Housing

The number one economic concern facing Eagle County is having enough affordable homes available for our future residents. Today the average price of a single family home in the county is $1,110,000. The US average is $231,000. Over the years many of our employers have been very committed to developing seasonal housing. However the critical segment of our community including teachers, retail managers, paramedics, repair technicians and bookkeepers are finding it increasingly difficult to find homes within Eagle County.

There's a rapidly approaching point where workers will find it financially unacceptable to commute in from outside the county where housing prices are (at least for now) less. The cost of gas, limits on wages and length of commute will become huge negatives. There's no silver bullet that will solve this problem. It will require attention on a lot of levels such as, encouraging the addition and retention of the kinds of businesses that pay high quality wages, requiring developers to honestly account for the economic benefits of their proposed plans, and developing innovative public/private partnerships to create high quality, affordable housing choices.

Land Use

We have to live with the consequences of land use and zoning decisions for a long, long time. Eagle County commissioners are the determining board for any zoning that is in the unincorporated parts of the county (the incorporated towns control zoning within their boundaries). 84% of the land in Eagle County is owned by the Federal Government so, as our county becomes more populous, how we use the remaining land becomes more and more critical.

I believe that developers should be able to know with certainty what the "rules of the game" are. While the county should be respectful of private landowners opportunity to realize a profit from development, we cannot make zoning approvals in a vacuum. It's important to see how all the pieces fit together. We need to be as careful as possible in evaluating the economic, traffic and adjacent community impacts of any development. Saying "yes" to a project for a short term gain, may not be the wisest long term choice.

Transportation

Transportation is both an economic and environmental concern. We need a well designed and maintained transportation system that allows us to move visitors, residents and products as efficiently as possible. Bottlenecks at key interchanges should be high on the county's list of improvements.

As more cars travel across and within the county we're seeing an increased amount of air and noise pollution. We need to start talking with the Union Pacific railroad today about exploring our right-of-way options with an eye to building an inter-county rail system that takes cars off the highway and redefines Eagle County as a 21st century model of community transportation.

Environment

Eagle County's number one asset is its pristine environment. Unfortunately, there are those who don't share our passion for protecting this great mountain land as evidenced by the 50 miles of trash bags that line I-70 after the community clean-up each spring.

The county needs to continue it's leadership in environmental stewardship. It can do this by renewing the county fleet with low emission, high mileage vehicles, promoting both energy conservation (through green building) and energy creation (purchasing of wind powered energy and promotion of residential solar power). We should also think more aggressively about recycling. Home remodeling is a mini-industry in Eagle County and many perfectly good fixtures that wind up in the landfill could be effectively reused and repurposed through outlets like the Habitat for Humanity Home Outlet Warehouse or the Thrifty Shoppes.

Cooperation

I believe that good government comes through strong cooperation. Differences of opinion, whether it's between county commissioners or the towns and county government, are always going to come up. But instead of becoming headlines, the real story should be in finding common grounds for agreement. This is where my ten years in county government will really help. I know how to build trust by being fair and open-minded. I know how to build consensus through good listening and positive advocacy. As a county resident of 28 years I also know the different views, perspectives and history that each community has. So, on day one of being your commissioner, I'll be able to hit the ground running.