Issues & Priorities
Agriculture
Preserving, supporting, and creating agricultural opportunities
Protecting agricultural lands
Keeping our waters on the Western Slope
Using conservation easements to support our local farmers and ranchers
Community
Sustaining robust services for our disadvantaged populations
Expanding affordable childcare throughout the county
Increasing affordable housing to support workforce sustainability & consistency
Supporting RFTA
Environment
Supporting efforts to attain a net zero carbon emission status for the entire county
Working towards sustainable building practices for new residential and commercial construction
Protecting open spaces & wildlife
Supporting microgrid, solar development, and EV infrastructure
Why I Support the Airport Modernization
The Aspen-Pitkin County Airport is a vital asset for locals.
Few towns or cities have access to an airport within minutes. This convenience comes with issues that can be partially mitigated by modernization.
Highway 82 & the airport are the only two ways in and out of Aspen. They both need our attention NOW.
Our Valley needs an airport for the future, prepared for upcoming changes in aviation.
MONEY
A new runway will cost $120,000,000.
A new terminal will cost >$120,000,000.
With revenue bonds (bonds guaranteed by airport income from Atlantic Aviation at $18,000,000/yr), our bonding limit is $102,000,000.
Without money from the FAA, we clearly cannot afford a runway, not to mention a new terminal.
WITH AN APPROVED AIRPORT LAYOUT PLAN, the FAA will fund 90% of our runway and we will be eligible for grant funding for the terminal.
We cannot receive any funding for the terminal until construction on the new runway has been initiated.
SAFETY
Our airport is out of compliance with FAA safety standards.
Our runway has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer be repaired. It must be entirely replaced.
The FAA has allowed the airport to operate with Modifications of Standards (exceptions to their standards) which are no longer acceptable because of safety considerations.
Without increasing the distance between the taxiway and the runway, and without widening the runway, we cannot be in compliance with FAA safety regulations.
FAA safety regulations are the backbone of safe aviation in the U.S.. Why would we not want to comply?
The County has submitted an Airport Layout Plan which is forward-thinking and in compliance.
WHAT ABOUT BIGGER PLANES? WHAT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?
A wider runway is for the next generation of aircraft. Designs for new planes call for lighter composite materials and wider wingspans.
Airplanes with wider wingspans are more efficient - consuming less fuel, emitting fewer emissions, and flying more quietly. This is not conjecture; it is fact.
The upcoming modern private jets with wider wingspan maintain their same capacity – 19 passengers – while flying more efficiently.
Airlines predict that commercial jets with greater passenger capacity and more efficiency will reduce the number of flights – reduce takeoffs and landings and shorten travel times.
Upcoming aircraft with wider wingspans are projected to reduce fuel emissions and noise by 30%.
MODERN AIRCRAFT WITH WIDER WINGSPANS ARE QUIETER, CLEANER, & MORE EFFICIENT.
In order to accommodate new aircraft, our airport must modernize! Only with funding from the FAA can we build an environmentally sustainable terminal.
Why I Support Affordable Housing on the Ballot
I know a new tax might be a hard pill to swallow this year with the recent increase in evaluations and assessments on many County properties, mine included. But I believe we should support Ballot Measure because:
Wages & housing costs are completely out of whack:
Mean average Pitkin County salary is $79,300; median is $50,700, around $5,000 - $6,000 per month
Average home sales price in Pitkin County is over $7,000,000, in Carbondale $1,200,000, in Glenwood $900,000
Typical mortgage on a house in Glenwood is over $5000 per month
SIMPLE MATH – A WORKER BUYING A HOUSE DOWNVALLEY WOULD HAVE NO MONEY AFTER PAYING MORTGAGE.
Workers vs Available Housing in PitCo
17,407 jobs
13,607 homes,
41% not primary residences
3,545 affordable or deed-restricted units in public inventory
THERE IS NOT ENOUGH AFFORDBLE HOUSING FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LIVE CLOSER TO WHERE THEY WORK
Businesses lose employees or cannot hire because of housing shortage & unaffordability
Without increasing the availability of affordable housing, the upvalley workforce will continually erode OR the quality of life for the workforce will be severely affected by longer and longer commutes.
Rental Housing is unattainable.
Average rental in Carbondale is $4807
Studio = $2,429
1 bdrm = $2,939
2 bdrm = $3,022
3 bdrm = $5,190
Income to afford 2 bdrm rental in Carbondale = $10,073/month or $120,880/yr In Glenwood, income needed for 2 bdrm is $90,880
(Average UNPAID commute time from Glenwood is 2-4 hours a day.)
Commuting Issues
TRAFFIC
60% of workforce commutes, mostly >30 minutes
Cars, trucks, buses = 15% of all PitCo GHG emissions
10,000 COMMUTERS DAILY!!!
Some days commute from Glenwood is 2 hours, and some workers commute from further away
This is a quality of life issue.
Why I Support Conservation of Open Spaces and Agricultural Lands
I thoroughly appreciate all the voters of Pitkin County who have voted for and supported Open Space and Trails. I believe conservation is the legacy work of our County. It is not a ballot issue this year, but I want to show you some of the reasons why it brings joy to my job as a commissioner.
Pitkin County remains one of the most beautiful places in America, primarily because of our open spaces.
Our conserved spaces and agricultural lands provide habitat for our incredibly varied wildlife.
Land which is kept open, and often wild, provides recreational opportunities and restorative refuge from the modern world.
Conserved open spaces protect our scenic views forever.
86% of Pitkin County lands are public – Forest Service & BLM. The rest is our responsibility.
Once open land is developed, there is no going back. It is lost forever.
Agriculture preserves open space, keeps land irrigated, produces food, and provides thousands of acres of lush wildlife habitat. Just some agricultural lands protected by Pitkin County:
Snowmass Falls, 650 acres of pristine wilderness and ranch land abutting the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.
Tommy Moore’s breathtaking ranch with open pastures, often full of elk, gracing everyone’s view as they approach Aspen.
Cold Mountain Ranch and Sunfire Ranch in the Crystal Valley with over 2,000 acres of agricultural production providing food for our valley.
The Child’s and Harvey’s Ranches in the Snowmass Valley.
The Arbaney Ranch on Thompson Creek, a riparian & forested ranch in the same family for 5 generations.
Conservation is a primary mechanism for keeping our mountain waters in the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers.
Pitkin County conservation easements keep our waters on the ranches & properties which currently possess water rights.
Ranches put our Colorado River headwaters to beneficial use and thereby prevent it being diverted elsewhere or claimed downstream.
Colorado River waters, including the Frying Pan, Crystal, and Roaring Fork Rivers, are threatened by developers, downstream water users, and investors. Conservation easements deter all of these threats.
To date, Pitkin County has conserved 24,000 acres of open space. On those spectacular lands, we can regularly witness the beauty of our wildlife, including:
Predators — bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and badgers.
Ungulates — deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep
Raptors & other birds — red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, bald & golden eagles, herons, waterfowl, songbirds, magpies, ravens…
Fish — rainbow, brown, brook, & cutthroat trout as well as whitefish
Marmots, pika, chipmunk, squirrels.
Beneficial insects, soil microorganisms, river invertebrates.