ISSUE #185: How About Some 2021 Electioneering? 1/17/21

"We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." -- Thomas Jefferson

With the municipal elections a mere six weeks away, it's another predictably boring election season. Can the addition of 7 new candidates bring some much-needed excitement to the race for mayor and two open council seats??

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #184: PETITION - Keep Aspen Restaurants Open! 1/10/21

"People keep looking to government for the answer and government is the problem." 

-- Ronald Reagan

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY

Please sign the attached petition to show your support for keeping Aspen's restaurants open! The Pitkin County Board of Health meets tomorrow (1/11/21) to decide whether or not to close our local restaurants in a heavy-handed attempt to curb COVID-19 cases.

Stop the madness and stop scape-goating Aspen's restaurants! If you don't want to go out to eat, fine, don't go, but don't put 1,500 people out of work. Let people make their own risk assessments regarding dining in our local restaurants!

Sign the petition HERE and help keep your friends (our neighbors) in business!

Locals, visitors and second homeowners - be heard today!!

ISSUE #183: Careful What You Wish For 1/3/21

"Your thoughts greatly influence how you feel and behave. In fact, your inner monologue has a tendency to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. " 

-- Amy Morin

ASPEN TIMES COLUMN

Ahhh, what a difference a year makes! Last year at this time, councilman Skippy Mesirow wished for fewer visitors to Aspen, even if it meant less income. Who could ever have imagined a global pandemic that delivered exactly that?! And how's that working out for Aspen?

Read my column in last Sunday's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #182: They're Not All Grinches at City Hall 12/20/20

"You're a mean one

You really are a heel

You're as cuddly as a cactus

You're as charming as an eel

Mr. Grinch you're a bad banana

Mr. Grinch with the greasy black peel" 

-- Tyler, The Creator

ASPEN TIMES COLUMN

Every so often, one can be surprised by what is actually possible at city hall. Amid the pandemic, two employees have led the way by "getting to yes" on requests from the local restaurant community. "The Chalet," outside the French Alpine Bistro, a.k.a. "The Creperie," is case and point.

Read my column in yesterday's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #181: Ready, Fire, Aim - The Lumberyard Misses the Target 12/6/20

"How can you make sure you never miss your target? Shoot first and whatever you hit, call it the target." -- Anonymous

ASPEN TIMES COLUMN

Council's internal battle over what to build at the Lumberyard and for whom wages on. While trying to build a project that is all things to all people, it's no surprise that there's no consensus and city staff is beyond frustrated.

Without a needs assessment to identify a target market, it's no wonder each member of council seeks to build his/her own wish list. As a result, today, it's a plan without a plan.

I can't say I'm surprised. The best thing at this point is what the project manager told them, "(Your) feedback was so all over the map that it might be time to reassess the entire design process.

Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #180: The City's Disturbing Pattern of Feathering Its Own Nest 11/25/20

In keeping with the topic of "local housing issues," this week's column focuses on the city of Aspen's hypocrisy. 

On one hand, the city oversees our housing program, yet on the other, it regularly grants itself exemptions from housing mitigation requirements. Additionally, over time, the city has built and amassed a proprietary housing portfolio for its own employees using public funds, and has tapped into the general housing fund meant for the community for its own benefit.

Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE.

Click to read more ...

ISSUE #179: Aspen: Housing for me, but not for thee 11/8/20

"As government expands, liberty contracts." 

- Ronald Reagan

ASPEN TIMES COLUMN

Staying on the subject of subsidized housing, this week's column in The Aspen Times reveals how the city of Aspen handles its proprietary housing portfolio. I did some digging and you'll be shocked at what I found.

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #178: Aspen's Workforce Housing Dilemma, Part 2 10/25/20

"Sometimes people don't want to hear the 

truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

ASPEN TIMES COLUMN Today's column follows up on Part 1, further illustrating how Aspen's "housing dilemma" is a problem of our own making. The deliberate choice to house middle class families and retirees in publicly subsidized units has forced the working class to commute to Aspen for their jobs. The pricey consultants and studies all bear this out. APCHA's decision not to house the actual workforce has forced the Valley's largest employers to take their housing needs into their own hands.  While council is rushing to develop the Lumberyard without a clear strategy that defines what to build, for whom and with what funding, there are critical pressing issues with our existing housing stock that simply MUST be addressed first. Building more units is not the answer. Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE.

CRITICAL SURVEY ON THE LUMBERYARD Please let your opinion be known about housing development at the Lumberyard. Anything short of high-density rental housing for the workforce will only further serve to exacerbate our lack of actual workforce housing. (Ya think?!) Take the quick survey HERE.  There is also a citizens effort to petition council for high density at the Lumberyard. Add your name HERE.  *Again, The Red Ant does not advocate ANY building at this time. But if a decision on density is imminent, let it be FOR density.