Editor:
I was having dinner with friends this past weekend and the topic of Burlingame came up. Please understand that at this dinner, there were both liberal and conservative guests, so the topic brought out comments, as you might guess, from both sides.
One of the comments I remember, because it was made by a very liberal attorney, was in answer to the question: “Do you think there was anything criminal about the erroneous costs presented in the city brochure?” His answer was, “I think it was pure stupidity.” His answer to the question “Do you think there should be an investigation?” was “yes, as long is it is impartial.”
Well, having digested what was said at the dinner and throwing in my conservative salt, I guess I agree with my liberal friend. Producing a brochure with completely false cost estimates just before an election has to be called just plain stupid. But the fact remains that the hard-working citizens of Aspen were presented with false information on a project that will cost millions of dollars and has to be made right.
So what to do about the dilemma? The current mayor wants to just forget about the mistake and just keep going like nothing happened. The council attempts to intimidate and scold critics like Marilyn Marks and James Perry on the grounds that there is a sinister agenda. As much as the mayor and certain council members want to sweep this under the rug, it’s like sweeping an elephant under a throw rug. It won’t work, and the citizens of Aspen deserve and demand a full and open accounting of this mess.
Let me also say that I believe that if Marilyn Marks were mayor, this disaster would not be happening and unfolding as it is. This lady is a good businesswoman with an understanding of the need for accurate information and the need to run an open administration. It appears that the mayor and certain council members don’t have these ideas in mind.
I commented at that dinner that I thought the mayor and council were a danger to the city of Aspen, and nothing has come up to change my mind. Employee housing has become a crusade, such that those who don’t believe are cast out and humiliated. It is a crusade where no cost is too much and any means of funding more is OK, even if it is false and misleading.
Where is the end? What is the goal? According to Tim Semrau, we have exceeded the employee housing objective set out only a few years ago.
There is a clear and present danger being revealed in the mayor and city council, and it must be brought under control.
Gaston Alciatore
Aspen
Comments
Easy Solution
If the money were spent prudently, we would all stand to benefit. However, as a local voter who desperately needs affordable housing in Aspen I am genuinely concerned about wasted tax dollars. No matter how righteous the cause, I certainly don’t want or appreciate Barwick’s misleading estimates that miss by tens of millions of dollars. As a local voter that publically endorsed Burlingame in the last election I was fooled once by Barwick (shame on him) and you can be sure I won’t be fooled twice when it comes to voting against the bond issue this fall unless, of course, Barwick has been booted out of City Hall and out of his free housing before the election. This election is too important to risk on one man’s misleading estimates. City council should FIRE the city manager ASAP. What are our elected officials waiting for?