ISSUE #271: Aspen Spring Cleaning (3/13/24)

"Life under a good government is rarely dramatic; life under a bad government is always so."

-- Oscar Wilde

Without a Thursday filing deadline for a Sunday column, this has been an adjustment. As such, the “news of the day” will always impact when and whether there will be a “Sunday” installment. Sometimes there may not be one. But please know, as always, I am out here, I’m tracking and I will have something for you. Trust me, I’m just trying to make it worth the wait. This week, I’d like to address several “loose ends” that we’ve all been following. Here goes: VINDICATION IS SO SWEET I was as surprised as anyone this morning to wake up to a long-hoped-for follow-up by reporter Austin Corona of the Aspen Daily News to my 12/31/23 exposé on Mayor Torre’s secret and sketchy home purchase last summer.  In short, despite APCHA’s pathetic “it was entirely normal” justifications for the off-the-books transaction and both local papers’ defense of APCHA’s claims (which caused me to quit The Aspen Times because they would not listen to reason and examine the facts), the Daily News came around and actually did the work. Thank you, Austin. The transaction was indeed “unique,” to say the least. That APCHA lied, obfuscated, contradicted itself, and to this day continues to dig itself an even deeper hole, was printed today on the front page. Read it HERE. (It's still riddled with errors and contradictions, but we'll have fun digging into that!) I have A LOT more to say on the subject so stay tuned. I will be following up in depth. This one is not going away anytime soon. Rotten is as rotten does.  "Torre-Gate. It’s never the crime. It’s the cover-up." Someone should mount a campaign! Oh wait, I already did. Contact me for your pin and wear it proudly. Our housing program is rotten to its core with corrupt and dishonest leadership, our mayor was the beneficiary of APCHA’s deliberate and selective rules enforcement, and APCHA staff facilitated a less-than-transparent transaction on his behalf. As always, the facts speak for themselves. APCHA PROPERTY TAXES To follow up on the recently uncovered mess with APCHA property taxes, I am not going to condemn the Assessor because apparently APCHA has always done it this way, but that certainly does not make it right. Moving forward, knowing what we now know, the Assessor, who is working diligently to right this wrong, needs top-cover from the county to demand changes because we know APCHA certainly won’t change their corrupt ways.  It turns out that the “actual values” for the approximately 1700 “owned” properties in APCHA’s deed restricted portfolio that serve as the basis for property tax collection are not established by the county assessor who has the statutory authority to do so. Instead, she who runs APCHA in her head, deputy director Cindy Christensen (of living alone in a 3-bedroom unit fame), merely submitted a spreadsheet that lists the unverified current maximum sales price for each of the units. From this list, the Assessor deducted $55,000 (Gov Polis reduced all residential property values by $55,000 for tax year 2023) to yield the (supposed) actual value. Unfortunately, closer examination showed numerous grievous valuation and mathematical errors.  In addition, there are HUNDREDS of properties that show up as “deed restricted” on the Assessor’s website that do not show up on APCHA’s spreadsheet. How are accurate values calculated for these properties and just who is tracking their accrued appreciation? There are zero audit processes in place - this is apparently how it’s always been done. How did this pass the State’s audit? It’s time for the BOCC to assert itself and give the Assessor the power necessary to demand accountability and transparency from APCHA. This unchecked nonsense needs to end today. The inmates are literally running the asylum. Write the BOCC HERE so the Assessor can assert proper control. THE FUTURE OF THE ARMORY Meanwhile, city staff, in its zeal to have something new to build, has pushed city council into approving a $1.8 million contract for an architect/design team to renovate and remodel The Armory despite not having selected a master lease operator for the space. Never mind that staff issued an RFP for a food hall operator that no one responded to – the city knows best and they’re just gonna haul off and pay to have someone design one. Imagine the change orders and associated costs once an actual operator is on board. That is, unless the city thinks it can operate a food hall too. LOL. But there is no timeline for finding an operator. The city seriously plans to operate this itself. I am not kidding. Staff checked out food halls and found that most are not operated by private entities because they're not profitable. Imagine that. Perfect for the city to subsidize! Outreach showed "locals" want cheap food so that is what is driving the project. Moderate-priced restaurants beware. It's likely to be a $25 million renovation that will house the most subsidized food anywhere in the world, if it ever gets finished. What a complete joke. Our only hope was redevelopment by a private developer and operator.  MUNI GOLF COURSE PASSES: A “LOCAL” OFFERS SOLUTIONS When I recently wrote about the “locals first” policy at the municipal golf course (including a very geographically liberal definition of “local”), I had one notable response that is worthy of sharing. It was a heated yet civil exchange with someone I have known for a long time who shall remain nameless, for now.  “You are dead wrong on this one,” it began. When pressed, he continued, illustrating his thinly-veiled contempt for those upset by the policy, “I’m confused. They are deserving of a pass but can’t provide the documents?” I explained that actual Aspen property owners and taxpayers were being excluded in favor of “locals” throughout the region, only to then be told, “Get a DL from here. The city and state don’t benefit off that homeowner. You can’t have your cake and eat it also.”  Reminded that they pay local property taxes that pay for the course, he dug in, “I live outside the city limits. Should they get priority over me?”  Yes, in fact they should! I think City of Aspen property owners and taxpayers of all stripes should have priority. He didn’t like that one bit. “So, I was born and raised in this town, have worked here for 30+ years, have had a pass since 2000. Should I not get a pass because I rent in the North 40?” I personally think city taxpayers who pay for the course should get first dibs if anyone does.  The response was as expected. Pure class warfare and unabashed vitriol. “I spend lots of money in town. Those are taxes. My company pays taxes. I coach kids in multiple sports. I add to the fabric of the community. All they have to do is get a new DL and claim this place as their home instead of crying about amenities they can’t use. Perhaps they should give back to the community in ways that actually matter.”  This is not an isolated opinion. HERE is a (similar) recent letter to the editor that shares the same ignorance and disdain. For all you non-local taxpayers and philanthropic donors, the hatred is indeed vicious and frighteningly widespread. Notably, not one local non-profit responded to the letter’s preposterous assertion that aside from tipping on checks, “the rich” do not give back to this community. FYI. Then just this week, my “pal” sent me this: “Good news for your friends. There are ($3250) Platinum Passes left. All the golf they want.” (All other season passes are of course sold out.) As always, there’s more to come. We’ll peer deep into the hole that APCHA executive director Matthew Gillen continues digging for himself and the housing authority. Instead of ever admitting a wrong and making sure it doesn’t happen again, Gillen and his band of thieves continue to double and triple down in hopes they can get away with it. Trust me – they won’t. EM