Apparently one of the biggest controversies in Aspen, Colorado, this week is whether the city should sponsor a “Lance Armstrong LiveStrong Day.”
Aspen is Armstrong's new home, where he bought a $9 million home to live with Anna Hansen and their less than 2-month-old son Maxwell Edward Armstrong.
At Monday's City Council meeting Mayor Mick Ireland proposed a special celebration to commemorate Armstrong. He told the New York Times: “It seems perfectly appropriate to acknowledge someone who is a part-time resident.”
Others don't see it that way. Councilmember Steve Skadron said it was a cheap way to capitalize on Armstrong's celebrity, and another said the city should focus its support on local athletes.
In an editorial “Enough of the idolatry,” the Aspen Times writes that it has been cool to see Armstrong training on the local roads as he came out of his 3 1/2-year retirement, but the idea of a day celebrating Armstrong “smacks of hypocrisy.”
“First, as snooty as Aspen residents are about achieving “local status,” giving Armstrong his own day seems downright disingenuous.
“Second, Armstrong happens to be a second-home owner from Texas. Now maybe we're going out on a limb here, but it seems that some “locals” have a problem with second-home owners from the Lone Star State.
“Somehow, however, that bit of trivia is overlooked in Aspen's worship of its 'hometown boy.' “
I lived in Austin when Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999. Although he grew up in Plano, he had lived and trained in Austin off and on for years and was a full-time resident in the community by the time he had won.
Austin threw a huge celebration for Armstrong, which included an evening bicycle parade through town and a big party with live music at a local park. I don't remember anyone second-guessing that decision, but he was a full-fledged member of Austin's community.
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