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Caucus split raises questions

David Hiser
/
Snowmass/Capitol Creek caucus

A recent split in a citizen’s group in Pitkin County is a bad sign for local democracy, according to one of the founders of the caucus system.

Pitkin County’s caucus structure is unique in the state of Colorado. The idea is to give more weight to public input in county proceedings. Caucuses are bound by geography, mostly based on rural neighbourhoods like Emma, Woody Creek and Old Snowmass.

Michael Kinsley was a county commissioner when the system was set up. It was the brainchild of his colleague Dwight Shellman.

“(Dwight) was a genuine democrat, small ‘d’, of taking important issues to the grassroots,” Kinsley said. “So he felt as if that was a critical thing to embed in the nature of decision making in this county.”

Caucuses have no formal authority but they serve as trusted advisors to the board of county commissioners, primarily on development issues. Current county commissioner Patti Clapper said the formal recommendations presented by caucuses are an important element of decision-making for the board.

“At the end of the day it makes for better decisions at the county level when we have that diversity,” she said.

Clapper and Kinsley did not see eye to eye during a meeting earlier this month, in which the commissioners allowed for the split of the county’s oldest caucus — known as the Snowmass/Capitol Creek caucus. The controversy centered around growth of the neighborhood. Kinsley, who is now a professional mediator and an Old Snowmass resident, refrained from giving his input during the process but walked out after the vote.

“I think there is a good chance that the split will cause an erosion, if not collapse of the caucus system,” Kinsley said during an interview after the meeting. “It’s a significant danger, a significant risk, because now anybody who doesn't like what their caucus is doing can simply separate.”

The fear is, if more splits occur, caucuses will lose their influence. It’s as if Congress was made up of every mayor in the nation, instead of broader representatives.  

Clapper, who was the deciding vote allowing for the recent breakup, said her hope is to see unity within the caucuses, even when there are disagreements.

“I think it’s more effective and efficient when a caucus option comes forward with that minority opinion attached. It’s really important that caucus board members realize they represent a constituency just as I do,” she said.

The Snowmass/Capitol Creek breakup and the renewed awareness of the county’s caucus system will have direct impacts on the voting public.

Clapper said the home rule charter only addresses a caucus split in vague terms, which led her to her vote in favor of the faction that wanted to begin their own group. In order to specify the procedures moving forward, a ballot question could be seen as early as next November that better addresses how caucuses can be formed, split, and dissolved.