Broomfield races

Ruling North Metro For Now
Not long ago, Broomfield was a struggling entity without a firm retail and business base. My how things have changed. The city/county is now the Grand Poobah in North Metro, having lured all the big retail and job players through aggressive annexing and marketing. But ask Boulder about how easy it is to slip from the top. Broomfield has plenty of land to still develop, and if it works as a regional player in the coming years, it could see its share of the market actually increase.

Mayor
Patrick Quinn over Clark Griep and Paul Madigan
Patrick Quinn or Clark Griep? That was a question we passed back and forth following our endorsement interviews. Broomfield, you can’t lose with either. But Patrick Quinn gets the nod over Griep, a former city council member who has worked on virtually every prominent city board in the past few decades. Quinn offers an energetic voice, a firm grasp of open space and environmental policy, and a business sense (he runs his own accounting firm) that will get things done and in the scope of the city’s budget. He hates that Broomfield and its North Metro counterparts always bicker over big box retailers and wants the city to be a regional player. Quinn thinks 25 years ahead, not five, meaning he wants to lay the groundwork for a strong economy after shopping centers such as Flatirons begin to age. We also feel he’ll be a great leader in trying to land federal and CDOT dollars for key transportation projects and ensure it lands a FasTracks train stop near the Broomfield Event Center, even if it means the city chipping in.
Ward I
Patrick Tennyson over Todd Schumacher and Tom Brunner
In a wide-open race for an empty seat, we’re siding with the man who has a Masters in non-profit management and a record of environmentally-friendly policy. Patrick Tennyson also has a fresh voice that can help Broomfield tackle key development issues in the future. His expertise in public/corporate partnership (the topic of his Master’s thesis) will go far in helping Broomfield turn new developments into models that look a whole lot more like the popular Denver neighborhood Stapleton. Tennyson will also push for Broomfield to be a true leader in green initiatives and encourage residents to follow suit.

Ward II
Lori Cox over Louise Benson
Broomfield has made huge strides in ensuring a strong future by making progress in mega-transportation projects, purchasing large swaths of open space and being proactive in recruiting sound developments. Lori Cox has been key cog in that process the last four years—but she’s not done. The incumbent wants to see through the 120th Avenue flyover project she helped lure $22 million for, and has no problem pushing for a public/private partnership to help fund a FasTracks station near the Broomfield Event Center. And Cox also wants to be at the table for all talks discussing a North Metro regional tax plan. This is not to say we don’t like Louise Benson. Her ideas on pushing for a Broomfield school district may be misplaced in a campaign, but certainly deserve thought down the road. Remember her in two years if she runs again.

Ward III
Judy Lloyd over Kevin Jacobs
It’s not that we think Kevin Jacobs won’t serve the city well—he was really impressive to speak with and shares many of the same ideas as Judy Lloyd. But Lloyd’s experience working with city politics basically means she’ll be able to jump into council as if she were an incumbent. Over the years, Lloyd has championed hard for open space through close work with city staff and knows the difficulty of reaching Broomfield’s lofty goal of keeping 40 percent of its land free of development. Lloyd also understands the importance of nudging RTD into making sure its FasTracks train stops in front of the Broomfield Event Center. The only knock on her is one she shares with Jacobs—neither seem all that inclined to work with other North Metro areas in creating a sales tax revenue sharing program.

Ward IV
Walter Spader over Judy Enderle
In the late 1970s, Broomfield was just a spec of a city, waiting to grow up and become a player in the North Metro area. Walter Spader was the mayor during that time as city officials mapped out plans for Broomfield to grow both aggressively and with some intelligence. He came back to city council four years ago to further that, and he succeeded in his return. Spader will be a strong voice for the city in helping get key transportation dollars—including figuring a way to convince RTD to keep a stop at the Broomfield Event Center, an imperative move for the transit oriented Arista housing development currently under construction. And as the city continues to grow, he will have an eye to the older developments to ensure basic services don’t drop off.

Ward V
Linda Reynolds over David Ryan
While we were starting our endorsement interview, Linda Reynolds quickly pushed me to the back burner, as she patiently talked with an upset resident. And she did so with grace. Now this isn’t the only reason we’re picking her—but it was reassuring to hear the incumbent deal with an upset constituent. We also feel she’ll continue to help Broomfield grow smart with projects like Northlands, look for private/public partnerships to make sure infrastructure is built properly for FasTracks despite RTD’s budget crisis and will champion for a so-called “Lexus Lane,” or hybrid toll/HOV lane, whenever the city sees CDOT come its way for the Highway 36 expansion project.

Vote Yes on both 1A and 1B
You already like your service through both United Power and Public Service Company of Colorado. The only reason you are being asked to extend the contract is because the city charter requires it.?