Snowmass History: Meeting Mary Drake

“Snowmass Village, a baby on its own,” headlined The Aspen Times Nov. 30, 1978. Just two months prior, Snowmass Village was officially incorporated and the new town had until Nov. 22 to take over operations handled by the county, Snowmass Resort and Homeowners Associations. “Last week, right on schedule, Mayor Jack Schuss proudly announced that it has all happened, and he invited the new officials and department heads to a birthday party. This summer, it appeared that Schuss and the newly elected officials had their work cut out for them. There was the matter of getting the county to agree to a redistribution of the sales tax. The new town had to work out an agreement with the homeowners association to take over the maintenance and plowing of the roads. A similar arrangement had to be made with the Snowmass Resort Assn (SRA) to take over roads that groups maintained and to assume the collection of trash and garbage. The annexation of some 3,000 acres of Snowmass Corp lands was also a major and primary goal. This week, Schuss said all of those aims are about to be realized … Bit by bit, the departments have been taking shape. At first, Schuss and Mary Drake, town clerk, handled everything. Drake, from Carbondale, had worked for former Aspen police chief Marty Hershey and was a friend of Aspen City Clerk Kathy Hauter before she was hired. She started Jan 3, 1978, and is responsible for elections as a deputy clerk for the county. She issues business and sales tax licenses, liquor license applications, goes to board meetings, and is responsible for records, publishing and posting, correspondence, setting up interviews, and paying bills. In the early days, Mayor Schuss used to tell visitors, ‘She runs the town.’ Sometimes, Drake said, it still seems that way.”

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