With a new City Council elected, and a new city manager to be hired, Ann Mullins’ intelligent, balanced and strong leadership is critical at this time. Her professional background as a founding partner of Civitas, one of Colorado’s most respected landscape architecture and planning firms since 1984, speaks to her ability to hire, manage and run a successful business. The role of mayor is similar in many respects to the acting chair of the Board of County Commissioners. This includes setting council’s agenda, running meetings and putting forth initiatives. In addition, and perhaps more important, the mayor is the point person for the press (local and national) and acts as Aspen’s ambassador “outside the roundabout.”
Ann currently fills this important role in her position as mayor pro-tem and her involvement representing Aspen on multiple fronts, an impressive list that includes: Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee, RFTA, Pitkin County Board of Health, and Ruedi Water and Power Authority. She also knows her way around the State House where she has testified on pending air-quality legislation. Her involvement as mayor on these local and regional boards also continues to strengthen the City Council’s relationship with the BOCC as we work collaboratively on the community’s major issues. Ann’s leadership style enhances relationship building.
Ann’s emphasis on consensus-based decision-making is recognized as a key attribute in effective governance. It promotes a synthesis of ideas and elicits more commitment on the outcome. Although votes need to be taken in the end, striving for consensus through discussion and compromise promotes less of a win-lose scenario and more of a win-win solution. This is exactly what Ann brings to the table that no other candidate has.
Aspen needs strong and consistent leadership, now more than ever. I am confident that as mayor Ann will make decisions that are best for Aspen — now and into the future.
George Newman
Pitkin County Commissioner