Letter: Local politicos not looking out for our wallets

I read recently that one of Aspen’s two gasoline stations will close. I also took note of the fact that the mayor was not worried because automobiles are not a priority in Aspen — at least for him.

Apparently Mayor Steve Skadron has not noted that the residents of Aspen and those in the Roaring Fork Valley pay outrageously high prices for gasoline. It is monopoly at its best. Who cares that everyone living in Aspen and the valley must pay an extra 50 cents per gallon or more for gasoline?

I thought nothing of the story until a National Public Radio reporter from Kentucky called me for comment on the steps taken by the city of Somerset, Kentucky. According to a July 19 article in the Louisville Courier, the town of Somerset has opened its own gasoline station. It seems the residents of Somerset were paying 20 to 30 cents more per gallon for gasoline than in neighboring towns. By opening a town gasoline station, Somerset brought down the price to its residents. The town’s mayor, a Republican, told the reporter, “We don’t care if we don’t sell a drop of gasoline. Our objective is to lower the price.”

It would be nice if elected politicians in this valley thought in a similar way.

Philip Verleger

Carbondale