| 09/27/2007 |
| Centennial candidates for city offices debate |
| Peter Jones , Staff Writer |
Ten of
the 12 candidates for city offices squared off this week in a forum
at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce in Centennial.
Hopefuls for four city council seats, treasurer and city clerk
expressed opinions on such issues as home-rule, economic development
and service contracts at the Sept. 25 forum, attended by about 50
civic activists, business leaders and elected officials.
"I have great respect for Ron coming into the arena, but he doesn't have the experience and he doesn't understand the budget," Habig told the audience. "I have great respect for Vorry Moon, [but] understanding there are two of us running in this race, you have to ask yourself why." Habig, who once represented Ward 1 alongside Moon, made a surprise entry into the race last month. After two unsuccessful runs for the state Legislature, she has returned to city politics on a platform that accuses the current council of fiscal mismanagement. Most council members have endorsed Moon, and several have predicted publicly that Habig's return would make for a divisive presence on the council. "I'm not a politician. I'm a public servant, and there's a big difference," the former council member said. "Every day, when I wake up, I look for a way to make my community better. I don't look at what's best for me. I look at all the information. I look at all the facts. I argue hard, but I make decisions based on the facts. For some people, that's controversial because, perhaps, in politics, honesty is controversial." Phelps, who has charged Moon with misdirection of the city budget and poor city oversight of the Streets at Southglenn development, positioned himself at the forum as the outsider whose fresh perspective is needed. Amid delays in construction and a switch from condominiums to apartments at the $310 million planned mixed-use project, some Ward 1 residents have questioned the future of Streets at Southglenn. "With all due respect to the city council, they are the ones that are responsible for overseeing that development," Phelps said. "I think we can hold the developer's feet to the fire to try to move things along. ... I think it's also incumbent upon us to talk to the developer in a way that they understand what the community needs." Moon defended the council and its role as the Centennial Urban Redevelopment Authority, a body established last year to facilitate public improvements at the "new urban" development on the former site of the Southglenn Mall. According to the incumbent, the city is doing all it legally can to ensure the project's success. "There is such a phrase as free enterprise," he said. "We can tell the developer where to build. We can tell them what to build and we can tell them how to build it. We can't tell them where to build it. ... [But Alberta Development Partners has] assured me that we'll see things growing out of the ground other than weeds in the next 45 days." Moon called Centennial's city finances "the best they've ever been." "In '08, it's looking like it's going to be even better," he said. A contract dispute between the city and Arapahoe County over public works and law enforcement services was another topic of contentious discussion at the forum. As reported two weeks ago in the Centennial Citizen, the city is publicly mulling the idea of contracting with the private sector for public works services. City officials are generally satisfied with the services of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. But even Centennial's agreement in principle to continue a long-term contractual relationship with the sheriff was the subject of warring press releases earlier this month, when the county accused the city of falsely promoting agreements that have not been discussed by the county's board of commissioners. Contentious charges leveled back and forth by Mayor Randy Pye and County Commissioner Jim Dyer in the Sept. 14 Centennial Citizen were a source of some apprehension for Phelps. "I'm concerned about too much public play of issues. ... I would like to approach this and address this in a way that's not through the media," he said. Another first-time candidate, Keith Gardner, running unopposed in Ward 2, argued that new blood is needed to repair relationships with Arapahoe County. "I'd like being a fresh face and be able to go in with a clean slate and talk to commissioners ... and say, 'I'm Keith Gardner' and start from scratch. 'Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your concerns.' No prejudices or any agendas." Habig argued that she has the experience to bring the parties together for productive discussions. Incumbents Moon and Todd Miller, running unopposed in Ward 4, said contracts, including the sheriff's, need to be renegotiated and they hailed the recent insertion of performance clauses into the contracts. Nearly every candidate agreed that home rule is the most important issue facing the city in coming years. Along with electing six city officials in November's mail-in election, voters will decide whether a Centennial Charter Commission should convene to draft a home-rule charter. The governing document, which would grant the city council broad autonomy under the state constitution, would need council approval before it would be the subject of a special election next spring. "Home rule is a huge issue, and I support it," said treasurer candidate C.J. Whelan, "even though it may mean a change in the treasurer position." The council could potentially eliminate the treasurer position, which was stripped of most of its authority in 2002, during the controversial tenure of Treasurer Doug Milliken. Ward 3 candidate Patrick Anderson agreed that home rule is important, but said the economic development it brings should be balanced by preserving quality of life. He cited an example from his home state of North Carolina. "What they're looking at doing is turning the residential street that goes through my old neighborhood into a five-lane road," he said. "That's a case where the city development is literally destroying a neighborhood. ... Economic development is very important to me, but at the expense of our quality of life, I don't think I can make that compromise." Other participating candidates included city clerk hopeful Linda Gawlik and treasurer candidates Vincent Fitzgerald and Susan Bockenfeld. George Shen, a candidate to represent central Centennial's Ward 3, and city clerk candidate Karl Goeken did not attend the forum. |
