Thank you, Jackson Hole
Words can’t adequately express my gratitude to everyone who supported this campaign to Sustain What Matters.
An October surprise
A quick newsletter about a sad turn of events – an October surprise if you will. It's loathsome, but I wanted you to hear about it from me before you were surprised by something in the paper. Why I’m writing Last Wednesday, my town council colleague Jessica Chambers...
I’m Running for Re-election
I’ve spent the last several months asking myself a simple question: How can I best give back to this place that you and I and so many others love so deeply and care so much about?
After much deliberation, I’ve determined that, if Jackson’s voters see fit, the answer is to serve another term in office.
On ecosystem stewardship, tourism and fireworks
Hello! This newsletter has three foci: Ecosystem StewardshipTourismFireworks-cum-Government Funding Ecosystem Stewardship The vision of the Town of Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan is “Preserve and protect the area’s ecosystem in order to ensure a healthy...
Jackson Hole’s COVID-19 Spike
Jackson Hole is in the middle of a huge COVID-19 spike, and I’m receiving a lot of calls and notes about it. The good news is that Jackson Hole’s COVID-19 spike is declining some: on January 18, we had 313 active cases; ten days later the number had fallen to 232, a drop of 26 percent.
Reflections and Looking Forward
As I view the job, we on the Jackson Town Council are ultimately responsible for the well-being of all things Jackson – not just town’s residents and infrastructure and laws and the like, but also the town’s employees. From this perspective, over the past year it’s struck me that Jackson’s residents and businesses and employees and even our tourists were all becoming increasingly stressed, in some cases to worrisome levels.
Community Funding: Rethinking Local Government Finances in Jackson Hole
Foreword I have served as a Jackson Town Councilor for two years. During that time, the town council has dealt with an array of issues falling into three general categories: The basic functions of local governmentFor example, water and sewer, streets, utilities, and...
Election Season: I’m Not Running, But It Sure Feels Like It
Two years ago, I found running for office to be an extraordinary experience, one of great extremes. On any given day – heck, in any given hour – my emotions went from exhilarated to exhausted, soaring to stressed, manic to morose, giddy to ground-down.
Community Character: Much-Needed Revenue and a Much-Beloved Mountain
If you are a Teton County voter, my fervent plea is that you PLEASE VOTE YES for the ballot measure authorizing raising our sales tax from 6 cent to 7 cents. To make my case, I’ve put together a short presentation.
August Newsletter: Timeline
During the second half of August, two major events occurred regarding the Jackson Police Department (JPD). The first was a false rumor that the Town Council was going to discuss defunding the department at our August 17 meeting. The second was the absolutely tone deaf JPD Facebook posting regarding a call for service about an underage woman having sex with an adult man.
Trying to Make Sense of Our Through-The-Looking-Glass World
Locally, regionally, nationally, and globally, 2020’s manifold uncertainties and pressures are producing ever-increasing amounts of tension, vitriol, and anger. This rich and too frequently toxic blend is manifesting itself in a variety of ways, few pleasant. In coming newsletters, I’ll explore these stresses and their consequences for the community I serve.
Today! Lighting a single candle …
Like every sentient being on the planet, I was and remain appalled by last week’s killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. During a conversation with Jackson Hole police Chief Todd Smith, he shared his horror at not just the killing, but the stain it has left on his profession and our nation. It also turned out that he, too, was struggling to figure out next steps.