PitCo sends letter to Sen. Hatch

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

The Pitkin County commissioners have joined Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.) in responding to remarks critical of Aspenites repeatedly made by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

In an Aug. 22 letter sent to Hatch, the county commissioners said they were  “proud to be called ‘environmentalists’” and that “anyone who watches the politics of western Colorado understands that we are much too independent to subscribe to a belief in ‘elitism.’”

BREAKING NEWS: Related WestPac appoints Aspen councilman as chief operating officer

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Aspen City Councilman Dwayne Romero was named chief operating officer of Related WestPac today. He takes over the position Sept. 15.

In this new role, company officials said Romero will be responsible for all day-to-day general management of Related WestPac’s business operations and the implementation of the company’s strategic vision for its developments in Snowmass Village and the Roaring Fork Valley. He will report directly to Related WestPac President Pat Smith and Related Companies Vice Chairman Ken Wong and will be based in Snowmass.

Brochure gaffe a mystery to man who produced it

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

The 2005 Burlingame informational brochure that contained the now infamous “language error” was produced by an independent contractor who says he cannot remember the details behind the use of a “total cost” figure that only included vertical construction.

Ben Gagnon, who is now a long-range planner with the Aspen Community Development Department, produced the 12-page brochure for the city in late 2004 and 2005. Although the brochure was officially informational and not for political purposes, there was an important vote authorizing the annexation of Burlingame land into the city in May 2005. The brochure’s production was outsourced by the city to Gagnon, who at the time provided communications and media services to various organizations in town.

Coloradan takes MotherLode gold

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Vinny Robbins of Aurora and teammate Adam Roberts swept the duo of Ivan Mercer and Billy Chenoweth to win the men’s open championship division of the 36th annual MotherLode Volleyball Classic at Koch Lumber Park in Aspen on Monday.

In the women’s open championship, the California team of Paige Davis and Jenelle Koester defeated Carrie Wright and Kelly Rowe in three straight games to claim the title.

JAS breaks crowd record

by Troy Hooper, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Despite a smaller cap on the number of general admission tickets sold, Jazz Aspen Snowmass reportedly set an attendance record this Labor Day weekend.

The five-day musical extravaganza featuring Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Ziggy Marley, Widespread Panic and others attracted roughly 36,600 concertgoers, according to Jazz Aspen Snowmass Executive Director Jim Horowitz.

Rain dampens fire near Meeker

From the From The Associated Press
MEEKER — Rain is expected to help slow the growth of a 971-acre wildfire burning near Meeker.

Rain began falling Sunday morning and continued Monday.

OBITUARY — Jim Steinmetz

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Jim Steinmetz, of New Castle, died Aug. 4 after a battle with cancer. He was much loved up and down the Roaring Fork Valley and was active in local clubs.

Jim was born in Crystal Falls, Mich., in 1949. He earned a doctorate in pharmacology, was a pharmacist at Basalt Drug and later in his life became a master electrician. He will be missed by those who knew him as a giving man, who loved a good joke and enjoyed discussing politics.

Straight talk is hard to find

by Steve Skinner, Aspen Daily News Columnist
I’m basking in the afterglow of the historic acceptance speech of Barack Obama at Invesco field last week. I’m writing this the morning after so I still do not know McCain’s running mate and I still haven’t heard the counterattacks that are sure to follow.

Obama’s speech was good but unfortunately, the state of our sound bite lifestyles kept him from talking straight to the world and our country. He had to spend three-quarters of the convention and his speech explaining that he is a hard-working, close-to-the-ground, in-touch American success story. That’s all true. He has a uniquely American story. He has a fabulous wife and beautiful kids. He’s patriotic and his family has military and public service history.

Watching as McCain makes fools of his fellow Republicans

by Richard Cohen, Roaring Sports Columnist
One of the great sights of American political life — a YouTube moment if ever there was one — was to see the doughboy face of Newt Gingrich as he extolled the virtues of Sarah Palin, a sitcom of a vice-presidential choice and a disaster movie if she moves up to president: “She’s the first journalist ever to be nominated, I think, for the president or vice president, and she was a sportscaster on local television,” Gingrich said on the “Today” show. “So she has a lot of interesting background. And she has a lot of experience. Remember that — when people worry about how inexperienced she is, for two years she’s been in charge of the Alaska National Guard.”

It’s a pity Gingrich was not around when the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known by his nickname Caligula, reputedly named Incitatus as a consul and a priest. Incitatus was his horse.

Krabloonik dogs deserve more

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Roaring Sports Columnist
Editor:

For 34 years, over 200 Krabloonik sled dogs have been chained to their small wooden boxes out in an open field in Snowmass Village. For about four months a year they are worked very hard pulling tourists in heavy sleds, then for eight months they are stored in this field on heavy chains and left to bake in full sun with only a hotter box to retreat into. They have no socialization, no attention, no exercise, no life and spend their days traumatically pacing in circles, lucky to have adequate food and water.

Time for change at Krabloonik

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Roaring Sports Columnist
Editor:

A few years ago, I took a friend (now my girlfriend) on her first bike ride through Snowmass. It was a gorgeous September day and I felt fortunate not only to be the one to introduce her to the town’s beauty, but to have called this valley home for nearly 15 years.

Mistaken identity

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Roaring Sports Columnist
Editor:

While glancing at the latest Common Sense Alliance ad, I realized that there was something odd about the name “David Millar.” I checked, and discovered that the CIS project manager from a few years back was indeed named “Roger Millar.” Thinking I had confused Roger Millar with David Evans (another transportation consultant, and no relation to me), I went back to the flow chart for the current RFTA planning process and discovered there really is a David Millar working on the project.

Candidate stands by property rights

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Roaring Sports Columnist
Editor:

Private property rights should be protected from government infringement and eminent domain laws. Condemnation should only be used as a last resort, after all negotiations have failed. As an Avon Town Council member, I voted against the condemnation of the private parking that is now the transit center, because I believed Avon did not try to work with the community member who owned the land before pursuing condemnation. Negotiating in good faith is important to building community.

Presidential race getting interesting

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Roaring Sports Columnist
Editor:

I am suddenly surprised to feel somewhat inspired by the elections, because I don’t think I’m very political, at least not in the party kind of way. I like to have some fun just like anybody else, but politics are mostly a product of people’s egos and I get really bored with that kind of thing. You see, once people start supporting other people’s illusions of grandeur and importance, then at the same time, people get unhappy with their lives, because arrogance breeds discontent. Now, I don’t know for a fact that that is endorsed by an expert, but I doubt it would be too hard to prove the obvious elusive by anyone who took on the task.