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Letter: Byars for mayor

I am voting for Katrina Byars for mayor of Carbondale.

Katrina and Dan Richardson both bring very different views of our community and would have very different styles. Both are capable.

In terms of who represents Carbondale best, Katrina is definitely the one. She has spent her entire adult life here, raised two kids and put them through the public schools. She has been involved with many of the community’s efforts and organizations in a way that neither opponent has.



Katrina has been a leader on Thompson Divide protection since the movement started (working with a broad swath of the community), involved with organizing Mountain Fair for at least a decade (arts and alternative viewpoints) and was an early employee and supporter of the Dandelion Market/Carbondale Food Co-op, which she now manages (foodies and farmers). The newfound energy and new customers at the Food Co-op is reflective of her standing in the community.

Katrina has served two years on the Board of Trustees, and has a more complete understanding of what is possible with Carbondale’s budget and staff. She has been very cautious about tax increases and spending overall. She was the lone vote on the Board of Trustees against the carbon tax, for instance.



Katrina represents women much better than Dan, who has stumbled over the question of safety by not acknowledging the urgency of the situation when it was brought to the board by a dozen or more women.

Under Katrina’s leadership, there is a chance the trustees will return to the practices under Stacey Bernot where it was quite easy for a citizen to get a matter discussed. Under Stacey’s leadership, it took two trustees to put a matter on the agenda. That made it easy for a citizen to raise and have it discussed. Under Dan, at the prompting of Trustee Frosty Merriot, the threshold has been upped to three trustees, which is much harder.

Also, the current leadership seems more concerned about finishing on time than fully fleshing out the issues. Katrina understands the need to let citizens talk through the issues the same way trustees need to.

Finally, Dan is an employee at SGM, the engineering firm that is under contract with the town of Carbondale. I am not at all comfortable with this situation.

We need a mayor who represents all of Carbondale, and Katrina is the best fit for the job.

Allyn Harvey

Carbondale


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