News

• Mountain Village Elects Scott Pearson as Mayor
• The West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin Forum
• Candlelight Vigil Honors Those Killed by ICE

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Mountain Village Elects Scott Pearson as Mayor

Scott Pearson is Mountain Village’s new mayor.

“I am taking this role at a difficult time for our town. Economic pressures from the strike and low snowfall are weighing on us all. The fallout from the recent events have lowered confidence in our government and have deprived us of some of our most capable public servants,” Pearson said.

Councimember Pearson was elected by his fellow council members at a special town council meeting Wednesday evening. Mountain Village voters do not elect a mayor directly; rather, the remaining council members appoint a mayor from their board.

The mayoral vacancy came after former Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska resigned earlier this month. Prohaska stepped down following a request for an investigation into her conversations and actions surrounding a potential purchase of the Telluride Ski Resort.

Councilmember Tucker Magid was elected to serve as Mountain Village mayor pro tem, a position previously held by Pearson.

Pearson issued a statement following his swearing-in. The statement in its entirety:

“Becoming mayor in conditions like this is neither something I expected nor wanted. Marti was a good mayor and I truly wish that she had been able to finish out her term.

My task, our task, is twofold.

The first is to rebuild public trust through transparent and ethical governance. And the second is to keep focused on enabling a great quality of life for our residents and an outstanding experience for our visitors. Economic recovery, regional cooperation, and our big three infrastructure priorities: housing, wastewater, and the gondola. These cannot slow down.

To my fellow council members, thank you for your trust in me. We are a team and I promise to lead that way. I like, respect, and value each of you. We will make decisions together and when we disagree, we’ll honestly debate, vote, and move on.

To our town staff, we are blessed to have your talent and your dedication. My top priority is to make you successful. That means keeping focused and giving you the clarity, support, and resources to do your jobs well. We as a council can do nothing without you and we are so fortunate to be able to serve with you.

To our partners, the town of Telluride, San Miguel County, TMVOA, Telski, and others, Tucker and I both ran on a platform of cooperation and collaboration. That has not changed. All our issues are regional. Cooperation can achieve so much more than fighting. And if despite our best efforts, we do find ourselves at odds, let’s put that in a box, keep the emotion out of it, and find other ways to work together.

And finally, to our constituents, the people of Mountain Village, I know that some of you have lost trust in your government. I will work to regain that trust.

My Catholic friends tell me that in Catholic theology, intent is not enough. One’s acts are as important as one’s intentions. And I pledge to you that you will see many acts by this council over the coming year.

Acts that show not only that we are living our values of transparency and ethical behavior, but that we are continuing to advance our community’s interests in infrastructure, public safety, and quality of life. And that is my pledge to you. I, all of us, want to hear from you.

Please come to our meetings, write us, or reach out to us personally. For my mental health, I am no longer on social media, but I will make sure that my email and phone number are posted on our website. We’re a small town, and there’s no reason that we can’t talk neighbor to neighbor.”

Mountain Village is currently accepting applications to fill the open seat on town council.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a registered voter in Mountain Village and have had legal residency within the town for at least 120 days before Feb. 19.

Those interested in serving on Mountain Village Town Council can submit an application — including candidate information and a letter of intent — by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. Applications are available at townofmountainvillage.com/town-council.

The appointed council member will serve for the remainder of Prohaska’s term, which expires in June 2027.

Town Council will hear from candidates and make an appointment at its regular meeting Feb. 19. The new council member will be sworn in at that time.

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The West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin Forum

Today on the West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin forum KOTO’s news team chats with editor Regan Tuttle. In today’s headlines: Basin Clinic discusses becoming hospital district, CPW pauses wolf reintroduction, and local gymnasts soar to new heights.

The San Miguel Basin Forum is a locally owned and operated newspaper out of Nucla, Colorado. Visit SanMiguelBasinForum.com for biweekly news, events, and local happenings in the West End.

Story beings at 5:25.

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Candlelight Vigil Honors Those Killed by ICE, DHS

Story beings at 12:20.

Nearly 100 members of the community gathered at the San Miguel County Courthouse on Wednesday for a candlelight vigil remembering those who have been killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Amy Levek, co-founder of Telluride Indivisible, which organized the vigil, said the event was rooted in community and shared concern.

“I think what’s happened in Minneapolis has shown us how important community is,” Levek said. “When you look at how they’ve supported each other, how they’ve been taking care of their neighborhoods, how they have really looked out for what they need as a community – I think we need to bring some of that here.”

Organizers passed out cloth armbands with painted broken hearts on them. Levek said the armbands are a physical representation of the group’s grief.

Andrew Oldham, who was in the crowd, said he came to show solidarity with those he says are more directly impacted by ICE actions.

“Really just give some peace, maybe, to some of those in our community that may be undocumented and worried, knowing that the rest of the community stands behind them,” Oldham said.

Payton Crosby agreed, saying it’s important to broaden the conversation around ICE within Telluride.

“Sometimes in this town, the focus is not what’s going on outside of Telluride. It can be a bubble sometimes,” Crosby said. “Bringing conversation into this bubble is really important. Also knowing that if ICE were to come back to Telluride, we have a strong community here that would be able to rally together here and protect our community members.”

Crosby, who is from Minneapolis, said she is grateful to stand in community while witnessing events back home.

“Just seeing what’s going on at home has been really sad. It’s really nice to be in community and know there’s a way to be with people right now and show support for the people of Minneapolis,” she said.

As night fell and the candles glowed, members of the community read the names of those who have died by ICE in the past year.

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Capitol Conversation Shares News from the General Assembly

Colorado’s General Assembly is officially in full swing. This week on Capitol Conversation, Statehouse reporter Lucas Brady Woods gives an update on everything happening in Denver.

Story beings at 15:50.

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Nuremberg Film Screening Set for Holocaust Remembrance Day

Ahead of the Nuremberg Trials — a series of proceedings that prosecuted Nazi leaders after World War II — a U.S. Army psychiatrist was assigned to examine the personalities and mental states of high-ranking Nazi officials.

That work is the focus of Jack El-Hai’s book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist,” which was recently adapted into the film “Nuremberg.”

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Telluride Jewish Community will host a screening of the film this weekend at the Palm Theatre in Telluride.

The screening will include a taped conversation between Telluride resident Katie Triest, whose grandfather is portrayed in the film, and El-Hai.

The film will be shown Saturday, Jan. 31, at 4:30 p.m. at the Palm Theatre. Tickets are available at nuremberg.eventbrite.com.

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Crisosto Apache Named Colorado Poet Laureate

Crisosto Apache has been appointed Colorado’s new poet laureate, succeeding the late Andrea Gibson.

Apache is an Indigenous poet who says their work is deeply shaped by their roots and by a lifelong connection to land and place.

In a November interview, Apache reflected on growing up on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico.

“I grew up in, on the reservation, the Mescalero Apache Reservation Reservation, which is in Southern New Mexico,” Apache said. “The land that I grew up on was up in the mountains about 8,000, 9,000 feet. So I grew up amongst the Ponderosa Pines, the spruce, uh, the Aspen, and a lot of open meadows. So it was really high in elevation, so there’s a lot of memories of me growing up there.”

Apache also teaches at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

They will serve as Colorado’s 11th poet laureate for a two-year term. During that time, Apache will travel across the state, visiting communities and leading poetry readings and workshops.

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Colorado River Talks Intensify Ahead of Federal Deadline

Governors from states in the Colorado River basin are heading to Washington on Friday for high-stakes talks with the Interior Department about the river’s future.

As KUNC’s Scott Franz reports, the seven basin states remain at an impasse over how to share the dwindling water supply.

Pressure is building on negotiators to reach an agreement. Forecasts for the Colorado River this spring are declining as snowpack continues to lag across much of the West.

Colorado’s lead negotiator, Becky Mitchell, said states are continuing discussions at least twice a week, but key disagreements remain.

“Some in the lower basin wanted some sort of guaranteed supply, irrespective of hydrologic conditions,” Mitchell said. “And I think asking people to guarantee something that cannot be guaranteed is a recipe for, it is a recipe that cannot get to success.”

Lower basin states are calling for mandatory water cuts for the upper basin during dry years. Negotiators have less than three weeks to reach an agreement before a federal deadline.