The Pitkin County Commission is taking the extraordinary step of silencing the will of the people with its own ballot question on the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE). It is also in a position to jeopardize the county’s ability to operate the mainland operator financially by granting Atlantic Aviation a 30-year lease before the November election. The BOCC should extend the lease by one year rather than granting a 30-year lease. Extending the lease by one year would allow the BOCC to actually consider the viability of Amory Lovins’ analysis, which it has so far flatly rejected. We the people should be able to have as many cards in our deck as possible to compete against the FAA in the event that voters are likely to pass the ballot question initiated by Our Airport Our Vote, a citizen initiative.

The Pitkin County Home Rule Charter was created to give citizens more say in how we want to be governed. It is notable that this BOCC has taken a stand against the will of the people by proposing a confusing and competing airport ballot question. Many of us have experienced previous BOCCs that supported the citizens of Pitkin County in the 1990s against the EPA (Smuggler Mountain Superfund fiasco) and of course the FAA. In both cases, the citizens and county/city government joined forces to win these David vs. Goliath battles. The current BOCC is disappointing to say the least as it fails to adhere to the underlying philosophy of the Home Rule Charter by not supporting the citizens’ ballot question. If the BOCC were truly interested in moving forward with the airport runway, its ballot question would simply ask voters if they agree to keep the runway in its current alignment OR ask voters to approve relocating and widening the runway according to the airport layout plan.

Tom Melberg

Woody Creek