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VAIL 鈥� Family鈥檚 important to Pete Seibert. In his case, though, a lot of Vail counts as family.

Seibert is the son of Vail founder Pete Seibert. He grew up in town, and is life-long friends with a number of town pioneers. Seibert isn’t name dropping when mentioning the people he’s grown up with; that鈥檚 just how his life has unfolded.

Seibert these days is a Realtor and returned to Vail a few years ago, first as a renter, then as an owner of one of the Chamonix townhomes in West Vail. He previously spent several years raising a family in Edwards.

鈥淓dwards was great,鈥� Seibert said. But he鈥檚 always had an attachment to Vail. It鈥檚 the economic heart of the valley, of course, as well as a social, recreational and entertainment hub.

鈥淏eing close to everything is great,鈥� he said.

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This is Seibert鈥檚 first run for public office. In fact, while many candidates for town council come from one of the town鈥檚 volunteer boards, Seibert hasn鈥檛.

鈥淚 think it was about time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always had thoughts about how Vail鈥檚 going. At a certain point, people need to get involved.鈥�

Seibert said he鈥檚 optimistic about Vail鈥檚 future, as both a town and resort, but he believes he can help guide that future.

One of the things new council members will have to deal with is a split in the community over the Booth Heights housing proposal.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the reaons I want to run,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a fractiousness that鈥檚 part of that. It鈥檚 a different tone that鈥檚 gone on than what the pioneers had when they got here.鈥�

Seibert noted that those pioneers often had disagreements, 鈥渂ut they always found a way to work together, and come together for the common good,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was the spirit that made things work.鈥�

If elected, Seibert said he鈥檇 channel that early spirit by keeping an open mind through hearings and discussions.

鈥淚n the midst of a public hearing, you really need to try to keep your thought processes open until you鈥檝e heard from everybody,鈥� he said.

But, he added, it鈥檚 also essential to 鈥済et away from personalities鈥� and focus on processes.

Those processes will almost certainly involve decisions about the environment, housing and, perhaps, further regulations on short-term rentals in town.

Seibert said the town鈥檚 efforts to clean up Gore Creek are working well. And, he added, there鈥檚 鈥渟ome irony鈥� that the Booth Heights proposal has refocused public attention on the bighorn sheep herd in the area.

But, he said, future water issues 鈥� particularly when it comes to the prospect of Front Range interests exercising water their rights on local streams 鈥� may refocus the entire community on a critical issue.

Future housing decisions need to build on the success of the Vail InDeed program, Seibert said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win,鈥� Seibert said of the program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the easiest way to gain residential units.鈥�

That said, Vail InDeed isn鈥檛 the only solution to the town鈥檚 decades-long housing crunch.

Short-term rentals have also split opinions in town, with some believing the town needs to more tightly regulate short-term rentals to stop the loss of long-term rentals in town.

Current controls, including a local point of contact for complaints and problems, are a good idea, Seibert said. But, he added, he doesn鈥檛 believe the town 鈥渟hould be that involved鈥� with those rentals.

Homeowner and property owner associations can regulate short-term rentals on a complex by complex basis.

Acknowledging the balance between the rise of short-term rentals, Seibert noted that short-term rentals contribute to the town in other ways, including bringing revenue to town.

Seibert said he believes using incentives, not punitive measures, is probably a better solution for many issues.

鈥淚f you can reward somebody (for staying in the long-term rental pool), that鈥檚 a carrot, not a stick.鈥�

Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2930.