Ray Schmahl has lived in Glenwood Springs for nearly four decades and has been actively involved in the community through coaching youth sports, serving as a planning and zoning commissioner, and working as an election judge. With experience in public service and a deep connection to Glenwood, Schmahl is running unopposed for the Ward 2 seat, aiming to bring a transparent and resident-focused approach to City Council.

Tell the community about yourself. How long have you lived in Glenwood Springs? Have you been a part of any councils or commissions in the past?

I moved to Glenwood Springs in 1984 to help build the highway in Glenwood Canyon. I served on and was president of the Glenwood Springs High School Booster Club and also served Garfield County as an election judge, a state convention delegate, and a planning and zoning commissioner. I coached Little League baseball and reffed Little League soccer.

Why are you running for Glenwood Springs City Council?

I’m running to represent the citizens of Ward 2, mainly because I couldn’t convince Ingrid to serve a second term and couldn’t find anyone else to run.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Glenwood Springs, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

I see one of Glenwood’s biggest challenges as improving the mutual trust, respect, and transparency between local government and the citizens that elected officials and government employees represent and serve.

Housing affordability remains a major concern for residents. How do you think Glenwood Springs can best address the high cost of housing so that people who work in Glenwood Springs can also live in Glenwood Springs?

Housing affordability is a complex issue with multiple factors on both sides of the equation—cost of housing and income required to afford the cost. The most fundamental factor influencing the cost of housing is supply versus demand. It seems self-evident that demand will always exceed supply in this beautiful place. There are plenty of existing examples to prove that point if the self-evident assertion doesn’t suffice.

The most fundamental factor influencing a person’s ability to afford housing is their earning capacity and their willingness to achieve or otherwise increase that capacity. Both sides of that equation deserve considerations for improvement. We might be wise to see how the efforts made to date play out before going a lot further.

How would you balance economic development with preserving the character and livability of Glenwood Springs?

Balancing economic growth with quality of life sounds like an easy equation. Economic growth, on one side of the scale, can be defined and measured numerous ways, and none of them are particularly difficult. Quality of life, on the other side of the scale, is much more variable, individually defined, and mostly relative to some individual personal experience.

Many longtime Glenwood residents, including former council representatives and mayors, have already decided that the quality of life has declined to the point that they have moved away. Regardless of whose individual definition of quality of life we measure by, it is too late to change once it’s gone.

Tourism is a key part of Glenwood Springs’ economy. What steps should the city take to balance tourism growth with the needs of local residents?

How about a tourism tax dedicated to reducing property taxes?

What do you think Glenwood Springs can do to best prepare for wildfire danger?

We could start with enforcing existing code requirements. Then, we could expand education efforts by relaying the experience from other recent wildfires.