A courageous decision by our mayor

Dear Editor:

We sincerely supported and worked diligently for the election of Steve Skadron for mayor. We believe in slow, smart development and environmental stewardship, which is why we also supported the appointment of Howie Mallory to fill the City Council vacancy created when Steve won the mayor’s race.

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As we know, there was a deadlock in the process to appoint an Aspenite to fill the vacancy. Although he originally supported Mallory, Skadron amended his vote to Dwayne Romero in order to avoid having a new council member being appointed to the vacant City Council seat as a result of the roll of the dice. We all agree there has to be a change in the appointment system, but the mayor and new City Council had to work with the appointment process they inherited.

In this era of polarization and divisiveness when so little is getting done, Skadron made a difficult and painful choice — not between two people but between Aspen becoming the political laughingstock of the nation or exemplifying true leadership as a professional. Skadron took the high road for the good of Aspen — a courageous decision.

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This is a fresh start for this newly seated City Council and mayor. It is our hope they can work together as a team for slow, smart growth that reflect the values of conservationists. We wish them well and give them our support as they tackle the duties of keeping Aspen a world-class mountain paradise.

Ruthie Brown and Blanca and Cavanaugh O’Leary

Aspen