Pitkin County commissioner candidates

For this primary election, voters can only choose one candidate. The two with the most votes advance to the November election, according to the Home Rule Charter. Greg Poschman, Scott Writer and Hawk Greenway, all longtime valley residents, are vying for the seat. It is currently held by Michael Owsley, who has to step down because of term limits.A polling place will be set up at the Aspen Jewish Community Center for early voting from June 20 to June 27. Ballots returned in the mail should be sent eight days prior to the election deadline — 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28.

Short-staffed Aspen 911 call center looks to Vail

Aspen Public Radio

Published August 12, 2015 at 4:19 PM MDT

Pitkin County is looking to share 911 dispatchers with the Town of Vail to deal with a shortage of workers.

Pitkin County Undersheriff Ron Ryan told county commissioners Wednesday the dispatch center is in “crisis mode.” 911 call centers typically experience difficulty in hiring, but for Aspen it’s especially tough because of its small staff. Just eight people are fully trained. That's about half of a full staff.

"When you have thirty or forty 911 dispatchers it’s a little easier to absorb the impacts and staffing shortages than it is when you have the number that we have," says Ryan.

Under the agreement, Aspen and Vail would share dispatchers during staffing crises. The commissioners gave initial support to the idea, but had concerns about the cost of travel time for dispatchers driving to and from the two communities.