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Langmaid, Mason top Vail council ballot

Vail Town Council candidates campaign outside of the polls at the Municipal Building in Vail on Tuesday. Four council seats were up for grabs in this year's election.
Townsend Bessent | Townsend@vaildaily.com |

How they voted

Vail Town Council preliminary election results.

Kim Langmaid: 623

Jen Mason: 460

Kevin Foley: 437

Dick Cleveland: 406

Ludwig Kurz: 406

Doe Browning: 287

Mark Christie: 258

Final results will be certified Nov. 13

VAIL — As a girl, Kim Langmaid used to steer her bicycle between Vail Village and Lionshead. As an adult, she’ll help steer the town’s government for the next four years.

Langmaid earned the most votes Tuesday in Vail’s Town Council election — 623. She and Jen Mason, both newcomers to the council, earned the top two spots in Tuesday’s balloting.

Council veteran Kevin Foley, who has only been off the council for the past two years, earned the third four-year term. Incumbent Ludwig Kurz and former council member Dick Cleveland ended the evening tied for the fourth seat, with 406 votes each.



That tie will likely be resolved as ballots from voters who are overseas and in the military arrive until Nov. 11. Voting results will be finalized Nov. 13.

“I’ve had so many amazing mentors — people who have inspired me in my life. I’m honored to be part of that tradition.”Kim Langmaid

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“It is what it is,” Cleveland said. “We just have to wait.”



That fourth spot is for a two-year term. The remaining three positions are four-year terms.

The new council members will replace former Mayor Andy Daly and council member Margaret Rogers, who had both served two consecutive four-year terms and were ineligible to run again. Former council member Dale Bugby, who was elected to a two-year term in 2013, declined to run for re-election. The new members will join Jenn Bruno, Greg Moffet and Dave Chapin, whose terms run until 2019.

While it could take some time to determine who will serve the next two-year term on the council, there were no questions about Langmaid’s election, although she said she was surprised by the results.

“It was an amazing field of candidates,” Langmaid said, adding that she’s ready for the challenge of town government. During a chat about the electronic load of information that lands in council members’ emails every two weeks, Langmaid, who founded what became the Walking Mountains Science Center, said she’s confident she’ll be able to take it all in.

“If I can read a water board packet, I can read a Town Council packet,” she said.

As someone who grew up in town working at her dad’s ski shop in Lionshead, Langmaid said she’s indebted to the many people who helped her grow into adulthood.

“I’ve had so many amazing mentors — people who have inspired me in my life,” she said. “I’m honored to be part of that tradition.”

Mason was also surprised by her election.

“It’s a little surreal right now, but I’m very excited,” Mason said.

With a tie vote between Kurz and Cleveland, Mason said she was happy to have voted for Kurz, a longtime friend. Reached by phone, Foley said he’s eager to start another term on the council.

“I’m just thrilled that all my friends and neighbors supported me,” Foley said.

David Hobbs voted Tuesday afternoon and said he came to Vail Town Hall to vote for Foley.

“He’s a very good friend,” Hobbs said.

While Vail’s doing well economically, all the candidates talked this fall about future issues. Housing is a big one, of course, as the valley is again at the point of having many more jobs available than places to house employees. Besides housing, candidates talked about the need to keep families in town, and retaining Vail’s community, from parent groups to planning commissions.

As resident Drew Damici left Town Hall Tuesday, he echoed all those concerns.

Voters apparently agreed with longtime resident Lew MesKimen about the need for fresh faces on the council. After he voted, MesKimen talked about what he’d like to see from the next edition of the council.

“I’d like to see the newer members be more responsive to the community,” MesKimen said. “I’d like to see them come around to the businesses. … And they need to start remembering we’re a resort town and not a high property-tax retirement community.”

No matter the result of the tight race between Cleveland and Kurz, Vail’s council got quite a lot younger with Tuesday’s election. Langmaid and Mason, along with council member Jenn Bruno, are all in their 40s.

What that means for the town’s future will play out over the next four years.

Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930, smiller@vaildaily.com and @scottnmiller.


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