Issues

ISSUES

There are many issues facing our City. Below, I have listed some of these issues and my thoughts on them. First, though, I firmly believe we have a great City. This is a wonderful place to live. We have clean air and water, low crime, and many recreational choices. In general, our City is well run. Could some things be done differently? Of course! There is no government entity, business, or household that couldn't use some improvement. Is there waste in City government? Again, most likely. In any large organization, there will be some room for cost savings and more careful spending. Sometimes, though, you have to weigh the costs associated with micromanaging an organization and any savings that may be realized. As your City Councilmember, I pledge to be a good steward of our tax money, to carefully review each budget, and to ensure that those spending our money are spending it wisely. I will not, however, try to micromanage our City staff—that is the job of our City Manager and his department managers. My job will be to oversee and advise those managers while keeping a careful eye on the operations of our City.

	Citizen Involvement: As a community activist, I know the importance of access to elected officials. I will always be accessible to our citizens. I would like to be invited to your home owner and club meetings. I intend to participate in town hall meetings. I will promptly respond to phone calls and e-mails. I am a strong supporter of electronic communication. As your representative, it is important that I be aware of your concerns and take them into consideration when making decisions. However, Council decisions cannot be subject to citizen referendums. You will be entrusting me with the responsibility to make decisions on your behalf. I will always strive to do what is in the best interest of our City. I will not be able to please everyone every time. I will not be the kind of representative who wets his finger and sticks it in the air before making a decision. I will approach each decision with an open mind, listening to all sides before making a decision.
	Water: We have done a very good job in the past to ensure that we will have an adequate supply of water - now and in the future. We must complete the Southern Delivery System to make sure we have access to water rights that belong to us while still being a good neighbor to those who also depend on water from the Arkansas River.
	Infrastructure: We must have good City streets and safe bridges. The passage of the Rural Transportation Authority by the voters was a good step in developing, improving, and maintaining our transportation infrastructure.
	Taxes: We can be justifiably proud of the fact that our citizens pay, by far, the lowest per capita tax of any front range City. Our per person property tax revenue is just $47 per year! Compare this to Douglas ($309), Boulder ($256), or Jefferson ($253). Even Pueblo ($187) and Mesa ($157) citizens pay more in property tax than we do. And, when you figure in sales tax, we still only pay a total tax of about $172 per person which is the lowest of all front range counties (Douglas is the highest at $506). And yet, the services we provide are top notch! Given these figures, there can't be too much waste or mismanagement in our City government! I support the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights and believe that your money should always be invested and spent wisely. I also believe the "double counting" of state grants must be fixed. Funds collected by the state are subject to TABOR limits. When state funds are transferred to the City to pay for state mandated programs, they are also counted against our TABOR limit. This double counting unfairly penalizes local governments when it is just a pass through.
	Public Safety: The number one function of government is providing for the common defense of its citizens. For a City, this is law enforcement, judiciary, prosecution, and incarceration. Our taxes provide for these necessary functions. If there isn't enough money to hire and train quality police officers and firefighters, our safety will suffer. I am a strong supporter of public safety. As a City Councilmember, I will support the demonstrated and documented needs of our police and fire departments. They establish the need, and councilmembers establish the funding. In hard economic times, this may mean cutting back on nonessential services and programs. That is why you put us in office–to make the tough choices, to prioritize spending. You should expect no less and I will give no less.
	Parks and Recreation: A quality of life issue, what makes people want to live here, recreational opportunities are a necessary function of government. We must set aside and maintain space and facilities for our citizens to enjoy. We cannot be "all work and no play" even as a government. I support the Trails, Open Space, and Parks (TOPS) program and the many benefits we will see from it.
	Mass Transportation: I support a viable and useable transit system. I also support the Front Range Express service. We need to maintain a transit system that serves those in our community who have no other means of transportation and we need to make it attractive to the "choice" rider so that we can help get cars off the road.
	Property Rights: Private ownership of property is a fundamental right of Americans. To protect the value of our property, some communities have adopted rules that regulate what we can do on our property. I will never support the taking of private property for non-governmental use and will only support using condemnation in the most extreme situations where public safety is necessary.
	Second Amendment: Everyone should know where I stand on this issue! I have been in the forefront of the fight to protect our right to keep and bear arms for more than 10 years. This right is the foundation upon which all other rights are built. The Bill of Rights is clear in protecting this right and the Colorado Constitution is even more clear.
	Growth: Growth is essential to the health of a community. I support planned and managed growth. We must work with the developers to ensure they include open space and make provisions for schools and help with infrastructure needs.

Page last updated: 04/30/2008