I’m Jenn Diffendal and I’m asking for your vote to be the next mayor of Cherry Hills Village. My family moved to the village for the same reasons most people do: to give our children an idyllic childhood: great schools, decompress with open spaces full of nature trails, and live in a home in the safest city in Colorado. But three months into moving here, my family experienced a violent home invasion. In the middle of the night, my home was broken into by a person on methamphetamines and our au pair was violently attacked, dragged out of bed by her hair, and strangled. Eighteen months later, we experienced another burglary. For years, my children would hide their lovies before leaving the house just in case “bad guys” came. It robbed us of the idyllic dream most residents still experience: nothing bad happens here. It was the heroic and compassionate care of our Cherry Hills Village Police Department that saved us. These experiences have been the foundation and catalyst of my unwavering commitment to public safety and public service. For the past 3.5 years, I’ve volunteered as the village’s crime data analyst which has given me extensive access, expertise and great working relationships with all our staff and departments within our city government. I have been privileged to be a community liaison and resource for our community, our staff and our city’s public-private partnerships. I believe that our community would benefit from my fresh leadership and my proactive engagement with our community. My priorities include: public safety, enhanced cellular service and preserving our excellent quality of life.
Public Safety
In 2021, our community hit a 10 year high in crime. In the past 12 months, our city has lost 22% of our most tenured, sworn-in officers. To combat attrition and crime, we need to make sure our officers have the pay, equipment and protection they deserve. I will pay for these priorities, without raising taxes, by utilizing a portion of the $1.67 million federal grant that the city received from the American Rescue Plan.
As mental health crisis’ continue to increase in our communities, co-responders programs have become essential. A co-responder is a mental health professional that assists law enforcement on calls for service for mental health. Cherry Hills Village is one of the last municipalities to not utilize Arapahoe County’s program. I will advocate for a memorandum of understanding between the county and our village to give our police department access to the county’s five co-responders.
Cell Phone Coverage
If elected, I will not be complacent and give up on the issue of enhanced cell phone coverage. I will contact every competitor to Zayo and Crown Castle (small cell network infrastructure companies) and bring providers and wireless carriers to the table so we can move past this impasse of inadequate cell phone service. I will be your champion for increased cell phone coverage.
Quality of Life
Open spaces, airport noise and traffic are important issues that impact our quality of life. To remain as a private, serene, residential enclave in the middle of the Denver metro area, I will fiercely protect our village’s interests. I will continue my advocacy and work with our public-private partnerships that back Quincy Farm and our Police Officers.
As Mayor, I will be fiscally responsible and increase our funding opportunities, without raising taxes, to support needed services. I will be a collaborator with residents, businesses, schools, first responders and other elected representatives.
I will be a proactive communicator. We have all seen it through the Quincy roundabout, the placement of the public works facility and the future of Quincy Farms that our community desires communication from elected officials ahead of major projects and decisions, not after the fact. My experience and expertise is well-suited to lead Cherry Hills Village into the future and bring positive, much-needed enhancements to our community’s quality of life.