Schenk and Madsen compete in Snowmass mayoral election | News

Two Snowmass City Council veterans will compete for a two-year seat as city mayor on Election Day. Incumbent Mayor Bill Madsen is seeking re-election to a third and final term against term-limited Councilwoman Alyssa Schenk.

Madsen and Schenk joined the board in 2014 and have worked side by side ever since. The two often saw eye to eye on issues facing the council. Now, less than two weeks before the Nov. 5 election, Madsen and Schenk are asking residents to vote on who will lead the village for the next two years.

Bill Madsen

Madsen was born and raised in Aspen and later moved to the village of Snowmass. He was first elected to the City Council in 2014 and elected to his first term as mayor in 2020.

He often told people he loved Snowmass because it reminded him of the Aspen he knew as a child.

“It’s a much smaller community, and I really like that we are interconnected and look out for each other,” Madsen said.

In 2020, Madsen launched an initiative to increase the city’s workforce housing stock, create a thorough transportation plan for the city, maintain and expand the trail system, and improve the city park.

Those are still important projects for him, but this time, with spending on a new affordable housing project at the top of Snowmass’ ballot, he’s putting a big focus on housing.

“I just really want people to get the same opportunities that I did. You know, living in employee housing is amazing, and I think the Draw site will provide the opportunity for potentially 79 families to live in the village,” he said. “I talk to people who drive up and down the highway every day, and I really care about these people, and I want them to live in our community, live in the community where they work, get them out of their cars and let them be here.”

The Draw site is a proposed affordable housing development of 79 one, two and three bedroom apartments. Madsen and the rest of the City Council last year reviewed a planned bid to build space for the $86 million project.

Madsen is a strong supporter of the Draw site. He has pushed back against some council members and community members who believe the project is too costly or too large for the proposed site and argues it is one of the best options the city has to expand its workforce housing portfolio.

“We have to solve the housing crisis,” he said. “We are not unique; it’s happening everywhere, not just in resort communities, and I think it’s really important to create a lifestyle where people can immerse themselves in a community rather than being stuck in a car all the time.”

In addition to housing, Madsen has worked on expanding bike lanes in the city and on the Little Red Schoolhouse renovation project, which is currently underway.

“Housing, early childhood education … those are the fundamental things that drive this community,” he said.

Madsen has often expressed disappointment with Schenck’s decision to run for mayor in this election. He said he would support her for two years if she decided to run in 2026 (if he wins this year, it will be his last term as mayor).

He feels he is more decisive as mayor, citing the Draw site as an issue he has staunchly supported since its first iterations, while some council members have wavered on some development decisions.

Alyssa Schenk

Although Schenk and Madsen have voted similarly for years, Schenk said what makes them different is how they approach the process. Where Madsen sees indecision, she sees it as a longer process of listening and getting input from multiple parties before making a final decision.

Schenk, who served on the board of several major projects in the city with Madsen, including the promotion of Base Village and the construction of the Snowmass Mall transit center that was ultimately banned by the planning commission, did not want to wait two years to run because she wants to preserve gained tempo

The city is in the process of pursuing several projects that Schenk has had a hand in, including the Drow site, the Little Red Schoolhouse redevelopment, a major land acquisition in downtown Snowmass and the potential revitalization of the mall transit center project.

“Bill and I have had a really good working relationship over the last 10 years; We voted the same on some things, but we definitely have differences even when we vote together,” she said. “But that’s when I felt I still had momentum. I’m still in the thick of all the big things we have going on.”

Shenk was first appointed to the City Council in 2014 to fill the seat Markie Butler vacated to run for mayor. Schenck was elected to a full four-year term in 2016 and re-elected to the council in 2020.

She also sees housing as a priority, but wants to be mindful of development projects in town as Snowmass moves closer to completion and as more community members come to council with concerns about construction fatigue.

“In the 10 years I’ve served on the council, there hasn’t been a single housing project before us that I haven’t supported,” she said. “I agree we need housing… that’s not going to change any time soon, but we don’t have a lot of land and I think we really need to think about how we’re going to develop it, even if it means taking a step back and hear the community.”

Schenk joined Madsen and Councilwoman Susan Marolt in approving a resolution supporting Ballot Question 2D, the spending question on the ballot.

As mayor, she said she will spend more time communicating with community members and other council members to make smarter decisions on projects facing the city.

“I think we as a community are really going to have to figure out what’s best for the community,” Schenk said. “We have to do a better job of getting information and figuring out where we need to put resources right now and what that looks like because growth is scary for a lot of people and the only way to really understand it is through these communications capabilities.”

Ballots sent to voters

Schenk and Madsen represent Snowmass on boards and commissions throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. Schenk is an ambassador for Snowmass Mountain, a board member of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and chairman of the Northwest Council of Governments. Madsen serves on the board of directors of the Rudy Water and Power Authority and the North Aspen/Snowmass Council and is Snowmass’ alternate representative on the RFTA board.

Ballots were mailed Oct. 15 to registered voters. Ballots can be returned by mail or dropped off at the ballot box located in front of Town Hall until 7:00 pm on Election Day, November 5th. Early in-person voting is available at the Pitkin County Administration Building in Aspen. Visit pitkinvotes.com/2024-general-info information about hours and days of work.