Meet the CandIdates for the Crested Butte Town Council

Between now and the end of October, the Crested Butte News will be asking each of the candidates for Crested Butte Town Council questions related to issues in the community.  We are requesting they keep answers to less than 400 words. We started out this week with what we call a “softball” type of question. The questions will get more specific as we move forward. We are also asking the voters to submit questions that we may pass on to the candidates. Send your queries to editorial@crestedbuttenews.com.
Also… everyone is invited to the Crested Butte News Candidate’s Forum being held this year on Thursday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for the Arts. Come meet your potential representatives.
—Mark Reaman

Aaron Joseph Huckstep, although everyone calls me Huck. It’s been that way since about the time I turned 15.
Number of Years in Crested Butte and the Valley:  I moved to Crested Butte May 10, 2008. First visited here in 1996, where I volunteered at the downhill race during Fat Tire Bike Week.
Occupation: Lawyer (self-employed), event organizer (QPC LOC, Inc)

Q. What attributes do you see yourself bringing to the Crested Butte Town Council?
I’ve got a whole bunch of letters behind my name, which doesn’t mean much without experience. As a CPA for five years, and a practicing attorney for another five, I’ve got an immense amount of experience in two areas that can benefit the Town and its citizens. My approach to issues is to collaborate with people to make good things happen. The USA Pro Cycling event is a good example of that, where the Towns of Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte and CBMR worked very closely together to pull off a wildly successful event—together. I believe that approach will benefit both the Council and the community as a whole. My passion for Crested Butte, and the things we all moved here to do, is a positive attribute. And finally, I am bringing (and will continue to bring) fresh ideas to the Council.

Q. And from a local voter: Do you support the present Town Council’s decision to allow restaurants to expand their seating onto public sidewalks without providing additional parking or payment in lieu of parking?
Yes. I am supportive of the sidewalk seating and believe it has contributed to a lively Elk Avenue this summer. The Town currently charges restaurants a permit fee of $3 per square foot of sidewalk seating space. The Town issues a revocable license, meaning that there is no guarantee that the restaurant will have the sidewalk seating in the future. Since the program is relatively new, the Town will undoubtedly change the rules and regulations from the experience this summer. There are three major reasons why I agree with the current Council’s position. First, from a practical perspective, it is not fair to charge parking-in-lieu fees to a restaurant for space that the restaurant may or may not be able to use in the future. When a restaurant pays parking-in-lieu fees for its own space, that restaurant is purchasing the right to operate its business indefinitely in the Town of Crested Butte. The program does not provide for a permanent right, and so it is fair that restaurants not be charged for parking. Second, the Town has a simpler mechanism to recoup costs that it feels are incurred or increased due to the sidewalk seating. The initial fee of $3 per square foot is lower than similar fees in other Rocky Mountain communities. If the Town wishes to recoup costs for items such as additional parking or loss of the sidewalk space, then it can adjust the permit fee. Third, charging parking-in-lieu fees to a business entity that is temporarily using public property creates a slippery slope. For example, if the Town charges restaurants for parking for sidewalk seating, does it need to charge an extra fee for any permit holder using Town property? There are a number of special events that are permitted to use Town property, and that undoubtedly drive traffic to Town, but are not charged any separate fee for parking. To single out restaurants, a major source of the Town’s revenue, seems unfair. Overall, I believe we need to support and encourage our local businesses to succeed. Allowing them to have sidewalk seating enhances the experience for visitors and locals alike—we all love being outside on our beautiful summer days. The current permit fee structure is a good way to handle this situation. It allows the Town to retain flexibility in the fee structure and the ability to affect the “look and feel” of Elk Avenue.

 

David K. Owen
Number of Years in Crested Butte and the Valley: 18
Occupation: Real estate broker and property manager

Q. What attributes do you see yourself bringing to the Crested Butte Town Council?
Town council is a big time commitment, and my service on the Gunnison County Planning Commission shows that I devote the time to prepare and to listen. I have an open mind, and I am imaginative. On the Planning Commission, I make decisions with the public health, safety and welfare foremost on my mind. I am educating myself on the issues in front of the Council, going to meetings, and learning as much as I can now so that if I am fortunate enough to be elected I will be prepared.
I have an extensive resume of public and non-profit service to this community. Through this service, I bring relationships and working experience. For example, I work closely with County staff and decision makers on the Planning Commission and Housing Authority Board, and with Town staff and decision makers on the Town’s Housing Committee.
As a property manager and real estate broker, I have crisis management and negotiation skills that will be useful as a Town Council member. As someone who has started six businesses, four of which are still going (two are in Crested Butte: Peak Property Management and Whiterock Realty), I know how hard it is to start a business and to make it work in our community.

Q. And from a local voter: Do you support the present Town Council’s decision to allow restaurants to expand their seating onto public sidewalks without providing additional parking or payment in lieu of parking?
Yes. I think it has been well received and has benefited local businesses. Waiving the parking fees is appropriate. I am interested in doing everything possible to help local businesses thrive. It felt busy on Elk this summer. July sales tax revenue was up 6.2 percent overall with restaurants up 13 percent. I don’t know if that was a direct impact from the sidewalk seating, but it was great to see all the tourist activity this summer!
Right now we are learning. We need to listen to everyone, from tourists to locals, from shoppers to the fire department to the business community. We need to get feedback and figure out ways to make the sidewalk seating better. The Town needs to look closer at the pedestrian flow on the sidewalks on Elk Avenue and see if there are ways to improve the flow around the new sidewalk seating. 

 

Shaun Matusewicz
Number of Years in the Crested Butte and the Valley: I moved to Gunnison to attend Western State College in 1999. After graduation I lived in Crested Butte for a while before realizing I needed to leave and gain some experience outside of the valley. It was difficult. I lived in Manhattan and worked 80-hour weeks, but in the end it was completely worth it. In the year and a half since I have been back I have been able to apply a lot that I learned outside of the valley to issues here.
Occupation: I own an event production company, Iron Orchid Events. It is small right now, but I am focusing on bringing bigger events to the area. If all goes well we will have some great new events next summer, ones that the locals can play in that will also help bolster the local economy.
I also just partnered with a longtime friend on a rock climbing publication, the Climbing Zine. It focuses on climbing and mountain literature. Look for the launch party in early October. I have to admit, I am excited for what the future holds.

Q. What attributes do you see yourself bringing to the Crested Butte Town Council?
 I think one of the biggest assets I bring to the table is a willingness to get things done. From the big issues, like preserving the character of our town, to the small issues like getting recycling cans on Elk Avenue, I think there is a lot we can do to help the people of Crested Butte.
I have also spent a lot of time producing immensely complicated events, for example, running races with 10,000 participants. These skills—organization, budgeting, cooperation and solution finding—are like those needed for Town Council.

Q. And from a local voter: Do you support the present Town Council’s decision to allow restaurants to expand their seating onto public sidewalks without providing additional parking or payment in lieu of parking?
I do. Sidewalk seating adds to the charm of downtown and makes Elk Avenue a more inviting place for tourists and locals alike. We may have left some money on the table upfront, but I believe in the long run the brand equity we build in the town and the increased sales tax revenue that follows more than offsets this. 

 

Glenn Michel
Number of years in the Crested Butte and the Valley: This is my 13th year in Crested Butte.
Occupation: I am a self-employed carpenter.

Q. What attributes do you see yourself bringing to the Crested Butte Town Council?
I have served for five years on the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review. During this time I have learned how our Town operates and developed a strong understanding of our form of Home Rule government. I am very familiar with the Town Code, the legal process, Town staff, and can effectively communicate with the public. I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1992 with a double major in Economics and History and will graduate from Western State College this spring with post-grad degree in Politics and Government. My wife Gesa and I have strong roots in our community through various non-profit organizations, as homeowners, and parents of our two boys, Vincent and Yvon, who attend the Crested Butte School. I am a very quick study and thrive in challenging situations. Lastly, I actually enjoy reading staff memos, attending meetings, and engaging in difficult discussions!

Q. And from a local voter: Do you support the present Town Council’s decision to allow restaurants to expand their seating onto public sidewalks without providing additional parking or payment in lieu of parking?
I strongly support the present Town Council’s decision to allow sidewalk seating. As part of their priorities in 2011 the Council wanted to maintain and enhance the downtown business district. Sidewalk seating helped achieve this stated goal. Regarding the payment in lieu fees for parking the Council determined they should not apply because the seating was seasonal, easily removable, on the public right of way, and contributed to the greater good of the community. I support this decision as a reasonable and appropriate use of the Council’s authority.

 

Kevin McGruther
Number of Years in the Crested Butte and the Valley: 13
Occupation: Entrepreneur

Q. What attributes do you see yourself bringing to the Crested Butte Town Council?
*Strong Gunnison County business, political and community connections
*Proven record of inter-community facilitation
*Experienced board member and active at both the local and state level—Gunnison Valley Observatory, Crested Butte Farmers Market, Colorado Farmers’ Market Association, Gunnison County Library District
*Global perspective with local economic focus
*11+ years experience in Crested Butte hospitality industry
*Open-minded transparency

Q. And from a local voter [In the interest of informational transparency and community tangibility I would appreciate to know who the specific voters are that you are submitting the questions from—much like a scrupulous editor would not print an unsigned letter to the editor and probably for much the same reasons. I don’t usually answer questions from people that I cannot identify but I try to be a trusting guy so here we go anyway.]:

Q. Do you support the present Town Council’s decision to allow restaurants to expand their seating onto public sidewalks without providing additional parking or payment in lieu of parking?
* The Crested Butte Town Council initiated the expanded seating on Elk Avenue sidewalks as a creative, and thus far temporary, way to experiment with increasing sales tax revenues for the local business community. I agree with the form if not the method. Sales tax revenues compose 62 percent of the Crested Butte general fund revenues. Facilitating increased sales for local businesses is an admirable goal that also serves the purpose of assisting the Crested Butte town budget. If you like the job the Parks and Rec staff does on the softball fields and the other amenities then you should like the idea of creatively enhancing sales tax revenues to pay that staff.
* I checked with the Crested Butte town staff on Monday and found that at this time there isn’t a metric to understand if the ends have justified the means and no data to begin to invent one with regards to the sidewalk dining stimulus experiment. I would need to see the economic data from the restaurants that have participated in the sidewalk dining to offer an honest and adequately informed answer on this town council decision. At this point the town does not appear to have that data. I also question if the fees to participate versus the business sales generated are worthwhile and fair to those who have paid into the parking requirements in the past. However, this question is a bit moot given that the parking requirements and fees are affiliated with expansion of private space development and not for public space utilization as is the case with the experimental sidewalk dining on Elk Avenue. I observe that the experiment is perhaps not being monitored as closely as it should be to see if it has been successful after a year of operation. July sales taxes were up almost universally in Crested Butte. Was it the result of the sidewalk dining? There is no way to know if a marketing scheme is working unless it is tracked against hard economic performance data.
* Regardless, Crested Butte has a legitimate parking problem that goes back to before I even moved here that will need to be realistically addressed if we expect our economy to match our growing popularity as a resort destination.