Boulder County Issues
Yes on ballot issue 1A
Open space tax extension
You are already paying this 0.10 percent sales tax. Why? Because you love open space and want to leave a legacy of preservation for decades to come. Voting ‘yes’ extends the tax from 2009 to 2029, thus insuring the funds to buy and maintain open space will remain for a few more decades.
Yes on ballot issue 1B
Transportation tax extension
You are already paying this 0.10 percent sales tax. Why? Because transportation projects are of the utmost importance and there’s rarely extra cash laying around to pay for them. This ballot item will extend the tax to improve roads, intersection safety, bike paths and trails, to name a few. �
November 2007
Westminster Races
Becoming A Landlocked City
There’s not a whole lot of room for Westminster to expand; it’s essentially a land-locked city fast approaching build out. That means in the near future, city officials have to make crucial decisions that will leave the city prospering for years—or not. This means council members need to subsidize the right redevelopment projects and ensure its transportation needs are met in an increasingly competitive arena for RTD FasTrack attention and CDOT’s road improvement funds.
City Council Seats (pick three)
Christopher Dittman, Bob Briggs, Faith Winter over Americus Kalmar, Todd Squillante, Jane Fancher and JoAnn Price
Most malls have a 20-year shelf life. The Westminster Mall is no exception as it has taken a huge chunk of Westminster’s sales tax base away as it has floundered over the past few years. But there’s hope on the horizon, and when the nearly vacated retail center is redeveloped, Christopher Dittman, a 50-year resident of Westminster, wants to make sure the new development lasts a bit longer. The incumbent plans to work with the developer in building a transportation-oriented centerpiece for the city. One problem, RTD is far from guaranteeing a FasTracks stop at that location, which he deems the best piece of real estate in the North Metro area. Dittman is willing to do whatever it takes (read, use city funds) to ensure the train does stop there. He’s served his first term on city council and has helped the city spread its tax base to the point that revenues are approaching pre-2001 levels. But there’s a bit more work to be done. In his second-plus term (he was originally appointed in 2001), he’ll continue to champion for open space until the city reaches its 15 percent goal, wants to push CDOT and the Feds for a hybrid toll/HOV lane on Highway 36, and continue beefing up code enforcement.
When you wear out three pairs of sandals walking the city, knocking on 10,000-plus doors, you show a dedication to listening to the community that automatically makes for a strong city council candidate. Faith Winter did just that, and she has shown throughout her life that she is dedicated to democracy. Most recently, she led an effort in 2004 that helped turn out 94,000 voters and participated in the Westminster Citizen’s Police Academy among other civic activities. Beyond that, she understands the issues facing Westminster. Priorities include beefing up a code enforcement department that has just seven officers for a city of more than 100,000 residents, making sure FasTracks pulls into the Westminster Mall, and offer incentives to lure more primary jobs to the city. Her list is actually much longer than that, and she can offer concrete solutions for many of them. Even if her plate fills, we suspect she has the work ethic to get through it all. Even if it requires buying a few more pairs of sandals.
Bob Briggs likes trains. And that’s a good thing for Westminster as it heads into the final stretch of planning for the FasTracks line that will have up to three stops inside city limits. To take full advantage of the line, stations need to be serviced by other modes of top-notch transportation. Briggs, who has been a member of the Colorado Rail Association for decades and sat on the RTD board from 1998-2002, has some grand ideas for that. He’d like to see trolley cars running in conjunction with the mass transit rail, a worthwhile idea, even if it may be hard to pull off. But if he can garner support and find about $1 million per trolley mile, Westminster could see benefits of mass transit as far as five to 10 miles away from any station. It’s this grand concept that will make the train line even more successful. It’s also the kind of idea that edges Briggs ahead of incumbent JoAnn Price, who has served the community well in her first term, for the final seat on council. Briggs is also a huge proponent of open space and has a plethora of experience in statewide politics serving as county commissioner and state representative (1978-1982) that will help his lofty trolley idea take off.�
November 2007
Thornton Races
A City Divided
Short of building a wall between the south and north, the city of Thornton couldn’t have two more distinct communities forming. In the original section of the city, you find urban blight and aging homes. To the north, booming new suburbs. One thing you won’t find anywhere in Thornton, however, are living-wage jobs. With its proximity to Denver, Boulder, the airport and even Fort Collins, it shouldn’t be difficult to lure the best business and residential development in the North Metro area. But it’s not that easy and the city—which may soon be the state’s fourth largest—has an image problem to overcome.
Mayor
Erik Hansen over Jeff Kraft, Marty Wisniewski, Richard Reeser and Rebecca Cavanaugh-Miller
If you ask city residents, Thornton officials are doing a fine job providing a quality place to live. In fact, in a recent survey, roughly 70 percent voiced approval with city officials. We get the feeling it won’t stay that way for long with the current level of bickering among elected officials. A strong, even-handed voice is needed to oversee council, and frankly, despite this being a crowded five-person race, it really comes down to two (with apologies to Marty Wisniewski who’s served as mayor since January). Both are current council members, and Erik Hansen gets our approval over Rebecca Cavanaugh-Miller. Hansen won’t leave well enough alone. He doesn’t think increased code enforcement is the way to fix the aging neighborhoods in the southern part of the city—it may be a part, but a small part at that. Hansen is aggressive, cocky perhaps, and has set some lofty goals. He’d like to turn 88th Avenue into a marquee boulevard, using FasTracks service as the vehicle for change. Think trolleys leaving a new station at Welby, heading west to a redeveloped Washington Avenue corridor. He’ll aggressively market the city, especially areas such as East Lake, the only real downtown Thornton offers. His unique solutions such as providing citywide wireless service could help bring more jobs. Hansen is bold, loud and committed to do what’s necessary to achieve the tough goals he has set out.
Ward I
Jon Heikka over Steve Lebsock and Gabe McBride
It’s always tough to knock off an incumbent in these odd-year elections. And Steve Lebsock talks a good game and has plenty to back it up. But Ward I of Thornton is increasingly becoming the eye sore of the city (it doesn’t even have its own grocery store, save for a new Hispanic market that recently opened) and a new voice is needed. Enter long shot Jon Heikka, the chief of police for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He’ll take a no nonsense approach to luring more unique businesses to the oldest part of the city and look to streamline the development approval process so would-be investors won’t be scared away. The next four years are crucial as serious Original Thornton revitalization plans need to be laid out to take full advantage when FasTracks trains start cutting through the city in 2014.
Ward II
Eva Henry over Ron Kuehn
Ron Kuehn was the only candidate to turn down the endorsement interview with The Yellow Scene. While that in itself isn’t a deadly sin, it is indicative of the tired political attitude in the southern part of the city. Eva Henry deserves your vote over the incumbent—she has been so fed up with the city that she started running for office in January, an unusually early beginning. She wants to increase city/school partnerships, bring living-wage paying jobs to Thornton, work with FasTracks to make sure the city gets what it needs out of the massive transportation project and close the gap between the south and north. She’s raised a ton of money, has support from the state legislature and the man who could be the area’s next U.S. Congressman, Jared Polis. It’s all for good reason.
Ward III
Randal Smith over Beth Humenik
Randal Smith gets the edge in this race between two candidates who are trying to rebound from previous losses on Election Day in Thornton. Smith, who works construction by day, emphasizes the need for prioritizing new fire stations in the city’s northern wards (III & IV), something that has lost out on funding in the last few years. He says the northern part of the city is already falling behind the curve in providing emergency and other vital services, something that could spiral out of control as development continues at a furious pace. He also wants to make sure that Thornton stops luring only big boxes and makes a hard push to land unique businesses that will pull people from other markets. He understands that he needs to represent more than just Ward III interests by helping the city’s struggling southern section.
Ward IV
Sheila Powell over Kim Jetton, David Pettit and Eric Tade
If you live in Ward IV, you likely have a combined household income nearing six figures, live in a nice home and drive a relatively expensive car. Yup, north Thornton is a whole lot nicer than south Thornton. That is not lost on Sheila Powell, who has ideas that will help her tony ward and bridge the gap to the poorer, Original Thornton. She will prioritize funding for a fire station in her ward, use partnerships and incentives to lure good business into both southern and northern segments of the city, and market the city tirelessly to potential job centers.�
November 2007
Northglenn Races
A City In Need Of A Facelift
Northglenn is the oft forgotten North Metro city that is completely locked in by neighboring communities. It has enormous potential with its proximity to Denver and access to major transit arteries. But the city doesn’t have many jobs nor does it have much of the new retail development sprouting up throughout the North Metro area. A lot of tough decisions need to be made in the coming years; without strong leadership willing to spend public money to fix everything from roads to empty shopping centers, Northglenn will slide further behind its North Metro counterparts.
Ward I
Sheri Paiz over John Thomas, Raymond Lynch* and Sean Reif*
You do not have to tell Sheri Paiz what the issues facing Northglenn are. The incumbent is well aware. Every community around the landlocked city is growing, meaning lucrative sales tax revenues are slipping away. But she knows there is not one solution to fixing that problem. She doesn’t like putting all the city’s eggs in one basket, so to speak. Improving the marketplace at 104th and I-25 is one project to focus on. Making a shopping center that becomes the city’s downtown and interacts with Eb Rains Jr. Memorial Park at 120th and I-25 is another. Fixing the aging housing stock with the controversial Northglenn Neighborhood Development Corporation (a subsidized program that helps residents remodel their homes) is another. The list goes on. Basically, the future is bright if Paiz and others aggressively take on the blight and aging infrastructure.
Ward II
Joseph Brown over Joyce Downing* and Pat Smith*
Calling this race proved tricky as only one candidate returned our queries for endorsement interviews. We simply cannot endorse a candidate who can’t make time for a quick media interview. So Joseph Brown wins our endorsement by default. That’s not to take anything away from Brown, a longtime resident who feels it’s about time he gets involved with Northglenn government. While he may be a little on the green side when it comes to city politics, he has a firm grasp on what would make Northglenn a better place to live. He took part in the city’s Citizen’s Police Academy, is one of the few candidates who seems to understand that getting a light rail station in city limits could be a good thing, and truly hopes the recreation center initiative passes this election. Basically, Brown is the good neighbor everybody wants next door, and we think that’ll make for a good voice on council.
Ward III
Dave Usechek over Ervin Baker and Mark Esparza*
If Dave Usechek has that familiar look to him, it likely means you’re a college football nut. He’s served as a Division I official for a number of years. But that has nothing to do with why we like him. The former city council member (1981-86) worries that the current city council is not working well together, resulting in a voting block that is hard to overcome. The long-time educator wants to break that so the right decisions for long-range planning can be made. Incentives are a key component of luring new development, but he’d like to see them in the form of rebates instead of cash up front. Usechek is adamant against going to voters to extend a half-cent sales tax that covered water bonds and is set to expire—there’s an upswell of support for trying to continue it to beef up the city’s budget. Since Northglenn already has one of the highest metro-area sales taxes, lowering it may help lure new business.
Ward IV
Rosie Garner over Gene Wienke
To fix some of Northglenn’s budget problems in the long-term means taking aggressive measures to jumps tart the city’s retail tax base. Since Northglenn is landlocked, it’s stuck looking within city limits to find more revenue sources. Rosie Garner understands this, which is why she says it was worth the lumps she’s taken politically since backing the city’s $10 million purchase of a large swath of land at 120th and Grant. Many didn’t like the move, saying the city was going too far in luring development. But it’s now in the driver’s seat for shaping the development that will be known as The Shops at Webster Lake. Garner wants to continue aggressive measures under the purview of an urban redevelopment authority to help fight blight in Northglenn and foster development around FasTracks when it brings train service from Denver in a few years.
Yes on ballot question 1
Recreation center
Building a brand new, state-of-the-art recreation center with a property tax increase is a great way to build community buy-in, which is something Northglenn desperately needs. Without civic pride, it will be virtually impossible to fix aging neighborhoods and rid Northglenn of blight. So the cost of $197 annually for a $250,000 home seems like a bargain. This would build a rec center with a dedicated space for seniors, a performing arts theater, athletic facilities and community meeting rooms. It will be a huge upgrade from the aging center in Northglenn right now.�
November 2007
Niwot Races
Yes on ballot issue 5A
Niwot Local Improvement District tax
When the Niwot Local Improvement District first went to residents to increase its sales tax in 1992, voters agreed, and the enclave benefited by completing numerous key projects such as streetscaping, paving, streetlights and the correction of some longstanding drainage problems. Boulder County loaned them the money right after the issue passed, and since Niwot has been using the tax to repay the loan. Now Niwot is asking to double that sales tax to 1 percent, thus adding an additional $54,000 in annual revenue. This means Niwot can finally start on new, essential downtown projects to keep it thriving. Think road, parking, sidewalk and lighting improvements.�
November 2007
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