A telling answer

Dear Editor:

A straightforward question on environmental initiatives at a recent candidate forum for mayor elicited responses far more revealing about candidate qualifications than the question would suggest. One response called for cleaning up alleys and replacing garbage cans ” do we really want our next mayor to micromanage to this extent, patrolling for loose lids? One response called for social change, i.e. promoting individual responsibility in reducing greenhouse gases and global warming. While laudable, is that the best we can do ” get into people’s heads? A third called for establishing wind farms ” any suggestions where this would be sited within property owned by the city (BMC property)?

One person, Marilyn Marks, gave the best and correct answer ” the current city initiatives are correct, and the staff is doing a good job on implementation. She went on to explain that council should focus on the strategic gaps in service and accountability, and allow staff to continue to execute the policies and strategies for which the city is meeting and exceeding citizens’ expectations.

It makes no difference what each voter is for or against ” more or less affordable housing, more or less growth, more or less of what Aspen looked like in the 1960s, more or less historic preservation ” and so on. The reality is that none of that, on either side of any issue, is attainable without pragmatic leadership. By that I mean, less micromanagement than currently exists, better management of available resources not more social management, more pie charts showing how our money is being spent not pie-in-the-sky ideas.

The time is ripe for change to leadership devoid of litmus tests, one that by temperament and experience can attack and manage issues from the correct perspective. That person is Marilyn Marks.

Neil B. Siegel

Aspen