Art Goodtimes won a third term in 2004 with 50.7% of the vote in a three way race, where he was outspent 3-1. The first elected Green county commissioner in Colorado history!

Read Art's Press Release announcing his 2004 reelection campaign.

2004 Campaign

“If there's hope in the American West, it's that Art Goodtimes is one of our county commissioners. And, Art, I want you to know you've inspired me for years.”
Terry Tempest Williams, inviting Art up to the stage to read his poem in honor of Helen Newell, in the middle of Williams' keynote address to the Western Colorado Congress, annual meeting, Montrose Pavilion, Oct. 9, 2004.

By Nancy Lofholm
Denver Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 05, 2004 -

Polished and politically correct politicians who failed to capture enough votes in this week's election can look to San Miguel County for a lesson in how to be an off-brand "paleohippie" and hold office.

San Miguel County commissioner, Green Party member, basket weaver, poet laureate of the Telluride Mushroom Festival and Rainbow Family follower Art Goodtimes won a third term in office Tuesday even though he faced more straight-laced opponents, including one who outspent him 3-to- 1 in campaigning.

"I am not a one-size-fits-all kind of candidate," said the long-haired, copiously bearded Goodtimes from his home in Norwood, where he grows heirloom potatoes and writes poetry. "I look like a Haight-Ashbury hippie. I like to call myself a paleohippie. I am who I am, and I don't try to hide it or pretend it doesn't exist."

For Goodtimes, that free-spirited transparency includes his habit of weaving hemp baskets at public meetings and giving spirited performances of his poetry at conferences and meetings around the West.

"It's interesting to have a poet be a politician. Poets view the world differently, and I think that's one of Art's strengths," said former Telluride Mayor Amy Levek.

Voters must agree. They gave Goodtimes another four years in office with 1,910 votes. His closest contender, Democrat Brian Ahern, who sometimes operates a Telluride taxi service catering to drunks, received 1,213 votes, and independent Kay Hartman garnered 674 votes.

Goodtimes continued the distinction of being the only politician in Colorado who gained office by running as a Green Party candidate.

He ran on a platform promise of continuing to balance the ecology and the economy of San Miguel County, which includes the liberal-minded, mining- turned-resort town of Telluride and the conservative ranching community of Norwood. He also promised to continue protection of high alpine watersheds and to champion "green" building codes.

Goodtimes said he has evolved as a politician over the past eight years. Key, he said, has been becoming a better listener. That, and his well-known propensity for being a peacekeeper and bringing factions together, helped him win every precinct except for the tiny community of Egnar, where Ahern topped him by four votes.

Goodtimes, 59, said he's also proud of his political popularity outside San Miguel County. He said that as a Club 20 board member, he has been embraced - literally - by conservatives like former state representative and Meeker sheep rancher Nick Theos. Goodtimes also serves on several environmental task forces and a federal public lands advisory board, in addition to his participation in Earth First and the San Miguel Greens.

Staff writer Nancy Lofholm can be reached at 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com

From the Telluride Watch:

By Seth Cagin
Voters in five of six precincts in San Miguel County gave incumbent County Commissioner Art Goodtimes the largest number of their votes on Tuesday, returning the Green Party standard bearer to another four-year term in office.

Voters in both Telluride and Mountain Village also narrowly approved a “mini” mill levy to provide annual operating funds to the Telluride Historical Museum.

On national and state matters, the county was true to its past form, strongly supporting John Kerry over George W. Bush, and giving large margins of support to the two winning candidates for the U.S. Congress: Senator-elect Ken Salazar and Representative-elect John Salazar. The county remains an island of Blue in a sea of Red.

Goodtimes beat two challengers, taking 1910 out of 3797 votes cast. That translates to just over 50 percent. Democrat Brian Ahern, in his first bid for elected office won 1213 votes, or 32 percent. Unaffiliated candidate Kay Hartman trailed with 674 votes.

As he did the last time he ran, Goodtimes showed strength countywide, losing only the smallest precinct, Precinct 6, the Egnar area, where only 40 votes were cast. There he trailed both Hartman, with 17 votes, and Ahern, with 12. But for Goodtimes it was especially gratifying to again win Precinct 4, covering Wright’s Mesa, which is where both he and Hartman live. Like Egnar, Wright’s Mesa is unquestionably more conservative than the rest of the county, as proven by the fact that only those two precincts gave a majority of their votes to George Bush over John Kerry. Goodtimes won 213 votes in his home precinct, trailed by Hartman with 155 and Ahern with 124.

“We need a balance in San Miguel County between the ‘New West’ of urban refugees and the ‘Old West’ of ranchers and loggers and resource extraction,” said Goodtimes. “I have tried to be responsive to citizens on both ends of the county and have feet in both those worlds. I think county government has been responsive to that.”
It is precisely that desire to compromise that has drawn fire from the left, as expressed by Ahern in the recent campaign, while others believe that Goodtimes – proudly Green – is too far to the left.

This election was quiet locally, with incumbent County Commissioner Elaine Fischer running unopposed for a second term. That left the Goodtimes-Ahern-Hartman race the only major race on local ballots. And unlike recent past elections, there were no controversial local ballot questions, either. Though the historical museum mini mill passed by only 40 votes in Telluride – the margin in Mountain Village was larger – nobody campaigned against it. The museum board deliberately sought to stay non-controversial by asking for just one-third of a mill in new property taxes, costing property owners just $2.19 per $1 million of assessed valuation.

The new taxes are projected to generate $112,00 per year for the museum in its first year, ending the museum’s need to seek annual subsidies from local governments.

From the Telluride Daily Planet:

Although the numbers pale by national standards, San Miguel County District 3 Commissioner candidate Brian Ahern has raised nearly $9,000 in his quest to unseat incumbent Art Goodtimes.

Ahern, a Democrat, raised $8,885 as of the last required filing date in October. New reports must be filed before Nov. 1, according to County Clerk Doris Ruffe, with final reports due in December.

Trailing Ahern in money received from backers are Independent candidates Kay Hartman with $2,299 and incumbent Goodtimes, a Green, who reported $1,785.

Contributions to all three candidates range from the minimum amount that must be reported, $20, to $1,000. Ahern collected the only two $1,000 contributions of the three commissioner candidates - one from Wilson Mesa resident Jack Chrysler and another from Telluride businessman and longtime resident Bill Gordon.

Additionally Ahern received financial support from such stalwart Democrats as former Telluride mayor John Steel and hotelier Michael Zivian. One of his largest contributors, Joseph and Diane Steinberg kicked in $500 toward Ahern's effort to unseat Goodtimes. Steinberg listed his employer as Leucadia Corp., which owns land in and around the ghost town of Alta and acreage on Turkey Creek Mesa. Other contributors at the $500 level include attorney Archie Lamb, who listed an out-of-state address, stockbroker Diego Vieta of Mountain Village, and a woman named Julianna Kickett who listed herself as retired.

Goodtimes' financial supporters include Mountainfilm stalwart Rick Silverman, locals Robert Trenary, John Lifton and Richard Arnold, who each gave $200 to the incumbent commissioner. Local attorney Tom Kennedy, who has represented Idarado and Leucadia Corp., is also listed as a contributor.

Hartman listed himself, restauranteur Harmon Brown (his campaign manager) and Teddy Herrick as those donating $500 each for a campaign on which he has so far spent $2,139 for advertising, office supplies and signage.

Ahern is vastly outspending his competitors, listing expenditures amounting to $7,985, compared to $2,139 spent by the Hartman campaign and $640 reported by the Committee to Elect Art Goodtimes.

Goodtimes' largest expenditure was for his former campaign manager Liz Lance who was paid $310.77 before she stepped down, citing an overloaded schedule. Goodtimes' other expenses went toward advertising, signs and office supplies.

Ahern has dipped into his war chest for expenses such as Sheridan Opera House rental fees for the upcoming Election Day Alex Maryol concert, rental of the Hitching Post for a Norwood meet and greet, advertising, merchandise, signs and other costs.

To contact Goodtimes, email him or write him at Cloud Acre, Box 160, Norwood CO 81423, or contact his office at 970-728-3844.