State Sen. Jack Tate, R-27, who announced in 2018 that he would not run for re-election when his term ends next year, held a town hall meeting on October 12 at the South Metro Fire Rescue Headquarters in Centennial. Though it was sparsely attended, Tate, who has served in the Colorado legislature since 2014, spoke on several important subjects. 

As he has previously, Tate talked about his belief that voters would do well to repeal the 1982 Gallagher Amendment that froze the ratio of property value in our state to 45 percent for residential and 55 percent for non-residential. Tate disputed the oft-mentioned theory that there is a conflict between TABOR (the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights) and Gallagher, asserting that there has been a clash between the two only “twice in the past 27 years.”

Since 1982, when Gallagher was passed by the voters, residential property values have been rising faster than non-residential property values. As a result, the assessment rate on residential property has decreased from 21 percent in 1982 to 7.15 percent in 2019, so as to maintain the constitutionally required ratio of 45 percent residential to 55 percent non-residential. Tate was a sponsor of this year’s (required) legislation, SB19-255, that instituted the newly lowered 7.15 percent residential rate. (It was 7.2 percent last year.) Non-residential property is assessed at 29 percent of its value.

Tate believes that the Gallagher Amendment hurts parts of Colorado that have relatively little commercial property and where residential values are not rising as fast as they are in other places. He would freeze the residential assessment rate where it is today, unless the legislature lowers it. As long as we have TABOR in place, says Tate, it serves as a protection because the assessment rate can never be raised without a vote of the people. Tate says that repealing Gallagher will provide a way to finally lower non-residential property taxes to help businesses in our state by allowing residential taxes to rise naturally as actual values go up. 

According to a recent article in the Denver Post, and the commonly-held belief of many in our legislature, including Tate, Colorado currently has the third-lowest effective property tax rate in the United States.

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

At the October 3 Arapahoe County Republican Breakfast Club meeting at Maggiano’s DTC, Barb Piper, as she regularly does, spoke to the faithful, sharing a message from Colorado Senator Cory Gardner. 

North Korea
Piper delivered these thoughts from Gardner: “North Korea remains a clear and present danger to the safety of the American people. So far, no concrete denuclearization has taken place and there should be no efforts to normalize relations with this dictator, especially since, in an apparent display of its expanding military capabilities and just days ahead of planned nuclear negotiations with the United States, North Korea once again fired projectiles. We should return to maximum pressure.”

Space Command
She said, “Senator Gardner has long pushed for Colorado to be selected as the home for U.S. Space Command and the news that Colorado Springs is the temporary headquarters is extremely exciting.”

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
Regarding the USMCA, Piper quoted Gardner as saying, “A great portion of our economy in Colorado is dependent on trade with Canada and Mexico, and roughly a quarter-million jobs exist here because of these trade relationships. Colorado farmers produce nearly half of all the potatoes Mexico imports from the U.S. and 97 percent of the beverages Mexico imports come from Colorado.”

Prescription Drugs
Piper said, “Many Coloradans are suffering from rising prescription drug costs. Sen. Gardner has presented a bill to lower costs by increasing access to generic drugs which recently passed a key Senate committee.”

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

BY SCOTTIE TAYLOR IVERSON
COMMUNITY EDITOR

“The backbone of Colorado is in this room,” began Don Ytterberg.addressing members and guests of Cherry Creek Republican Women (CCRW.) “We, Americans are experiencing the best of times or the worst of times, depending on who is speaking. Everything we (Republicans) stand for is being challenged. The Dems are asking us to swallow tolerance. Give it up for the electorial college. Give it away to a national popular vote. Who counts it officially? No one! What if there is a challenge?” He cited the booming economy and low unemployment rate and difficulty in finding employees. He had three calls to action: Re-elect Sen. Cory Gardner, re-elect President Trump and take back the Colorado Senate. “The vote of suburban women is affected by the president’s behavior. The president is a real person, not a politician. He is a New Yorker, in your face businessman. He continues that in the White House and they (the Dems) can’t handle it. I am proud to have a president who stands up for me.” “Tweets are the only way he can get his message out,” commented Edie Marks. Speaking of Edie – her pitch about Cancer League of Colorado (CCRW’s Charity of Choice for the month) generated a quick donation of $2,400. by passing the hat for the all-volunteer, 50-year-old nonprofit that has donated $1.2 million to cancer research. 

BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

Mark Wilson is a lawyer who doesn’t like red-light cameras and is not convinced that you would get a fair hearing if you fought a ticket issued from one.

As a member of the GV city council, Wilson would work to find out what is most important to the citizens. He feels that the 2018 citizen’s survey was returned by only 22 percent of GV households because it failed to ask about what is fundamentally important to people. He feels like it mainly asked people to “please say that everything is perfect,” rather than provide an authentic opportunity to provide constructive criticism. He would change the survey to ask residents more substantive questions.

If elected, Wilson would work to maintain and enhance the high quality of life of GV residents. He feels there are opportunities being missed, such as encouraging the use of rain barrels for water conservation, as other cities are doing. He would also encourage the expanded use of solar energy as another way to focus on the environment.

While he views it as being safe, Wilson believes that GV doesn’t report crime statistics for comparison purposes in the way that other area municipalities do, and would do so to enhance transparency.

Wilson does not believe in big government, saying, “just because you can broaden your authority doesn’t mean you should,” a philosophy he has maintained while serving on the Orchard Hills/Big Canon HOA.

As a member of the city council, Wilson would favor only responsible growth that is high quality and what citizens want. He is not certain there will be any more residential development in GV because there isn’t available open land. Wilson believes it is important that all redevelopment be of high quality. He would encourage businesses to locate and stay in GV by incentivizing them if appropriate and being business-friendly. He would consider giving tax breaks in some circumstances. He believes he can help Greenwood Village residents by improving roads and working toward cycling congruency. Wilson says it is scary to ride a bike in GV because there aren’t enough bike lanes, especially on thoroughfares, and the ones that exist are not continuous. On the question of roads, he would look to traffic engineers for advice.

Mark Wilson is a native of Fort Collins who has lived in GV for five years. He is a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Guard as a field artilleryman. He describes himself as a longtime community volunteer who wants to give back and plans to send his children to the Cherry Creek Schools when they are old enough.

Wilson is one of four candidates for two open city council seats representing GV district 3. The election is on November 5. Ballots will begin arriving in the mail on October 14.

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

The Steamboat Institute in conjunction with the University of Colorado Denver hosts a special event

Held at the University of Colorado – Denver (UCD), The Steamboat Institute‘s Campus Liberty Tour is part of a nationwide debate tour. Other stops on the tour include the University of Texas-
Austin and the University of Maryland. Charles McNeil, chairman and CEO of NexGen Resources Corporation, serves on the board of directors for The Steamboat Institute and with wife, Judy, sponsored the VIP Reception immediately following the debate. He had this to say: Two years ago we launched the Campus Liberty Tour. Its goal is to bring ideological diversity to college campuses across America and to inspire students to engage in respectful and reasoned debate. These tours have taken us to college campuses from coast to coast and allowed us the opportunity to show students how to think, rather than what to think. They have been an unequivocal success.”

James Woodley announced that he will be running for the Colorado State Senate in District 27 in 2020. James is a conservative Republican whose marketing background and work as a law enforcement private contractor will come in handy as he works to make Colorado as safe and prosperous as possible.District 27 consists of the city of Centennial and parts of Greenwood Village. The race for District 27 will be one of the most important races of 2020. The Republican’s need a seasoned candidate like Woodley who has already been through a tough campaign and who appeals to unaffiliated voters and millennials.Woodley is an honorably discharged United States Army veteran. As a father of three girls, Woodley aims to put an end to the extreme laws being passed and concentrate on the bipartisan concerns everyone can get behind. His plan for Colorado mainly concentrates on safeguarding Colorado’s mental health, offering consumer debt relief, and improving road and infrastructure conditions. “I love this community, and I love Colorado. Its history of being liberty-loving people is the reason why I chose to raise my family here. Now it breaks my heart to see the extremism that has plagued our legislature,” said James Woodley. “While the legislature is focusing on extreme issues that ignore what the people have asked for and serves to divide our state further, I intend to focus on legislation all sides can support like mental healthcare, consumer debt, and finally fixing our roads.”

Woodley plans to appeal to Latino voters who have been increasing in Colorado, making up about 18% of voters. Black and Latino candidates like Woodley are the new faces of the Colorado GOP.

Woodley will be using his marketing experience to run a streamlined campaign, focusing on micro-targeting of key issues that not only reaches voters but taps into today’s culture.

Woodley is also inviting everyone to attend his Kick-off Party on September 30th from 6 to 8 PM at Nonna’s Italian Bistro in Centennial to launch his run for Colorado State Senate in District 27.

Woodley is a father of three girls and has raised his family in the community for 19 years. He is a veteran of the US Army and serving as a marketing professional whose career is focused on field marketing and digital marketing. He has served as a private contractor to Colorado’s District Attorney’s including now Congressman Ken Buck, providing solutions for economic crimes that saved taxpayers money while reducing recidivism.

He also worked for non-profit organizations including starting an American Legion Post in Centennial and served as its Commander for six years. He also served as President of a national Christian youth organization based in Greenwood Village. He was a former candidate who has run for State Senate in 2016.

Libby Barnacle believes she knows what people want and expect in Greenwood Village. A member of the city’s planning and zoning commission since December, 2015, she felt like the June 2017 city referendum “was a charge for me to step up.” Barnacle says she has “been a leader in keeping this a great place to live.” She says that the referendum and election that followed in November 2017 “presented itself as a mandate to city council.”

Her goal as a member of the city council would be to “continue to champion safety in our schools and neighborhoods.” She is a strong supporter of a police presence in the Cherry Creek Schools (CCS) via the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. Barnacle believes there should be additional officers added to the program. When it was revised recently to include a written contract between GV and CCS, only one new SRO was added.

Regarding development in GV, Barnacle would like to see the Boot Barn, which recently changed hands, at 8500 E. Orchard Road, possibly redeveloped into a food hall or retail center with offices. She does not support multi-family residential development there or anywhere else in GV. (The city’s recently revised comprehensive plan says “Higher density residential development will be discouraged in the Corridor. For purposes of the Corridor Planning Area, higher density residential is a use that exceeds on average four dwelling units per acre.) The “Corridor” is the area adjacent to I-25.

She also said that there is a need for more low-maintenance residential property for residents who want to downsize and stay in Greenwood Village and that it needs to be explored. She likes the quarter-acre residential development idea outlined in the comprehensive plan but doesn’t know where it could be built in the city. 

Barnacle talked about potential new development south of the Landmark Towers, which is only in the discussion stage. Nothing official has been presented to the city. The rumored proposal would be a multi-step development for the elderly, starting with independent living all the way to hospice care. Barnacle would consider such a proposal if it met city council’s criteria and would fit the needs of residents.

Barnacle would like to see a possible shuttle bus between GV’s neighborhood and its shopping areas. She would also promote the use of light rail as a way to address traffic concerns, but noted there is little parking at the Orchard Light Rail station. 

Regarding the Orchard Station area, Barnacle believes that it needs “the right developer,” but noted that “developers are gun shy” after the 2017 referendum and change in the city council. Barnacle sees herself as business friendly and open-minded. 

Libby Barnacle, a former prosecutor, is the mother of two daughters attending the Cherry Creek Schools and a lifelong resident of Greenwood Village. She is also the daughter of a current member of GV’s city council, Judy Hilton, who is running for re-election unopposed in district 4.

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

Anne Ingebretsen wants to remain on the Greenwood Village City Council for a sixth term “to continue the work we started two years ago,” putting into effect the policies of the GV comprehensive plan as it was revised in 2018. She would like to see the image and description of the city as laid out in the comprehensive plan translated into a branding strategy. Ingebretsen said that the June 2017 referendum on the GV comprehensive plan “created an opportunity for people to express what Greenwood Village means.” 

She also noted that the work she has been doing on the revenue committee appointed by Mayor Rakowsky after the November 2017 election was another way to put the new policies of the revised comprehensive plan into the city’s municipal code. The plans devised by the revenue committee have been discussed several times in city council study sessions over the past year. A new municipal code amendment from that committee outlining a sales tax rebate program to reimburse developers for money spent to improve existing building façades along Arapahoe Road is expected to be introduced this month. Ingebretsen said the area, being called the Arapahoe Entertainment District, is underutilized.

Asked about potential development, the other candidate who spoke to us together with Ingebretsen, Dave Kerber, said that there are still seven vacant building sites in the Village Center area. We asked how seven new office buildings there might impact traffic congestion, a major concern of GV residents. Kerber said there was good access to light rail in the area and that the arterial streets in the area were designed to accommodate the traffic.

Kerber told The Villager he does not any see new residential development coming to Greenwood Village.

Kerber talked about the ownership of the High Line Canal (HLC) being in transition and the issue of signs on the HLC not being resolved. He also expressed concern about how funding will be done to maintain it, saying, “Does money go from Greenwood Village to Aurora?”

Regarding city services, Kerber is proud of the quick inspection turnaround being provided by GV’s community development department and the design standards the city council had done by consultants that they hoped to use for 5G technology.

Dave Kerber said his desire for a sixth term was to continue the work he started as part of the Save Our Village group, which “was a way that citizens got to vote on the type of city they want.” He described GV as a place that has a “peaceful feeling” and is “open.”

Dave Kerber and Anne Ingebretsen both served the maximum four consecutive terms allowed by law on the Greenwood Village City Council before they ran again in 2017. As to the future, they plan to decide every two years whether to run again. Both could legally serve until 2025 before they’d have to step down again for at least two years. 

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com