This article is an excerpt from “DU in the High Country,” a feature article in the spring issue of University of Denver Magazine.
More than 3,800 DU alumni live west of the Continental Divide, and two of them are neighboring mayors and friends who serve the adjacent towns of Fraser and Winter Park
Brian Cerkvenik (right) and Nick Kutrumbos are mayors of Fraser and Winter Park, respectively.
Brian Cerkvenik (BSBA 2002), mayor of Fraser since 2024, is a Pioneer Leadership Program alum, an avid DU hockey fan and owner of Home James Transportation Services. At 8,183 feet and a population of 1,500, Fraser is known for a vibrant arts scene that helps “keep Fraser funky,” which is the town’s motto.
Nick Kutrumbos (BSBA 2005), mayor of Winter Park since 2020, was raised in Observatory Park near DU, where his mom was a professor. He’s also a hockey fan and owner of the family restaurant Deno’s Mountain Bistro. Home to Colorado’s longest continually operating ski resort, Winter Park has 1,000 residents and more than 3 million visitors a year.
DU Magazine sat down with Cerkvenik and Kutrumbos to talk about their work in Grand County and how DU prepared them for public service.
What is your proudest achievement as mayor?
Cerkvenik: We’re at a tipping point, where people are moving here and development is booming. We have over 9,000 housing units that are going to be built. To handle that kind of growth, Fraser set up a downtown development authority that will allow the tax increments from property tax to stay within the downtown area so that we can make more improvements to it. We’re also converting the old trailer park in our downtown area into a riverfront district, bringing a walkable area in Fraser that people will want to spend time in.
Kutrumbos: We’ve built a public transportation system from scratch, and the Town of Winter Park owns and operates the regional system serving Grand County. We’ve received grants for electric buses and a maintenance facility that can charge over 20 electric busses. We’re working on a multimodal transportation system which includes rail, bus and fixed cable transit. The town is participating in the Mountain Rail Coalition and supporting the Colorado Department of Transportation and the governor’s office to expand subsidized daily train service to Winter Park and beyond. And we’re working on a gondola less than 100 yards from the train platform that would connect downtown Winter Park to the base of the ski resort.
What is your biggest challenge as mayor?
Cerkvenik: Affordability. People have been priced out. We received a grant through the state’s Department of Local Affairs and the Division of Housing for $3.04 million to purchase 11.3 acres right on the edge of Fraser that is dedicated to affordable workforce housing. Phase 1, including two buildings with a childcare center, begins construction in April. Infrastructure for the entire project, which includes five apartment buildings and 13 for-sale townhomes, is already in the ground.
Kutrumbos: Colorado’s mountain towns generated over $4.4 billion in taxable spending from November 2022 through March 2023, but our communities have very small population bases—so, we get limited state funding to support community housing, sustainability initiatives, state road maintenance, fire mitigation, etc. Over the last 10 years, mountain towns have created coalitions to build political capital at the state and federal levels. Our voices are being heard, but it will always be a challenge to compete for funding with the major metropolitan areas.
How did your DU education prepare you to be mayor?
Cerkvenik: I always had some interest in leadership. I didn’t necessarily think I would get into politics, but when we found ourselves up here in Fraser, that changed pretty quickly. I got on the town board and realized what a big impact it has. Our decisions affect so many more people than just those living in Fraser. The Pioneer Leadership Program had a lot of emphasis on civic roles, and back then I didn’t know if I would use that, but here I am.
Kutrumbos: What’s great about DU is the networking. Being an elected official, it’s all about building relationships, getting out there in the community and talking about these issues that we all face together and finding creative solutions. DU does a great job connecting people.
How do you collaborate with each other?
Cerkvenik: My first thought after moving up here was, “Why do we have these two little towns that are literally right next to each other? Why not combine them?” My attitude has changed in that regard. The two towns have a very different feel and oftentimes different goals. But when we’re looking to accomplish the same thing, it makes a bigger impact to have two towns with a united message. I’m all for Nick’s plan for the gondola and having a neighboring town say, “We also want this to happen,” is helpful. We also share some services to help save our taxpayers money, and we’ve worked together, along with the ski resort, to build a valleywide sustainability plan, which includes everything from environmental sustainability to responsible growth.
Kutrumbos: Winter Park and Fraser are two unique communities that share a municipal boundary that makes it difficult to tell where one town ends and the other one begins. Brian and I meet regularly, and we have a lot of ideas to make our communities a better place to live and raise a family. I am excited to see Brian’s influence on Fraser and look forward to working on collaborative projects.
Most mayors in our resort communities are ski bums that were previously “lifties” (ski lift operators) or bartenders or restauranteurs turned politicians. It’s a benefit to the community because we are accessible. Conversations with constituents are much more productive while chatting with an ice-cold beer or riding a chairlift.