Incumbent Francie Jacober took an early lead in the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners race for the District 5 seat, projecting challenger Toni Kronberg’s defeat.
According to incomplete and unofficial results as of 9 p.m., Jacober had 3,412 votes, or 74.8%, to Kronberg’s 1,150 votes, or 25.2%.
Kronberg ran on a platform of improving Highway 82 safety and traffic flow, voter authority on the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport and her longtime gondola connectivity idea, Aspen Aerial.
Jacober said she is thankful to her supporters in seeking her second term to represent District 5. County commissioners serve four-year terms.
For her second term, Jacober said her priorities will include open space conservation, maintaining county services for lower-income residents and focusing the county on its environmental goals.
She also said the lead for the county’s Aspen-Pitkin County Airport-related ballot question, 1C, was exciting. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, question 1C was winning handily and the competing item, ballot question 200, was failing.
“Following through with the [Airport Layout Plan] is really important and seeking funding so we can have a modern airport, continuing to work on conservation of open lands is one of my highest priorities and continuing to support our social service,” she said.
She said the support shown for ballot question 1A, the county’s ask for a new property tax to fund affordable housing initiatives, is heartening. Question 1A also appeared to be heading to victory as of 9 p.m.
“God bless the people of Pitkin County, they’re very generous,” Jacober said. “I’m very appreciative of the generosity of the taxpayers of Pitkin County.”
Kronberg said she is thrilled to have been on the ballot and remains dedicated to her platform, even as a private citizen.
“I said at the beginning of the campaign that whether I win or lose, I’m still going to continue the efforts on improving Highway 82 and kickstart the Aspen Highway 82 aerial connection as a solution to the transportation [problems],” she said.
Kronberg said she’d use the election as a “springboard” to gather support for the aerial connection/gondola connectivity project, Aspen Aerial.
District 5 represents rural areas of the county, stretching out to the Crystal River Valley. All county voters were eligible to vote in the Jacober-Kronberg race.
Pitkin County commissioners are sworn into office in January, as dictated by state law.
