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Deadline ends for Aspen City Council, mayoral candidates

Scot Wolley with Charles, his corgi, in front of City Hallon Monday.
Westley Crouch/The Aspen Times

Aspen’s mayoral and city council candidates are now official, as the Dec. 23 petition deadline has come and gone. Each candidate needed to collect 25 signatures from registered Aspen voters before their petitions could be turned in.

Scot Woolley, one of the candidates for city council, turned in his petition on Dec. 23.

Born and raised in Aspen, Woolley is a recently appointed member on the Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority board of directors, and has worked to promote energy and climate action in Colorado. He has experience creating, organizing and managing outreach campaigns, along with planning and coordinating events and programs with the city of Aspen.



Woolley said he believes it’s time for younger leadership and fresh ideas on city council.

“Since I have been back in town, there has been a division happening in our town. I do not think that is the way things need to be,” Woolley said. “I think we can unite, think big ideas, and have true leadership again.”




Woolley acknowledged the diversity of opinions on city council but said collaboration is possible.

“I think the first thing that needs to happen is that we need to figure out where we have common values,” he said. “The reality is that I was 12-years-old when the Preferred Alternative was passed by the community. I trust the people of Aspen to decide for our community. I have a background in environmental policy and a place in my heart for Aspen’s open space, but it is time for us to choose and move on.”

While Woolley does not favor any single option for the Entrance to Aspen, he expressed frustration over years of inaction.

“The democracy that we have feels so disenfranchised, and so many of the people who call this place home have kind of lost faith in the governmental process because of so much inaction over the past three decades,” he said. “My background is in environmental policy, so it’s not like I’m coming at this from the point of view of a developer.”

Woolley, who grew up in APCHA housing, said he understands the balance between the needs of residents and workers.

“I grew up crossing the economic line between residents and workers in Aspen, and I found out that our values are, more often than not, shared,” he said. “We are here for the same reasons: for the beautiful environment, a small-town feel, and the feeling of community that is increasingly missing in small towns.”

He said he hopes to bridge divides and foster more collaboration among Aspen’s residents.

City Council member John Doyle, who had considered running for mayor, opted to seek another term on council.

“Being on council for the last four years has given me a front-row seat to the role of mayor. Aspen’s mayor needs to be 100% committed to the role and its many different responsibilities,” Doyle said. “With a daughter attending Aspen High School, I feel attempting both responsibilities simultaneously would be a disservice to both.”

Doyle said conversations with current and former mayors, family, and local leaders helped him make his decision.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the community of Aspen for the last four years,” he said. “I am grateful to the many people who encouraged me to run. I hope I will still have your support if I decide to run for mayor in the future.”

Eight candidates submitted petitions for city council. Along with Doyle and Woolley, the list includes Mayor Torre, who is termed out of the mayoral seat, as well as Christine Benedetti, Emily Kolbe, Tyler Wilkinson Ray, Peter Fornell, and Maryann Pitt.

Rachel Richards and Katy Frisch are the only two candidates who have submitted petitions to run for mayor.

City Clerk Nicole Henning said that once the signatures are verified, each candidate will sign an affidavit and turn in their candidate registration form for financial reporting. A ballot lottery will occur in early January to determine the order in which each candidate will appear on the ballot.