Vail Daily letter: Disagree with endorsements

Avon voters,

The Vail Daily editorial team has spoken and made their recommendations for the four seats on the Avon Town Council. I disagree with three of their selections. I encourage you to do the research and make your own decisions. The candidate forum can be viewed on publicaccess5.org in the town of Avon video library.

In 2010, the Vail Daily editorial staff recommended four candidates (Carroll, Dantas, Evans and Goulding) and the Avon voters took their advice. By Nov. 1, 2012, the Vail Daily recognized that two of those councilors were bad choices for the town of Avon. “Three seats are available this fall on the Avon Town Council. That’s good. The only thing better would be if four of the seven seats were up for election, because this is a group that desperately needs new blood and fresh thinking.”

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Had Evans and Goulding resigned when they moved out of Avon, I suspect the stage debacle would have gone differently. While neither Evans nor Goulding is running for re-election, the lesson I have learned is how important it is to understand the motives of every candidate. I also learned to express my opinion before the election.

Apparently by 2012, the Avon voters had learned their lesson and bucked the Vail Daily Editorial Board’s recommendations, electing just one recommended candidate (Wolf). In 2014, I encourage you to vote for just one recommended candidate, Matt Gennett.

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Historically Avon voters have only voted on capital projects which require tax increases. Avon has funded millions of dollars of capital improvements including West Avon open space, Lake Street, Regional Transit Center and Wildridge bike paths, all without a vote or an increase in taxes. Community consensus can and should be sought through robust public input, going to the public for a vote if consensus is not achieved. I recommend candidates with this perspective.

The Vail Daily recommends voting for a council, then second guess decisions by the elected, voting on capital improvements which fit into the budget without any tax increases. They call it pragmatic; I call it inefficient.

I find it interesting that the dominantly male Vail Daily editorial staff has failed to recommend either of the women on the ballot. While they did recommend me (2004, 2008) and Tamra Nottingham Underwood (2004) they did not support Debbie Buckley (2002), Kristi Ferraro (2004) or Jennie Fancher (2012), each of whom served the citizens of Avon well. It is my experience that the Avon Town Council has functioned more efficiently and more transparently in direct proportion to the number of women on the board.

I am supporting candidates who are open minded, budget conscious and interested in making Avon the best place it can be. A diverse group of independent thinkers with varied backgrounds. The candidates that I am not supporting need more experience or a more diverse agenda.

Megan Burch, Matt Gennett, Sarah Smith Hymes and Scott Prince have my vote. I ask you to give them yours as well.

Amy Phillips

Avon