Candidates for Carbondale’s Board of Trustees agree: it’s a funky town and should stay that way, even as it grows and faces climate challenges.
The six candidates — four for the Board of Trustees, and two for mayor — answered questions from the community and Sopris Sun journalists about their vision for Carbondale Wednesday evening.
There are four candidates running for three seats on Carbondale’s Board of Trustees, including incumbents Colin Laird and Chris Hassig, and newcomers Kade Gianetti and Joanne Teeple.
Two women are also running for Carbondale’s mayoral seat: Erica Sparhawk, who has served on the board for eight years, and Patricia Savoy, a local business owner and RFTA bus driver.
All of the open seats are for four-year terms.
Affordable Housing
Affordability was a consistent theme at the forum.
Colin Laird is an incumbent running for reelection. He praised the Board of Trustees for deed-restricting 500 housing units in the area in the past few years and said it’s important for the community to continue to prioritize affordable housing.
“Our costs are exorbitant, but it's crucial to keeping our community as a vibrant place to live and work,” Laird said. “It's crucial for our businesses to be able to have local workforce. It's crucial for the town to have staff that can live here.”
Laird also said the housing problem extends beyond Carbondale. “We need much more of a regional approach to our affordable housing efforts,” he said, pointing to initiatives like the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition.
Board of Trustees candidate Joanne Teeple said affordable housing is a piece of the puzzle in building a community.
“I would still like to understand how we define affordable in what context,” she said. “I know we have some different tiers for median income, et cetera, et cetera. And in the affordability context, we need to look at it versus parking so we can still have a walkable neighborhood.”
Several candidates also mentioned the Board of Trustees’ recent efforts to update its Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations to streamline the process of building housing on existing property.
Development
Candidates for the Board of Trustees discussed commercial development along Highway 133, and how to balance growth with preserving the character of Carbondale’s entrance area.
Trustee candidate Kade Gianetti said he’d love to see future projects with storefronts in the front and parking in the back to create a space that feels tighter and more community-oriented.
He also mentioned the importance of mobility across the community.
“It is a highway,” Gianetti said. “This is a gateway to the North Fork, and I think that's important to remember, and access across that is going to become more important as more development comes.”
Mayoral candidate Patricia Savoy mentioned traffic as a concern that goes hand in hand with development.
“We only have two main roads in this town to get in and out: Main Street and Highway 133,” she said. “And with that roundabout, all the traffic coming in is pushed to that roundabout, which has really made a congestive situation there.
Incumbent Trustee Chris Hassig pointed to an ANB Bank building under construction on Highway 133. He said it’s a good example of how to balance development with housing needs, and zoning restrictions — by building up.
“Yes, that building is taller, but I would argue that is the place where we want to [go], if we're going to, now that we've set this course,” he said. “And so I think getting that to actually have affordable housing associated with it was actually a win.”
Water
As the valley breaks early-spring heat records, water use and restriction are top of mind.
Mayoral candidate Erica Sparhawk recalled the town’s voluntary water restrictions in 2018.
“Our community responded,” she said. “It was significant [enough] that we didn't have to go into mandatory restrictions, because everybody cut their water usage by so much.”
As the community likely faces a hot, dry summer, Sparhawk said she hopes the town will come together again as departments have to prioritize where water is most needed, and residents will likely be asked to cut back.
Savoy, the other mayoral candidate, agreed. She said she’s concerned about continued development in the face of dwindling water supplies.
“I really believe that we should have a beginning of spring … ration on our water usage. I think that's important,” Savoy said. “I'd rather have water to drink than green grass to put between my toes.”
Election Day is April 7. A ballot drop box is available outside Carbondale Town Hall 24 hours a day until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The full 2026 Carbondale Candidates Forum is available here.
