The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Boards and committees set
The inaugural meeting for the new Mt. Crested Butte Town Council members was held on Tuesday, April 2 following a reception with cake and hors d’oeuvres for the new and outgoing members. William Buck was unanimously nominated to serve as Mt. Crested Butte mayor, and Bill Babbitt was chosen as mayor pro-tem.
At the inaugural meeting, there were also four positions on the Mt. Crested Butte Planning Commission up for nomination. Buck suggested not having a Town Council member nominated for the board, as was customary in the past. He cited a letter from former council member Tom Steuer, who indicated that the old scenario was detrimental to the Planning Commission due to voting restrictions, and had no appreciable benefit to the Town Council, which is adequately briefed by staff.
Council member Mike Kube agreed and said he had discussed the matter with Planning Commission chairman Dusty Demerson. “(Dusty) was in favor with it because if some commission members are absent, and then the Town Council member has to step down, the decisions are made by a limited number of people,” Kube said.
Six candidates said they would like to serve on the board. The Town Council chose four incumbent members to serve: Jamie Watt, David Eleeson, David O’Reilly and Tom Steuer. Mt. Crested Butte residents Craig McManus and former town council member Danny D’Aquila also applied for the seats.
Next, the council appointed members to serve on the numerous civic committees and boards.
Council member Bill Babbitt and new council member Gary Keiser were appointed to the Mountain Express transportation committee, which oversees the operation of the free public shuttle between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.
Babbitt was also nominated to continue serving on the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority board. The RTA organizes air service and ground transportation options for the Gunnison Valley. Buck was nominated for the second available seat on the RTA board.
New council member Andrew Gitin was elected to the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce board of directors after he indicated his interest as an area businessman.
New council member David Clayton was elected to serve on the Center for the Arts board of directors. Clayton served on the Center for the Arts board as a general member representing KBUT, a non-voting position, prior to his election. Clayton said he would like to continue in that capacity, as well as carry a voting voice for the town of Mt. Crested Butte. Babbitt agreed that since he started in a non-voting position it would be appropriate to do both.
Clayton was then nominated for a position on the Region 10 board. Region 10 is a non-profit alliance of six counties, 24 municipalities and numerous businesses and organizations to provide a unified position and consistent message in areas such as transportation and regional planning.
The next nomination placed Jamie Watt on the Club 20 board. Club 20 is an organization similar to Region 10, made up of counties, communities, tribes and businesses so they can speak with a unified voice on issues such as marketing and promotion, public education and political action.
A position on the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) was next. CAST is a group of 25 municipalities whose economies are largely dependent on ski tourism. Buck, who is currently the vice president of the CAST executive board, said he would like to continue serving.
Council member Kube was then elected to continue serving on the Local Marketing District board, and the Tourism Association advisory board, both interrelated local groups devoted to attracting visitors to the area.
The council nominated Wendy Fisher to the Downtown Development Authority board. Town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said the board deals with issues such as the proposed recreation center, Mountaineer Square North, and landscaping along gothic.
Finally, during a subsequent meeting on April 15 the council elected Planning Commission member David O’Reilly to serve on the Gunnison Valley Transportation Planning Region committee.
