Whining time is over

So you want to be a member of the Town Council or school board? Be forewarned… chances are if you get elected in either of the upcoming political races, there will come a time when someone, somewhere… makes fun of you. It could be your neighbor, or your friend, the newspaper or your husband. But it’s part of the deal. It’s not always an easy job but it can be pretty rewarding. Sitting on a local board like the Crested Butte Town Council or RE1J school board is a labor that impacts lives. It matters. It is real. And it is time.
There are two main elections coming this fall but petitions must be picked up and returned in the next few weeks. Five out of seven seats are available for the Crested Butte Town Council and three seats are open for the RE1J school board, including the seat representing the north end of the valley. You have to meet certain minimal requirements, but living in the correct jurisdiction is part of it. You can’t live in Crested Butte South and run for Crested Butte Town Council.

If you enter the fray you should understand that if elected to the council or the school board, you would probably have to put in more time than you think right now. The pay is bad but at least your neighbors might really dislike your decisions. Public ridicule is part of the deal (just ask Alan) and if you go to a party, chances are people will want to corner you and talk about things like whether snow banks on Elk Avenue should be six or eight inches high, whether it was fair for your friend’s kid to be sent to the principal’s office, or if you can take care of a dog ticket unfairly issued to little Spike. Be prepared to spend hours of your life talking about parking or the appropriate size of bus stops or where to place a Nordic shed.
Despite a bit of downside, being on these boards really does make a difference in the community. And that is what it’s all about… doing something. Setting direction. Making a difference.

The majority of Town Council seats are open, so if a group of people who live in town honestly hate what is happening in those council chambers at the moment…you can do something about it. Feel horizontal zoning is too draconian? Run, get elected and repeal it. Think the current council spends too much time being “green” or carbon-neutral? Then run, get elected and change the discussion to economic development. But if you live in town and don’t even try, there really is no reason to keep whining (except for the fun of it all).

We are living in “interesting” times. Budgets are tight in a shaky economy. There is a mine proposed in the town watershed. There is a proposed ski expansion, proposed annexation and proposed major development in the Sixth Street Station. The school is going through a major expansion. There are real, thoughtful issues on the table right now for both the council and school board. Issues will be decided that will determine whether it remains a good place to raise your kids, retire here or just pass through.
Please think about these things before you decide to run. Come to the table with a clue and don’t simply form study committees and ask for more meetings to discuss the situation. If you do, expect to be ridiculed in the paper.
One more thing in that arena: those with thin skins need not apply. Spending time in the public eye is not for those who are easily insulted. Every elected official will (or should) push for something a tad crazy during their time on the board. Some people still make fun of me for trying to bring back a train between Gunnison and Crested Butte in the early 1990s when I was on the council. The ranchers really loved that one.

Each town representative pulls in $3,200 per year, while the mayor rakes in $7,200. The school board members make $0.
You have less than a few weeks to pull a petition, take it out on the streets and ask your neighbors to sign it. If they don’t, that might tell you something.
Petitions are due back August 24 for the council and August 28 for the school board.
You really can make a difference. So who will do it?