SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "The abuse of power"

Another special thank you goes out to Maurice Emmer of Aspen.   Prior to Emmer writing op-eds and LTE's in local papers, the bullying of others  in this valley was at an all time high.  Especially the bullying of women.

Emmer is not the only one who stepped up and began engaging in the same forums.  Other men in the valley have as well and all are appreciated.

There has been a long needed, long sought after shift in the social structures  within the Roaring Fork Valley over  the past three years.  A  very positive change that has finally, since mid-term elections seeped over into politics,  business, policies that affect us all and law  enforcement.  

Here's to the little guys.

Let freedom ring.

Maurice Emmer:
"Competition is a nasty thing for a city. The ski industry is in decline, and there are many attractive resorts competing for visitors and investment. If it is too inconvenient to visit Aspen or invest in Aspen, bye-bye. The visitors and the investment will go elsewhere, and presumably some are right now. We are special but not that special.

Consider Aspen and Detroit. The similarity should scare us. Detroit was the queen of the auto industry, just as Aspen has been the Silver Queen of skiing. Detroit thought it was so special because it was the Motor City. The world could not survive without Detroit cranking out wheels for a growing America. But, little by little, Detroit and its state adopted policies that were unfriendly to investment and even to daily life. So the people and the investment went elsewhere. Many other examples can be identified of the phenomenon of know-it-all public officials killing the investment climate and leaving the wreckage for later generations. Fifty years from now, will residents of Vail, Telluride, Park City and other resorts tell jokes about the brilliant policies that killed Aspen? Never think it impossible...."
(Read more?  Click title)

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "The lodge that got away"

Elizabeth Milias:
"Editor:
The memories of those on City Council are frighteningly short. Either that, or they weren’t paying attention to big local news stories in 2008. That was when 27 members of our community spent hundreds of hours meeting in mediated sessions to hash out a master plan for the Lift 1A area. Remember the COWOP? The neighbors, the developers, Aspen Skiing Co. representatives, then-Councilman Dwayne Romero, community development director Chris Bendon, Mayor Mick Ireland, as well as other interested Aspen residents, participated in the formal city process. Public comment was encouraged, welcomed and appreciated....

.....Landowners have recently proposed building 14 townhomes and 10 subsidized housing units on a section of the site, but council now wants them to build a lodge there. And ironically it’s Mick and Skadron leading the cry! Skadron feels that the proposed townhome/subsidized housing project “is not in the interest of the community.” (Apparently for Skadron, nothing is.) Mayor “hot bed” Ireland wants the developers to now find some “middle ground” so he can finally get some lodge rooms built. It would be funny if it were not true.

As George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I remember, and I bet you do to. Here we go again.."  (Read  more?  Click title)

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Banned"

(whisper...whisper...yes, this is a "whispering campaign"....whisper...whisper...shucks, Galvis is starting his career in editorial writing the same way Bruno Kirchenwitz did....whisper...a little off mark and shocking, then hitting his stride....whisper...wanta bet he keeps improving on getting his points across?...whisper...whisper....shh...and he's from woody creek...yikes!....whisper...whisper..here's to the little guy....whisper...whisper....) 

Michael Galvis:
"Editor:

Regarding Jeremy Madden’s column, “Beware the Banned Wagon” — now, if the Aspen City Council would just “ban” its own stupid and idiotic behavior....."
(Read the original letter?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Downtown stories"

(See Michael Galvis related story of 'Paradise doomed and cursed' here)

Michael Galvis:
"Editor:

Re: “Aspen, boom or bust.”

You (Aspen City Council) are the seeds of your own destruction!"

(Read the original letter?  Click title)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."