Aspen
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen,_Colorado
Next municipal election is March 5th, 2019, with a runoff (if necessary) scheduled for April 2nd, 2019. 2019 will be the first election with March/April in odd years, as previously with was May/June in odd years. The voters of Aspen voted in favor of the move during the coordinated November 2018 election.
Mayor and 2 At-Large council seats will be up for vote, with mayor and one councilor termed out. The second councilor is running for reelection.
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Contents
Overview
- City Council: 3 Unaffiliated, 1 Democrat
- Mayor: Democrat
- County: Pitkin County
- School Districts: Aspen 1
- State House: HD 61 (Julie McCluskie)
- State Senator: SD 5 (Kerry Donovan)
- Congressional: CD 3 (Scott Tipton)
Demographics
| Demographic | Number | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,359 (July 2017) | x | (US Census Bureau |
| Registered Voters | ~5,800 (Nov 2018) | ~78% | Deputy City Clerk to Aspen Times |
| Race and Ethnicity | |||
| White, alone | 90% | (US Census Bureau | |
| White, alone (Not Hispanic or Latino) | 85.5% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.3% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Asian, alone | 3.3% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Black or African American, alone | 2.7% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Two or More Races | 0.7% | (US Census Bureau | |
| American Indian or Native Alaskan, alone | 0.3% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, alone | 0.0% | (US Census Bureau | |
| Economy | |||
| Median home value (owner-occupied) (2013-2017) |
$563,900 | (US Census Bureau | |
| Median monthly costs, with mortgage (2013-2017) |
$1,794 | (US Census Bureau | |
| Median gross rent (2013-2017) |
$1,247 | (US Census Bureau | |
| Median household income (2017 dollars (2013-2017) |
$64,594 | (US Census Bureau | |
| Persons in Poverty | 9.5% | (US Census Bureau | |
For expanded information:
- US Census Bureau
- Statistical Atlas (Use right-hand menu. Some figures also include interactive maps.)
City Council
Mayor
- 2 year terms; no more than 3 consecutive terms. Therefore 6 consecutive years. (This includes filling vacancies and resignations in the City of Aspen.)
- Must be elected with at least 50% plus one vote, otherwise goes to runoff.
Councilors
- 4 year terms; no more than 2 consecutive terms. Therefore 8 consecutive years. (This includes filling vacancies and resignations in the City of Aspen.)
- Elected At-Large
- Must be elected with at least 45% plus one vote, otherwise goes to runoff.
Mayor Pro-Tem
- Elected by majority council at first organizational meeting after the municipal election.
- Performs all the duties and is vested all the powers of the mayor in their absence.
General
- Cannot serve more than 14 years consecutively between Mayor and Council.
- Must not serve a total of 4 years in order to not count consecutively.
| Title | Name | Party | Next Election March |
Contact | 2019 Margin | 2017 Margin | 2015 Margin | 2013 Margin | 2011 Margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Steve Skadron | Democrat | 2019 TERMED OUT |
970-920-5199 |
66.44% (83.22%) Lee Mulcahy 16.78% |
|||||
| At-Large | Ward Hauenstein | Unaffiliated | 2021 | 970-920-5199 |
(See below to expanded table) |
|||||
| At-Large | Bert Myrin | Unaffiliated | 2019 | 970-920-5199 |
X | |||||
| At-Large | Ann Mullins | Democrat | 2021 | 970-920-5199 |
(See below to expanded table) |
|||||
| At-Large | Adam Frisch | Unaffiliated | 2019 TERMED OUT |
970-920-5199 |
X |
Expanded Runoff Election Results
| Seat | 2017 Runoff | 2017 General | 2015 Runoff | 2015 General | 2013 Runoff | 2013 General | 2011 Runoff | 2011 General |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor. Must be 50% plus one or more in the General, or goes to Runoff | ||||||||
| Mayor | (No Runoff) | Steve Skadron 83.22% (i) Lee Mulcahy 16.78% (News Coverage) |
||||||
| At-Large Councilors. Pick 2. Each must be 45% plus one or more in the General, or goes to Runoff | ||||||||
| At-Large | Ward Hauenstein 50.73% Torre 49.27% (Difference of 27 votes) |
Ann Mullins (i) - 1,108 votes Torre - 972 (Runoff) Ward Hauenstein - 894 votes (Runoff) Skippy Mesirow - 792 votes Art Daily (i) - 635 votes (Incumbent defeated) Sue Tatem - 71 votes (News Coverage) |
Bert Myrin 65.6% Mike Ireland 34.4% (News Coverage) |
|||||
Meetings
Source: Official City of Aspen Website
Regular Meetings
- 2nd and 4th Monday of every month at 5 p.m.
Work Sessions
- 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 5 p.m.
- Every Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Broadcast on CGTV Channel 11, and Webcast live and archived. (Link also includes minutes and agendas.)
Local Media
- Aspen Daily News
- Aspen Times
- Aspen Public Radio
- Aspen Sojourner (Primarily arts, culture, and activities, but also does some local news coverage.)
2019 Election
General Election is March 5th, 2019. Mayor and 2 At-Large council seats are up for vote.
Aspen has a runoff system, requiring the Mayor to get 50% plus one votes, and each of the two available at-large council seats receiving 45% plus one votes to be elected outright.
The runoff is scheduled or April 2nd, 2019.
Winners will begin their terms in June.
Petitions were circulated in December.
Candidates
Current Mayor Steve Skadron is termed out. Skadron is unable to run for council due to the charter rule of serving no more than 14 years consecutively. He was first elected to council in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. He was elected as mayor in 2013 and re-elected in 2015 and 2017. As council seats are 4 year terms, the next council term for this election would end in 2023, 16 consecutive years after he was first elected, in violation of charter. In accordance to charter, he must sit out the next 4 years so they do not get counted as consecutive (partial terms are considered full terms in this regard. Charter explicitly states it). He can next be on a City Council or Mayoral ballot in 2023.
Adam Frisch is termed out of his councilor seat, and will be running for Mayor.
Coverage
Pending petition signature certification.
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact | Questionnaires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Must get 50% plus one votes to avoid runoff. | |||||
| Mayor | Ann Mullins | Democrat | Current Aspen Councilor Announcement, Aspen Times Landscape Architect |
Website | Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio 2017 APR interview |
| Mayor | Adam Frisch | Unaffiliated | Current Aspen Councilor, but termed out (2011) Previously ran for mayor in 2013 On steering committee for Compact Governance of Colorado, an organization that addresses climate change at the municipal level Aspen Institute fellow (2009 candidacy announcement with more info) |
Website Facebook (Last updated in 2015) |
Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio |
| Mayor | Torre | Unaffiliated | Announcement Previously a Councilor 2003-2007 and 2009-2013 Previously ran for mayor 5 times (2001, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015) Ran in 2017 for Councilor and lost in runoff to Ward Hauenstein. A lot of views on local government and infrastructure highlighted |
Twitter (Last posted in 2014) | 2017 APR interview |
| Mayor | Cale Mitchell | Green | Announcement Signatures came up short, so curing them through new year Tried running for mayor in 2017, but was disqualified due to residency requirements within the City Charter. He voluntarily withdrew. |
EmailFacebook | Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio |
(i) = incumbent
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact | Questionnaires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote for Two At-Large Councilors. Must get 45% plus one votes to avoid runoff. | |||||
| At-Large | Bert Myrin (i) | Unaffiliated | LinkedIn Real Estate Broker Colorado Bar Association profile In 2018, donated $1k towards buying property downtown for city offices |
Email Website for 2015 (970) 925-8645 |
|
| At-Large | Linda Manning | Democrat | Aurora City Clerk (recused self from being the Designated Election Official) Announcement |
Email (970) 989-4389 |
Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio |
| At-Large | Skippy Mesirow | Unaffiliated | Announcement Aspen Planning and Zoning Commissioner Principal organizer to changing date of Aspen municipal elections Ran for Council in 2017, losing the runoff by 102 votes. Hosted a candidate meet-and-greet for Jared Poliss almost a year before the primary. |
Email Website Website 2 |
Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio 2017 APR interview |
| At-Large | Rachel Richards | Democrat | 3-term Pitkin County Commissioner Former Aspen Mayor (1999-2003) and Councilor (1991-1999; 2003-2007) Announcement Opinion pieces written by Richards |
Radio Interview - Aspen Public Radio | |
(i) = incumbent
Forums
- Thursday 1/10/19 5:30p-7:30p--"City Outreach"--Aspen Police Department community room
- Thursday 1/24/19 (time?)--"Local Business"--Bootsy Bellows
- Thursday 1/31/19 (time?)--"Community Health"--Bootsy Bellows
Campaign Finance
Filing Dates (according to Aspen City Clerk's office):
- February 12, 2019
- February 25, 2019
- February 28, 2019
- April 4, 2019
| Seat | Name | Party | Total Contributions | Total Expenditures | Total Cash On Hand | Total PACs | Notable Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | |||||||
| At-Large | |||||||
