I was raised in Northville, Michigan, a small-town and close-knit community very similar to Breckenridge. My Midwestern roots have shaped me into the down-to-earth, caring and friendly person I am today. I have always been a self-driven hard worker: When I attended the University of Michigan majoring in aerospace engineering, I held a full-time job as a retail store manager. In 2005, I moved to Los Angeles, where I worked designing and launching satellites. In California, I rediscovered my love of skiing, and in 2015, I relocated to Colorado for a job opportunity and to be closer to skiing — at first as a part-time resident of Summit County, then permanently relocating to Breckenridge. I am an avid skier, and I logged 120 days on the mountain during the 2020-21 ski season.

With over 17 years of experience in the aerospace industry, I’m currently an engineering consultant leading a multidisciplinary team of 50-plus engineers in the development, manufacturing and test of a multimillion-dollar space telescope. My work requires solving challenging problems. I am adept at working with large, diverse teams of people to address complex technical issues. My engineering background has taught me to use facts, logic and common sense to understand, evaluate and resolve complex issues like the ones facing our mountain community. I do not believe there is anyone on the Breckenridge Town Council with a comparable background.

I will bring fresh ideas and diversity in perspective to the Town Council while serving the needs of the people of Breckenridge, and I’ll donate 100% of my Town Council salary to local charitable organizations. As a council member, my guiding principles will be:

• Individual freedom and limited government that respects free speech, private property and the right of individuals to make their own health care decisions
• Non-discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability, including vaccination status
• Corporate responsibility and ethics, including providing workers with fair wages and adequate affordable workforce housing
• Respect for our environment as well as preservation of our historic and aesthetic infrastructure
• Realistic and balanced energy policies with emphasis on providing reliable, affordable and clean energy
• Low taxes and a prosperous economy

My top priorities to implement these values would be as follows.

Priority No. 1: Listening

I will actively listen to constituents. Too often, members of our community attend Town Council meetings only to have their public comments fall on deaf ears. I will listen with an open mind to all constituents on all issues. I will make Breckenridge a community that welcomes everyone: year-round residents, second-home owners, seasonal residents and visitors.

Priority No. 2: Workforce housing

I’ll expand workforce housing options by working diligently with Summit County as well as public and private employers. Sky-high Breckenridge housing prices make it expensive for people who work in Breckenridge to live here. Employers need workers who do not have lengthy commutes, particularly in winter weather. Breckenridge needs to push our community’s major employers to assume more responsibility for workforce housing, especially for seasonal workers and J1 visa holders. Restricting short-term rental licenses and imposing taxes/fees on owners will not eliminate the workforce housing shortage. Ultimately, the people who work in this community need to be paid a reasonable wage to be able to obtain housing in Summit County or employers must provide employee housing.

Priority No. 3: Reduce government regulation and spending

The U.S. Constitution protects our freedom by limiting the powers of government. In Breckenridge, we have seen heavy-handed government actions encroaching on our freedoms with restrictions, mandates and wasteful spending. But the benefits of these actions are not worth the price of lost freedom to choose what medicines we use, lost education needed by families at the low end of the economic spectrum, or expensive, wasteful energy programs that enrich energy suppliers and do little to benefit the public. I will not support government mandates, restrictions or spending without a clear argument showing that the public benefits outweigh the costs and negative impacts.

Ally “For The People” Doolin is a candidate for one of three open seats on Breckenridge Town Council. Learn more at AllyForThePeople.com or contact her at allyforthepeople@gmail.com.