On June 16, the Pagosa Springs Town Council appointed Vahid Shabro to the council seat previously held by Matt DeGuise.
DeGuise’s term ended April 6, and no candidate ran for the open seat during the town’s April election, leaving the council to fill the position via appointment per the town charter.
The appointment fills the vacancy for the remainder of the four-year term ending April 2030.
Only one application, Shabro’s, was received by the June 10 deadline, an agenda document on the matter states.
At the meeting, the council asked questions of the applicant, followed by a determination of if Shabro would be appointed to the seat.
“If an appointment is made, the applicant will be sworn in and asked to take a seat at the dais for the remainder of the meeting,” the document states.
In Shabro’s opening statement, he explained that he’s “been a full-time resident of Pagosa for over a year, and before that a part-time resident of Pagosa Springs.”
He explained, “We liked a lot of things that this town has to offer, and we have a certain perspective of what the town can provide for people — that’s for those visiting, versus those that live here, versus those that are part-time, versus those who have young children — and so I wanted to bring that perspective to Town Hall to better serve the future for his town.”
Council member Mat deGraaf asked if Shabro has been “civically involved in the past,” and, if so, in what capacity.
”I’ve been a treasurer and later president of a lacrosse team in Austin,” Shabro explained, “and that was the only time I was involved in a board for an organization.”
He added, “Apart from that, I’ve been involved with big projects and groups within corporations, but nothing in the civic capacity.”
Council member Brooks Lindner asked if Shabro has “young children,” and of what age, with Shabro explaining that he has an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old who will be raised in the community.
Lindner then asked Shabro what he thinks are the “most important issues facing the town,” and which should be “addressed by the council in the next two to three years.”
“I feel there are a lot of opportunities for the town for attracting families that have young children and are working remotely,” Shabro said, “because the quality of life here, versus other places that many people choose to live, is a lot higher here in terms of natural benefits we have as a mountain town, a ski town.”
However, he noted that the town lacks in “facilities” for the youth compared to other places.
“For example, we have to travel to Durango for a lot of activities, such as the Rec Center,” he said. “So, if there is an opportunity to create, for example, a swimming pool or a better center for the kids to be able to have more activities set for them, I think that would be great.”
It would be an opportunity to attract “a more diverse” range of people to the community, he added.
Council member Gary Williams asked for more information on Shabro’s background in artificial intelligence (AI) helping with “financial decision making,” and how that may “help the town make better decisions.”
Shabro explained that he has a lot of experience working for corporations, using AI tools to “optimize” financial performance, “so that is the perspective that I’ll bring” to the table, to help the town optimize its “tax dollars to the best benefit of the town.”
He explained that he started his corporate career as a petrol engineer and that he grew into being an advisor for the company, and that the last work he did for that company was as an environmental advisor.
Later in his career, he joined software companies to help make “calculations for emission reductions and … any information that they want to reduce their emissions in a financially responsible way,” he said.
Mayor Shari Pierce asked how Shabro would “handle” it if the vote at the meeting did not go his way.
Shabro replied that, “like anything, there’s going to be multiple perspectives and, so, I’d want to clarify my position and my reasoning … but I’d respect, in the end, that it’s the perspective of multiple people … and the majority wins.”
Pierce explained that the council had the option “to go ahead and nominate this candidate” to the seat, or “to ask staff to go back out and find more candidates,” entertaining a motion for one or the other.
When a motion was made to appoint Shabro, it was seconded and supported by the council unanimously, with council members Bergon and Martinez absent from the meeting.
Shabro was then sworn in, taking his seat at the dais among the other council members for the remainder of the meeting.
derek@pagosasun.com
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