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The nerd has my vote

Dear Editor:

Mick Ireland is a nerd, and he loves politics. There, I’ve said it.

He thinks wireless cards are cool. He can be hypnotized by a voter database in an Excel spreadsheet. He looks at bicycle catalogs the way other men look at swimsuit calendars. He thinks financial reports are riveting. He cleans his road bike with Q-tips. He thinks Bill Gates sports a good haircut.



He is also a lawyer and a teacher and a student of the Constitution. He’s washed dishes in restaurants and peeled potatoes in the basement of St. Mary church. He argues mountain resort issues in the state Legislature and talks transportation to the governor. He knows what’s going on politically in every county on the Western Slope. And he’s had his feet firmly planted in this community for more than three decades.

When it comes to affordable housing, no one knows more or has done a better job for Aspen. We are a community replete with self-styled experts who never get their hands dirty. Mick Ireland is the polar opposite. He goes door-to-door to promote funding measures for housing. He actually reads all the memos and reports and plans. He’s served on the housing board and the financial advisory board. He follows our developments and tries out new ideas.




And he’s never afraid to confront the inevitable problems and take the heat you get for actually trying to create housing and keep it affordable. Aspen can be an unruly mob; we can argue about dog poop like it was nuclear waste.

Like his advocacy for social services and community health, Mick shows a passion for our housing program; he’s done it for years, and done it well. Under the two-dollar haircut and the worn bike jersey is a big brain and a warm heart. He’s got my vote for mayor on May 5.

Frank Peters

Aspen