A message from Ali Dunford and Karyn Chin, Democratic candidates for Teton County Commission
JACKSON, Wyo. – Jackson Hole is an extraordinary place. The question in front of us is whether we’ll be an extraordinary community.
Right now, too many outside forces are determining our future: luxury hotel chains, investment capital, and an economic system that treats homes as assets instead of places to live and build a life. This growth imperative is straining every aspect of our community and ecosystem. Teachers and firefighters are commuting over the pass while houses sit empty much of the year. Traffic is worsening, water quality is degrading, and our wild neighbors are running out of room to live and move.
As our friend Town Councilman Jonathan Schechter often says, “We are special, but we are not unique.” Mountain towns across the West are facing similar dynamics, and many are on the cutting edge of forging positive paths forward.
Whistler, British Columbia, has kept upwards of 80% of its workforce living locally for decades. Truckee, California, pays Truckee homeowners to turn vacation homes and short-term rentals into long-term rentals for locals, and has converted more than 200 units as a result. In Basalt, Colorado, a public private partnership built net-zero affordable homes that produce as much energy as they use. And right here in Pinedale, wildlife crossings on Highway 89 have cut vehicle-wildlife collisions by two-thirds.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We need the humility to learn from neighbors with creative solutions and the audacity to act even when powerful interests push back.
Finally, time is short. Every year we wait, every bad development that gets approved, every vacant trophy house that gets built forces more families to leave, and more of this community’s character slips away. Some of what we lose, we can’t get back – it’s time to act with urgency.
Why we’re running together
No commissioner ever changes anything alone. Making real change requires colleagues who share that vision and sense of urgency.
That’s why we’re excited to serve alongside each other and Commissioner Luther Propst. We respect one another, we work well together, and we share a vision for Teton County where the well-being of our community and the regeneration of our land, water, and wildlife come first.
Electing all three of us, Ali Dunford, Karyn Chin, and Luther Propst, gives Teton County a rare chance to turn good ideas into real solutions. We’ll do the work in earnest, hold each other accountable, and take the votes that put our community first.
This place is too special to be complacent. We believe Teton County can be extraordinary and for the people who call it home. Do you believe in this too? We need each other, and we need your vote to make this happen.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Let’s go far, TOGETHER.
