Aspen City Council candidates talk traffic as election runoff nears

Four candidates — Emily Kolbe, John Doyle, Christine Benedetti, and Mayor Torre, who is term-limited from seeking re-election as mayor — are competing for two Aspen City Council seats after none secured the required 45% of votes plus one in the initial election on March 4.

In interviews with The Aspen Times, challengers Emily Kolbe and Christine Benedetti outlined their strategies for addressing Aspen’s ongoing traffic and mobility challenges.

Benedetti emphasized that the Entrance to Aspen project will not resolve traffic congestion.

“One of the issues we saw in this past election is that people were looking to the Entrance to Aspen to solve the congestion and traffic issue. I have said it before, and I will say it again: None of the solutions on the table meaningfully address the congestion issue,” she said. “We have to do something else. There are no quick and easy fixes to traffic. It will be a multi-pronged approach.”

She noted that traffic congestion is a global issue, and Aspen should consider strategies that have proven effective elsewhere.

“Every community in the world is trying to solve traffic and congestion, and we need to look at some of the things that have worked,” she said. “Getting people out of cars and onto public transportation has worked. Congestion pricing is unpopular but effective when looking at other examples in other areas. Smart technologies are an option, as well, where they monitor the pulse of traffic, the pacing of cars, and manage how people get in and out of town.”

Benedetti pointed to a citizen-led coalition emerging from The Aspen Institute that is revisiting a 2017 mobility study.

“People spent 18 months on this mobility study to develop a multi-pronged approach to congestion that did not deal with the Entrance to Aspen,” she said. “Some solutions were HOV lane enforcement, dynamic road pricing, connectivity points outside of town that get people out of their cars before they get into town, parking enforcement, and ride-sharing.”

While she acknowledged that a light rail system would be ideal, she expressed skepticism about the political will and financial resources required to implement it. She stressed the importance of regional collaboration to address traffic challenges.

“This is not just an Aspen problem; this is a valley-wide problem,” she said. “If you drive down valley during rush hour, the traffic in Carbondale or Glenwood Springs is bad. They are all dealing with their commuter traffic at this point. Aspen is not the only epicenter for the workforce in the valley anymore. We all have to work together because traffic doesn’t stop at a county line.”

Benedetti also highlighted her experience in local government as a qualification for office.

“I have been on the Wheeler Opera House board for ten years. I have been in Planning and Zoning for three or four years now. I co-founded the next-generation advisor commission, which is an advisory commission that advises city council on decisions for the under-party demographic,” she said. “I have spent a lot of time in city hall over the past 15 years, and I understand some of the nuances and relationships and processes that it takes to make things happen.”

Kolbe addressed the outcome of Referendum 2 and said she plans to work within its framework.

“I am going to work with the community with Referendum 2. That is the decision moving forward, so let’s make the best out of it,” she said. “Let’s take into account our values that are expounded in our Aspen Area Community Plan, which Mayor-Elect Rachel Richards was part of designing, and so was Mayor Torre. We have these great thinkers who had a vision, and that vision is about enhancing the quality of our community.”

She emphasized that transportation affects every facet of Aspen’s community.

“Whether we are talking about transportation for our local, year-round residents, or whether we are talking about our workforce communities. Whether we are talking about our business economy, or visitors and transportation, our recreational economy, it impacts all of us,” she said. “How that is handled is a valley-wide conversation.”

She acknowledged that traffic congestion is a common issue in growing cities but said Aspen’s response to it should reflect the community’s forward-thinking approach.

“We have this challenge, and how we look at responding to that is what will really set us apart,” Kolbe said. “Aspen has been a forward-thinking community for decades. And it’s that forward-thinking of whether we are developing an institute, affordable housing, having the best schools in the state, or the most fabulous ski resorts. It is this intentional design and ability to cast a broader concept forward that sets us apart and makes us unique. So how are we going to do that with transportation?”

She emphasized that while no single person will have all the answers, the process needs to begin.

“I think it’s really wonderful that we have a citizen task force that has the fruition to come up with a valuable systems design through comprehensive thinking. Community and civic engagement is what this process is about,” she said. “We have to include city and county officials, along with the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), and all stakeholders involved, including businesses.”

She said the city must consider the needs of various commuter groups — from construction workers and service industry staff to SkiCo employees, professionals, and tourists.

“There will not be one solution. We need to speak directly with the constituents in order to represent them the best,” she said.

Kolbe also pointed to her business background as an advantage in understanding the broader impacts of city decisions.

“I come at this from a business-owner’s perspective. There is no one else running for city council who owns a brick-and-mortar business,” she said. “I understand the downstream effects that can come from decision-making processes in government. We cannot forget how our decisions can impact the little guys, and we are all part of the same system and same network.”

Ballots for Aspen’s 2025 municipal runoff election, scheduled for April 1, have been mailed.

Registered voters can cast their ballots by mail, in person, or by dropping them off at the official ballot drop box outside Aspen City Hall at 427 Rio Grande Place. Ballots placed in the Pitkin County drop box on Main Street will not be counted.

Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be valid. In-person voting is available at the City Clerk’s office from March 17-31, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters must present a valid, government-issued ID.

Voter registration is open through Election Day at the Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, located at 530 E. Main Street.

The City Clerk’s Office reminds voters that signing another person’s ballot is illegal under Colorado law and may result in criminal penalties. For more information about the runoff election, visit aspen.gov.