Briefly describe the one most pressing challenge dealing with the town of Denver and the way it ought to be addressed.
Housing is a matter I hear about day by day. I feel the town ought to be taking a extra lively position within the growth of housing — I’m intently following Seattle’s poll initiative I-135 to create a social housing authority, and wish to see Denver observe go well with. We additionally must be considerate about housing as extra than simply warehousing folks — we ought to be constructing walkable, full neighborhoods with entry to open house and parks, colleges and little one care, high quality meals and clear pure assets.
What ought to Denver leaders do to handle the town’s lack of reasonably priced housing?
A mixed-income, social housing developer would supply a significant device to provide reasonably priced housing for Denver’s employees. Such a program might work with different public entities, like RTD and Denver Public Colleges, to transform empty parking tons or underutilized properties into workforce housing or neighborhood facilities. We must also be sustainable funding sources, together with state-level alternatives like this system created by Initiative 123.
Do you assist redevelopment on the Park Hill golf course property? Why or why not?
I don’t assist redevelopment at PHGC. I’ve been a constant advocate for preserving Denver’s dwindling open areas, from my opposition to the I-70 enlargement to the profitable Sure on Parks and Open Areas Initiative. I consider the proposal earlier than the voters is a poor use of this house and that if the voters agree with me and reject it on the poll field, the town ought to use 2A funds to purchase then convert all the property right into a public park.
What ought to Denver leaders do to revitalize downtown Denver?
There are a lot of concepts the town ought to be contemplating, however I feel connectivity is vital. Denver ought to lean into the e-bike increase sweeping the town and construct a community of secure bike infrastructure connecting the remainder of the town to the downtown space.
What’s Denver’s best public security concern and what ought to be executed about it?
Denver’s best public security concern is likely to be air high quality. Though there are different points — homelessness, gun violence, fentanyl, site visitors violence — we’re all affected by our unfavorable air air pollution.
Ought to neighborhoods assist soak up inhabitants development by way of permissive zoning, or do you like protections for single-family neighborhoods?
I consider in selling extra mild density throughout neighborhoods. Increasing using ADUs is an efficient step, in addition to changing vacant land, buildings, and underutilized parking tons into reasonably priced housing can assist us adapt to our rising metropolis. We must be considerate about making certain a broader number of housing choices, so that individuals of all totally different walks of life are in a position to decide on what residing scenario is true for them.
Ought to the town’s coverage of sweeping homeless encampments proceed unchanged? Why or why not?
No, the coverage ought to change. Sweeps haven’t been very efficient over the past 10 years whereas homelessness has grown, and the town must be considerate and evidence-based about its investments to deal with homelessness. A housing-first strategy offers a extra everlasting answer to homelessness, and we ought to be investing extra assets into confirmed insurance policies that work.
Ought to Denver change its snow plowing coverage? Why or why not.
Sure. Everybody within the metropolis felt the impacts of the (lack of) plowing these previous few months. I don’t have an ideal reply, contemplating that growing the plowing brings the chance of elevated air pollution, however not plowing is inflicting a spread of accidents themselves. Nonetheless, Parks and Recreation does a stable job conserving their allotted pathways clear — and sidewalk clearing is just too vital to be left solely to property house owners’ discretion.
What’s your imaginative and prescient for Denver in 20 years, and what would you do to assist the town get there?
I need a totally decarbonized metropolis, a wealth of housing choices for all, robust financial prosperity that’s shared with employees, 15-minute walkable neighborhoods the place everybody can entry their wants, with clear air and water and meals for all. We get there by way of a democratic course of that places folks’s curiosity first, by way of willpower and willingness to work towards the widespread good.
How higher can metropolis officers shield Denver’s atmosphere — air high quality, water provide, floor contamination? And will the town take a extra lively position in transit?
Denver has a local weather plan and a local weather workplace, however the funding quantities are nonetheless too small to match the urgency of the second. Town wants to make sure the workplace isn’t missing for funding, and study its authority to handle air pollution extra immediately. Town additionally must take a extra lively position in transit, particularly in creating safer infrastructure to counter the will increase in site visitors collisions. Bikers and pedestrians are in severe hazard, and the town must be extra proactive in defending them.
Briefly describe the one most pressing challenge dealing with the town of Denver and the way it ought to be addressed.
Housing is probably the most urgent challenge dealing with Denver. When my husband and I first purchased our home, we struggled enormously to afford it. Nevertheless, the worth of our dwelling to my household’s stability has been incalculable, and it offered us the power to lift my household locally that raised me. My story shouldn’t be distinctive: each Denverite ought to benefit from the alternative to entry reasonably priced housing, which improves healthcare, schooling, and generational wealth outcomes. My skill to work alongside folks from different views will be certain that extra southeast Denverites are in a position to stay within the metropolis all of us love.
What ought to Denver leaders do to handle the town’s lack of reasonably priced housing?
Nobody candidate will have the ability to remedy our metropolis’s housing disaster, and if any candidate says they alone can, maybe they underestimate the magnitude of the problem. I don’t profess to have all of the solutions, however I do know that the dearth of housing is having deep impacts on the wellbeing of our seniors, youth, and households. I pledge to have an open door and hearken to all stakeholders to create neighborhood advantages agreements that guarantee the perfect makes use of for underutilized plots of land in southeast Denver – whether or not that be financial growth, elevated reasonably priced housing, or metropolis companies for residents.
Do you assist redevelopment on the Park Hill golf course property? Why or why not?
I encourage Denverites to vote “Sure” on 2O to rework a defunct golf course into Denver’s fourth-largest park (assume one-and-a-half Bible Parks!) and make the most of the remaining 55 acres to construct tons of of models of reasonably priced housing. The Park Hill neighborhood engaged in a two-year public remark and planning course of that resulted in a transformational neighborhood advantages settlement. I work with low-income Denver households and listen to continually about rising rents, growing utility prices, and meals insecurity. We are able to’t miss a chance to make it potential for renters, younger folks, and dealing households to proceed to dwell and thrive of their neighborhood.
What ought to Denver leaders do to revitalize downtown Denver?
With vacant storefronts and workplace buildings on each block, downtown Denver will not be the colourful metropolis heart it could possibly be. Until we begin extra successfully using this house, we’ll frequently wrestle with problems with homelessness, public security, and transportation which are overwhelming downtown. As a way to revitalize downtown, Metropolis Council, enterprise leaders, and residents should work collectively. We have to assist native companies and renovate vacant workplace house to extend the supply of reasonably priced housing as we bounce again from the pandemic. Downtown has the potential to as soon as once more be the hub that attracts locals and guests alike.
What’s Denver’s best public security concern and what ought to be executed about it?
Housing, housing, housing. Steady housing has been confirmed to extend constructive well being outcomes, schooling attainment, and profession growth. Now we have a scarcity in our provide of all housing, particularly reasonably priced and household models, which has a ripple impact on the soundness of our neighborhoods all through the town. Making certain that our public servants, police, firefighters, lecturers, and healthcare employees can dwell domestically makes our communities stronger, safer, and extra inclusive. This results in safer neighborhoods that may deal with their challenges head on, being proactive fairly than reactive.
Ought to neighborhoods assist soak up inhabitants development by way of permissive zoning, or do you like protections for single-family neighborhoods?
As a lifelong southeast Denver resident, I consider we should always shield and protect single-family zoning, however the place there’s want locally, notably close to business and transit strains, neighborhoods can assist soak up inhabitants development by way of permissive zoning. A terrific instance is the infill growth round southeast Denver’s mild rail stations (Colorado, Yale, and Belleview). Above all, we have to be intentional that we aren’t haphazardly constructing – we should construct neighborhoods with a way of neighborhood. I’ll hearken to all voices: lifelong residents and newcomers, householders and renters, to make southeast Denver a spot we are able to all name dwelling.
Ought to the town’s coverage of sweeping homeless encampments proceed unchanged? Why or why not?
I assist the tenting ban, as a result of leaving folks to dwell outdoors is inhumane. In the end, we’re coping with folks and their humanity. As a nonprofit chief, I’ve seen too many kids and households who expertise homelessness, and our present shelter system is overburdened and sometimes is unable to satisfy the precise wants of unhoused Denverites – whether or not they have kids, particular healthcare wants, or security issues. I assist creating secure transitional areas for unhoused people that enable for coordinated substance abuse therapy, psychological healthcare, and repair provision. We want to verify individuals are secure whereas addressing public well being issues.
Ought to Denver change its snow plowing coverage? Why or why not.
We want to verify our streets are secure and satisfactory after snow storms. With the rise in heavy snow storms because of local weather change, we have to reply rapidly in order that Denver public, supply, emergency, and resident autos are in a position to have secure entry to our streets. It’s time to reassess the funds and deal with environmental impacts. The fact of the scenario is that any enhance in plowing could have its downfalls: particulate air pollution, highway erosion, or important useful resource allocation. We should think about these penalties as we craft a extra responsive snow plowing coverage.
What’s your imaginative and prescient for Denver in 20 years, and what would you do to assist the town get there?
In 20 years, I hope that the town I like, the place I used to be born and raised, is flourishing, secure, and vibrant – the place folks can put down their roots for generations. How will we get there? Our metropolis has been working in disaster mode, however I’ll work to strategically deal with our most difficult obstacles whereas sustaining the standard of life that makes us Denver: our parks, recreation, and small companies. It’s about all of us, neighborhood by neighborhood, persevering with traditions that make our metropolis particular whereas having the ability to welcome new neighbors and within the course of, create new traditions.
How higher can metropolis officers shield Denver’s atmosphere — air high quality, water provide, floor contamination? And will the town take a extra lively position in transit?
I’ve seen firsthand how Denver’s modern Workplace of Local weather, Motion, Sustainability & Resiliency is altering how folks take into consideration transferring all through the town – my daughter is the proud proprietor of an e-bike, due to the CASR rebates, and might now take the Cherry Creek bike path downtown. I wish to construct upon CASR’s preliminary success and be certain that the rules of sustainability are built-in all through all metropolis businesses and departments. Additionally, I might assist Denver taking a extra lively position in transit by partnering with RTD to purchase service and enhance frequency alongside routes the place it’s most wanted.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically by final title.
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