Rachel Richards attended her last Aspen City Council meeting Tuesday night after three decades in public office in Aspen and Pitkin County.
“I feel a certain amount of relief when you look at the many crushing issues around us that the community needs to deal with,” she said. “On the other hand, I’m really going to miss being a part of those conversations and decisions.”
Richards was 29-years-old when she first ran for city council in 1991 with the support of Eve Homeyer, Aspen’s first woman mayor.
“I had begun getting involved in local issues,” she said. “I also had my son and once you have a child you really think a lot more about what’s going to be their future.”
Richards went on to serve four terms as a city councilor, one term as mayor of Aspen, and three terms as a Pitkin County commissioner.
In all, Richards won eight local elections.
Richards said her time in public office has been challenging and deeply rewarding from her first ballot issue campaign to her involvement in expanding The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA).
She recalled fondly her effort to preserve the old Red Brick and Yellow Brick school buildings for arts, recreation and childcare.
“All these things that we’ve put in place are not to be taken for granted,” she said. “I always use the Red Brick example that good things don’t happen by accident, they happen through a lot of hard work and perseverance and that’s what it’s going to take to save the best of what’s in Aspen now.”
Richards is also proud of her participation in regional efforts to help protect public lands, curb carbon emissions and create a statewide water plan.
In an interview with Aspen Public Radio on her last day in office, Richards reflected back on her career and shared her hopes for the future.
You can listen to the conversation above.
