Basalt election: Q&A with council candidate Hannah Berman

Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of Q&As with the candidates for the April 2 Town of Basalt municipal election. The Q&As will run in the order in which the council candidates appear on the ballot. 

Maybe it was a multi-million dollar infrastructure project along Midland Avenue, maybe the housing crisis, or maybe emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic that sparked interest in holding local office in the midvalley Town of Basalt.

Whatever the reason, Basalt voters will get to choose three new council members from a slate of five candidates, plus an uncontested mayoral seat — a marked departure from 2022’s canceled election due to three candidates for three seats.

Five council candidates — none of whom are incumbents — are vying for three council seats: Richard Stevens, Chris Mullen, Hannah Berman, Angèle Dupré-Butchart, and Kaja Rumney. Mayor Pro Tem David Knight is the sole mayoral candidate in this election.

The candidates participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Basalt Chamber of Commerce at the Basalt Regional Library on March 3.  

Hannah Berman works as the senior sustainability and philanthropy manager at Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo). Basalt has been her home for the past five years, and she has held multiple volunteer positions in the region.

The election will take place on Tuesday, April 2, via mail-in ballot. Registered Basalt voters should have already received their ballots. Ballots must be received by the Town Clerk no later than 7 p.m. on election day to be counted. Ballots can be returned by mail or dropped off at the 24/7 ballot box at 101 Midland, behind Town Hall on the Midland Spur.

The Times sent the same questions to candidates via email. Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

AT: The midvalley is growing. What is the most important area of focus for Town Council in managing that growth?

HB: Sustainability is key — both in terms of the environment and the community. That means transit-connected affordable housing must be the focus. 

We should have high standards for the percentage of affordable housing in any new development, the efficiency and environmental impact of buildings, and the way design can funnel residents into public transportation. These principles will help preserve our small-town character as the midvalley grows.

AT: Is building new affordable housing or buying down pre-existing stock a bigger priority for you?

HB: There are a few opportunities left within Basalt’s urban growth boundary to boost our affordable housing stock. We need to nail those projects by building transit-connected affordable housing. I’m also interested in exploring creative solutions like ADU incentive programs that could help house local workers or kids returning home from college. 

However, we’re not going to build our way out of this problem. So we need to curb the housing prices that are rocketing out of reach for the teachers, shop employees, and the aging population that make up our community. Buy-down programs are a promising policy tool to retain housing stock for locals. And I would support the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition’s work to spin up a buy-down program in the valley.

AT: What makes Basalt unique and how would you protect/build upon that identity as a Town Council member?

HB: We have world-class recreation opportunities, a growing art and music scene, innovative and driven nonprofits, and yet we’ve maintained the Mountain West character that makes our small town so special. 

The biggest threat to the outdoor places where we love to recreate and on which many of our livelihoods depend is climate change. To solve climate, we need to electrify everything and power it with clean energy. Since Holy Cross is committed to providing 100% clean energy by 2030, Town Council’s biggest lever on climate is crafting policy to make buildings and transit more sustainable. I hope to join Town Council to update our building codes, bolster public transportation, improve bikeability and final-mile transit, and elevate our mountain town’s voice in state and federal policymaking.

AT: How would your background contribute to Town Council business?

HB: In my role on the SkiCo sustainability team, I’ve advocated for policies that would advance climate action, improve childcare affordability and accessibility, and provide more tools to tackle affordable housing. 

Also, like almost 40% of our town, I’m a renter. I live in an all-electric affordable unit with onsite solar and a WE-cycle station outside my front door, so I can bike to work. That’s planning well done. And it’s enabled me to be an engaged member of the community – whether by grabbing Thai takeout to listen to the summer concerts in the River Park or working as a Basalt election judge the past two years.

AT: What is your favorite way to recreate in Basalt?

HB: Nordic skiing on the Rio or hiking Light Trail with friends.