My name is Andy Held, and I am running for reelection to the Frisco Town Council. A resident of Frisco for 35 years, I am a passionate, active citizen. Currently, I serve the town in a number of ways.

Throughout my life, I have been a serial entrepreneur. My career has been a unique and diverse education. When I moved to Frisco in 1987, I had already established myself as a fine woodworker. My first season, I was a lift operator at Copper Mountain Resort and then moved to ski school, which I have done for almost 20 years. My other two jobs were in some form of building, construction management, business development or art.

In the early 1990s, I opened my first woodworking/sculpture studio in the Frisco Historic Park as a resident artist. By 2000, I opened the Art Shack just off Main Street. In that time, I was lucky enough to work on many Main Street projects, including the Historic Park gazebo, antique bar at the Blue Spruce (now Frisco Prime), wine rack at 5th Avenue Grill, front desk at ReMax, casework at Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters and more. I also became a certified green builder.

Since that time, I focused on broader business development opportunities. I was an owner of Tough Guy Productions. We were the largest promoter of Telemark skiing in the outdoor industry. I then wrote, produced and directed a feature-length television pilot.

All of my efforts culminated in 2009, when I married my brilliant wife. Together, we have built a successful sales agency focused on the outdoor industry.

I have received so much vibrancy from this community that I have chosen to represent it on council. I hope my efforts have created change for the better.

Priority No. 1: Protection from wildfire

I believe the greatest priority is mitigating the potential for wildfire. This alone is the biggest threat to our town and way of life. As the Frisco representative on the Summit County Wildfire Council, my first action was to get a cistern installed up north Tenmile Creek to protect our second water source that supplies a portion of town.

We have been successful in creating a multijurisdictional project to mitigate and revegetate what is now being called “Frisco’s backyard.” That will also work in correlation with the town’s future trails plan.

The plan is to mitigate the immense amount of standing and fallen dead trees caused by the past beetle-kill infestations, which will allow the forest to propagate and regrow. My mission is to align Frisco as a true steward of the forest, to actively replant and foster growth with a more diverse and native species of trees and vegetation. The area of focus is from Miners Creek to Mount Royal. This is about protecting life, property and the ability to inhabit this beautiful place.

Priority No. 2: Future influx of people

Denver ranks as one of the fastest growing large cities in the U.S. Frisco is one hour away on Interstate 70, and people will be coming for perpetuity. We need to shore up our infrastructure to contend with the coming influx. Good planning, foresight and action is what it takes. Since the pandemic, Frisco’s marketing efforts have changed from attracting endless outside visitors with big footprints to catering to the visitors we already have and to locals to help create a more vibrant community.

Housing is at the core of the issue. If Lake Hill becomes a reality, we will have supplied hundreds of affordable housing units to the existing stock. We are in the process of conceptualizing multiple future affordable housing projects in town.

The build-out of the Marina, Peninsula Recreation Area and the Frisco trails plan are part of it. The implementation of the complete streets plan will help traffic patterns, parking and accessibility.

Priority No. 3: Change agent for the better

I consider myself a representative of the longtime local and business owner. I listen to stakeholders. I bring these voices to the table. I strive in all my endeavors to be a cog in the gear box that helps the machine run smoother. I hope it is reflected within staff as well as my constituency.

Andy Held is an incumbent candidate for one of three open seats on Frisco Town Council.