What are your top 3 priorities from the 2022 Sustainable Breck Plan? Water conservation, material management and climate action. How will you work to advance these priorities?

Water Conservation: expand policies and strategies I’ve already been implementing on smaller scales. Reducing water usage requires both smarter technology and better long-term landscaping choices. In my own work managing multiple complexes and neighborhoods around Breckenridge, I’ve already taken steps to reduce irrigation by reducing watering times, upgrading systems and implementing smart watering controls where they are effective. These systems help ensure landscapes are only watered when necessary and can significantly cut down on unnecessary water use.

I also strongly support transitioning toward landscaping and grasses that require far less irrigation. In many cases, drought-tolerant landscaping is one of the most effective long-term solutions for reducing water demand, although those decisions are not always fully within my control when working with different property owners.  For the Town, we would need to adjust codes and regulations that require the landscaped grass, and start working with property managers to adjust their requirements for grasses and plants needing the additional irrigation.

Another approach I’ve been encouraging homeowners to adopt for years is installing water sensors and leak detection systems. These technologies can quickly identify issues such as running toilets, plumbing leaks, or irrigation problems before they waste large amounts of water. The Town’s new smart meter systems are a great start, but a lot of places have one meter for multiple units so those sensor systems need to placed by owners within the homes.  This would require education, options and easy to find systems to provide to homeowners to install.  Beyond conserving water, they also help prevent property damage and reduce maintenance costs. Small preventative technologies like these, combined with smarter landscaping choices, can make a meaningful difference in reducing overall water use in our community.

Material management: Materials management is one of the most practical ways a community like Breckenridge can reduce its environmental impact, and it’s also one of the easiest areas to get residents and businesses involved. Recycling has become much more common over the years, although it can still be challenging in a resort community with a high number of visitors and second homeowners who may not always be familiar with local systems.

I’ve been involved with the Breckenridge Zero Waste Task Force since 2014, working on efforts to expand and improve our materials management programs. That work has included improving recycling facilities and expanding programs for items such as household hazardous waste, electronics, mattresses, and other materials that are often difficult to dispose of responsibly.

Looking ahead, one of the most important next steps is expanding composting opportunities for both restaurants and households. Organic waste makes up a significant portion of what still goes to landfills, so increasing compost participation could make a meaningful difference. I’m also a strong supporter of the Pay-As-You-Throw program, which helps encourage people to recycle more by tying waste costs more closely to how much trash is actually produced. Programs like these make it easier for residents, businesses, and visitors alike to participate in reducing waste and protecting the environment.

Climate Change: Enacting meaningful climate change policies in Breckenridge should start with the areas where the town itself has the most control and can make the biggest impact. That means prioritizing sustainability improvements in town-owned infrastructure and operations. Investments in renewable energy such as solar, wind or geothermal systems for municipal buildings, along with continued improvements to energy efficiency, can significantly reduce the town’s overall carbon footprint.

Transportation is another key area. Continuing to improve public transit and transitioning municipal buses and fleet vehicles toward cleaner or electric options can reduce emissions while also improving local air quality. These types of investments also support the town’s broader goal of reducing traffic and encouraging more sustainable transportation options.  I’m waiting for the day when larger equipment like snow plows become readily available to upgrade my own fleet.

Just as importantly, the town should lead by example. When local government demonstrates practical, effective climate solutions in its own facilities and operations, it helps show residents and businesses that these approaches are achievable. Setting that example can encourage broader adoption throughout the community and across Summit County.

For our local homeowners, we can add to the tax relief and refunds should we install solar panels on our homes.  For workforce housing, adding those energy improvements to our home value without being included in the overall equity gain cap allotted in deed restricted neighborhoods built without those systems.

With snowpack levels far below average, the entire county is in a state of “extreme drought”, and record-breaking warm temps, this winter is showing us the impacts of a changing climate. But these impacts aren’t just environmental, the lack of snow has caused a drop in tourism, which in turn has caused economic hardship for many community members.  And the ongoing drought has local fire officials worried about increased wildfire risk this summer.  While an individual community can’t single handedly solve the climate crisis, if elected, how will you help your community build resilience against these impacts?

Building resilience to climate impacts in Breckenridge requires focusing on both environmental protection and economic stability. One of my biggest concerns in the near term is wildfire risk. I have managed more than half of the Firewise USA communities in town, and I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to protect homes in neighborhoods where properties can be very close together. Strengthening defensible space and wildfire preparedness is one of the most practical steps we can take right now.

I’ve been speaking with the Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District about the possibility of creating a program that would help more neighborhoods achieve Firewise standards. The idea would be a partnership where homeowners contribute sweat equity and/or funding, while the town and potentially state Firewise programs help match those efforts with materials or labor. Expanding these types of programs could significantly improve wildfire preparedness across the community.

At the same time, we have to recognize the economic impacts of changing climate conditions. A low snow year or wildfire smoke can affect visitation just as much as other environmental conditions. Working closely with the Breckenridge Tourism Office will remain important to ensure Breckenridge continues to attract visitors and maintain its market share even during challenging seasons. By strengthening wildfire preparedness while also supporting our tourism economy, we can help the community remain resilient in the face of changing conditions.

What are your top 3 priorities from the 2022 SustainableBreck Plan?

As a council member, I was proud to vote to approve the SustainableBreck plan in 2022. The plan was a collaborative effort by Town, stakeholders like HC3, sustainability planning experts, and members of the community to update our previous plan. It creates a strategic roadmap by establishing the Town’s sustainability targets while considering our other strategic visioning in other key areas like housing, open space management, childcare, and more. Since adoption, we’ve made progress on many of the goals – from net-zero workforce housing developments and adopting REMP, to smart water meters and leak detection tools, to implementing pay-as-you-throw and increasing compost programs for businesses, and many others. I’m proud of what we have done, and I am committed to continuing. The federal rollbacks of environmental policies and safeguards are concerning. Local action and leadership are essential!

More than picking a few priorities, I believe it’s important to stick to our strategy and continue making steady progress on all the goals in this plan. Given the economic uncertainty, I plan to prioritize action items that do not create additional financial burdens on our current residents and businesses. I plan to maintain the advancements we’ve made and continue to prioritize our progress in a thoughtful way, that’s bold, but also in a way that is impactful and lasts.

How will you work to advance these priorities?

I can’t highlight more what an incredible community of climate action advocates we have, starting with the Town’s sustainability team, and partner organizations like HC3 and passionate community members. As a council member, I have and will continue to support the efforts of our sustainability team and other town departments to advance the goals in the plan. They are the ones doing an incredible job executing. It’s my role to continue listening to the community and ensure our Town team has the resources to execute on the vision. As a council and community, we also need to stay accountable to the targets we have established.

Personally, I work to stay proactive by being informed to make the best decisions I can. I serve on the HC3 board and stay tuned to what is happening at the state and federal levels through my involvement with the Colorado Municipal League and through the Town’s membership with Colorado Communities for Climate Action, the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, and other groups that support climate action.

With snowpack levels far below average, the entire county in a state of “extreme” drought, and record-breaking warm temperatures, this winter is showing us the impacts of a changing climate. But these impacts aren’t just environmental – the lack of snow has caused a drop in tourism, which in turn has caused economic hardship for many community members. And the ongoing drought has local fire officials worried about increased wildfire risk this summer. While an individual community can’t single-handedly solve the climate crisis, if elected, how will you help your community build resilience against these impacts?

While this season’s weather has been and will be a challenge, impacting our community members and local businesses, it is unfortunately not entirely unexpected given climate change trends. Wildfire is top of mind this summer, as well as water conservation. Wildfire discussions have been ongoing, and Town will be talking about increasing water conservation efforts at an upcoming council meeting.

For many years, leadership in the community has worked to create a resilient community, from supporting our residents with housing and childcare, to continuing to responsibly manage our open space and trails, to doing what we can to support our local businesses, and continuing to celebrate our historical assets and arts. I believe all this contributes to our resiliency and economic vitality. And I think it’s important to note that environmental stewardship and economic vitality go hand in hand, for quality of life and quality of place. I will keep working to support our community by making Breckenridge a place we can and want to live in, and a destination guests want to visit.

• Mobility: Reduce vehicle trips & congestion. Continue to work to make the car‑free option the easy option with our reliable transit, safe walking and biking connections, and simple wayfinding for those unfamiliar with Breck. This directly aligns with SustainableBreck’s Mobility focus to cut trips and congestion.
• Housing & Livability: Sustainability includes people. When workers can live closer to work, with childcare and services nearby, we lower commute miles, enhance our year-round local community, strengthen community resilience and increase support through passion and ownership of their community.
• Energy: Keep shifting to cleaner electricity and efficiency while steadily phasing down fossil use in buildings and equipment.

With snowpack levels far below average, the entire county in a state of “extreme” drought, and record-breaking warm temperatures, this winter is showing us the impacts of a changing climate. But these impacts aren’t just environmental – the lack of snow has caused a drop in tourism, which in turn has causedeconomic hardship for many community members. And the ongoing drought has local fire officials worried about increased wildfire risk this summer. While an individual community can’t single-handedly solve the climate crisis, if elected, how will you help your community build resilience against these impacts?

• Lean into our cool, high‑alpine summers. While many places swelter, Breck’s typical summer highs sit around the upper‑60s to low‑70s°F, an authentic advantage we can market responsibly alongside car‑free options.
• Program weather‑resilient activations. Expand arts, history, culinary, and in‑town experiences that run even during shoulder weather.
• Practical conservation, year‑round. Reinforce simple, doable conservation habits in all seasons, water‑wise actions during summer peaks, energy‑smart behavior in winter, and everyday choices that help reduce strain on our high‑alpine environment. Use B Like Breckenridge channels and partner networks to share these reminders consistently with guests and locals to result in simple steps, widely shared.
• Progress over perfection. Use the plan’s public reporting to track KPIs, learn openly, and adapt quickly.

What are your top 3 priorities from the 2022 SustainableBreck Plan?

Breckenridge had the vision to build a serious, community-driven sustainability plan. The harder part is executing it before the windows on these targets close. My three priorities from the plan are Energy, Water, and Material Management.

On energy, the town has made real progress. Municipal facilities reached 48% certified renewables and the community is now at 47%, with the Renewable Energy Mitigation Program (REMP) already generating funds for efficiency projects. The target is 100% renewable electricity community-wide by 2035, and natural gas consumption has remained stubbornly flat despite a goal of 5% annual reduction. Building electrification through fuel switching is the primary tool to close that gap.

On water, the SustainableBreck Plan set a target of 10% reduction in annual water demand below the 2016 baseline by 2025. Instead, according to the SustainableBreck Snapshot, demand is up 87% over that same baseline. That number is alarming and the trajectory is one this town must reverse. This winter makes it impossible to ignore. The Upper Blue River Basin entered 2026 at approximately 54% of median snowpack, among the lowest on record for the region, with Summit County under D3 Extreme Drought designation. In summer I bike the Blue River Rec Path almost every day, and in winter I walk it on my way to City Market. Our watershed is not abstract to me.

On material management, the town has built a real foundation. Pay As You Throw now covers all residential curbside customers with recycling bundled as mandatory, and the Universal Recycling Ordinance requires recycling access for all HOAs, multi-family buildings, and businesses. Together these two programs complete the regulatory framework on paper. But diversion sits at only 21% against a 2035 target of 40%, and the data shows we are moving in the wrong direction. Summit County's only landfill has a finite life. Every ton we divert extends that and saves this community money. This is personal to me. I pick up litter everywhere I go, especially in areas like the Historic District along Main Street, Ridge Street, and in our parking lots. I volunteer at the annual cleanup and want to add a second cleanup day after Oktoberfest before the snow falls. Our town can do better.

How will you work to advance these priorities?

Advancing these priorities means holding ourselves accountable to the commitments Breckenridge has already made. The 2022 SustainableBreck Plan set clear goals with clear deadlines, and as those deadlines draw closer the urgency to act only grows. As a council member I will work closely with our professional town staff and partner with organizations like High Country Conservation Center (HC3) to drive implementation forward. I will advocate for our performance data to be reported transparently and broadcast widely, shared not just on the town website but through social media and outlets like the Summit Daily, so that residents, businesses, and visitors can see exactly where we stand against our targets. An informed community is our most powerful accountability tool. When people can see the numbers, they can hold their council to account. That is how we turn a plan into results.

On energy, the most actionable opportunity right now is the Mountain Energy Project, an Xcel Energy program developed through a landmark PUC settlement that included Breckenridge and neighboring communities as stakeholders, unlocking significant rebates for mountain community residents switching from natural gas to electric heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and appliances, with enhanced rebates for income-qualified households, and with stacked federal and state incentives potentially reaching into the thousands of dollars. Cold climate heat pump technology has advanced dramatically and these systems are now among the most efficient heating options available, even at our altitude. HC3's EnergySmart Colorado program also offers free energy coaching to help any resident navigate available rebates and upgrades, with larger direct HC3 rebates available to income-qualified households. As a council member I will lead outreach on these programs, work with town staff to develop communication campaigns and workshops that reach our short-term rental and hospitality networks where natural gas use is highest, advocate for municipal buildings to participate in electrification rebates, and ensure our new workforce housing is built all-electric to meet our 2027 net-zero housing stretch target.

On water, I will work with town staff to turn the town's new smart meters into real behavior change. The meters are installed, but accessing daily usage data and leak alerts requires actively signing up for the WaterSmart portal, and many second-home owners, property managers, HOAs, and high-water-use businesses like hotels and restaurants have likely never completed that step. A leak can be flagged and go entirely unnoticed. I will work with town staff to launch targeted enrollment campaigns and publicly report WaterSmart enrollment rates so we can measure whether our conservation tools are actually working. I will also advocate for requiring short-term rental (STR) permit holders to enroll in WaterSmart as a condition of annual license renewal. The town already has the infrastructure to make that happen. I will also personally lead community education on watershed protection. Most people walking around town have no idea that one teaspoon of road salt permanently contaminates five gallons of water, or that a single coffee cup of salt covers an entire driveway. Walking past the post office or any number of business entrances on a winter morning, you see far more than that applied to a small patch of pavement. I will work with town staff to bring workshops for local businesses and homeowners on proper salt application to Breckenridge. That is one important way we protect the Upper Blue River Basin.

On material management, I will work to close the gaps that current programs have not yet reached. As of early 2026, 18 properties including HOAs and commercial businesses had filed variance requests under the Universal Recycling Ordinance. I will work with town staff to get every business and HOA across the finish line as quickly as possible. STR compliance is the most notable gap. I personally know of at least five STR properties near where I live and walk daily that are not in compliance, and that number is likely much higher. I will work closely with town staff to actively follow up on STR compliance. Better visitor education matters too. At my own building we have black bins and no signage explaining what can be recycled or how. I will work with HOAs and town staff to provide clear recycling signage at bins throughout STR properties so guests actually know what to do. Simple, visible guidance at the bin level changes behavior and keeps recyclables out of the landfill. I fully support Summit County's review of adding glass to single stream recycling and will work with town staff to move Breckenridge forward as soon as that transition is ready. I fully support the town's work educating restaurants on food scrap composting and will champion expanding that program, because food waste is among the heaviest and most divertible materials in our waste stream. I will also advocate for stronger construction and demolition waste diversion requirements for new development. When entire homes are scraped and rebuilt in Breckenridge, the debris represents an enormous diversion opportunity. The Summit County 5-Year C&D Diversion Plan sets important goals, but current policy enforcement for new development does not yet go far enough. I will work with town staff to modernize our public trash infrastructure so that residents and visitors can scan a QR code on any public trash can, with a bin number routing the report directly to the right location, to flag overflowing bins in real time rather than navigating a process most people do not even know exists. And I will work to create a volunteer litter cleanup crew, supplying both garbage and recycling bags so that aluminum cans, bottles, and other recyclables collected off our streets get diverted from the landfill rather than sent straight to it.

With snowpack levels far below average, the entire county in a state of "extreme" drought, and record-breaking warm temperatures, this winter is showing us the impacts of a changing climate. But these impacts aren't just environmental -- the lack of snow has caused a drop in tourism, which in turn has caused economic hardship for many community members. And the ongoing drought has local fire officials worried about increased wildfire risk this summer. While an individual community can't single-handedly solve the climate crisis, if elected, how will you help your community build resilience against these impacts?

If elected, I would build resilience on two fronts: keeping our workforce in affordable housing so our community can withstand and recover from climate disruption, and reducing our wildfire risk for this summer and beyond. These are not separate from the environmental crisis. They are the direct response to it.

Environmental and economic hardship in Breckenridge are not separate problems. They are cause and effect. No snow means fewer tourists, fewer tourists means less revenue for restaurants, fewer hours for lift operators, and fewer lessons for ski instructors. But their rent and bills do not go down with their paychecks. And when workers have less money in their pockets, that ripples out across the entire local economy, from grocery stores to childcare to every small business that depends on a healthy, housed workforce. A wildfire this summer would be even more devastating. Smoke, evacuations, and potential property loss would cause a dramatic drop in visitors to our restaurants, hotels, and rentals, not just for a bad season but potentially for years. The 9News story about the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) serving 150 more families a week than last January is not a story about the economy. It is a story about what happens to a community when its environment fails it. Protecting our watershed, reducing our fire risk, and keeping the Tenmile Range healthy is not separate from keeping families housed and workers here. It is the prerequisite for all of it.

Climate resilience in a resort town starts with keeping the workforce housed. When workers cannot afford to stay, the community loses the people who make everything else function, from the restaurants and hotels that drive our economy to the volunteers and neighbors who make Breckenridge home. As a renter in Breckenridge, housing affordability is not an abstract policy question for me. I live it, and I know people in this community who are living this crisis right now. The people who make Breckenridge work should be able to live in Breckenridge. Breckenridge has led Colorado ski towns in protecting workforce housing and that is something to be proud of. To put that in perspective, when the Larkspur Apartments opened, hundreds of families applied for just 52 units. A 2023 study found Breckenridge still needs roughly 1,200 more units to fully house its workforce. Those numbers tell the story.

On housing, because it is the foundation of everything else, my priorities are concrete. I will push to complete all 148 units at the Runway Neighborhood, where only Phase 1 is currently funded and Phase 2 remains deferred. This is the last major town-built for-sale development and every unit matters. I will advocate for a redevelopment plan for the Wayside Inn on Tiger Road, formerly the Loge Hotel, jointly owned by the Town and Summit County, which currently houses 38 workforce units in a building over 60 years old. The site has potential for significantly more density and a rebuild would be more cost-effective long term than continued patching. That conversation needs to happen now. If Breckenridge Elementary School closes, I will push the Town to engage the Summit School District early to keep that land in public hands. The district and Town have partnered before, delivering 35 deed-restricted homes through Runway, and that model should be the template. I will protect full funding for Housing Helps, which permanently deed-restricts properties at an average cost of $130,000 per unit, and the Buy Down program every budget cycle. The goal is not just affordability on paper. It is families staying, putting down roots, and having a real chance to thrive here. And because housing alone is not enough, I am also exploring economic diversification strategies, including a private venture fund modeled on Telluride's, to build a broader local economy that is more resilient when nature does not cooperate.

On wildfire, the same drought hurting us this winter is raising our fire risk this summer. I will support full completion of the Blue River East Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project, an active 83-acre fuel break targeted for completion in 2026. I will stay actively engaged in the Summit County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and push for it to stay current. I will expand defensible space programs to specifically target HOAs and multi-family properties, partnering with Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District, which administers the Town's Voluntary Defensible Space Ordinance, and Summit Fire and EMS for HOA-focused outreach and free home assessments. Wildfire-driven insurance increases are already flowing into HOA fees across Breckenridge, making housing less affordable for the workers living there. Reducing fire risk is a housing affordability tool. I will aggressively pursue the Colorado State Forest Service Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant and the federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant, which can fund up to $10 million for projects within an existing Community Wildfire Protection Plan. And I will promote the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home certification so homeowners and HOA boards can document mitigation work and potentially access better insurance rates, which means lower fees for workforce renters.

Breckenridge cannot solve the climate crisis alone, but we can do our part, lead by example, and work hard to insulate our residents and workforce from the worst of these impacts. That is what I am committed to.

Resilience is not one thing. It is keeping people housed, keeping costs manageable, and reducing the risks that make all of it harder. That is the work I am asking voters to elect me to do.

What are your top 3 priorities from the 2022 SustainableBreck Plan?

Over the past four years I have become very familiar with the priorities laid out in the Sustainable Breck Plan and have been involved with moving the needle of many of them.  Currently my top priorities are Reducing natural gas and gasoline fuel consumption/Reducing vehicle trips and congestion, Reducing peak summer water demand and Reduce waste at the source, increasing diversion to recycling and composting.

How will you work to advance these priorities?

Reducing Natural Gas and Gasoline Fuel Consumption/Reducing vehicle trips and congestion:
I was a proponent of the Breck E-Ride program’s implementation and have been integral in the growth of the program with year over year ridership increases.  I introduced the importance of expanding the E-Ride program from solely workforce to our guests in order to reduce the need to rely on vehicular transportation.

Over the past four years I have supported the Town’s mobility initiatives including the procurement of electric buses and looping in our newest rental property, Vista Verde 2 to the green bus route.  I am looking forward to encouraging securing new grants to have an all electric free ride bus fleet and to continue the progress of absorbing BSR’s routes. Additionally, I introduced the desire for smart home integration into the Town planning code that provides incentives for installing heat tape monitors that turn on and off automatically based on the outside temperatures and conditions.