Wednesday results show Francie Jacober wins
Francie Jacober/Courtesy Photo
Democratic incumbent Francie Jacober has maintained her lead in Pitkin County’s District 5 commissioner race as of Wednesday evening.
Jacober’s lead in the race is 6,336 votes, or 72.26%.
“I’m really thankful to the voters of Pitkin County and particularly thrilled that they generously supported the airport and affordable housing, which were two issues that I cared a lot about and will be part of my focus for the next four years,” she said. “I always appreciate the generosity of Pitkin County taxpayers.”
Trailing behind is Toni Kronberg, who is unaffiliated, with 2,432, or 27.74% of the votes.
Jacober, who just finished her first term, has been a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley for 30 years. She taught middle school for 26 years in Aspen and Carbondale, and currently, she raises cattle in Crystal River Valley for local markets with her family and manages Fatbelly Burgers in Carbondale.
For her next four years, Jacober said she will focus on finding ways to provide more affordable housing for the local workforce and conserve open and agricultural lands.
“Well, we can’t bring them back once we develop them, so I’ll be working on that,” she said.
Kronberg has been a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley for 50 years. She has experience as a paralegal, research specialist, emergency medical technician, swim coach, swim instructor, and security guard.
“When I started my campaign, I made a promise that if I lost I was still going to continue on with my platform for Highway 82 and the Aspen Aerial connection,” she said. “I’ve kind of used the election as a springboard to tackle Highway 82, so I’m really happy with the response that I’ve had from people about how they’re concerned about the safety on Highway 82.”
Pitkin County boasts 13,913 active voters. A total of 11,208 ballots were counted, representing 80.56% of the total active voters.
District 5 is the only contested race for the Board of County Commissioners this cycle. District 5 includes the western and northern parts of Pitkin County, encompassing the Crystal River and Upper Frying Pan valleys.
Other commissioner races
Current Pitkin County District 3 commissioner Greg Poschman ran unopposed for his third and final term.
Newcomer Jeffrey H. Woodruff also ran unopposed in District 4’s commissioner race.
Final results will be posted at a later date.
Regan Mertz can be reached at 970-429-9153 or rmertz@aspentimes.com.
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