SNOWMASS VILLAGE — Yesterday’s election forum in Snowmass Village did not expose any major issue differences among the Town Council and mayoral candidates — all expressed the need to be extra vigilant with development in these uncertain economic times; to become more green wherever fiscally possible; and to consider changing the way the town elects its mayor and makes appointments for empty council seats.
Although some subtle differences in approach and philosophy, particularly toward development, did emerge during the two-hour forum, perhaps the most interesting moment came at the end when one candidate put both the mayoral hopefuls in the hot seat for approving Base Village and the corresponding cutback in affordable housing requirements.
Planning Commissioner Bill Boineau and Councilman Arnie Mordkin are competing for the mayor’s seat, while Markey Butler, Kay Honigman-Singer and John Wilkinson are vying for two of the four council seats.
Wilkinson, an incumbent, pointed out that while they spoke of being tough on developers, Boineau and Mordkin both sat on the council that unanimously approved Base Village in 2004. At the same time, the council decided that only 45 percent of employees generated needed to be housed, rather than the 60 percent that was in place before the approvals. The calculations used for the employee generation rates were also changed.
“You’re telling us, the town, that it’s going to be different; you’ve changed your mind on employee housing. What has changed since 2004?” asked Wilkinson, who pointed out that he voted against Base Village as a planning commissioner because of the employee housing change and because of its mass and scale.
Both candidates claimed that times, and circumstances, have changed.
As Mordkin explained it, the housing mitigation numbers were changed because Intrawest, the co-owner at the time, was able to guarantee centralizing all the Base Village functions so that it would need fewer maids and other service employees than if multiple property management agencies were handling it.
“Was the number we chose correct? Probably not, but there was good reason to do that,” Mordkin said.
Current Base Village developer Related WestPac doesn’t have the ability to give such a guarantee, so the employee generation rates are now higher, Mordkin said.
“If I had had a crystal ball and would have thought of them selling Base Village, I would have done things entirely differently, but it probably wouldn’t have worked because the four [other council members], including Billy, were bobbling their heads, ‘yes, yes, do whatever you want,’” he said.
Boineau, who pointed out that he sat on Town Council in 1998 when the housing mitigation was bumped up to 100 percent, said that at the time Base Village was going through the approval process, the valley was a very different place.
“[Some] people said they don’t want to live in Snowmass Village; they want to live downvalley, and I think times have changed in that properties downvalley are not as affordable as they were in 2004,” said Boineau. “So we wanted to find that happy medium for folks to find that piece of property they wanted.”
Boineau also said he’s now “in left field,” asking for a return to 100 percent mitigation.
“So we do learn from our history,” he said.
Zach Ornitz/Aspen Daily NewsFrom left: Snowmass Village mayoral candidates Arnie Mordkin and Bill Boineau, and council candidates Markey Butler, Kay Honingman-Singer and John Wilkinson face off in an election forum Wednesday in Town Hall.
Mordkin, who claimed that he said no to developers back then too, said the town got a number of concessions in the Base Village plan because of his efforts. Where there were no “lockoffs” — rooms that can be locked off from a larger unit and rented separately — in earlier iterations of the plan, they are in the approved plan. He also fought for smaller kitchens so units would be more conducive to people going out and spending money in town, and for a recognized brand name hotel like a Hyatt or Marriott that could theoretically draw from a worldwide customer base. (The Base Village hotel brand has since changed to a Viceroy, although Mordkin voted against it.)
“When faced with an approval that’s going to happen you can either dig your heels in or make changes,” he said, noting that the four other council members were going to vote yes and the developer wanted a unanimous vote.
In his opening remarks, Mordkin pointed to himself as a candidate for change, particularly change in the mayor’s role, which he believes should be that of leader not mediator.
Boineau, on the other hand, emphasized that he is a more open person and the type of person who will listen to everyone and engage in healthy debate.
Boineau touted his push to rehabilitate the town’s older properties to be more competitive with Base Village. Mordkin wants to appoint an ad hoc citizens committee and expand the role of the town’s financial advisory board in order to make local government’s fiscal activity more transparent.
Among the council candidates, Butler emphasized her lifetime mantra of “service over self,” and many years in leadership roles as a health care executive.
“With my background, I’m a person that listens,” she said. “And I like to think out of the box.”
Honigman-Singer, who ran her own law firm in Michigan and has done a variety of pro bono and volunteer work, said her “career choices have a consistent thread to advocate for the individual and small businesses that might not otherwise have a voice.”
She said that while she has a reputation of being totally anti-development, she will listen to all sides but she “will not back down” in front of developers “when their visions or goals stray from that of the people.”
Wilkinson, who pointed to his council and related volunteer board experience, said there was simply “a lot of unfinished business” since he won election four years ago. That includes rewriting the town’s comprehensive plan and redoing the Snowmass Center and the Snowmass Mall area.
Boineau, Mordkin and Honigman-Singer all agreed it would be prudent to not approve any future development until the town can assess the impacts of Base Village on roads, water and the financial health of the community. Honigman-Singer called for studies, and Mordkin warned that the Base Village delay might have more impacts than are immediately apparent.
Wilkinson, however, stressed that his biggest concern was how the town’s three commercial nodes would work together, and that’s perhaps the biggest consideration elected leaders have to give when considering more development. Butler said the town needs to be cautious moving forward and needs to get a sense of the impacts; however, it must also consider that the Snowmass Center building could fall into major disrepair if it’s not replaced soon.
lutz@aspendailynews.com
