On March 6 in Breckenridge candidates vied for three soon-to-be open spots on Town Council and for the position of mayor ahead of the April 2 municipal election. 

Terms for council members Jeffrey Bergeron, Dick Carleton and mayor pro tem Kelly Owens are slated to end in 2024, leaving three open spots on council. Former mayor Eric Mamula, who exited the position to become a Summit County Commissioner, also would have had his term end in 2024,

Incumbent Dick Carleton, Planning Commissioner Steve Gerard, career social worker Marika Page and owner of Peak Property Management Michael Hessel are running for council seats. Mayor pro tem Kelly Owens, paralegal James Manella and realtor Tom Day are running for mayor. 

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Krystal 93’s Phil Lindeman moderated the forum, which took place at Breckenridge Town Hall from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Lindeman asked a handful of general questions, giving each candidate around three minutes to respond, before moving on to the lightning round where each candidate had to limit their answer to one word or one sentence.

Lindeman led off by asking candidates about their top priorities for Breckenridge. 

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Tom Day was first up, and he said his top priority is to end short-term rental restrictions. He told a personal anecdote about the impacts of these restriction, detailing a situation he recently encountered while selling a house that was on the market for a couple years. According to Day, he ended up selling the house for millions less and potential buyers told him they would have bought the house years prior and for the original listed price if they could have short-term rented it. Day also said he would prioritize long-term rental housing for the workforce. 

Kelly Owens took on the question next and said her priorities are based off of the Destination Management Plan created by the Breckenridge Tourism Office in which the organization gathered sentiments from the community on their priorities. 

“We’re very fortunate in this community that we have the Breck Tourism Office that has been instrumental in pulling together the public to give feedback on what the priorities for this group is. … It’s very clear from the community what we’re meant to be doing up here,” Owens said. 

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Based on the destination management plans, Owens said that having a healthy year-round economy, protecting the authentic character of Breckenridge, sustainability and congestion were her priorities. 

She outlined goals to encourage more people to walk places instead of driving in order to help ease congestion, and she said she would continue working with Breckenridge town staff on sustainability initiatives. 

James Manella said he would take a resident-first approach if elected and stated that his biggest priority would be to support residents. Manella said that he feels the Breckenridge government has put a lot of resources into its business community and they are doing well, so now it’s time to focus on the residents.

He said he wants to take Breckenridge in a different direction toward a healthier lifestyle where residents are more active and there’s less alcohol and drug usage. 

He said the town needs to get “away from marijuana, away from alcohol, away from drugs, and away from the reputation that this community has gotten.” 

Manella said he would like the town to move away from events that involve alcohol and more toward events that promote physical fitness, such as marathons. 

Similar to Owens, candidate Marika Page said she also would use the community’s priorities as a lens for her own goals and would use the Destination Management Plan as a road map. She also mentioned some priorities she has taken from the community through conversations, which include addressing traffic issues, livability and supporting the arts district. 

Ultimately Page said her top priorities were accountability, community and collaboration.

Harking on the importance of communication, Page said she will make an active effort to ensure the community understands the work the council is doing.

“Are we able to explain the choices we made and how they relate to those plans?,” Marika said. “Are we actively courting newer and more established voices when we look at a particular issue?”

Michael Hessel said what drove him to run was his expertise on short-term rentals, given his profession, and that is one of his top priorities. He said he isn’t looking to necessarily repeal anything, but he feels that there is a balanced solution that considers the various impacts of short-term rentals.

“I just think it’s going to be more efficient and important to the short-term rental community to have someone on the council,” Hessel said, noting he can bring more precise data regarding short-term rentals to the table through his work connections.

He also said he plans to prioritize ensuring the developments north of town, the Block 11 development and the Alta Verde developments, continue to head in a “thoughtful direction.” He said with Breckenridge’s inability to develop south of town, development north of town will provide solutions that improve quality of life. 

He agreed with Owens and highlighted sustainability as an important effort as well. 

Dick Carleton’s response mimicked Owen’s and Page’s, and he also stated he would use the Destination Management Plan as a guiding document for him. 

He said the document provides a “critical tool” that demonstrates what the community wants to see from their government, and he added that it’s paramount that the council finds strategic ways to address their properties. 

“I think one of our greatest challenges right now is our workforce. They’re the lifeblood of this community,” Carleton said, laying out the actions the council has made for workforce housing during his term.

He also highlighted the importance of maintaining the presence of the arts in the community as well as continuing to expand and support open space and trails. 

Steve Gerard also hopped on the bandwagon of letting the Designation Management Plan guide how he prioritizes things. 

He additionally brought up a priority he said he had discussed before many times in Planning Commission meetings. 

“I am passionate about the dark sky certification,” Gerard said. “It fits into our town in a lot of great ways: No. 1, it’s environmentally necessary; No. 2 it is energy conservation oriented; and No. 3, it creates a tourism industry.”

He said he is keen on promoting year-round tourism and passionate about affordable workforce housing. 

Gerard said due to his position on the planning commission, he has been a part of the planning process for the Breckenridge Grand Vacations Peak 8/Gold Rush Lot development, and he wants to be on the Town Council to ensure that the building out of that development goes smoothly. 

The entire forum can be viewed Youtu.be/c4q7Mt67DPw