Messaging

Politics, including local politics, is centered a lot on messaging. What a politician or group wants to accomplish is the core of action but how it is messaged really determines whether it will happen and what the direction for any action really is. Let’s look at a few messages resounding through the valley right now.

Snodgrass trail issues…

I admittedly am passionate over how the greater community sends messages to the ranching community. I’ve said it before and will say again — it is the working cattle ranches in this valley that play a giant, outsized role in how this valley is different from other growing resort communities. Those ranches and all that comes with their operations is what keeps Crested Butte grounded in its past and provides so many amenities we all appreciate like open space, view corridors and a gritty working-class culture. So, I vehemently disagree with the citizen initiative robustly backed by the CB Mountain Bike Association to have the local Forest Service take action to extend the Snodgrass trail use further into the fall. As I’ve personally told the organizers over the proverbial beer, while I understand and agree with some of their points, the petition and initiative seem aggressively shortsighted in the big picture. And the issue is certainly more nuanced and complex than positioned by the group and its petition as they make the rounds looking for support.

It’s not hard to see I am much more a biker than a rancher and I love the Snodgrass trail that I would ride all year long if I could. But I’ve been here long enough to understand there is inherent conflict between ranching and recreation. As a biker I don’t see the tensions out on the trail when I run across cattle, but the ranchers conduct business in ways I don’t understand, and I will respect it when they say bikers and hikers in grazing areas make their jobs more difficult. 

Given our neighbor’s desire to remove that potential conflict in the Snodgrass area for five or six weeks in the fall, I’m supportive of their request. Honoring a valuable neighbor’s wish, even if it doesn’t make perfect sense to me or the entire neighborhood, seems the right thing to do. The Allen ranching family has for decades provided access through their private property (Snodgrass and Long Lake, for example) for people looking to recreate. Even if the trail is moved entirely onto USFS land, the Allens still have a grazing permit for the area, so the conflict doesn’t go away. But they and their hundreds of acres of valuable ranchland (and water rights) might — and that would be tragic for the broader community.

Look, I love the work CBMBA does. I enjoyed my beers with the trail movement advocates. I know change is inevitable. But the message being sent with this petition drive seems to me one of simplistic disrespect to a neighbor. Doing what we can to support an incredibly valuable part of our community, ranching, is more important than a craving to use a beautiful trail whenever we want, especially when there is no shortage of alternative trails around the area. I appreciate that the town councils of Crested Butte and Mt. CB chose not to jump into that fray this week. Those actions actually send good messages.

Mt. CB policing pedestrians in CB…

It was mentioned at the last council meeting that councilmember Anna Fenerty had a full-on, police lights encounter with a Mt. CB police officer … while walking with her sister on Fifth Street. The officer apparently didn’t think she should be walking where she was in the street, so he pulled her over. Huh? What sort of message is that sending? Given there is no other place to walk since sidewalks aren’t a thing in most of Crested Butte, the message understandably came across as one of harassment more than safety. 

Sounds like the cop was maybe bored? Maybe he wanted to meet new people in offseason? I emailed the Mt. CB police department, and chief Nate Stepanek explained the officer’s “perspective was that they could be in danger from an intoxicated or inexperienced driver who might not be accustomed to encountering pedestrians on a nonilluminated roadway.” Ok, I guess? 

Nate also explained the officer was working a so-called High Visibility Enforcement shift that is paid for by the state. “Both the Crested Butte Marshals and our department participate in conducting HVE shifts. While working these shifts both departments will patrol the entire north end of the valley depending on the time of year and activities happening in corresponding areas.” Maybe a softer touch with that messaging would be more effective in our small town?

The Crested Butte council asked for more info on the incident and wanted to be clear that while there is a valuable mutual aid agreement between the CB marshals and the Mt. CB police department, initiating such action is not really acceptable in town.

Parking enforcement…

Members of the Crested Butte council are apparently hearing feedback from constituents that that parking enforcement in town right now is a little too stringent. With fewer visitors and plenty of parking spots all around town, locals are seeing the yellow citations everywhere, including on their vehicles. They don’t like that. At Monday’s meeting, the council discussed allowing Interstate Parking to begin its fall break early instead of waiting until the end of the month, but given process concerns they instead agreed to send a message to have the parking enforcers chill out a bit more during these slow times. That’s a change from the council messaging to crack down hard during the busy times. Pumping the brakes is a message that makes sense right now.

I’ve never been a fan of tough parking enforcement in town. I’ve argued against two-hour parking restrictions near bus stops along Sixth Street in the winter. I think heavy-handed parking enforcement in summer and winter sends a negative message to locals and visitors alike. While I understand the need to monitor parking in super busy times (basically July), it seems overdone most of the rest of the time. Just seeing a yellow citation on a car right now when there are empty parking spaces all around it, tweaks me. But it is what it is and I’m glad the council is sending the message to lighten up during these times when it is obvious there is not much of a parking problem in town. 

Free speech…

And hey, one message on the national scene that can impact the local community is loud right now. I understand the anger over Charlie Kirk’s assassination and some of the callous and inappropriate reactions. But what message is Donald and his cronies sending about protecting the free speech they say they value so much when they bloviate that they’ll bankrupt, fire and jail anyone who appears to celebrate Kirk’s death. That sounds like what they might term left wing cancel culture. Free speech is oftentimes ugly, but it is part of the price we pay for such liberty. Apparently, U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi can’t stomach that as she threatened this week to crack down on “hate speech.” That brought blowback from conservative and MAGA commentators and she tapped danced around her original comments.

Even Charlie Kirk understood the price of free speech. I didn’t follow him, but he commented on the notion of “hate speech” in a May 2024 post on social media. “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech,” Kirk wrote. “And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.” 

Hear, hear.

Following the dark lord Stephen Miller’s push to bring the full force of the state down on anyone who doesn’t fall into line is a threat not just in the country, but inside the CB bubble. 

Stay aware — and listen to the messages…

—Mark Reaman