Catherine Jett spent ten years in Summit County before moving to Telluride full-time in 2003 to work for CJ Sports Timing, a business she and her husband, John, own and operate.

“We are one of the most respected timing contractors in the country,” Jett says of the family business, explaining that “C” stands for Cath, and “J” for John.

Cath Jett, who worked with Summit County, Copper Mountain and Intrawest after moving west not quite three decades ago, in a career switch from her post-college job at USA Today, has sat on two boards since coming to Mountain Village, first on the Design Review Board, and currently on her appointment to the town council seat vacated by Councilmember Bob Trenary in January 2007.

She has watched as the Rosewood, Lot 50-51 and Silverline projects make their way through the hurdles of the application process, but although she was “pretty outspoken” on the DRB, Jett says, upon her appointment to council, she found that “it takes some time to get your feet under you when you’re in public office.”

Jett is a member of the Mountain Village 15-Year Plan Task Force.

“Going into it most people didn’t think there could be consensus,” a perception Jett says she is pleased to see being laid to rest. “The comprehensive planning process is great. We have amazing people on the board and amazing input from the community and from the task force as well as from staff. It has been a very rewarding process for me to hear all the different sides” as the Mountain Village community ponders its future.

“We definitely have the potential to become a really vibrant community,” says Jett, adding that working to end the “shoulder season” between winter skiing and summer festivals is a high priority.

Wearing her CJ Sports Timing cap, Jett has been meeting with Telluride Ski and Golf Co. officials about restoring the summertime mountain-bike races; as a resident and a councilmember seeking reelection, she expresses interest in Telski’s announcement that it will consider building an 8,000-seat amphitheater on the Misty Maiden run.

She is pleased by this year’s plan for a bluegrass band to play at the town’s Sunset Concert Series the Wednesday before Telluride Bluegrass Festival starts on Thursday, June 18, in Telluride Town Park, observing that, with a Mountain Village amphitheater, “we could have the potential to work in tandem with everything from Jazz Festival to Bluegrass,” possibly extending those events’ reach by several days.

Growing up in the small town of Bethel, Maine, Jett grew up “walking everywhere” – a means of transportation she tries to maintain in her business travels, mostly getting around by mass transit or on foot instead of renting a car.

“We’re so lucky here, with the gondola and the chondola,” she says, adding that “the price of gas really doesn’t affect my budget.”

Council’s biggest concern, she says, is developing “economic vitality, and trying to become a year-round town – not just a resort, but a real town.”

The Telluride region’s greatest strength might be one of its perceived disadvantages, she suggests. “We have to remember we are an economic anomaly: We’re not a front-range resort,” she explains.

Jett pronounces herself “amazed by how cohesive the town council is,” adding that “so much change has been achieved so quickly, it’s probably best to stay on the course for awhile.

“The economy right now is a really big nut to crack,” she says, “and we’re just going to have to play up on our strengths to get over this hump, by creating a sustainable, liveable town.