Two Bills with your one vote

I am writing to urge the voters in the town of Basalt to vote for Bill Kane for mayor. If he is elected, we will have Bill Kane’s leadership, expertise and positive energies as mayor and Bill Infante will remain a proactive member of the Town Council.

Based on Bill Kane’s incredible career, we can anticipate that he will be a great communicator who will help bring the community together. He will focus on quality of life and will not be an advocate for growth per se. His entire career has been involved with high quality, environmentally sensitivity community developments. As a partner with Design Workshop Inc, a nationally respected planning and landscape architecture firm, Bill led many impressive assignments in planning and design. As the chief planner with Pitkin County early in his career, Bill gained substantial experience in policy formulation as well as specific skills in land-use regulation. As a vice president and chief planner for Aspen Skiing Co. for 10 years, Bill was instrumental in creating many high-quality complex developments. Remarkably, Bill also served as the Basalt Town Manager for 3 1/2 years during 2009 to 2012. Bill will enhance our quality of life by working with the council and others to improve Old Town and Willits and will not support growth just to make Basalt bigger.

We also are fortunate to have Bill Infante as a current member of the Town Council, where he will remain if Bill Kane is elected mayor. Bill has an impressive background in senior positions with the U.S. government — particularly in the area of economic development. We can look forward to his continuing contributions and ideas as a council member.

Ben Franklin was known for his effective decisions by making a list of “pros” and “cons.” In this case, one important “pro” of electing Bill Kane as mayor — the town will enjoy the benefits of “Two Bills With Your One Vote” — will keep Bill Infante as well. The significant “con” could leave the town without the many skills and leadership of Bill Kane. So, what would Ben Franklin do?

Jim Light

Basalt