Aspen Times Editorial: Torre’s passion good fit for Aspen’s next mayor
Aspen voters will have the final say Tuesday on our city’s next mayor. The Aspen Times’ editorial board is reiterating our support of Torre.
Tuesday’s runoff election between Ann Mullins and Torre came after neither garnered the 50 percent plus one votes to win the seat outright in the March 5 municipal election.
In our mayoral endorsement prior to that election, The Times’ editorial board put our support behind Torre. During the runoff process the past month, Torre has continued to show his focus, determination and commitment to leading the council in a direction that will encourage more dialogue with residents and business owners, but not drag its feet.
As we stated in our Feb. 20 endorsement, we feel Torre shows the qualities City Council needs in its next mayor — he speaks with clarity, is prepared and engaged in discussion, has a clear vision, is open-minded and has a willingness to listen before making a decision. He is respectful but to the point and doesn’t want to waste time on unnecessary discussions.
His passion continues in his sixth attempt to earn the mayor’s seat on the City Council, and we look forward to him working with Mullins, who has two years remaining in her current seat on council.
In the March election, Torre picked up 1,281 votes to Mullins’ 940. At issue are the roughly 900 votes that went to the other two candidates, Adam Frisch and Cale Mitchell.
If Mullins is elected mayor, she has said she will consider how to fill her vacancy, which includes another election or appointing someone. We don’t think Aspen has the time nor the appetite for another election. We need our city government to get to work. If Torre wins, then the two candidates will have two years to work together and keep each other in check.
At forums held in the past month, Torre has continued to stay on point and clearly articulate where he stands on issues, and most importantly why. He is showing he is ready to take action and be aggressive on decision-making.
We again urge Aspen voters to get to the ballot box by 7 p.m. on Tuesday and to give Torre the opportunity for the next two years to use his skills and passion to advance the ideals of the community, which include slow growth, protecting quality of life and environmental stewardship.
The Aspen Times editorial board consists of publisher Samantha Johnston, editor David Krause and reporters Rick Carroll, Scott Condon and Carolyn Sackariason.