Aspenite submits mayoral petition, more ponder running
Westley Crouch/The Aspen Times
Come municipal election time March 2025, Aspen Mayor Torre will be termed out after serving six years as the city’s top elected official. One Aspenite has so far hinted at making a run to fill Torre’s vacancy, one has already picked up a petition, while one person has officially submitted her mayoral bid.
Rachel Richards submitted to the clerk’s office on Tuesday a petition with certified signatures to run for Torre’s seat in the March 2025 election, which includes two open council seats currently held by John Doyle and Ward Hauenstein, who will be termed out.
Richards, 64, who moved to Aspen in 1978, first became a council member in 1991. She served two four-year terms as well as one two-year mayoral term. She was also a longtime Pitkin County commissioner.
On Tuesday, she emphasized her focus on regional cooperation and the larger picture of Aspen’s evolving needs.
“Aspen is heavily dependent on neighboring towns outside of city limits,” Richards said. “My history in previous work demonstrates that very well. These issues are really the same; they are just more complex.”
Along with Richards, current council member Sam Rose confirmed he has picked up a petition for his mayoral bid. Meanwhile, Doyle told The Aspen Times on Tuesday that, although he may only submit one, he has collected petitions for both a council seat and a mayoral bid.
“I really do not want to be mayor, but I am asking myself what is best for the residents of Aspen,” Doyle said. “My decision will be based on who the other candidates running for mayor are.”
Having served from 2022 to 2024, Rose has been a vocal advocate for progress and action on stalled projects. He expressed a measured approach, saying he will decide whether to proceed with a mayoral run based on the field of candidates as the Dec. 23 petition deadline approaches.
Mayor Torre, who is completing his third consecutive term, has collected a petition to run for city council, a position he has held in the past.
“I have been getting my petition filled out by collecting signatures, and I am pondering running for a city council seat,” Torre said. “There are a lot of issues that are being decided, and I want to make sure they go the right way for the community. A lot of people have asked me to run if I could, so that is what I am doing.”
Richards, alongside Hauenstein, has been a proponent of the Preferred Alternative ballot initiative, which will ask voters to select a route for the Entrance to Aspen.
Both Richards and Rose agree on the urgency of moving forward with long-delayed projects like , seeing it as vital for Aspen’s future.
Other potential candidates for Aspen City Council include Scot Woolley, Emily Kirby, and Matt Bergdahl, although no other petitions besides Richards have so far been submitted.
More candidates may enter the race before the Dec. 23 deadline.
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