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Veazy comes, Veazy goes

Karl Herchenroeder
The Aspen Times
Emzy Veazy III discusses his background Wednesday morning at the Little Nell Hotel.
WALLACE.PHOTO |

Circles in California and Colorado know him well.

In Aspen, he’s known for his prolific letter writing to daily newspapers, local lectures and frequent comments at City Hall. In the basement of the Pitkin County Library, he has discussed how to pick up women, how to work as a butler, the intricacies of affluent consumerism, prenuptial agreements, culinary arts and polygamy.

Whether you’re able to keep up with him or whether you agree with his opinions, it’s hard to ignore Emzy Veazy III.



“I’ll walk into any city council in America and talk,” Veazy said on a recent morning in the lobby of The Little Nell, the five-star, five-diamond hotel where he requested to meet. “State capitol — I’ll talk. That’s anywhere. You’re American.”

But it’s not just talking; it’s testifying.




“That’s the correct term for it,” he said.

Born in Baltimore and educated at the Bronx’s Fordham University, where he studied political science and sociology, Veazy spends his time in multiple places, including Aspen and Burbank, California. Although he describes America as his home, he holds California residency.

He first visited Aspen in August 1997 after “a night at the disco” with friends in Denver. While some stare in awe at Aspen and its surroundings, Veazy said there was nothing mystical about that first morning in Aspen. For him, it’s simple — it’s the boomerang effect.

“People in Colorado will tell you that if you came to Colorado, you will return to Colorado,” the 64-year-old Veazy said.

Five years later, Veazy began to make a name for himself in Aspen. The staunch Republican attended City Council meetings and called on elected leaders to enforce the U.S. flag code. With each subsequent ski season’s end, he has appeared at City Council Chambers, making his most recent appearances this past election season.

“There’s a lot of people who complain,” Veazy said. “They don’t have the guts, they don’t have the brains to get up there and talk and face things. They may get over in other ways, but how are you going to keep America better?”

Veazy was coy when asked where he stays in Colorado and California, explaining that he’s “in both places” and “could be in some other places, too.” As far as what he does for a living, Veazy said he’s working to create jobs for himself, perhaps through Aspen’s real estate and construction industries.

“I try to stay alive,” Veazy said. “If people aren’t willing to hire you and whatever else, and they’re willing to hire people who are inferior — and I will say that — and willing to give them the money, well I’m going to stay alive. I’m a well-educated man.”

During the daytime, Veazy is frequently found at the library, studying online data, information and entertainment. On Friday, library assistant Steve Koch described Veazy as “polite,” “a little chatty” and always juggling multiple ideas.

“Every summer he comes,” Koch said. “He always seems to have some ideas going. He’s always working on something.”

While discussing his lectures, Veazy noted that the polygamy discussion made no mention of Mormonism. He also explained how a butler, who graduates from butler school, can make between $60,000 and $120,000 a year. Other lecture topics include TV production, financial planning, business strategy and wedding gowns.

For Veazy, Aspen’s No. 1 problem is a societal one. He said the famous ski town is not willing to deal with reality. Even though there is an educated workforce here, people are not using their degrees properly, he said. What started out as a bohemian mecca in the 1960s became “jaded by jaded personalities.” People are not working on themselves, he said — they’re not “sculpting their own minds.” A lot of people have problems they’ve never tried to work out, and it becomes a contagion, which leads to mental illness and suicide.

“Even Edgar Allen Poe couldn’t compete with it,” Veazy said.

herk@aspentimes.com

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