Woo, Woo. Flashing red light. If you live in the town of Dillon you will not be mailed a ballot for the Sept. 13 election. You will need to show up in person. I know. It’s so weird. You can do this.

Town Clerk Adrienne Stuckey wrote me, “This will be a polling place election at Dillon Town Hall, Council Chambers located at 275 Lake Dillon Drive, Dillon CO. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.”

If you will be out-of-town, you can get an absentee ballot. First, you apply for the absentee ballot using this link, or in person at Town Hall, or email astuckey@townofdillon.com. The absentee ballot must be received by Sept. 9!

As old school at this seems, it’s a lot better than having a council member appointed. That led to a lot of issues with locals. Town Council tried. The members collected statements, interviewed candidates and ended locked in in a 3-3 tie vote. So election it is.

First up, Kevin Stout, local for 10+ years has been very involved in the Dillon Resident Coalition that moved against the status quo to usher in a new Town Council. For a while, Stout has been happy to organize and remain behind the scenes.

He told me, “I can do something, or I can complain about it.” He said of the last election, it “went exactly the way we wanted it to.” He says persons Dana Christiansen, Renee Imamura and Tony Scalise are “focused on making sure there is a resident/business balance.”

Stout says his campaign signs will say “Residents First.” He’s quick to clarify, “I want to make sure residents’ interests are balanced with business interests.”

One of the most refreshing aspects of this campaign is both candidates have nice things to say about each other. Isn’t that awesome? Councilwoman Renee Imamura told me, “I respect both candidates. … Both are excellent candidates. Both retired, both have great skills, and can hit the ground running.”

There are some distinct differences. John Woods worked in several fields. Currently he’s using his skills in concert promotion, working at the Dillon Amphitheater. He told me, “I’m a marketing guy.”

Woods would like to see Dillon become more of a destination for locals and visitors alike, not an “also ran” with other towns gathering the limelight and prestige. I asked him where the additional visitors would park in the tight town core. He said, “We’re going to figure out this parking issue. Parking is an issue.”

Last winter he did a short stint in “technology parking.” That’s the system of recording license plates and tracking parking, violations and special permits. He said he learned a lot about the business.

He conceded, “Everyone hates managed parking, but I know the discussion is coming” 

No question, paid parking and overnight parking restrictions are just a few of the issues that locals have been hot about.

Kevin Stout, had a long, multifaceted career working at Ernst & Young accounting firm and working in the medical supply chain to smooth out the issues.

He has heard neighbors complain about proposed paid parking regulations. He says a balanced approach is key. He emphasizes residents’ interests have to come first.

Dillon residents and visitors alike are concerned about the two large-scale projects that have yet to be finished.

Uptown 240 is the former site of our much beloved Adriano’s Bistro. Danilo Ottoborgo, President of Uptown 240 LLC, wrote me, “We are in the end stages of our finance process and are working with the lender to finalize the remaining steps. Much of the final steps are internal to the lender and, as a result, outside our control. Our lender will release our closing schedule according to their internal fund mandate, and once in hand and able, our team will excitedly share the news.”

For the record, the property taxes are not paid on the property; and last years’ tax lien was bought by an investor. The building permits are set to run out this fall.

The Dillon town core park that’s been ripped up for what? 2 years? The Dillon Town Manager Nathan Johnson writes, “We are anticipating key amenities will open as early as the fall.” Just in time for snow.

Susan Knopf’s column “For the Record” publishes biweekly on Fridays in the Summit Daily News. Knopf lives in Silverthorne. She is a certified ski instructor and an award-winning journalist. Contact her at sdnknopf@gmail.com.