Eskew and Sharpe join council race in Mt. Crested Butte

Six people vie for three seats

Two more Mt. Crested Butte citizens are making the run for the upcoming Town Council elections, Susan Eskew and Jim Sharpe.

Originally from California, Susan Eskew fell in love with skiing and moved to Crested Butte part-time in 1984 with her husband and newborn baby, before moving to Mt. Crested Butte full-time in 2004. Eskew served on the Gunnison County Planning Commission between 1993 and 1994, at which time she also formed the Gunnison County Trails Commission and Historic Preservation Society.
In January she was appointed to the county’s Land Preservation Board and Housing Authority Board as a Mt. Crested Butte representative.
Eskew says Mt. Crested Butte has a good opportunity to make itself more desirable with the development of Mountaineer Square North. The key, she says, is providing the amenities and public spaces that townspeople will gather in, such as a post office, grocery market, and social avenues such as a new club.
"I want to live in a more livable community. I want to interact with my neighbors and know who they are. I want to be able to walk downtown to the mail," Eskew says. "Create an easy place for people to be, and they will be there."
Jim Sharpe has lived full-time in Mt. Crested Butte for 11 years with his wife and two children. Sharpe says he’s been reasonably active in local government the whole time, regularly attending Town Council and Planning Commission meetings, making comments and writing letters.
Sharpe says some of his priorities include promoting public services, such as parklands, and expanding the trail system and rec path in and around town, but his main goal is improving the town’s communication with other entities.
"I’d like to see better cooperation between the two towns, between Mt. Crested Butte and CBMR, and between the town and local organizations," Sharpe says. "Improving cooperation and communication is something that will help us move forward," he says.
The three elected candidates will eventually join current Town Council members Bill Babbitt, William Buck, Wendy Fisher and Mike Kube. One of the seven council members, present or future, will be appointed to the position of mayor by a vote of the council during the inaugural meeting in April.
According to Mt. Crested Butte town manager Joe Fitzpatrick, the candidates have until Thursday, March 6 to withdraw their petitions for candidacy.
Town clerk Donna Arwood says other Mt. Crested Butte citizens interested in a Town Council seat who have not turned in petitions can file an affidavit at Town Hall declaring their intent to run, but can do so only as write-in candidates. The deadline for affidavits is Tuesday, March 11. Absentee ballots are available from town hall.
Next week will begin the first installment of the Meet the Candidates series, a Q&A with the final candidate roster.