VOTING IS TUESDAY 7am-7pm
Red Brick Center for the Arts - Precincts 2 & 4
Rio Grande Meeting Room – Precincts 1 & 3
Health &Human Services Building (across from Hospital) – Precincts 5 & 7
If you are unsure which precinct, please click here:
http://www.aspenpitkin.com/Portals/0/docs/City/clerk/2013%20election/precinct_2013%20(2).pdf
Please remember to send in your mail in/absentee ballots so they arrive (not just postmarked) by 7pm on Tuesday, May 7th at City Hall.
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Adam For Aspen – It Is all About Leadership
I Ask For Your Vote
As we near voting day in this local election season, there has been much discussion on what qualities our next mayor should possess. I truly believe the most important quality comes down to one word – leadership.
I am running for mayor because of the leadership deficit I see. There are three main aspects of leadership I’d like to touch on. The first is execution. The mayor must ensure the city executes effectively, whether it’s changes to our building code, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project, or even just a scheduled city council meeting. We have great goals in our community, but for too long we have suffered from poor execution. Our land use code constantly changes due to knee-jerk reactions to specific projects, resulting in failed “emergency” ordinances, and recently an unprecedented number of building applications. We want 100% renewable energy, but then try to implement a hydro project that has significant cost overruns, a lack of accountability, and environmental hypocrisy. Our council meetings are too long, and could be more effectively managed, while still allowing for valuable input from the community. Aspen deserves an effective leader that will bring common sense to executing our goals.
The second aspect is the ability to lead our diverse community and to be an ambassador for the city. Aspen’s mayor must be a passionate protector of the community, while being respectful of the diversity of thought and opinion that makes this such a great town. My friends include full-time locals, second homeowners and visitors alike, from Burlingame to Red Mountain. I cherish the diversity of our community, from competing in the Grand Traverse or the Golden Leaf, to participating in Aspen Institute seminars. I enjoy hanging out at Belly Up on a Friday night and relaxing at the Music Tent on Sunday afternoon. I participate in the arts and non-profit communities, and spend time volunteering in my kids’ classrooms. I’m comfortable eating out at the bar at Zane’s or the bar at Cache Cache. I believe I, more than other candidates, embrace our diversity and can be a representative for all aspects of our community, and carry a friendly and appropriate tone throughout.
The third aspect of leadership is character. I believe in hard work and a balanced life. My wife, Katy, and I are raising our children here, and intend to stick around for the long haul. I care about the future of our schools, our environment, and the opportunity we all give the next generations, whether it’s education, recreation, housing, or social services. Most importantly, I care about our city government, and am working hard to listen to you and to earn your votes. I have knocked on doors of 1,000 voters, with at least another 1,000 coming this weekend, held office hours six hours a week for the past two months, handed out candy at the top of Highlands Bowl on closing day, held countless events at businesses like the Aspen Brewing Company and BB’s Kitchen, and had gatherings at a variety of homes throughout the city. I’m working hard to earn your vote, and will work even harder for you as mayor.
During my years on city council, I have demonstrated these leadership qualities. Incumbents should first be asked what they have done. Three times during my term I started as a minority opinion, only to convince others to join me. These efforts stopped a tripling of housing mitigation fees for locals, enabled locals to rent out their homes for a reasonable amount of time, and changed a proposed bag fee to a ban on plastic bags. Our execution was getting in the way of our goal. In all these cases, there were a wide variety of views and opinions, from many different people. I prided myself on being approachable, responsive and possessing common sense.
As mayor, I will continue to use common sense leadership. I will make sure the laws we pass are directly connected to our widely held community goals, and are efficiently executed. First, we all want a healthy small business environment, but there are too many onerous rules and fees in place that are hindering small businesses and the next generation of entrepreneurs. Second, most of us want more jobs in town, but the code discourages job creation. Third, we want to keep and enhance our existing moderately priced lodges, but the current rules make it prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to pursue needed upgrades. I have been working on all of these issues during my time on council, and will continue to lead this work as mayor.
Humbly, I ask for your vote for mayor on May 7th. I promise to work extremely hard for everyone in our community.
Adam