dedication to stewardship are pillars of our community values and ethics. I have forwarded Aspen’s leadership on recycling, composting, plastic bag reductions, C&D diversion, energy efficiency, and ghg reductions. I am the candidate that is pushing for wildfire preparedness, plastics and packaging reductions, Building IQ funding support, traffic congestion solutions and mobility alternatives. In our overly consumptive economy, we must be responsible stewards and prioritize the best environmental practices.
Strengthening and building community is a top priority for all of us that live here and value our quality of life. I am the candidate that represents more engagement in government, public gatherings, supporting and boosting grant funding, affordable dining and access to events, and support for child care and our schools. I support smart growth policies, maintaining the character and ethics of our mountain town, and prioritizing a high quality of life.
Aspen is at point of reflection and inflection. The choices we make today will chart the course for Aspen’s future. I have been honored to serve the Aspen community and seek one of your votes for a city council seat. Have your voice count and vote Torre for Council. Our challenges are our opportunities, our possibilities are our inspiration and our commitment is our strength.
I promise to continue to work for you, with your voice and with your input for an Aspen that uplifts the mind, body and spirit of each resident and visitor as well as the whole valley community. You can vote for two candidates; be sure one of them goes to Torre for Council.
Emily Kolbe
I consider myself a strong independent — seeking to work for the best solutions.
This is my first campaign for an elected office and I am grateful for the wide spectrum of community members who have given support and those who endorse me. I have been told the reason I receive endorsements from such a diverse base is that I listen and learn, I’m approachable, a straight-shooter, and I’ll make informed decisions. I can be counted on to think deeply and to be respectful. With people who think differently, I lean in and ask for more information — in doing this, I learn more and understand perspectives that challenge my own.
Voters have decided to move forward with the entrance to Aspen — so let’s do it and do it well. Let’s look forward to an improved entrance and work together to make the most efficient, integrated, beautiful, and forward-thinking design.
There is more to the work of the Aspen City Council than the entrance. For example:
Recent federal budget cuts pose threats to the management of our natural environment. We must steward our national forest, watersheds, open spaces, parks, and ski areas — the lifeblood of our town and local economy. It is vital that our city council understands these values and remains engaged locally and on the broader scale.
Yes, I am the only candidate who supported Referendum 1 in the March 4 election. I am not part of the Pave Paradise Party! But I trust and support the voters of Aspen. We believe in preserving and protecting this very special community for generations yet to come. We value our natural environment, riparian zones, open spaces and the rural corridor that buffers the growth boundaries of Aspen. If elected, I pledge to keep our city council focused on the broader management of our precious local environment.
Education budget cuts are coming; we need a council member with experience and a commitment to the prioritization of education. The quality of our schools is a significant factor in why people choose to establish roots in this community. I value holistic education and the high quality of our teachers, care providers and programs so that all of our children and families are supported. My degrees in education and human ecology inform my commitment to supporting the whole child. There is no better time to reinvigorate the Aspen Idea — mind, body and spirit — than beginning with our children.
Maintaining our community character and quality of life begins with a critical mass of year-round residents. Affordable housing is the single-most important stabilizing asset to an individual, family and community. But we just don’t have enough, and what we do have requires maintenance and care.
As a community, we established a long-range planning tool called the Aspen Area Community Plan. It discusses the long-term goals and the interconnectedness of these goals so that our governing bodies keep their focus on our community plans, not reactionary governance. I was recently asked in an interview: “What will I do when I have to make a decision for the betterment of the community that goes against my morals, values and ethics?” If a decision goes against my core values, then how could it be good for this community — as my values are rooted in this community. I grew up here, I continue to grow here, I have raised my own family here. I’ve taught in our public schools. I, together with Gil, developed Brunelleschi’s — a warm and inviting gathering place, a family restaurant, that has been serving year-round for 20 years. Local eateries like this are an endangered set, yet we have managed to thrive.
More than a slogan, “Emily Kolbe, Of Aspen, For Aspen” is a promise. I am here for the long-term benefit of our home. I am here to listen, learn and work. Please vote for me, Emily Kolbe.
John Doyle
The day after the March 4 election, Mayor Torre and I drove to Denver for a Colorado Association of Ski Towns meeting. Along with other elected officials from Summit County, Breckenridge, Telluride, Winter Park and other places, we met with Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie in her office at 8 a.m. in the state capitol building to discuss upcoming legislation concerning ski towns. I found it very meaningful to be in the state capitol, representing Aspen.
After that, we walked nearby to the Colorado Municipal League building for our CAST meeting. Gov. Jared Polis came by in person for a state of Colorado update, including his push for passenger rail on the Front Range as well as Steamboat Springs. I was able to ask the governor a question related to bringing passenger rail back to the Roaring Fork Valley. It’s incredible to be able to meet personally with other elected officials, all the way up to our governor. I actually enjoy the travel and meeting other people with common goals who work to find solutions that will advance our communities.
It was made apparent to me before I was sworn in to the city council that I would be expected to serve on some boards and commissions. My first day on council I showed up ready to serve; I agreed to serve on the aforementioned CAST and CML. These two involve the most travel: mostly other ski towns and Denver. I know that by visiting other communities and seeing their solutions to our common problems we can help solve our own. Working regionally is very important.
I also volunteered for the Community Office of Resource Efficiency because of the important work CORE does to address greenhouse gas emissions, and also the Aspen Snowmass Nordic Council, which represents our “5th mountain.” Our Nordic Trail system is a very important component of our skiing community.
Two years ago, I volunteered for three more boards due to the reluctance of our newest council members. I felt it was important that the city of Aspen be represented on the Pitkin County Board of Health, Ruedi Water and Power Authority and possibly the most important: the Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority.
Early in my first term I was told, “It takes four years to learn the job.” I’ve come to see the wisdom of that statement. I’ve been receiving an incredible education in ski town and municipal issues, water issues, public health concerns, greenhouse gas emissions and emerging technologies to address them, Nordic skiing, snowmaking, hydropower and housing! I show up and put in the extra effort because Aspen deserves my best effort.
My journey to City Council began with my opposition to the Lift One Corridor redevelopment, then continued with my opposition to the Pandora’s expansion. I felt then and still feel that more luxury hotels and more lift-served skiing were not just unnecessary but inappropriate.
I am eager to move forward on the entrance to Aspen. The Castle Creek Bridge needs to be replaced and the airport is scheduled for a reconfiguration; there has never been a more appropriate time to coordinate better transit between downtown Aspen and the airport.
It has been an honor and a privilege to represent Aspen locally and across the state. I will continue to fight for the environment; our economy, our lifestyle and our future depend on it. I continue to be concerned about a warming climate and what that means for Aspen the resort as well as Aspen the community. With our planet warming and our winters getting shorter, thinking long-term is more important now than ever. I want Aspen to remain a leader in caring for the environment, providing affordable housing, improving mass transit and continuing to welcome diversity from around the world.
I hope I have earned your vote! To learn more about me and to see my list of supporters visit johndoyleaspencouncil.com.
Christine Benedetti
One of the first texts I received after we found out there would be a runoff in this election said, “At least you can run!” It’s a joke I’ve been using this past month, because I do, indeed, love to run. I try to do it year-round, but it really picks up in the summer with a weekly morning running group and training for longer races.
People who’ve run marathons — or anyone who’s trained for longer distances or a sport with a race-day component — know that while the finish line is the goal, all of the effort leading up to that moment is where the hard work happens. It’s about getting up before the sun rises to log miles or squeezing in a short jog at lunch; it’s about running with friends and laughing, or simply to just keep going when it feels hard (and walking sometimes too). It takes dedication.
The incoming city council will face many big decisions — the entrance to Aspen, the Armory building, the hiring of a new city manager and the unforeseen issues we don’t know about yet. These will be impactful on the community for generations. But there also are choices that the council will make with less fanfare and headline-making that are equally critical to our town’s future. These are made in the areas of infrastructure, zoning, land use, affordable housing, and, hopefully, child care.
I believe in doing the hard work and showing up for the big stuff, while taking the small steps it requires to get there. I’ve invested a lot of time into Aspen since I moved here 20 years ago — serving as a citizen board member for the Wheeler Opera House, Next Generation Advisory Commission and now the Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as sitting on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Early Learning Center and Aspen Historical Society. I’ve experienced firsthand how incremental steps can lead to impactful change, and I’ve also put in the work to understand how decisions are made at the government level.
Thank you to everyone who has participated in this election cycle. Thank you for the feedback, for the ideas, for the volunteer hours, for the gratitude and for voting. That last one is important: Voter turnout was lower in March than previous municipal elections and with this runoff it’s guaranteed to be even smaller. Just a few hundred people will make the decision on who will serve on council to represent you on critical choices for our town’s future.
I am raising my hand to be one of those people! I promise to show up and do the hard work for our community. I will be dedicated. I’ll do the training.
Finally, thank you for bearing with me on this loose running metaphor. Please remember to vote by April 1. I hope that Election Day is not the finish line, but the starting point.
Note: Benedetti is married to Aspen Daily News publisher David Cook.
