2010 Erie Elections Endorsements
OK, Erie voters, Election Day is not far away. And like you, we’ve started to form some opinions. Below are our picks for trustees. See up to date news coverage everyday between now and the election.
And don’t forget to check out the Q&As from (almost) all the candidates:
Endorsements:
Mayor
Yellow Scene endorses Cheryl Hauger for mayor.
The truth is we had a difficult time making this selection. Both candidates, Joe Wilson and Hauger (Paula Teeple refused to answer our questionnaire as well as a short in-person interview, making her ineligible for endorsement. She did offer a statement that can be seen at yellowscene.com), have good qualities that could make them a successful mayor:
Wilson is focused on making Erie 100 percent fiscally responsible and boosting economic development. He’s impassioned about making positive change in Erie and he has a fresh perspective that would be energizing. We support his ideas of incentivizing business, and we are all for encouraging efficiency within the town administration and departments to make up for budget shortfalls (which, otherwise, would come out of the reserve), as long as services don’t suffer.
Hauger has incredible institutional knowledge and her experience on the BOT and in regional groups is admirable. She knows exactly how the job works and she’s fully prepared to step right in and begin making her mark. She’s totally set on making Erie a major regional player as well as boosting the regional transit options for residents, focusing even on how development and transit can work together in the future. She’s really focused on the big picture and how Erie fits in it, but she knows every detail of the community and its history.
On the other hand, we had concerns about both. Where Hauger has a ton of municipal experience, Wilson has none. Where Wilson has a fresh perspective and is motivated by making change, Hauger is scarred by conflict the current administration and board has had with a specific group of residents. Where Wilson seems flexible, Hauger can come across as inflexible and set in her ways. Where Hauger sees Erie as the town it is and the town it can be, Wilson often compares it to a business. Where Hauger wants the job, Wilson told us it’s not a job he wants but a job he thinks he’ll be good at.
But in the end, we selected Hauger because her experience, knowledge and vision outshined Wilson’s. However, we select Hauger hoping she will continue to work with her critics and make amends with those who criticize her. Hauger has spent much of this election being condemned; we’ve checked up on many of the accusations and we’ve come to the conclusion that many are rumors that may be motivated by previous incidents with airpark residents. When you are a public official, you can’t just let bygones be bygones… your job is to work with everyone to make Erie a thriving community.
If Wilson is elected, we look forward to seeing what he does in the position, but we encourage him to not make major cuts to town services and to use the experience of Hauger as a trustee.
Trustees
Ronda Grassi
Ronda Grassi knows her stuff—so much so that other candidates even piggy-backed on her ideas and assertions throughout the community forums. “I agree with Ronda,” they said. And so do we. Grassi has been involved in her own HOA, Erie Stakeholders Project and Erie’s HOA Coalition. She’s a business owner and she’s been on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Business Association in Louisville, where her company is located. That experience creates a perfect balance between community experience, fiscal responsibility, leadership and business sense. She’s tough—and she’s willing to fight for Erie, its business and its residents. “Erie should be very aggressive and fight for its right to compete for employers and retail establishments,” Grassi told us. At the same time, Grassi is a bridge-builder and is looking to find common ground on the town’s most contentious issues and least popular disputes. And she has the common sense and communication skills that most political leaders wish they had.
Mark Gruber
The Erie Board of Trustees will be losing a load of experience come inauguration day. So, it’s incredibly important that voters pay attention to experience this election season. We like Mark Gruber because, well, he’s that guy. He’s served the greater part of a decade on the Erie Planning Commission, including two years as the chairman. Through that position, Gruber has garnered an invaluable point of view and first-hand experience. His focus on business and planning provides a framework for smart development—but Gruber balances that with a want to retain Erie’s small-town and historic vibe. And his desire to “coordinate and leverage the resources” of local organizations like the chamber, the Erie Economic Development Council and the BOT to promote and draw business to Erie is smart for everyone involved. The BOT is not just a leader but a partner in making Erie thrive, and that’s the sort of big-picture thinking that creates progress.
Scott Wood
Scott Wood is a planner—and then a doer. While he does not have as much experience as we would like in a trustee, we feel like he’s the kind of person who focuses on a careful strategy and then works to implement it. That’s the outlook Erie needs at this particular moment. And that includes a balance of commercial development that “does not look like a strip mall on every corner, or big box store set wherever they want,” Wood told us. “I think it takes careful zoning and a comprehensive guide plan that is strictly adhered to that will create a few areas of prime retail and commercial development that will enable our residents to shop, dine and enjoy entertainment right here in Erie rather than needing to travel to Boulder or Denver.” Indeed, that is the goal, and we hope Wood, if elected, works with the town leadership to make that happen. It’s one thing to talk about how great Erie is —and how much potential it has—and another to make it happen.
Ballot Questions
BALLOT QUESTION 2C Shall the Town of Erie be authorized to sell the real property located at 1149 Telleen Avenue, legally described as lot 1, Erie Industrial Empire Venture Subdivision – Block 2, Town of Erie, also known as the Department of Public Works Facility, on the following terms and consideration: sale price equal to or greater than the market value of the real property at the time of sale, but no less than $745,000, to be paid in cash?
Yellow Scene votes Yes. This ballot item will allow the town to sell the obsolete Public Works Facility once the new building is finished. Cut and dry.
BALLOT QUESTION 2D Shall the Town of Erie be authorized to sell the following real property used for a neighborhood Pocket park: Vista Pointe Tract C – Vista Pointe Homeowners Association Inc. on the following terms and consideration: 1) such sale only to the designated homeowners association listed; 2) $1 cash payment; 3) real property to be used only as a public pocket park; 4) real property to revert back to Town ownership in the event of use for other than a public pocket park; 5) perpetual maintenance responsibilities within the designated subdivision as per the direction of the Town; 6) Town to retain a public access easement on the real property; and, 7) Town to retain utility, road and right-of-way easements?
Yellow Scene votes Yes. We endorsed a very similar ballot item last year as well. Basically this would allow the town to sell pocket parks to the HOAs that already maintain them…for $1. The HOAs do not have to purchase the parks, according to city officials, but if they want to own them and keep them as parks, this question would allow them to do so.
BALLOT QUESTION 2E Shall the Town of Erie construct or cause to be constructed a road connecting Bonanza Drive with Vista Parkway?
Yellow Scene votes No. Truth be told, we feel that the Bonanza Drive extension is a worthy project. Erie must create a suitable entryway on its south end and this is the most practical spot. Plus, the potential for economic development is great and Erie needs to compete with Broomfield for revenue. With that said, the above ballot question leaves a lot to be desired. No information on costs or funding or road improvements. Plus, with a mountain of misinformation swirling around this issue, it’s been difficult for the average person to understand the details of the Bonanza Drive extension, and it’s unfair to ask them to approve a project that they don’t understand (no, homes will not be torn down… no, the extension will not go all the way to Erie Parkway… no, it won’t simply cost $600,000). The project has been on the books for some time and it’s a valid one, but we need ballot language that can let us know what to expect.
March 2010
