Debate or debacle?

Sides square off over Burlingame Ranch

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Chad Abraham
April 8, 2005

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Just 29 minutes into Thursday night's debate on Burlingame Ranch, Dwight Shellman had had enough.

"You guys have a good one. I have better things to do," he tells his fellow panelists.

"I hope you'll come back [to the future debates]," says Jim Lawrence, moderator of the debate between Shellman and Toni Kronberg, who oppose the affordable housing development outside town, and HOPE, a group who supports it.

"I won't be coming back," the former commissioner responds before exiting.

The battle over Burlingame was predictably divisive last night. Here are other observations from the debate:

Pre-meeting: Shellman, who as a county commissioner in the 1970s helped enact legendary growth controls in the upper valley, asks a GrassRoots TV technician a question. He wants to make sure the camera will be able to focus in on his posters. The guy answers that he isn't the one who will actually be running the camera.

Lawrence knows he's in for a long night. He asks the same technician, "We're really going to go 90 minutes without a break?"

Kronberg puts up enormous pictures of the site slated for Burlingame Ranch. A question on next month's ballot will ask voters whether ranch land owned by the Zoline family for the housing project should be annexed by the city. Burlingame Village calls for 330 homes to be built in three phases. Voters approved the controversial project in 2000.

7 p.m. Kronberg is digging through a backpack. Shellman is fiddling with a laptop computer in front of tables set up for the debaters. Neither side has sat down.

7:03 HOPE has a seat. Aspen Councilwoman Rachel Richards, Frank Peters and Pitkin County Commissioner Mick Ireland compose the group.

Kronberg sits down and then stands up to arrange a varied selection of colored markers. Shellman continues to kneel next to the laptop.

7:05 A GrassRoots producer asks the HOPE members to all move down a seat to make room for Lawrence.

7:10 Shellman gives up on the laptop and clips on his microphone. Eleven people are in attendance, including the two from GrassRoots. Peters announces, "We should give ourselves a few more minutes," and asks Shellman and Kronberg if they are ready. They agree that they are.

7:15 The meeting commences. Kronberg has nearly 20 different piles of paper in front of her. HOPE begins with an explanation on why a hearing officer rejected two petitions last week that were initiated by Shellman and fellow Burlingame opponent and former commissioner Joe Edwards.

Shellman accuses HOPE members of a "Fox News"-type of bias in misquoting people. He says he is here to "produce facts about why people oppose the Bar X annexation. I am not here to levy charges against anyone." Bar X is the name of the ranch land owned by the Zoline family.

He says 1,000 people signed the petitions that were shot down.

7:25 Richards reads the decision by the hearing officer. She then holds up an Aspen Daily News from two days after the 2000 election and points out a story with Shellman saying he is going to fight it.

"Jim, these comments are directed at me. Am I just supposed to sit here and take this?" Shellman asks Lawrence. "It usually degenerates into this."

Lawrence tries to maintain control with two-minute limits for the debaters. But Shellman tells the moderator that such constraints are not acceptable.

7:31 Kronberg asks to enter the conversation. Lawrence tells her she has two minutes. She sums up her opening statement by saying the city did not follow its land-use code.

7:35 Lawrence asks the audience if anyone has a question. Council candidate Andrew Kole asks Shellman if he will drop his potential court action and other opposition if voters approve the Burlingame annexation next month. He says he will. "I have no more energy." He again expresses his desire to exceed the two-minute limit.

7:44 Shellman takes down his posters and leaves.

Outside the room, he tells reporters that he will bring his information to Jerry Bovino's show on GrassRoots. Last night's debate "was not conducive to being able to present information in an organized way," he says. "You don't bring charts and then spend two minutes answering a question. Give me a break."

Asked if he is worried that only Kronberg is left to oppose Burlingame during the debate's remainder, he says, "It's a problem. Here's the problem I see: There's no reason why old graybeards like Joe Edwards and I should keep rushing these barricades. We've been doing it for 30, 40 years. There needs to be new leadership to come out of this community."

7:53 Back inside, Richards talks about how Aspen is losing workers and how Burlingame will cut down commute times and emissions. Kronberg says she likes this debate format. HOPE looks less energetic with Shellman gone.

7:58 Lawrence sits down in front of the panels, his back to Kronberg. The GrassRoots producer whispers in his ear and he moves to Shellman's former chair.

8:03 Richards says that "Burlingame gets us closer to the city's affordable housing goal. Voters have told us to proceed."

Lawrence reluctantly looks at Toni after Richards finishes. He then asks if anyone in the audience has a question. There are no takers.

Ireland says only 736 people, out of about 5,200 total Aspenites, signed the petitions put out by Burlingame opponents.

8:09 Kronberg says she wants to provide solutions. She says the urban growth boundary limits developments to within walking distance of Aspen.

8:12 Ireland says Kronberg is not correctly citing the land-use code.

8:17 Kronberg stands up as Ireland explains the code, planned unit developments and land preservation.

Her rebuttal is to put a clear plastic sheet over a picture of the green ranch lands and stands of green trees at the Burlingame site and mark up where development is slated. She uses a green marker.

Richards explains how 190 acres will be preserved at the site.

8:24 Lawrence says, "We're closing down" and asks for closing statements.

Kronberg thanks the moderator and her opponents. Peters laments that Shellman left.

8:26 Lawrence remarks, "Affordable housing, always contentious in Aspen." After Ireland's final thoughts, audience members hand out a smattering of applause. Peters asks to make a closing comment. Lawrence gives him 60 seconds.

8:30 Kronberg's heavy wooden pedestal and picture crash loudly to the floor. Thus ends the congregation.

Chad Abraham's e-mail address is chad@aspentimes.com