Ballots are in the mail for Carbondale’s municipal election. These are due back by April 7 and can be dropped off anytime at the ballot box outside Town Hall. Two candidates are running for the mayor’s seat and four are running for three open trustee seats.
Join The Sopris Sun and KDNK News for a candidate forum on March 25 at 6pm at Town Hall. Suggested questions can be submitted in advance at www.tinyurl.com/CarbondaleCandidates or emailed directly to Raleigh@SoprisSun.com
Until then, we present a few getting-to-know-you questions and candidate responses.
1. What inspires you to run for election/re-election?
2. What qualifies you to represent the interests of Carbondale residents?
3. What’s one thing you’d like to see completed with a four-year term?
4. Is there anything about Carbondale’s current trajectory that worries you, which you’d hope to address?
Erica Sparhawk – mayoral candidate
1. In my last nine years as a Carbondale trustee, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a lot of really challenging issues, from large planning efforts (like the new pool) to ones we didn’t anticipate (the pandemic). What inspires me is seeing creative solutions I’ve helped design come to fruition, by working with fellow trustees, town staff, and residents alike. One example is when we implemented the tobacco tax, we created a solution that both addresses usage of tobacco products while providing a revenue stream to fund mental health counselors in our local schools — highlighting what can happen when we listen to the kids, partner with community partners, and think creatively about solutions.
2. I have seen the community through several different lenses — as a kid who grew up here, a parent, soccer coach, town trustee, employee of local nonprofits, and now as CEO of a company I co-founded. I have spent my entire professional career focused on protecting the environment and sustainability. I have seen this community grow and change over the last 40-plus years and believe I’m exactly the type of person who can represent Carbondale. In addition, I’ve had the honor of serving two consecutive terms as trustee, with experience as mayor pro tem, giving me exposure to a host of issues from housing and public transportation, to budgeting constraints and our water supply and dealing with drought.
3. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last nine years as trustee, it’s that there will be issues that will arise which we cannot predict. Therefore, we need leaders who have experience and are able to ask the right questions and collaborate with all different people to tackle a range of issues. I’m confident that I can be that kind of leader for our community.
I want to make sure our entire community feels connected and safe. The greater world might feel unsafe right now, and people might feel growing divisions in an increasingly digital world. Therefore, I want to make sure our community members feel safe walking and biking in town, feel connected through arts or sports in our public parks, and feel like our local government is a resource here to help them thrive.
Additionally, in the next four years, I will commit to helping create more affordable housing options for our community, and help streamline our planning and building regulations to make it easier for businesses — like new childcare facilities and restaurants — while also maintaining our mixed and funky feel in town.
4. I am deeply concerned about housing and want to ensure that those who work in Carbondale can afford to live in Carbondale. Whether it’s our own town staff, public employees, restaurant and construction workers, or nurses and artists: it’s the people who have always made Carbondale the town we all love who deserve to be able to live here. But importantly, as mayor, I want to hear from you. I intend to engage the community, whether taking walking meetings, or morning coffee chats, because my vision for Carbondale is that everyone feels represented. Succeeding in this role is going to take partnerships and collaboration and I invite everyone’s ideas to help me shape the best-designed, most durable solutions, tailored to this one-of-a-kind town we all know and love.
Patricia Savoy – mayoral candidate
1. I’m inspired to run for mayor because I care deeply about the future of our town. Carbondale is growing rapidly, and we must ensure that growth does not outpace our infrastructure, public services, or quality of life. I believe in responsible, thoughtful planning that protects what makes our community special while preparing for the future. We need practical solutions to manage traffic, support our local economy, and invest in sustainable, clean energy. I want to help guide growth in a way that keeps Carbondale livable, balanced, and strong for current residents and future generations.
2. I’m qualified to represent the interests of Carbondale residents because I have lived in the same home here since 1997 and have been part of the local business community since 1999, running a successful upholstery business in ET Plaza. I’ve also driven a bus for RFTA for over 15 years, giving me firsthand knowledge of our region’s growth and traffic patterns. Carbondale is truly home to me. My long-term connection to this community and understanding of its challenges motivate me to protect what makes our town special and keep it the quaint, welcoming place we all love.
3. One thing I would like to see accomplished within a four-year term is stronger planning that ensures growth pays for itself. Carbondale is growing quickly, and our infrastructure must keep up. I would work to establish policies where developers contribute fairly to the roads, services, and infrastructure their projects require, so the burden doesn’t fall on Carbondale taxpayers. At the same time, I want to slow growth to a responsible pace and ensure we have the resources our community needs. My goal is to protect Carbondale’s character while making sure development is thoughtful, balanced, and financially responsible.
4. What worries me about Carbondale’s current trajectory is the pace of growth and the strain it puts on our infrastructure. We essentially have only two main routes in and out of town — Highway 133 and Main Street. If there were a major emergency, evacuation or access for first responders could become a serious concern. As Carbondale continues to grow, we must carefully consider traffic, safety, and emergency preparedness. I believe we need thoughtful planning that slows growth to a manageable pace and ensures our infrastructure and safety systems can support our community now and in the future.
Joanne Teeple – trustee candidate
1. As I have followed the Board of Trustees through the years, I am repeatedly impressed by the decisions made by this body as well as how these decisions have shaped our town. These are the results of our friends and neighbors stepping up to create our quality of life and our future. I am humbled by their well-considered actions.
I believe that I have the skills and ability to contribute to this process.
2. I am an engaged citizen of Carbondale. I use my critical thinking skills. I find collaborating to be an effective means of solving issues. I am acquainted with a wide swath of our town population. I like to entertain a variety of viewpoints in making decisions. I am willing to make the time commitment and effort to serve on this board. I have some background in accounting and budgeting. I served on several local committees through the years pertaining to our Garfield County Public Library District and the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District. I read extensively across a broad range of topics.
3. I walk/take the bus/bicycle/use the Downtowner/drive. I understand that how one navigates Carbondale influences one’s perceptions of safety and civility.
Our town is overdue for a true circulator bus route. The current CC Circulator is a shuttle between the Carbondale Park & Ride and Main and 7th streets downtown. There is no regularly scheduled transit service beyond this route.
The Downtowner is not a predictable transit service. Wait times often exceed 40 minutes for a pickup. Pickup times often shift to longer waits once service is requested. For a commuter this defeats the purpose of the system. When the bus connection is missed it results in an additional wait time of up to 30 minutes for the next departure.
There have been comments that younger people using the service create these issues. What are their alternatives, especially during inclement weather?
4. I am not a worrier.
As the past several years have shown us, we are better served by responding to issues as they present themselves. Remember the COVID conundrum? The Venezuelan humanitarian situation? Our Board of Trustees made thoughtful and sound decisions.
A robust town government serves as a foundation to negotiate various circumstances. Two examples of current challenges are fire and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). These are two issues that we know of. Every day is a different day.
Kade Gianinetti – trustee candidate
1. I was born and raised here in Carbondale, in a community where I got to experience real connection — through schools, sports, neighborhoods, the arts. What’s so clear to me now is the service and effort that individuals quietly put into the system to make that possible. The coaches, the board members, the neighbors who just showed up. That didn’t happen by accident. I feel like it’s my time to give back — to be one of those people for the next generation of Carbondale.
2. I care deeply about this place, and I’m already doing the work. I serve as treasurer of the Carbondale Historical Society and founded Western Mosaic Fund, which is bringing programs like Potato Days, The Long Conversation, and the Valley Abundance Project to life this year. Between that and my time on the Planning and Zoning Commission, I’ve built relationships across sectors — nonprofits, businesses, government, and neighbors — and I’ve learned how to listen, build consensus, and move things forward.
3. I’d love to help create an environment where adaptive reuse can thrive in Carbondale — starting with a project like the old City Market building. At the same time, I want us to recognize the urgent need for missing middle housing. We’re losing young families who are being priced out, and that hollows out what makes Carbondale special. A four-year term is enough time to move policy, build partnerships, and demonstrate that we can grow thoughtfully without losing what brought people here in the first place.
4. What worries me most is the pull toward scarcity thinking — the idea that our best days are behind us or that every change is a threat. I want to bring an energy of abundance and possibility to how we talk about Carbondale’s future. Now more than ever, we need to focus on the small, steady work that builds momentum — showing up, solving problems, and letting the wins compound.
Colin Laird – trustee candidate
1. I am running for re-election because I find the democratic process of working with other trustees and staff to provide necessary services and make Carbondale the best it can be both meaningful and inspiring. I have enjoyed my four years serving as a trustee. I believe my efforts on the board have helped us make important progress on affordable housing (Good Deeds, resident ownership of mobile home parks), livability (community safety, WE-cycle, Downtowner) and infrastructure improvements. I want to build on these efforts.
2. I’ve lived in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1990 and in Carbondale for more than 25 years, where my wife and I raised our family. Over that time, I’ve been involved in many local and regional initiatives and have experienced firsthand the challenges our community faces around affordability, mobility, and livability. Professionally, my career has focused on developing practical solutions where market forces and public policy alone haven’t delivered the outcomes communities need. That experience has helped me understand how partnerships, smart policy, and community collaboration can address complex challenges and move projects forward.
3. Town Center. This project can add needed affordable housing and additional vitality to our downtown.
4. I’m concerned that the economic and climate headwinds affecting communities like Carbondale are becoming harder to address due to uncoordinated — and sometimes counterproductive — state and federal policies. While we are working hard to make Carbondale more affordable, livable, and resilient, I’ve represented Carbondale within the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) and Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA) to advocate for more effective state policies. Our local efforts will be far more successful with stronger coordination, smarter policies, and support from state and federal elected leaders.
Chris Hassig – trustee candidate
1. I care deeply about my hometown and believe I can continue to be a valuable contributor to the work of its governance. I am proud of the mutually respectful and collaborative culture we have sustained and of the work we have accomplished since I joined the council in 2022. I bring preparation, ideas, an open mind, and a good strategic sense to discussions, an appropriate willingness to dig into the details when they serve that larger strategy, and a commitment to fiscal restraint in pursuing our goals. I would like to build upon my experience to continue serving you.
2. I think the work I have accomplished with this council speaks for itself. That includes an iterative process to determine mitigation and fair taxation of short-term rentals, 133 and streets biking/walking safety work, a framework housing plan and involvement with the new West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition, increase to 25% affordable requirement for free market projects, launching WE-cycle and Downtowner car–free options, responding fairly to the newcomer situation in 2023, managing cost overruns on the pool while sticking to our environmental goals, hiring a new town manager, assisting resident buyout of local trailer parks, and long-term capital, revenue, and strategic planning in anticipation of Town Center/Bonanza and other future projects.
3. The 6% short-term rental tax voters passed at our request is Carbondale’s only current revenue for affordable housing. With many other options now off the table, I want to explore a voter question for excise taxes on mini-storage units. This will improve our capacity to act more flexibly, bond, or form partnerships from a place of strength, most specifically at the Town Center/Bonanza site.
There are other issues I hate to overlook, such as protecting dark skies and pollinators, fire planning, aiding the creative district, supporting the area food and ranching economy, and continuing work in land protection, climate adaptation and local resourcefulness.
4. Maintaining an affordable, authentic, and humble town character remains our thorniest issue. It is not easy for the town government to mitigate larger macroeconomic or political changes but we can do better. I always keep preserving community cohesion and balance top of mind and consider that in all projects and decisions. A Carbondale motto used to be “Don’t Change Carbondale, Let Carbondale Change You.” That may sound a bit strident to newcomers, but Carbondale does still have a unique, inclusive spirit with the power to positively change people. I think that’s worth working to keep.