Richards: Ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work

What will our new city council require to address the many challenges facing Aspen? A commitment to hard work, experience, compromise, courage, and respect for the diversity of community needs and opinions on growth, housing, transportation, and regional problem solving. 

Complex matters aren’t solved with part-time mayors who kick the tough work off to staff, or council members who don’t participate (despite being well-compensated). Those who won’t make the time or take on the responsibilities of serving on boards and commissions or developing regional relationships simply don’t move the ball forward.  

Developing partnerships is needed to accomplish community goals like the redevelopment of the Amory into a true hub of community activity, with affordable dining, activities for our youth, spaces for family get togethers, birthday celebration and other events. A successful Amory project with take the type of community collaboration I helped to develop with the Aspen Recreation Center and the Red Brick Center for the Arts projects.

Solving the affordable-housing crisis will require partnerships and collaboration with Pitkin County, the private sector, non-profits, and regional governments to prioritize and plan for all our housing needs — not simply rushing into the Lumberyard project with all available funds. I am calling for a housing summit — not to discuss the problem once again but to acknowledge all the needs and prioritize our collective resources to address outdated policies, aged and defective building issues, and support regional collaboration on new housing sites.

Managing growth means managing demand: upholding the short-term rental codes and not caving to the pressures to allow unlimited short-term rentals in every neighborhood. It means continuing to buy and preserve undeveloped lands with our open space funds as we did to eliminate development on Smuggler Mountain. 

City government must do better by providing basic service like snow removal, community development reviews and permitting, and public safety by planning in advance for staff retirements and increasing our abilities as needed for core government functions.

Supporting our arts and cultural community is key to Aspen’s identity and economy. Balanced and thoughtful use of the Wheeler RETT revenues to enhance and deliver more to small arts organizations and create a limited, larger capital-needs matching grant program with the Wheeler Board, grants committee, and city council will assure vitality and longevity of our many institutions and artists.

Working to improve the Entrance to Aspen with a two-bridge solution is imperative to safe wildfire and natural disaster evacuation routes out of town, even as we support modifications to the tree removal codes to help homeowners “harden their structures” and support early detection equipment and our local fire districts in their preparedness and mission. 

Aspen has a failed entrance — frustrating all day, every day, with backed up and ‘by-pass’ traffic impacts spilling on to all our side roads and neighborhoods, from Cemetery Lane to Castle and Maroon Creek Roads, from Main Street the Airport Business Center. 

Truly tackling auto congestion is about everyone participating, changing habits, improving transit options, acknowledging, and supporting those who leave the car at home. Looking at future travel needs and finding innovative solutions is part of Aspen’s DNA. We have a solid foundation upon which to reduce the gridlock throughout the Hwy 82 corridor by working regionally and locally, with respect and compromise to embrace the needs of all commuters, local travelers, families, and guests.

I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for all of you. With appreciation and gratitude, I respectfully ask for your vote for mayor.