The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Four open council seats
[ By Kendra Walker ]There are four Mt. Crested Butte town council seats opening up this November, and five candidates are officially in the running, with the potential for one more candidate joining the election race. It will be the first time in several years there will be a regular town council election in Mt. Crested Butte.
The deadline to file a candidate petition was Monday, and town clerk Tiffany O’Connell confirmed that Bobbie Sferra, Bruce Nation, Peter Esselstyn, Nicholas Kempin and Dwayne Lehnertz have all submitted complete nomination petitions. “I received a sixth petition, but I had to disqualify two people (signatures) and therefore they have to go out and get two more signatures,” explained O’Connell regarding a potential sixth candidate. “They have 10 days to cure their petition.”
Nicholas Kempin and Dwayne Lehnertz are both running for re-election for town council. Kempin is the current mayor of Mt. Crested Butte, and the mayor is voted on by the town council once the new council is in place. Bobbie Sferra, Bruce Nation and Peter Esselstyn all ran in the special town election that took place earlier this year in February to recall council member Roman Kolodziej. Citizens did not vote in favor of Kolodziej’s recall, so he remained on the council with his term expiring in November 2026. Councilmembers Janet Farmer and Michael Bacani are not running for re-election.
The Mt. Crested Butte election will also include a ballot measure asking voters whether to raise the current excise lodging tax from 2.9% to 4.9%, with the funds collected to the town’s affordable housing fund. Election Day is November 5.
More council incentives?
During the August 20 town council meeting, Kolodziej advocated that the town consider more incentives for future town councilors to increase participation, such as increasing council compensation and adding health insurance or other benefits. “It could be a carrot for somebody to participate in the process,” he said.
Mayor Kempin also suggested a technology stipend, such as subsidizing computers for council members.
Town attorney Nicholas Klein confirmed that the town’s charter would allow the council to add benefits, however, any change made before this election would only affect newly seated council members. For current council members, changes would not take effect until their subsequent terms of office. He noted that other Colorado mountain towns such as Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge, Vail and Durango have all adopted council benefits packages in the past.
Town manager Carlos Velado said that increasing council compensation is straightforward and would likely be a fairly minimal sum that would not significantly impact the town’s budget. However, health insurance and other “employee” type benefits may be more complicated and expensive, he said.
The council directed staff to research potential benefits options, insurance numbers and how different scenarios would affect the town’s budget, with the intent to schedule a work session in the near future.
