Gorog: If employment matters …
Letter to the editor
It seems that some people in Aspen feel that what a person does for a living should exclude them from being permitted to run for office and/or be elected.
For example, Cliff and Kathy Runge (letter to the editor Feb 18) wrote that the real estate community was trying to “take over our city government ” because Bill Guth, who is running for council, is a developer, and Tracy Sutton, a real estate broker, is running for mayor.
If this model holds true, that what you do for a living impacts your right or ability to run for office, then let’s think about what the incumbents do for a living.
Skippy Mesirow, according to The Aspen Times, is a politically active young man with two failed businesses and is currently running a vacation a rental business, which he started in 2021.
Torre, according again to The Aspen Times, “has held down a few restaurant gigs, worked a variety of positions with SkiCo, and put his musical talent to work as a sound engineer in music venues. Now, he works as a tennis instructor.”
Given that the city is basically a multi-million dollar business faced with multitudes of major problems, that finding the balance between local and resort interests is extremely difficult, and that people are suffering under our current administration, then maybe choosing the business-minded folk who have been trained in contract work, trained in negotiating skills, trained in communication and listening skills, have first-hand knowledge of the pros and cons of development, communicate daily with all walks of life, and have lived here forever might be worth your consideration.
Just a thought.
Robin Gorog
Basalt
