Felder: On the candidates

As election day draws closer, issues like the Entrance to Aspen and affordable housing are top of mind. Mayoral candidates’ approaches to and positions on those issues are refreshingly different.

Katy Frisch is looking forward to a new day while Rachel Richards is mired in the past. Katy offers a background of varied nonprofit and community accomplishments while Rachel is a career politician who talks about the issues she worked on but failed to address successfully. Katy wants to fix the Castle Creek Bridge and build community support for smart, cost-effective approaches. Rachel wants to revive the rejected “Preferred Alternative” and ignore the community by pushing Referendum 2.

Rachel resorts to fear-mongering on the fire evacuation issue while Katy wants to work on realistic solutions to this multifaceted problem. Rachel thinks we need six lanes, including four through the Marolt Open Space while the experts that Katy will rely on have said that getting behind the wheel is not the answer to wildfire management challenges.

On housing, Rachel championed short-term-rental taxes that are not working well and have divided the community. Katy seeks to unite the community to work through partnerships to provide the housing we need and can afford.

Let’s make the thoughtful and forward-looking choice on Election Day.

Richard B. Felder

Aspen