Butler: Scare tactics deployed to confuse public over Aspen airport

In response to Jacquelyn Francis’ letter to the editor on July 10.

As one of the members of Citizens Against Bigger Planes, I did not parachute into town; in fact, I arrived riding shotgun in a tow truck in 2005. Two other members were born and raised here, and every one of our core group has been in the valley since at least 2009. In addition, the majority of our supporters are natives and longtime locals.

Francis may have confused us with the likes of Barry Vaughn and Greg Goldfarb, two ardent supporters of airport expansion whose motives are unclear, who did appear out of nowhere. Unlike people such as them, our grassroots movement doesn’t stand to benefit financially from an expanded runway.

The attacks, misinformation, and scare tactics being put forward by expansion advocates are to be expected, there is a desperate fight to confuse the public. We on the other hand are taking a more simple approach; we’re engaging the community in a conversation about quality of life, and giving the residents of Pitkin County the ability to vote on the runway to ensure the future of this community is shaped by the will of the people.

Chuck Butler

Snowmass Village