Aspen voters will decide between two female candidates for mayor this March, electing the first woman in 18 years to lead the Aspen City Council.
Katy Frisch and Rachel Richards were the only two candidates to file paperwork to run for the open mayoral seat on the Aspen City Council, all but guaranteeing the next mayor of Aspen will be a woman. It will be the first time since 2007 that a woman will helm the city council.
Both Frisch and Richards said it is not their defining characteristic as a candidate, but each argue they would bring much-needed diversity to a council table that has been male-dominated since the 2023 municipal election.
“I think it’s really important to have diversity in any governing board,” Frisch said. “I’ve been in a lot of different environments, from being an engineer to being in the business world, to the school board, especially when we went to state school board events, where I was a minority in gender, and I’m used to dealing with that.
“But having said that, I don’t really consider it my defining aspect. I’m used to always being one of the few women,” she added.
Only three women have ever served as mayor in Aspen. In 1970, Eve Homeyer was the first woman to be elected mayor of Aspen. Richards was the next woman mayor, serving one term from 1999 to 2001. The late Helen Klanderud was the last woman to be elected mayor, serving from 2001 to 2007.
“My first sponsor to run for council back in 1991 was Eve Homeyer … and she was a stellar example for me of the importance of generational thinking, and whether homemakers or business owners or both, women excel at taking care of the needs of the day while keeping a clear eye and focus and planning for the future,” Richards said.
Frisch said the current council lacks family perspectives and members who think of policies that will affect generations to come.
“It’s really important to have the perspective of a mother. Someone who’s got a bunch of teenagers, that brings a different perspective because I’m looking at things from an intergenerational lens,” Frisch said. “The best things are ahead of us, and I want to make sure that we have an environment that works for everybody … so I think that family aspect really helps, and I think that we could use more of that on council.”
But she also said that her experience running a business and her experience as a school board member (she served on the Aspen School District board of education from 2019-2023) would bring a unique perspective to the council table.
Richards agrees female representation on council is necessary, but it does not define her candidacy. She said she would draw on her decades of experience in public service to build regional relationships and partnerships in decision-making.
Richards served two four-year terms as councilmember on the Aspen City Council before her two-year mayoral term. She also served as a Pitkin County commissioner from 2007-2019. In 2019, she was elected to another four-year term on the city council.
“There needs to be greater respect, listening to our seniors, our young people, the newcomers and the long-timers, locals who all call Aspen home,” she said.
The city council has been completely comprised of men since Richards left the council in 2023. It is currently the only municipality in the Roaring Fork Valley that does not have a woman elected to its council.
In November, Snowmass Village elected Alyssa Shenk to the mayoral seat and Cecily DeAngelo to one of two open city council seats, creating a historic 4-1 female majority on the Snowmass Village Town Council.
“I think there’s no magic to being a woman mayor,” Richards said. “It’s more about experience, teamwork and respect for everyone’s contributions and perspectives.”