Two incumbents and two newcomers to the Aspen City Council race will face off in a runoff election on April 1.
None of the six candidates for two open council seats reached the 45%-plus-one-vote threshold to secure a seat — 1,123 votes for this election out of the 2,718 ballots cast.
Voter turnout was slightly less than the most recent city election in 2023, which saw 2,810 ballots cast.
Incumbent John Doyle captured the most votes with 1,091. Emily Kolbe came in second with 1,067 votes. Christine Benedetti garnered 1,018 votes. Incumbent Torre earned 825 votes.
Scot Woolley got 630 votes and Tyler Wilkinson-Ray received 307 votes and will not be candidates for the runoff. Maryann Pitt dropped out of the race but missed the deadline to remove her name from the ballot. She got 47 votes.
Results were complete but unofficial.
Doyle, first elected in 2021, said he will focus on housing, the environment and improving public transit in the campaign period leading up to the runoff.
“It feels great to be the top vote-getter, but I didn't clear the hurdle that I really wanted to,” Doyle said. “I put in a pretty big effort to get as many votes as I could. Torre, for whatever reasons, didn't seem to put in a whole lot of effort into his campaign.”
Kolbe said she was really pleased with the support and she’ll be focusing on the people leading up to the runoff. She was the sole candidate to endorse Referendum 1, but said on election night she was glad to have that behind her in the campaign.
“It’s nice to have those off the plate,” Kolbe said.
Torre decided to run for council because he is term-limited in his mayoral seat, first elected in 2019. He served two councilmember terms which started in 2003 and 2009.
He said he will continue on his same path ahead of the runoff.
“My experience and my knowledge give me a great asset to understand the issues,” Torre said. “I’m extremely proud of my service and I look to give the voters a choice for somebody who fights for their community.”
Torre said election reform is a priority for him. The city is considering moving their election to a November ballot.
Christine Benedetti thanked the voters and encouraged them to stay engaged through the runoff.
“I think my campaign resonated with voters because I offer a balanced approach that’s firmly rooted in the reality of our community,” she said in a text message to the Aspen Daily News.
The biggest issues immediately facing the council are the possible reopening of the 1998 Record of Decision for the entrance to Aspen and the hiring of a new city manager. Other issues that surfaced in the campaign include affordable housing, the transformation of Armory Hall and community development.
Regarding the entrance, the city plans to resume its compilation of materials to support a new Environmental Impact Statement process with consultant Jacobs Engineering after the election, but the council will need to approve a letter of intent to formally request reopening the ROD.
If the new council decides not to pursue that, and in the absence of another plan, then the “preferred alternative” would stand — meaning the eventual replacement of the aging Castle Creek Bridge would prompt a realignment of the Highway 82 corridor over part of the Marolt-Thomas Open Space.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has previously told council that it will implement the preferred alternative if the aging Castle Creek Bridge fails.
As for Armory Hall, Aspen’s former city hall, the current council approved an expedited land-use review for its redevelopment, but the next council likely will dictate some of the upcoming programming for the building.
Sara Ott resigned from her position as city manager recently; her last day was Feb. 28. Acting City Manager Diane Foster will remain in the position while the city makes plans for a replacement. The city council will have final approval over Ott’s successor.
The council member-elects will be sworn in on April 8 for their four-year terms. Council members can serve up to three consecutive terms.
