It’s a race for Gypsum Town Council

Five candidates file, seeking three seats

Pam Boyd
Eagle correspondent
March 27, 2008

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GYPSUM, Colorado — Five candidates have stepped up to seek one of three open seats in the April 8, Gypsum Town Council election.

Incumbents Tom Edwards and Gary Lebo will seek re-election. They are joined by newcomers Kyle Hall, Jeff Barkman and Malinda Sue Griffin. Incumbent Chris Estes will not seek another term.

The Gypsum municipal election is scheduled Tuesday, April 8.

Tom Edwards, a retired architect, has lived in Gypsum since 1995. He has served on the council for nine years, having first been appointed due to a vacancy, and then elected to two terms. He identified growth, traffic and future planning as the biggest issues ahead for Gypsum.

“I think the town has done a pretty good job of providing facilities for residents. I enjoy that, and I have the time to serve,” Edwards said.

Gary Lebo has been a member of the Gypsum Town Council for 14 years. He has lived in town since 1980. He is the owner of Alpenglow Property Management.

He cited a desire to see some pending projects come to fruition as the reason he is seeking re-election. In particular, he cited the Stratton Flats proposal to build a new employee housing development along U.S. Highway 6.

Lebo cited traffic as the largest issue facing town. “Everyone is looking for an answer, a quick fix and there is none,” he said.

Malinda Sue Griffin has lived in Gypsum for eight years. She is currently the office manager for Prudential Colorado Properties at Brightwater. Her concerns about future growth in town motivated her to run.

“My biggest concern is I am very much in favor of positive development,” she said.

Kyle Hall is a deputy with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office. He has lived in the Gypsum area for a total of 15 years. While he moved away for a short time in the 1990s, the Hall family returned to the community in 2001.

“I wanted to become more involved in the community, and some of the town’s concerns are some of my own,” said Hall. He cited traffic flow, kids’ activities and the future direction of Gypsum as his key issues.

Jeff Barkman is project manager for ASW at Sky Legend in Gypsum. He and his wife Karin are the owners of the recently opened Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli next to Costco.
Barkman said, now that he is working in Gypsum in addition to living there, he has become more interested in town issues. He said Gypsum’s need to define its character and growth are the biggest issues for the town.