MAYOR:

Kelly Owens

Kelly Owens considers herself incredibly lucky to have been born and raised in Colorado. Her love of Breckenridge dates back to winters in the 80’s learning to ski on Peaks 8 & 9 and returning in the summers to hike and fish. Her love of nature motivated her to attend Colorado College to study environmental science. When she was not in class or playing soccer for her college team, she would return to Breckenridge and she watched as the town grew and evolved.

Her senior year at CC found her traveling to Nepal and Tibet where she studied the impacts of recreation and tourism on local communities and the environment. After college Kelly worked in Anchorage, Alaska analyzing recreation and transportation projects on sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands and alpine environments. This job led her back to school for a masters in biology focusing on the ecology of the Pikes Peak region and eventually to a Frisco based company that analyzes recreation developments on federal lands and adjacent towns. For the next 10 years she walked the mountains of Breckenridge, Keystone, Abasin, Copper, and Taos minimizing and mitigating wetland and hydrologic impacts, coordinating wildlife, forest health and traffic studies and working with community leaders to assess social and economic effects of developed recreation.

In 2016, Kelly joined the Countywide Planning Commission to be a part of the community discussion regarding balancing the community, the economy and the environment. She was already on the board of their local childcare center and living in the Wellington Neighborhood in workforce housing. She was, and is, passionate about maintaining the livability and sense of community for the residents who are the lifeblood of our community.

Kelly began serving on Breckenridge’s Town Council in 2019 and has been Mayor Pro Tem since 2022. She has loved working for the Breckenridge Town Council for the last 5 years. Her goals as a community member, a working parent and a biologist align perfectly with the community’s vision to find the harmony between a quality of life for residents and a quality of place for visitors. Kelly enjoys skiing, rafting and camping with her family and friends and is committed to maintaining the delicate balance of a working mother of 3, partner to her husband Reed, while making time to give back to a town she loves.

 

TOWN COUNCIL: 

Marika Page
 
Marika Page has lived in Breckenridge since 2008.  She is a licensed social worker, and works full time as the social worker for the public defender’s office in the 5th judicial district.  Becoming a social worker was a career change for Marika, who earned her master’s in social work remotely from the University of Denver in August 2023.  While a master’s student, she completed a one- year internship as a social worker with the Summit School District, and a second internship with the public defender, who then created a full-time position for her.
She has been a Town of Breckenridge employee from 2009-2017, and 2021-2024, in part time (guest service and personal training) and full time (Fitness and Facility Coordinator and Fitness and Nordic Coordinator) positions.  

She is also the High Performance Coach for Team Summit’s Nordic program.

Marika moved to Breckenridge intending to make it her forever home.  Originally living at the Breckenridge Nordic Center as the full-time caretaker, she eventually purchased a workforce housing unit in Vic’s Landing, where she served as the HOA president for three years. She helped resurrect the Frisco Rowing Center on Lake Dillon, bringing athletes from all over the world to train at altitude, as well as developing a local community of rowers, many of whom learned to row from her on Lake Dillon.  Marika is a certified mediator in Colorado, and served as a volunteer mediator in Summit county small claims court.

Marika’s expertise is in understanding that the same story has many perspectives, and individuals understand the story differently, based on their needs, interests and experiences.  Marika believes the Town is a unique place to live and a special place to visit, and we need the perspectives and contributions of all our residents to sustainably balance our growth and our natural environment.


Steve Gerard
 
I am running for a seat on Town Council because I want to preserve the historic appeal of our incomparable mountain town, protect and enhance its livability for our local families, and provide for a sustainable work force.

I will bring my understanding of the Development Code and Historic Design Standards, gained from serving for seven years as a Planning Commissioner, along with my ability to listen to all sides learned from my experience with the Iowa Judicial Branch and mediation training, to making the critical development decisions necessary to achieve these goals. My degree in accounting provides an understanding of the budgeting process and financial issues confronting the town.

I support strong rules for historic preservation to protect our historic properties, and thoughtful, sustainable development. I believe in carefully considering issues and will focus on their impact through a locals-first lens. 

I consider myself a local, along with my wife and daughter, each of us living and working as part of the community in this town. While we are home to the world-class Breckenridge Ski Resort, it is the people who live and work here that make this community exceptional and who I wish to represent.

I have been a been a property owner in Breckenridge for over 20 years and a full-time resident for eight. I have worked for the Breckenridge Golf Course and in ticket sales for Vail Resorts, gaining invaluable knowledge of local businesses and the Breckenridge work force. 

I am presently employed by the State of Colorado as a contract attorney representing children and indigent parents in juvenile court. I work in Summit County and several adjoining mountain counties giving me a big picture understanding of the challenges and issues faced by governments across Colorado.

When not working you can find me hiking our local trails, Nordic skiing in the winter, and enjoying group fitness classes year-round at the Breckenridge Recreation Center.


Dick Carleton

Dick was born in Washington DC, grew up in Richmond, Virginia and attended Virginia Tech, where he nurtured a love of the mountains.  He graduated from the Pamplin Business School at Va Tech with a degree in Marketing.

Breckenridge has been home for Dick since he moved to the community in 1980. He met his wife Cathy here, and they raised their three children, who have all attended Summit School District K–12 in the community (Starke the Class of 2019 and in 2023 graduated from CU; Milly & Zach the Class of 2022; Milly now attends CU and Zach CSU). 
Dick started working at Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant as a server for his current business partner, Alexandra Storm in the fall of 1981. They have since opened the Hearthstone (1989), Mi Casa Keystone (1998 and sold it in 2003), and Hearthstone Catering (1990 and sold it in 2009).  Their business partnership still thrives today with Alexandra as Founder and Dick as Managing Partner.  They also have a small real estate holding company. 
Dick’s mother taught him at a young age the importance of giving back to the community, and he has always enjoyed being involved. He has served on the boards of the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Summit Foundation, Breckenridge Tourism Office, Communities that Care, Tipsy Taxi, Summit Youth Hockey, and the Summit Middle School Building Accountability Committee. He was one of the founders of the Breckenridge Restaurant Association and serves on numerous HOA Boards. His involvement on Town Boards/Committees includes TOB Housing Committee, Breckenridge Social Equity Advisory Committee, TOB Police Advisory Committee, TOB Marketing Advisory Committee, and TOB Events Committee. 

Dick was very proud to have been appointed to Town Council in the Spring of 2018 and elected to a four-year term in 2020. His six years on Council make him the most senior member, and, along with Kelly Owens, he has worked hard to see us through years of COVID, numerous Development Projects, the employee housing crisis, and the everyday business of running our Town. Dick believes his institutional knowledge of Breckenridge along with his experience on Council make him uniquely qualified and hopes to earn your support this April.