Pitkin County officials, residents continue to go head-to-head over airport ballot questions
Pitkin County, Our Airport Our Vote move forward questions for November election
Regan Mertz/The Aspen Times
The Pitkin County Board of Commissioners and Our Airport Our Vote continue their power struggle over decision-making at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport.
Pitkin County commissioners unanimously voted to move Our Airport Our Vote’s Nov. 5 ballot title forward, contingent upon some edits.
Our Airport Our Vote, an issue committee working with key players from Citizens Against Bigger Planes, garnered enough petition signatures earlier this month to get its own question on the ballot. The group’s next step was to get the ballot title approved by the board of commissioners at a first reading on Aug. 14.
The ballot question will amend the Home Rule Charter, Pitkin County’s governing document, to restrict county officials decision making power regarding the expansion or relocation of any runway at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport beyond the dimensions and locations that existed on Jan. 1 without voter approval. It also clearly defines “runway.”
The initial ballot title proposed by Pitkin County Attorney Richard Neiley was, “Shall the Pitkin County Charter be amended to limit the powers of the County Board of Commissioners to authorize expansion or relocation of any runway at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport beyond the runway dimensions and locations that existed on January 1, 2024, unless Pitkin County voters approve such expansion or relocation in accordance with the provisions of BOCC Resolution No. ___ – 2024?”
The new edits will remove, “in accordance with the provisions of BOCC Resolution No. ___ – 2024?”
Chuck Butler, Our Airport Our Vote member and Citizens Against Bigger Planes founding member, requested this change due to the language potentially confusing voters.
“There was a lot of back and forth today because it was unclear if it was referencing our measure or the board’s measure,” he said during public comment. “The process has been educational if nothing else and a lot of fun. I’m very proud of what we have done, giving a voice to a silent majority over the past three, six months. I think we ran a very fair, honest, and transparent movement.”
During her own public comment, Jackie Merril, a 35-year Pitkin County resident, suggested the board of county commissioners are committing possible political suicide.
“Who is going to see this as anything but a blatant, unsubtle power grab on the part of the commission?” she said. “And if that isn’t the case, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
As for a power grab, Commissioner Francie Jacober disagreed. She feels she has a responsibility as a commissioner to the Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Colorado.
“I’m obviously going to vote to fix this language … it’s my duty to do that,” she said. “But I just want to make sure that people understand I’m doing it unhappily because I’m to be responsible as a county commissioner for decisions about the operation and the administration issues at the airport.”
She also said it is also incumbent upon the commission to oversee contracts with any federal entities.
“It is also incumbent on us to be responsible for the contracts that we signed with the FAA in the grant assurances when we took up to $12 million recently and said we will be the people who make these decisions about the airport,” she said. “So we’ve been told that is our responsibility by the state and by the FAA. So by asking us to not have that responsibility, you’re asking us to break our contracts with the FAA and to break state law.”
On the other hand, the commissioners’ ballot question, which underwent a first reading during the board’s Wednesday meeting, was unanimously voted to be moved forward to a second reading by the board.
The ballot question seeks to amend Article II of the county’s governing document, the Home Rule Charter, to allow Pitkin County sole power to approve and carry out a physical layout and attendant regulatory plan for the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport.
The question was initially discussed by the board during a special meeting on Tuesday.
During public comment at Wednesday’s meeting, several Aspenites, including Mayor Torre, continued to voice the concern that the commissioners are initiating this ballot question as a power grab.
Not everyone agreed, though.
“I was really surprised to hear people characterize what the commissioners are seeking to do here; there’s an implication by the opponents that somehow this is anti-democratic,” Aspen resident Greg Goldfarb said. “I think it’s just really important to clarify that the will of the people has not been realized again. There’s been an initiative proposed over there, and that goes on ballot in November, and the commissioners put an initiative on the ballot for November. These are two democratic ballots.”
After public comments concluded, Commissioner Patti Clapper said that the board’s ballot question is not in retaliation of the Our Airport Our Vote ballot question, but it is a response to it.
A second reading is scheduled for Aug. 28.
Regan Mertz can be reached at 970-429-9153 or rmertz@aspentimes.com.
