The Estesparkian has for the past four months brought this election to the forefront and will be following it in detail. Who will step forward as leaders and take the “tough love” actions that this community so desperately needs.
Open and transparent government.
Replace the town attorney with a professional minimal AV rated; the trustees need sound legal advice not a political spin doctor. The town attorney is hired staff and should not sit with the panel of elected officials; the attorney should sit with the town staff as hired staff not a town leader.
No more executive sessions.
Open public debate on important issues, no more emergency ordinances to eliminate public input.
Who is willing to step forward as a representative of the people and conduct business as general oversight of town operations and not a town department committee chairman?
If this town is indeed headed toward Home Rule, than the town trustees need to bring in staff administrators that bring the community skills and experience that are needed to manage town operations as a Home Ruled community “resort”. That would include a competent town attorney, competent town administrator, and competent town planner.
If you love Estes Park and wish to serve the towns best interest be a leader and give us back our town. If you are a candidate and are coming out of the “Good Ole Boy Rotary Commission” hold on this will be an interesting few months.

By Lisa Pogue
Estes Park voters will wield a democratic hand and change the face of local government in this year’s municipal election set for Tuesday, April 4.
Three Town Board trustee seats are up for grabs as the sole issue on the ballot so far.
Term limits have Mayor Pro Tem Sue Doylen and Trustee Lori Jeffrey-Clark’s positions open. Trustee Richard Homeier, who replaced recalled Trustee David Habecker last spring, will run against challengers to maintain his spot on the board.
The Town Board set the regular biannual election date at their meeting last week, approving election equipment rental costs at $550 of the Town’s $7,000 election budget for 2006. The April 4 election will be held at the Municipal Building in Rooms 202, 203. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Absentee ballot applications are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s office in the Municipal Building. Early voting through absentee ballot runs through March 31.
The official ballot will be prepared at the beginning of March, officials said.
Residents interested in a trustee spot on the ballot can pick up petitions at the Town Clerk’s office beginning Feb. 13. Petitions must be signed by at least 10 registered electors within town limits and must be submitted by 5 p.m. on March 3. Contact the Town Clerk’s office at 577-3702 for more information.
The future of Estes Park
A trustee since 1993 (term limits were imposed in 1996), Sue Doylen has worked under three mayors and seven different boards. Doylen is completing her final four-year term and said she thinks the trustee openings will draw moderate community interest.
“I want to see people who really care about this community,” Doylen said. “People should run because they have an interest in all segments of the community, not just one segment.”
An Estes Park trustee needs to have thick skin and an open mind, she continued.
“This is a small town and you really have to be willing to be put in a public light,” Doylen said. “Trustees need to be someone with personal integrity who can listen.
“I hope those that come after me will recognize the vision, precision and care that the people before them had in building this community. I’m concerned about the future because we’re losing a lot of history. Estes Park is coming up on 100 years and a lot of people who helped build this community are gone or leaving.”
Elected officials not only need to be excellent listeners, but must also be dreamers, added Trustee Richard Homeier.
“We need to constantly be open to input from the citizens of our beautifully, unique community, but also be dreaming and planning on making this an even better place to live and to visit,” he said. “Life is constantly changing and we as a tourist destination, a retirement community and a good place to live, may need to refine our understanding of ‘the way things ought to be’ in order to maintain our viability and quality of life.”
After eight years as an elected official, Trustee Lori Jeffrey-Clark describes the experience as life changing and said, “representing the ‘people’ is difficult, frustrating and sometimes unforgiving.”
“It’s been a privilege to work with a dedicated and professional town staff,” Jeffrey-Clark said. “If it weren’t for term limits in our town, I would run again because when all said and done, our community is about the people, for the people and by the people, even if only 20 percent come out for the vote on an average.
“My hope for this community is that Home Rule is accepted this year; that new board members elected know how to step outside the box, know when to stop studying an issue and take action and seek community involvement.”
During the last municipal election in 2004, Estes Park voters elected a new mayor and three trustees whose terms will expire in 2008. Two candidates ran for the mayor’s seat and five were on the ballot for the trustee positions.