Letter: The best for Basalt

I am a resident of Eagle County who has a Basalt mailing address but cannot vote in the upcoming election for the town of Basalt. Living in unincorporated Eagle County, I consider Basalt to be my hometown. My kids are in the Basalt school system, my church, St. Vincent’s, is in Basalt, and across the street is Willits and farther up City Market. You could say I am surround by Basalt. So when it comes to election time, it is twice as important to me who sits on the council board, as I have no say in Basalt town politics.

I have lived here for over 25 years and have lived through the Roaring Fork Club talks, the City Market talks and the now the Willits talks. In all of those years, one of the council members and mayors who have always impressed me with their real heart in what is best for Basalt and both its residents and outlying Eagle County “relatives” has been Leroy Duroux — a man who is honest, hardworking and always involved in the community, from serving St. Pat’s dinner to grilling hot dogs for the Boy Scouts and ball players to sitting down with the locals to discuss town issues.

A lot of letters have been touting the need for “new” faces so we can “progress” forward. In my opinion, you have to look to the past to preserve the future. In other words, what we have done to Basalt in the past has set what the future will look like. No other person, in my mind, has the ability to do the best other than Duroux.

While he was on council, his vision enabled Basalt to thrive in the downtown area. We had River Days, Christmas-tree lightings that were very well-attended, numerous restaurants to choose from and a bookstore, and most of the businesses on main street existed. There were very few empty storefronts.

Now is the time to follow the lead of a person who cares for Basalt’s residents by looking at ways to keep people living in town, to plan for the 30-somethings who want the same chance I have and Leroy has to live, work and raise a family in the same area. When you cast your vote in April, remember you are also casting your vote for the outlying Eagle County relatives who can’t cast their votes. Please vote for Leroy Duroux; he knows the town’s past and is the best to help plan Basalt’s future.

Diana C. CordovaElliott

Eagle County