As we turn the corner to 2025, I’ll again affirm that the citizens of Estes are at the top of the Town organization chart. You elect the mayor and trustees to listen to you and to create and change ordinances and resolutions and regulations of the Town of Estes Park.
The diversity of opinions on those issues can be broad and polarizing. I have to weigh all of the input, combined with my own instincts and intellect, and try to make what I believe is the right call, when asked to do so.
Reaching a decision can be difficult, but it’s my job. No sympathy is needed, this is what you asked me to do. There are many rewards of the job: welcoming new citizens to Estes Park; speaking to and thanking our servicewomen and servicemen on Veterans Day; participating in school functions; holding Q andA sessions with our various civic leagues and clubs and groups; and so much more.
But the need to weigh the issues, oversee board processes, and make decisions is my primary mandated job.
I hear from Estesian voters, from guests visiting our town, and from folks at a distance who have some vested interest. I hear from Laramites, those in the Estes Valley who are outside the actual Town boundaries. When I hear passionately different opinions pro or con on a certain issue, I’ll eventually have to consider what my vote will be. Until a few years ago, the mayor only voted as a tiebreaker, but that changed and now the mayor is a full voting member.
Before a vote, I test my thoughts and feelings: Does it feel right? Does it follow logic? What’s my level of confidence? Do I need more info? What’s the cultural content? What’s the mix of commentary? What’s the history and the emotional content?
I consider how my vote will affect Estes short-term and long. Does the decision solve some short-term problems, but not work well over the years? Does it cause some short-term challenges, but in the long run is the best?
Is it better to have more parking on the periphery or in the middle of our downtown? Is a development detrimental to the character of Estes? Some consider certain developments as devastation and impedance to wildlife traffic. Others have an opposite view. Which is right? Why did we develop in Estes in the first place?
On occasion, the citizens choose to do a ballot initiative to change the laws of the Town. Pure democracy in action.
Around Colorado, some passed voter initiatives run into serious legal challenges, so it’s good if such initiatives are vetted well before the ballot, else they can be mired in the courts when passed.
If you want to weigh in on an issue but are not comfortable to do so in a public forum, you can ask for a private conversation with your mayor or with the trustee who you find most approachable.
But it’s not just the voices. I’m constantly receiving or seeking information about many topics. Who owns the businesses downtown? What is the history of Cleave Street? What did the downtown development plan look like in 2018 when it was written? What are the lodging challenges, motels, vacation rentals, and all the variants? What comments have been made on the draft transportation plans?
I’ve been given books on autonomous shared electric vehicles, on civility, on the dangers of corruption by power.
I’m sent articles on Tesla electric police cars and green-power battery storage.
I’ve been contacted about the new laws coming into being in Colorado in 2025, including licensed psychedelic therapy.
I’m asked about deportation and presidential pardons: What effect will those national issues have in Estes?
I hear the history of the museum, of the rodeo, and of the senior center. I read articles about the cascading dangers of species extinction; about the restoration efforts of the Kawuneeche Valley; about the largest mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period caused by greenhouse gases; about algae aquatic technology that generates electricity through methane and other useful by-products; about Native American issue.
I keep up on local and world affairs. It’s a lively office in which I work, and I have a lot of online exchange.
And so, I make my own decisions, though I make great effort to understand all opinions and insights. I take input from any source, though I keep my scam detectors up, to try to prevent false programming from less-than-accurate sources.
But it starts with you. You are in charge. And I will make the best decisions I can based on all that I learn from you and a thousand reputable sources. Keep it coming.