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Breaking News
Voters pick Mick for mayor
Ireland prevails in runoff with 57 percent of vote
Aspen Times | June 6, 2007 | Rick Carroll
Mick Ireland hoisted a bottle of Brut champagne while his posse of supporters merrily drank from plastic cups inside his employee-housing unit. Tim Semrau and his wife quietly moseyed into an upscale downtown restaurant, ordering a waiter to tell the press he would not be giving interviews. Read More>>

Breaking News
Congratulations gentlemen, now it's time to get to work
Aspen Times Editorial | June 6, 2007
Whew! Finally we have a result after that long election season.
We'd like to congratulate the winning candidates, Mick Ireland, Steve Skadron, and of course, Dwayne Romero, who garnered enough votes in the first election on May 8 to win a council seat. Read More>>

Breaking News
Ireland, Skadron win in runoff
New council to be seated Monday
Aspen Times | June 5, 2007
Mick Ireland - 1,209
Tim Semrau - 913
Steve Skadron - 1,545
Toni Kronberg - 516
Read Article>>

Breaking News
Ireland wins mayoral runoff
Turnout almost as high as first vote
Aspen Daily News | June 6, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
For the next two years, it's Mayor Mick in Aspen.
The former county commissioner cruised to victory in Tuesday's runoff election, carrying 57 percent of the vote to challenger Tim Semrau's 43percent. That translates to 1,209 votes for Ireland and 913 for Semrau. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mick for mayor; Skadron for council
Aspen Daily News Editorial | June 4, 2007
It's been a long and expensive campaign season, and in round two of the battle for mayor and the remaining City Council seat, we see no reason to change direction.
Mayoral candidates Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau grew up just a few miles from each other in the Chicago suburbs, and in the last "debate" of the campaign on Friday (an unmoderated conversation during which the candidates asked each other the questions), they agreed that several of their goals were aligned. They even agreed on the infamous fire hearth question: keep it if it can be powered by renewable energy.
Still, the differences between the two are stark enough for us to unequivocally endorse Ireland for mayor of Aspen. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mick and Toni get the nod
Aspen Daily News Columnist | June 4, 2007 | Sheldon Fingerman
It's hard not to comment on the election tomorrow, but first I want to thank Aspen Valley Hospital for putting on another great health fair this year. Read More>>

Breaking News
Ireland and Semrau hold cordial conversation
Aspen Daily News | June 2, 2007 | Troy Hooper
Aspen mayoral candidates Tim Semrau (left) and Mick Ireland engaged in a free- form conversational-style debate at the Channel 19 studio on Friday.
There was no moderator, no referee and, surprisingly, no bickering.
Political foes Tim Semrau and Mick Ireland spent over an hour debating each other's qualifications for Aspen's mayoral post Friday in what became an exhibit of politeness. Read More>>

Breaking News
Vote Ireland, Skadron on Tuesday
We have one word for Aspen voters going into the Tuesday, June 5, runoff election: VOTE. We'll choose a new mayor and one new council member on that day, and if you don't cast a ballot then you can't complain about the results.
Just 44 percent of local voters turned out at the polls on May 8 for the initial election, so it's clear that each vote makes a difference. Just 289 votes separated mayoral candidates Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau the first time around, and 375 votes separated council candidates Toni Kronberg and Steve Skadron. The runoff could tighten up quickly if big numbers of voters stay home, so make sure your opinion is heard and your vote is counted. Read More>>

Breaking News
Our quality of life on the line
Aspen Times Guest Opinion | May 31, 2007 | Mick Ireland
Imagine Aspen a generation from now: a thriving resort, populated by a healthy mix of locals that includes some of the children who are in school here today. A resort where people of all social groups and classes feel welcome and are able to share our beauty. A town where the views of the mountain landscape are not much different from today's. A place that is a model for environmental excellence. Read More>>

Breaking News
A different kind of mayoral debate
Aspen Daily News | May 30, 2007
A free-form conversation between Aspen's two mayoral candidates will take place at TV Aspen, channel 19 studios tomorrow [Friday, June 1]. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral campaign contributions near $100K
Aspen Times | May 31, 2007 | Charles Agar
Mayoral campaign contributions total near $100,000, according to reports city officials released in advance of Tuesday's runoff election.
The Aspen Times mistakenly reported that City Council candidate Steve Skadron was the only candidate to make Tuesday's deadline for campaign contribution reports with the City Clerk and Recorder's Office. Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau, both mayoral candidates in the June 5 runoff, also reported on time. Read More>>

Breaking News
A Picture of Gorian Dray
Aspen Times Columnist | May 31, 2007 | Andy Stone
OK. One more time. Take a deep breath, suck it up and get out on Tuesday - damn it! - and vote.
Just vote.
And, frankly, for right now, I don't care who you vote for.
No, I haven't changed my mind. I'm still very clear on who would be the best new mayor for Aspen. But, to be honest, I don't think you really care whom I support. And, more to the point, I don't think my support really matters.
All I want you to do is vote. Read More>>

Breaking News
A 'Gonzo' mayoral debate in Aspen
NPR | All Things Considered | May 27, 2007 | Ben Bergman
Two very different mayoral candidates went head to head in an unusual debate format at the home of the late Hunter S. Thompson in Aspen, Colo. The faceoff for the $33,000 post was proposed by Thompson's widow, who says it's the only political debate she knows of in which people don't have to be "politically correct." Listen>>

Breaking News
Remember to vote next week
Aspen Times Columnist | May 30, 2007 | Su Lum
It won't be over until the last vote is counted, so be sure to get out and vote next Tuesday or vote absentee upstairs in City Hall (today through Friday).
Although Mick Ireland and Steve Skadron won with hefty margins against Tim Semrau and Toni Kronberg in the first go-round, keep in mind that runoff elections get a historically low voter turnout, and your ho-hum today could be a nasty surprise on June 5.
I supported, and continue to strongly support, Mick Ireland for mayor and Steve Skadron for City Council, these two being far and away the most knowledgeable and best-qualified candidates to join J.E. DeVilbiss and Jack Johnson for one of the strongest councils Aspen has had in years. Read More>>

Breaking News
Torre's supporters up for grabs
Aspen Times | May 24, 2007 | John Colson
Mayoral candidates Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau have come out of the starting gate for the June 5 runoff election with the same apparent strategies they displayed before. Read More>>

Breaking News
Differing views of the mayor's role
ACRA: Debate just scratched the surface
Aspen Daily News | May 23, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
With two weeks to go until Aspen's runoff election, Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau brought different ideas about the role of mayor to a debate sponsored by the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral candidates do battle
Ireland, Semrau face off in first round of debates
Aspen Times | May 23, 2007 | Carolyn Sackariason
If the first debate in the second round of the mayoral race was a boxing match, it would likely have ended in a draw between Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau. Read More>>

Breaking News
Thompson's widow, ACRA sponsor mayoral debates
Aspen Daily News | May 20, 2007
The competitors for Aspen's top political post will meet this week in the den of the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
It's one of two debates this week, the other hosted by the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, that will attempt to sharpen the messages of Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau now that the four-way mayor's race is down to two. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral rumble, round two
Aspen Daily News | May 20, 2007
Although you wouldn't know it based on the last two weeks, Aspen is in the midst of a mayoral campaign.
Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau agreed to a temporary cease-fire on campaigning for one week after the May 8 election. But that time is now up, especially for Semrau. He acknowledged he has some work to do should he want to win in June. Read More>>

Breaking News
Exhaustion, expense of runoffs
Aspen Times | May 20, 2007
In 2000, Aspen voters agreed by a 3-to-1 margin to amend the city charter and change the way they elect their municipal representatives. Instead of requiring political candidates to win a mere "plurality" of the votes cast (more than the other candidates), voters decided that mayoral candidates would have to attract more than 50 percent of the votes cast, a true majority. Contestants for City Council would have to win by at least 45 percent. Read More>>



Aspen mayoral candidate Mick Ireland
and girlfriend Judith Henderson hear
the election results Tuesday evening.
Ireland earned 48 percent of the vote.
The runoff election will be June 5.
(Paul Conrad/The Aspen Times)



Breaking News
Ireland and Semrau in Mayoral Run-off;
Ballot Measures Pass Easily
Aspen Public Radio Election Report | May 9, 2007
There is a run off for mayor of Aspen, between former Pitkin County commissioner Mick Ireland and former city councilman Tim Semrau. Ireland came in just a few votes shy of avoiding a run off - with 1036 votes, to Semrau's 747.  Listen>>  Read More>>

Breaking News
Climate change debate comes to Colorado hearth
NPR Weekend Edition | May 6, 2007
One of the biggest controversies in the May 8 mayoral election inAspen, Colo., is the fate of a small fire hearth downtown that servesas a popular gathering spot. The city's anti-global warming planrecommends putting out the fire. It says that if the city is seriousabout stopping global warming, then no measure is too small. Listen>>

Breaking News
Election redux
Aspen Times Columnist | May 11, 2007 | Paul E. Anna
Me? I blame Torre.
This column was going to be about how lucky we were to be done with another election cycle. About how we came together as a community and voted with at least a 50 percent consensus for a mayor to represent us for the next two years.
That would have been a High Point. But no. Instead we have another month of nonsense ahead with another "climactic" election day on the 5th of June.
All, thanks to Torre. Read More>>

Breaking News
Are runoff results predetermined?
Aspen Times | May 10, 2007 | Carolyn Sackariason
If history does repeat itself, then the results of the upcoming city runoff election are already a done deal.
Since Aspen instituted runoffs in 2001, the majority of voters have selected the same candidates in both elections. Read More>>

Breaking News
Should Aspen be upset about 44 percent voter turnout?
Aspen Daily News | May 9, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
To some, the number sounds low. When compared to some elections, it's high.
Buzz around town, on the lips of some citizens as well as mayoral candidate Tim Semrau, floated the idea of holding the initial city elections in June, avoiding an off-season election.
A man-on-the-street survey conducted by the Daily News found mixed reaction to the idea.
"Voting in June instead of May is a good idea because more people are here. A lot of the town goes away (in May). Everyone is in Moab or something like that. They aren't voting and it may be inconvenient to do the absentee voting," said Francis Lewis of Aspen.
To Craig Ward, Tuesday's 44 percent turnout sounded about normal.  Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral race heading to runoff
Ireland, Semrau prepare to battle it out in 28 days
Aspen Times | May 9, 2007 | Carolyn Sackariason
Political foes Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau will continue to fight for Aspen's top elected post for the next 28 days.
The two candidates were the top vote-getters in Tuesday's mayoral election. Ireland came in with 1,036 votes (48 percent), and Semrau with 747 (34 percent). All it would have taken for Ireland to win the mayoral seat was 57 more votes. In order to win the mayoral race in Aspen, a candidate must get 50 percent, plus one vote, according to the city charter. Instead, runoff election will take place June 5. Read More>>

Breaking News
Climate change debate comes to Colorado Hearth
NPR | Weekend Edition Sunday | May 6, 2007 | Ben Bergman
One of the biggest controversies in the May 8 mayoral election inAspen, Colo., is the fate of a small fire hearth downtown that servesas a popular gathering spot. The city's anti-global warming planrecommends putting out the fire. It says that if the city is seriousabout stopping global warming, then no measure is too small. Listen>>

Breaking News
Election's over; now let's fight
Aspen Times Editorial | May 9, 2007
As the dust settles from last night's election, let's not forget what the candidates kicked up on their quest for city office.
Since the campaigns started in earnest two months ago, we have heard alot of fantastic, forward-thinking ideas come from the candidates andthe community. This election season has spurred strong public discourseon the most crucial issues facing our city. The community discussionsand public debates couldn't have come at a more important time - thestakes are as high as they can get as we struggle with the problemsthat have plagued us for decades. Read More>>

Breaking News
Instant voting: How it works
Aspen Times Columnist | May 9, 2007 | Su Lum
As I write this, I have no idea how Tuesday's election is going to shake out, but I'm pretty sure there will be some run-offs involved and we'll all be rolling our eyes and thinking MUST we go through this for another thumping month?
More money, more time, more ads, more debates, all for another vote that traditionally has a lower turnout than the first. Read More>>

Breaking News
Crunch time: Mayoral candidates use different tactics in days before election
Aspen Daily News| May 7, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
In the final push before tomorrow's city election, Aspen's mayoral candidates prepared for the big day in their own ways, with each reflecting on what this year's highly-charged, high-dollar campaign means for the town. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidates go down to the wire
One last ditch pitch
Aspen Times | May 6, 2007 | Carolyn Sackariason
Aspenites stuck at home this weekend might want to consider turning off the lights and not answering the phone or knocks at the door. Read More>>
 
Breaking News
Mayoral hopefuls show their colors
Aspen Times | May 6, 2007 | Charles Agar
If you're finding it hard to choose the next Aspen mayor, Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau's matching green signs won't help.
Both candidate's signs are deep green, and both candidates claim they chose the color first. Read More>>

Breaking News
Locals rule with ballots
Aspen Times Columnist| May 6, 2007 | Erik Skarvan
Locals rule with ballots
Some say locals don't rule Aspen anymore. They say Aspen's locals have sold out or been priced out, packed up and left. And the ones who have somehow survived have to work so much they don't have time to be involved. Or they don't care. Apparently, we've lost our soul. It's a done deal. Help! Read More>>

Breaking News
Is the gift of living in Aspen a bad deal?
Aspen Times Columnist| May 4, 2007 | Roger Marolt
Employee housing in Aspen is probably the best deal those who have it will ever stumble across in their lifetimes. There is little doubt about, and no decent argument against, this. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidates say 'return to sender'
Aspen Times | May 4, 2007 | Charles Agar
After confusion over state and local rules governing campaign contributions, Aspen mayoral candidate Tim Semrau and City Council candidate Dwayne Romero returned funds to corporate donors Thursday. Read More>>

Breaking News
Corporate donors fly under radar
Aspen Times | May 3, 2007 | Charles Agar
Despite the state constitution's prohibition against corporate contributions, mayoral candidate Tim Semrau and two City Council hopefuls listed such donations in the campaign finance reports they filed Tuesday. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidates shine through cloudy election
Aspen Times Editorial | May 4, 2007
The Aspen Times will endorse a candidate for mayor, but before doing so we'd like to say a couple of things about Aspen politics that have clouded this election - making it harder to discern the differences between the candidates.
First off, we see the mayor's race as a contest between two - Mick Ireland and Tim Semrau. There are two other candidates, - Torre and Bonnie Behrend - but neither has articulated a compelling vision for Aspen. Read More>>

Breaking News
Endorsement: Mick Ireland for mayor
Aspen Daily News Editorial | May 3, 2007
Inthis era of in-your-face development, Mick Ireland is our choice totryto stem the tide of distasteful growth. His understanding ofland-usecodes surpasses that of the other three candidates, and quitepossibly,any other person in the Roaring Fork Valley. He has alreadyidentifiedserious problems with the city of Aspen's current rewrite oftheland-use code, pointing out that some of the proposed legislationwouldactually provide developers with an incentive to build the typesofprojects many of us could do without. Read More>>

Breaking News
The fox and the henhouse
Aspen Times Columnist | May 3, 2007 | Andy Stone
It's hard to believe at this stage of the game that Aspen might actually elect a developer as mayor.
It would be like the chickens getting together to elect a fox to guard the henhouse.
Like Alcoholics Anonymous choosing Coors as a corporate sponsor.
Like Weight Watchers deciding to have a hot fudge sundae for a mascot. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidate profiles: one initiative
Q&A: If you are elected, what one initiative would you most like to spearhead?
Aspen Times | May 4, 2007
Mick Ireland:
The city was presented a Canary Action Plan in March of 2006 and hasyet to adopt that plan or any other. I am excited by the possibilitythat Aspen could become world-renowned as a place where its extendedcommunity of visitors, part-time residents and locals joined togetherto cut carbon emissions by 5 million pounds in the next two years. Wecan be the change that inspires others in the valley and state toprotect the planet. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mick manages best
Aspen Daily News Columnist | May 2, 2007 | Jeremy Madden
With this year's mayoral election going down as perhaps the mostexpensive in history, there is no doubt that the stakes are very high.Transportation, housing and growth are once again the key issues facingthe community. But this time around it just seems like these problemsare reaching critical mass and must be dealt with. The candidate bestqualified to deal with them is Mick Ireland. Read More>>

Breaking News
Is the gift of living in Aspen a bad deal?
Aspen Times | May 4, 2007 | Roger Marolt
Employee housing in Aspen is probably the best deal those who have it will ever stumble across in their lifetimes. There is little doubt about, and no decent argument against, this.
To wit: If an owner of deed-restricted housing finances the purchase price with a 6 percent mortgage and is allowed to earn 3 percent annual appreciation, over the life of the loan the price increase just about covers the interest expense. After that it's gravy. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidate profiles: their backgrounds
Aspen Times | April 30, 2007
Name: Michael C. "Mick" Ireland
Age: 57
Occupation: substitute teacher, attorney; consultant/researcher on resort issues
Family: seven sisters and brothers; one sister (Molly Ireland) and niece (Katie Bird), nephew (Jack) and brother-in-law (Don Bird) in Aspen
Years in Aspen: 28
Education: B.S., psychology, University of Illinois; law degree with tax emphasis, University of Colorado at Boulder Read More>>

Breaking News
Semrau surpasses Ireland with campaign funds totaling more than $33,000
Aspen Daily News | May 1, 2007 | Sarah Gilman
As the May 8 election closes in, some candidates are still raking in the big bucks. Aspen mayoral candidate Tim Semrau surpassed fellow candidate Mick Ireland in funds with $15,230 in new contributions since April 18, bringing his campaign total to more than $33,000. Of that, Semrau has spent all but $5,472, mostly on marketing firms and TV and radio spots. Read More>>

Breaking News
Consider the 'why not' candidate
Aspen Daily News Columnist | April 29, 2007 | Sheldon Fingerman
Well, since I don't think anybody is going to vote for Miles for mayor (my friend's dog),  I guess I have to stick with my recommendation of Mick Ireland. He just seems to always know what's what, and his ties to the Colorado Department of Transportation should help resolve our Entrance to Aspen problem. Read More>>

Breaking News
Time for an extreme Mick-over?
Aspen Daily News | April 28, 2007 | Christine Benedetti
Mick Ireland rides a bike.
It's a fact that people following the mayoral campaign know, notbecause they see him on two wheels, but because he's consistentlyarriving at campaign events in cycling attire, bike helmet in hand. 
Until Wednesday, that is, when he debuted a sport coat at an AspenChamber Resort Association candidate panel discussion, after heedingsome advice from his volunteer campaign supporters. Read More>>

Breaking News
Aspen's Party of the Angry Rich evolves
Aspen Daily News | April 28, 2007 | Dave Danforth
"Sound the alarm!" Johnny orders.
A throng gathers around his video screen. We are in a penthouse nestled high above Aspen, in the command center for PAR '07 -- the Party of the Angry Rich political organization. But PAR has mellowed in the last two years. Its members have become far more sophisticated in planning a mayoral campaign.
"Zeus!" exclaims Johnny. "An emergency.  A Mayoral Makeover."
We are looking at an image of Mick Ireland, one of four candidates for mayor. Pasted up near the screen are still shots of all the candidates. But the Mick, debating on the screen, looks nothing like the Mick of Old. He has thrown on a jacket and white shirt. Read More>>

Breaking News
Politics extend beyond city boundary
Plenty who don't live in Aspen are helping fund mayoral campaign battle
Aspen Times | April 26, 2007 | Janet Urquhart
Aspen's mayoral candidates can't court votes outside the city limits, but money is another matter.
All but one of the four contenders for the City Council's helm have out-of-town and out-of-state contributors to thank for helping fund their campaigns in a race that mirrors the resort itself - a decidedly small-town, but high-profile affair. Read More>>

Breaking News
Where's Bonnie?
Aspen Times | April 25, 2007 | Christine Benedetti
During a mayoral candidate forum on Tuesday morning, Bonnie Behrend was conspicuously absent. Again. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral Candidate Mick Ireland
Aspen Daily News: Mick Ireland | April 25, 2007
Name: Michael C. "Mick" Ireland
Age: 57
Occupation: Substitute teacher, consultant, attorney.
Family: Not married. Family here now includes sister, Molly, her husband Don Bird, and Katie Bird and Jack Bird (the two best kids in Aspen).
Boards served on or serving on: Gov. Bill Ritter's Transportation Finance and Implementation Committee, Aspen Pitkin Housing Authority, County Financial Advisory Board, city of Aspen Mayor's Financial Advisory Board, Rural Resort Region (Pitkin, Garfield, Eagle, Summit and Lake counties), State Transportation Advisory Committee, Pitkin Board of County Commissioners. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mick Ireland for mayor of Aspen
Aspen Times Columnist | April 25, 2007 | Su Lum
I'm voting for Mick Ireland for mayor because he is the smartest, strongest and most experienced candidate, and because I think he can best implement his views about growth control and affordable housing, with which I agree. Read More>>

Breaking News
Ireland disputes Semrau's numbers
Aspen Times| April 23, 2007 | Joel Stonington
Mayoral candidate Mick Ireland disagrees with claims by candidate Tim Semrau that Aspen's goal of housing 60 percent of the work force upvalley could be completed in five years. Read More>>

Breaking News
Battling it out in cyberspace
Aspen Times| April 23, 2007 | Charles Agar
In an era when your friend inventory on MySpace tells how popular you are, and "Googleability" is tantamount to fame, blogs and websites are as important to political candidates as pressing the flesh and kissing babies.
And Aspen's mayoral campaign is no exception. Read More>>

Breaking News
Aspen mayor contest on fire
4 hopefuls seek seat
Denver Post, Denver & the West | April 22, 2007 | Nancy Lofholm
In a city where politics run as extreme as the price of purses in the Prada store, the upcoming mayoral election is proving to be no exception.
Four candidates - divergent characters who would make acolorful cast on MTVs "Real World" - are tussling for a title that falls well beyond the traditional ribbon-cutting and gavel-banging duties of most municipal leaders. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mick's the man
Aspen Daily News Columnist| April 22, 2007 | Sheldon Fingerman
Contrarian: a person who typically acts or thinks in a way contrary to popular or accepted opinion.
With a critical election facing us, the word "contrarian" keeps coming up in my mind.
Read More>>

Breaking News
Mojo of the mayor
Aspen's chief executive is also an ambassador
Aspen Times | April 21, 2007 | Jeanne McGovern
In 1996, Aspen Mayor John Bennett looked out his window at City Hall to see the news trucks circling. The town was in the midst of a heated debate about lengthening the runway at Sardy Field, and the out-of-town media were hungry for a sound bite; they wanted Bennett to comment.
"I told them, 'We don't even own the airport,'" recalls Bennett. "They didn't care; they wanted to quote the mayor. It quite surprised me." Read More>>

Breaking News
Who wants to be a millionaire?
Aspen Times | April 19, 2007 | Andy Stone
You know, it never occurred to me that the problem with Aspen's affordable housing program is that people aren't making enough money from it.
Sure, I know the program has problems. The big one, of course, is that there aren't enough affordable homes. People enter countless lotteries, sign up for endless waiting lists, turn bitter, despair and, ultimately, leave town. These are good people, valuable community members, who leave because they can't afford a place to live. Read More>>

Breaking News
Mayoral candidates disagree on retail quota system
Aspen Daily News | April 18, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
Aspen mayoral candidates' responses to the city-floated idea of using a quota system to regulate the amount of high-end retail in the core run the gamut. Read More>>

Breaking News
Disagreeing with Semrau
Aspen Times | April 16, 2007 | Letter to the Editor from Dave Tolen
Dear Editor:
I had many opportunities to work with Tim Semrau on affordable housing. There was only one aspect of Tim Semrau's approach to affordable housing that I respectfully disagreed with. It was a theme for Tim in all of his affordable housing endeavors - there was money to be made, and it was appropriate that the program should emphasize that more. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidates agree on BEST course of action
Three of four running for mayor of Aspen support bus lanes measure
Aspen Times | April 9, 2007 | John Colson
Aspen mayoral candidates Mick Ireland, Tim Semrau and Torre may find a lot to disagree about in the coming weeks, but they agree on one thing, at least: All three have joined a new alliance urging voters to pass Ballot Measure 1 on May 8. Read More>>

Breaking News
Op/Ed on housing
By Mick Ireland | April 5, 2007
I'm considered an affordable housing advocate.  I am often invited to conferences to present on our success story and the problems of creating housing in resort communities. Read More>>

Breaking News
Candidates square off on environment
Aspen Public Radio News Feature | April 5, 2007
Aspen's Canary Initiative is an action plan to fight global warming, that among other things, calls for the city to reduce its CO2 emissions by one percent annually.
For some environmentalists like Mick Ireland, that's too weak of a benchmark. Ireland unveiled his environmental initiative in a speech yesterday at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. Listen>>

Breaking News
Mick: 'Really, I'm a capitalist'
Aspen Times | April 5, 2007 | Rick Carroll
Joseph McCarthy, where are you now?
An initiative aiming to sully Mick Ireland's mayoral bid rolled out this week in the form of a red bumper sticker that declares: "Anybody But Mick For Mayor of Aspen." Read More>>

Breaking News
Ireland airs environmental proposals
Aspen Daily News | April 5, 2007 | Curtis Wackerle
Mayoral candidate Mick Ireland announced on Wednesday a plan to reduce Aspen's carbon footprint by 5 million pounds of CO2 per year and to cooperate with other local governments on environmental causes, while Ireland's opponents in the race questioned the specifics of his proposal. Read More>>

Breaking News
Vote yes for bus lanes
Aspen Times | April 4, 2007 | Auden Schendler
Dear Editor:
On May 8, Aspen residents will have a chance to vote to add a bus lane between Buttermilk and the Roundabout. Read More>>

Breaking News
Semrau's pudding isn't good
Aspen Daily News | April 2, 2007 | Pam Lifton-Zoline
Editor:
I've been reading with interest the letters and articles leading up to the mayoral election. Out of concern for Aspen, a town I love, I respectfully offer these observations.

It took over eight years to plan and approve the Burlingame project on the land that was my family's ranch, and during that time I often had occasion to work with each of the present candidates. What a study in contrasts!  Read More>>

Breaking News
Bike shop owner enters council race
By Curtis Wackerle | Aspen Daily News
Aspen, CO
March 29, 2007
Drawing on his experience as an Aspen "mom and pop" business owner, Aspen Velo Bike Shop owner Michael Wampler entered the race for two open Aspen City Council seats on Thursday.

Wampler, 57, said one of his main motivations is to make sure Aspen is a place his two young sons can afford to live permanently. His buzzword for the campaign, Wampler said, is "character."

The character of Aspen has "changed drastically" over the last five or six years, Wampler said. One way to address that, Wampler said, is to reduce allowable building heights in the downtown core and require all new commercial projects to include on-site affordable housing. Read More>>

Breaking News
Locals picked as transportation advisors
By Aspen Times Staff
Aspen, CO
March 28, 2007
DENVER - Two local transportation advocates - Mick Ireland and Dan Blankenship - were tapped this week to advise the governor on transportation.

Ireland, an Aspen mayoral candidate and former Pitkin County commissioner, was named as a panel member on the newly formed Colorado Transportation Finance and Implementation Panel. Read More>>

From left: Mayoral candidates Tim Semrau, Torre and Mick Ireland met on
Friday at the Wienerstube to explain their platforms and make their pitches.
The election is May 8. Photo Credit: Zach Ornitz/Aspen Daily News