It’s election time….

First things first. Vote for Amendment 66. It will help schools across the state and will directly benefit the schools in our valley, to the tune of more than a million bucks. It looks like for a relatively small personal cost, this proposal will benefit our children and classrooms with more than $1.3 million.

Now on to the local council election. Writing endorsements is always one of the hardest tasks in a small town. This year is harder than most. I know most of the candidates, through either work or social contact. Every one of them is a good person who could sit as competent representatives on the Town Council. This year’s candidate’s forum made the endorsements all the more difficult since everyone showed well.
Issue-wise, the seven candidates all appear if not on the same page, at least in the same chapter. While Danica and Jeremy would get the highest HCCA ratings, no one wants to roll up the pavement and return Elk Avenue to the elk and grouse. Chris has the strongest business background but no one wants to pave the town into a mountain mall. All seven contenders say they understand the importance of a healthy business climate and a clean environment. No one is secretly hoping to get a mine on Red Lady. A lot of this election will be determined on personality and familiarity. Welcome to small-town politics.

Let’s look at the council hopefuls.
Jim Schmidt is a regular council hopeful. He is comfortable in the seat and brings a long-term perspective that no one else on the ballot can provide. History and perspective are good things to have on a government board. While my friend “Deli” might sometimes reminisce too much about paving the streets or banning wood-burning stoves, he is also pushing for a solar array on town buildings, is active in securing more nearby recreational trails and supports fair business policies for downtown shops. Jim is an asset at the table.
Roland Mason has grown as a councilman after four years on the job. He brings a perspective of having been born and raised here. He works in the construction trade and has a growing family. He wants to thoughtfully grow the place and make it attractive for people to visit. He thinks before he speaks and has a forward vision integrating positive change that he hopes will allow his two young daughters to be able to live here. He embodies a growing segment of the Crested Butte population.
Like Roland, Danica Ramgoolam was born and raised in Crested Butte. Danica is a young woman who holds Crested Butte and its rough-edged past in her heart. Her priorities carry a more old-school Crested Butte flavor, as evidenced in part by her being a huge proponent of anything “sustainable.” Obviously sincere in her love of the town and local environment, just the fact she could be the lone woman at the table is a plus.
Josh Schumacher is the least politically active of the group and he brings a sincere, salt of the earth, blue-collar element to the mix. Obviously a fan of the town’s Parks and Rec program, the CBMR lift mechanic comes across as the most raw of the candidates in terms of the wide range of issues they have to face. But his common sense and sense of community are solid and would serve him and the town well.
Chris Ladoulis is the traditional businessman in the group. The owner of an Elk Avenue and Mt. Crested Butte restaurant as well as the father of a new kindergartner, Ladoulis was comfortable and collegial at the forum while providing thoughtful answers from a business viewpoint. He seems to understand the role of a councilperson and has the tools to cogently communicate his views. He has a professional air about him and could be an immediate connection to a segment of the community (Elk Avenue business owners) that has felt disenfranchised in the past.

In the mayor’s race, let’s start with the maxim that nobody’s perfect. But both are pretty good in their own ways. You have two candidates who, despite what many would like to believe, have a lot of similarities. Single guys in their 30s with a bit of ego, both Aaron Huckstep and Jeremy Rubingh are smart, eloquent and embody a Crested Butte vibe. Rubingh’s vibe is more laid back and “green,” while Huckstep’s vibe appears a tad more professional and kinetic.
I appreciate the efforts of each to knock on doors and reach out to the Crested Butte voters this election season. I don’t appreciate the shadowy “whisper” campaign being perpetuated by some trying to paint Huckstep as shady. He has his issues for sure and I don’t like some of his decisions (can you say not hiring a local?) but the community shouldn’t buy into campaign innuendo and rumor.

Huckstep ran unopposed for mayor two years ago without ever having sat on the Town Council. I told him at the time I thought that was a mistake. Council members learn invaluable practical lessons about the town and governing. By choosing to bypass that apprenticeship Huck has sometimes overstepped his role and obviously irritated his fellow councilmen and those who work as staff or partners with the town. He leads a fractured council and that is a concern. Huckstep certainly puts in more time than most other elected representatives I have seen in this town. His networking skills are good and he has excellent relationships with partners like CBMR and Mt. Crested Butte. Hopefully Huckstep has learned about the need to bring along his fellow council people if he wants to truly accomplish real goals. It’s not just working harder—and he works harder than anyone—it’s about working smarter. In my opinion, like many people coming from a business background but with a sometimes politically tin ear, he too often counts changes in “process” as major political success. He does deserve major credit for bringing us the USA Pro Challenge bike race, which is a hit in August. Overall, he is smart, energetic, works hard and represents the town well.
Rubingh is also smart and energetic. While Huck’s background is the private sector, Jeremy’s background was formed more in political advocacy. Like I did with Huckstep two years ago, I told Jeremy my concern with his jumping directly to the mayor’s seat. By bypassing the apprenticeship of council, Rubingh is in danger of making the same or similar missteps as Huckstep. That is human nature and a concern.
The biggest issue difference between the two candidates appears to be how much of a role HCCA might play with the town. It appears Rubingh wants the town to embrace the more combative HCCA Red Lady philosophy, while Huckstep has a more nuanced view. Rubingh is a past HCCA board member and was active in what I characterized at the time as the “rolling” of a previous Town Council to make a poor and hasty decision on the proposed Hidden Gems project that included Whetstone Mountain. His politics have been forged in activism and he can be effective. While it is apparent he has grown, Jeremy’s zeal in the past has not always been inclusive and diplomatic.
But it’s the HCCA influence that keeps scratching at me. The longtime enviro group has done some good and powerful things and obviously has a valid role in this mine situation. They’ve also overreached in other areas. I’d rather see HCCA continue to be a scrappy, effective environmental advocate, but continue to have the town act on a different, less aggressive avenue toward helping to drive the mine to a “permanent solution.” Few would argue that the advocacy group would have more success influencing Rubingh than Huckstep.
In general, Jeremy would probably focus more on the “green” elements surrounding Crested Butte and would likely try to distribute some more municipal time, energy and money to reduce the town’s carbon footprint than is currently being done. Based on his campaign comments and my conversations, I trust that he’s mellowed a bit in his political activism role and would take a more productive and moderate position as mayor on local and regional issues. Overall, Rubingh is charming, a good listener and like Huck, could handle being a good face person for Crested Butte.

As I mentioned, this is a fine group of competent candidates. If they do what they say, there really are no bad choices. There may be better choices, depending on your personal wants and needs. But as the town starts to pull out of a long recessionary period, the priorities of where the candidates want to focus limited resources matters. Given the present situation, the four most solid, pragmatic picks in my view are: Huckstep, Schmidt, Mason and Ladoulis.