Aspen City Council candidates to engage in runoff after tight vote

After tight election results Tuesday, four council candidates will do a runoff for two open seats on April 1.

City council incumbent John Doyle finished in first Tuesday with 1,091 votes, followed by Emily Kolbe, who finished with 1,067 votes. Christine Benedetti finished in third with 1,018 votes, and Aspen Mayor Torre, who is running for council after hitting a mayoral term limit, finished in fourth with 825 votes.

Candidates required 1,123 votes to win a seat outright in the election. With 630 votes, council candidate Scot Woolley is not up for a run-off, nor is council candidate Tyler Wilkinson-Ray, who landed 307 votes. 

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“I will be campaigning hard for the next three weeks or however long it takes,” Doyle said. “I am here to serve the community and I take this role very seriously.”

Doyle runs for reelection after serving one term on council from 2021 to 2025. 

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As owner and operator of Brunelleschi’s, an Italian restaurant in Aspen, Kolbe runs for city council for her first time. 

“I’m super grateful to still be engaged in the process. This is outstanding,” she said “It’s been a wonderful learning experience, and we’re going to keep going.”

In an interview with The Aspen Times in mid-February, she said her intent on council would be to offer a holistic perspective and skill set. 

Torre said he is excited to keep campaigning for the runoff. 

“What you can expect to see, for me, is a very public facing campaign,” he said. 

Currently serving as the vice chair of Aspen’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Benedetti seeks her first term as a council member.

“I think I resonated with a broad spectrum of the community and people are looking for someone to represent them with decisions that are rooted in the reality of the community. Thank you to everyone who voted and please stay engaged for the next month,” Benedetti said.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.