The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
For those who can vote, you should receive your mail ballots by this week. You have until November 1 to get them back to Gunnison County to be counted. And a big reminder, the Crested Butte News Candidate’s Forum will take place Thursday, October 20 starting at 6:30 at the Center for the Arts. It is your chance to ask questions of the candidates. Be there and ask whatever you want….
—Mark Reaman
Aaron “Huck” Huckstep
Q: Give us one new idea or direction you would like to work on if elected to the town council…
As Mayor, I plan to focus my attention on three specific areas where opportunity exists to improve Crested Butte: (1) improving the economic sustainability of Town; (2) promoting communication and collaboration between the Town, Mt. Crested Butte and CBMR; and (3) promoting fiscal responsibility within the Town’s finances. I have provided the CB News with a document explaining a number of ideas and initiatives I would like to see happen as Mayor within these three areas. Two specific ideas contained within this plan are (1) revisiting the Atmos franchise agreement and (2) development of a pilot program for weekly sales tax reporting. The first is an efficient and effective way to ensure that our community receives an ongoing revenue stream that it otherwise has lost. The second will help our community understand the financial impact of events (or a lack of events) upon local businesses, will help to build stronger ties between businesses and Town, and will help to ensure effective future planning of events in both summer and winter. Please visit the CB News website (www.crestedbuttenews.com) for further details about these two initiatives, as well as a number of other initiatives that should be considered by Town.
Q: And from a voter in town: Are there any issues or topics that you as a member of the council would have to step down from discussions given potential conflicts of interest? If so, what are they?
In the relatively short time I’ve been here, I have been a member of the Board of Directors for the Nordic Center, the Board of Directors for Gunnison Trails, I started the nonprofit that operated the Alpine Odyssey and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (and will be operating more events in the future), and also have represented clients in matters involving the Town. To focus my energies on being Mayor, I will be stepping down from the Nordic Council and Gunnison Trails Boards prior to taking office. I plan to recuse myself from discussions potentially benefitting the Nordic Center or Gunnison Trails in the future. I will also recuse myself from any matters involving QPC LOC, Inc. (d/b/a/ Elk Mountain Events). I have one client with a matter pending before the Town, and am already transitioning that client to a new attorney. I do not expect that issue, or any other involving a current or former client, to come before the Council during my term as Mayor.
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger
Q: Best concert you’ve seen in Crested Butte:
Coreshot
Q: Name a KBUT show you enjoy:
DJ Touch’s Touch Me in the Morning Show
David K. Owen
Q: Give us one new idea or direction you would like to work on if elected to the Town Council…
I would like to pursue the creation of at least one successful business incubator program in Crested Butte. Years ago, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte leased spaces at the old bus stop for four cart businesses. The permit was inexpensive, and it allowed three successful businesses to get a start. They have since thrived: Camp 4 Coffee, Cottonwood T-Shirts and Mabuhay. Could these businesses have successfully started without Cartland? The Town of Crested Butte allows some cart businesses, but the program has restrictions that discourage a transition from cart into a retail storefront. Carts have to be mobile, which means no chance to gain place recognition; they are difficult to restock and difficult to operate during the winter season. A business incubator program does not have to be a cart program. It could be a building maintained for the benefit of small start-up businesses who can have some inexpensive office space and share common resources such as administrative staff, a meeting room, bandwidth, computers, fax and copy machines. A shared showroom could provide an inexpensive place to showcase locally produced products like in the Valley Home Store proposal that ORE spearheaded. The Town currently supports artists and non-profits with the Paragon Gallery and the “Middle Town Hall” office building on Third Street, and that is important to maintain. But I’d like to see the Town branch out from this foundation into support for start-up and small for-profit businesses. I have other new ideas I want to pursue, but designing flexible and workable business incubator programs that can bring economic opportunity to the people of Crested Butte definitely tops the list.
Q: And from a voter in town: Are there any issues or topics that you as a member of the council would have to step down from discussions given potential conflicts of interest? If so, what are they?
I am a real estate broker, and I own property in Town. If I, a family member, business partner or a client of mine came to the Town with a specific project, then I would inform the Council of that potential conflict of interest and recuse myself from discussions on that project. The line is pretty clear where there is the potential for personal financial gain. The line gets blurry when you consider topics and issues. I understand that I am not required to step down if I have thoughts, ideas or concerns of a general nature on any topics or issues in general. For example, I may be against large-scale mining on principle, but I would not have to step down from a discussion over a specific mine (say on Red Lady) because of my general beliefs. If a Council member takes a public stand that demonstrates a clear bias on any specific proposal, then that Council member should be recused from discussions on that specific proposal in order to maintain the integrity of the public process.
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
Council Packets and Title Commitments.
Q: Best concert you’ve seen in Crested Butte:
Boy, there have been a lot. Widespread Panic at the One World Festival, Michael Franti at the Center, and Ani DiFranco at the Center were all really great shows.
Q: Name a KBUT show you enjoy:
There are many, but I am Lunch Lady Laura’s number one fan :-).
Shaun Matusewicz
Q: Give us one new idea or direction you would like to work on if elected to the town council…
The needs of Crested Butte are as diverse as our people. It is important that Town Policy supports not just one interest, but the greater good so we can all thrive. Here are a couple of ideas that I feel do just that:
• Solar- There are a lot of small things we can do quickly and without much expense that will make solar more accessible and affordable to the families of Crested Butte. Not only will this help lower energy costs, but also help protect the community’s air and water.
• Small Business Support- It takes guts to start a small business, especially right now. We should be doing everything we can to encourage small businesses in Crested Butte. Things like reduced Chamber of Commerce fees for first year businesses and running small ads in the CB News welcoming/introducing new businesses to town will go along a long way in helping businesses survive and grow here. This will in turn grow our tax base and allow more money for trails and the other amenities we all enjoy.
Q: And from a voter in town: Are there any issues or topics that you as a member of the council would have to step down from discussions given potential conflicts of interest? If so, what are they?
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Because I served on the local organizing committee for the event I wouldn’t feel comfortable including myself in the discussions if the committee asks the town for money next year. I’d be happy to answer questions about the facts or logistics of the event, but when it gets down to a yes/no discussion on the Councils end, I would excuse myself.
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
Three things: 1) William Faulkner’s As I lay Dying; 2) a book called The Blueprint about the Democratic takeover of Colorado (thanks Townie Books for ordering!); and 3) Explorers of the Infinite, a book about the mind/body/spirit connection found through adventure sports.
Q: Best concert you’ve seen in Crested Butte:
Hmm, it is a toss-up. Either the 1999 One World Festival at the mountain or Willie Nelson at Club Med. I remember Club Med wouldn’t sell tickets to locals because they wanted a more exclusive feel to the show. I didn’t think this was in the spirit of Crested Butte, so I put on my most European clothes, spoke with a French accent and walked right in.
Q: Name a KBUT show you enjoy:
Fear of a Wack Planet. Brian and the crew have done an awesome job of bringing in outside content (album reviews, interviews, etc.) and making a fully rounded show, not to mention the music is great.
Glenn Michel
Q: Give us one new idea or direction you would like to work on if elected to the Town Council…
It is easy as a Town Council member to become bogged down with the minutia of the day and let the discussion be driven by individual needs and short-term interests. I would work collectively with the other council members, the public, and staff to get ahead of the issues and create a vision for what the larger plan can be. Two examples of this are a coherent plan for Elk Avenue and the town’s policy for cars. In some instances the current council has been reactive to the “problems” facing the town and has not had a larger, guiding principle to provide effective direction.
Q: And from a voter in town: Are there any issues or topics that you as a member of the council would have to step down from discussions given potential conflicts of interest? If so, what are they?
No.
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
I have been rereading Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Q: Best concert you’ve seen in Crested Butte:
I am honestly not a big concert-goer—except for the shows my kids put on over at the school. Although a number of years back I was lucky enough to get tickets to see String Cheese Incident at HCCA’s Red Lady Ball in the old Idle Spur building. I still can’t believe they pulled that off!
Q: Name a KBUT show you enjoy:
This American Life. They had a really great episode last August about the politics of fracking in Pennsylvania called Game Changer—you can listen to it on their website. It might make you a fan of this show as well.
Kevin McGruther
Q: Give us one new idea or direction you would like to work on if elected to the Town Council.
• From its historical roots as a mining town that went bust to its transformation into a ski town, Crested Butte has been a town that has thrived on economic change, diversity of cultural interchange. I moved to Crested Butte specifically for the winter recreation, working my way up in CBMR and beyond for several years. I have observed that 50 years after the community changed its economic paradigm it is time to do so again. Historically, Crested Butte residents made up a major percentage of the ski resort’s clientele—40 percent according to CBMR’s Jeff Moffett. The diverse businesses and restaurants in town that catered to the visitors allowed for revenue generation that enabled the locals to spend their money at the resort further driving the ski area economy. The past several years have exposed that the resort has unilaterally decided to move away from this paradigm and focus their efforts on incorporating more non-local clientele. This is a game of numbers. As the resort attempts to market to a smaller number of more moneyed clientele (the planes have not been full) there will inevitably be a smaller number of service jobs necessary. Employment opportunities will shrink and the available properties to rent will skyrocket (take a look at the classifieds for validation—the rentals have out numbered the employment ads 5-1 for quite some time now). This will perpetuate a downward economic spiral that will result in the continued economic stagnation/gentrification of this community unless someone infuses and executes a new idea.
• I observed this problem several years ago and pioneered the Crested Butte Farmers Market as a way to assist our local community in small business development and job creation. I did this while still a resident of Mt. Crested Butte because I realize the necessity of total community economic success. When we spend our money locally there is more sustainability in our economic infrastructure. It also happens that this style of marketing has been an extremely potent fit for our community. CBFM has increased gross revenues every single year since we began. It is no wonder that the farmer market is exceedingly popular, not only with locals but with visitors and second home owners alike. The farmer market represents the new, and exceptionally potent, paradigm of marketing and economics that the community of Crested Butte desperately needs to maintain it’s high quality of life and hospitable attitude. Mining by itself is not sustainable. The ski resort by itself is not sustainable. The Crested Butte Farmers Market by itself is not sustainable. Diversity is the driving factor behind any success story. I am already successfully engineering and executing a new idea and a new direction for Crested Butte’s total health and well-being—whether I am elected to office or not. The numbers don’t lie and neither do I.
Q: And from a voter in town: Are there any issues or topics that you as a member of the council would have to step down from discussions given potential conflicts of interest? If so, what are they?
Crested Butte Farmers Market
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
Nothing: A Brief Introduction by Oxford Physics Professor Frank Close
Q: Best concert you’ve seen in Crested Butte:
The House Band by the Nordic Center at Second and Whiterock Avenues.
Q: Name a KBUT show you enjoy:
DemocracyNow!
