The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Berkshire and Michel want the gavel
by Mark Reaman
It appears there will be a race for the Crested Butte mayor’s seat and three Town Council seats. Six of the nine petitions taken out by potential candidates were returned to the town clerk’s office by Monday, August 24.
Current councilmen Skip Berkshire and Glenn Michel will run for mayor. Current mayor Aaron Huckstep, along with Laura Mitchell, Erika Vohman, and Paul Merck, have tossed their hats in the ring to be council representatives.
It may seem strange that Huckstep is relinquishing the mayor’s seat to run for council but he said it makes sense. “I feel honored to have served my community as Mayor for the past four years, but the role is not–and should not be –exclusively mine,” he said Tuesday. “As a Councilmember, I hope to contribute with a focus on specific interests such as the backcountry planning process and my presidency of the CAST Board. Since opening my law firm in 2011, my attention has always been split between professional responsibilities and public service. It’s time to shift the balance back toward my professional life.”
The Crested Butte News will ask questions of the candidates this fall and publish their answers each week to allow voters to understand their political positions, determine their musical and literary tastes and find out if they are cat or dog people. A candidate’s forum sponsored by the News will also be held in October so citizens can directly question the potential representatives.
Ballots will go out to voters by mail in October and must be returned by November 3. Candidates have until September 3 to reconsider and take their name off the ballot. The town clerk will then conduct a random drawing for the order they will appear on the ballot.
