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Tribune questions District 1 candidates

April 16, 2015 by  

CandidatesTribune: Water, Energy, Zoning, Transportation: If the Denver area population growth reaches 1,000,000 more residents within 20 years, as predicted, describe what traffic, zoning, and/or water use initiatives you will launch to ensure livability for all residents.

Espinoza: For generations, Denver, and the surrounding area, has been a place where people have come to find a home, create a life, raise a family and enjoy a strongly knit community. And while the Metro region has in the past experienced in-migration waves larger than what is expected over the next 20 years, we must avoid the solutions that have led us to down the path of urban sprawl, dilapidated infrastructure and failed zoning plans that have disrupted the inclusiveness of our Northwest Denver. By leading the way with creative solutions we can do three things. First, we can take advantage of the housing boom to encourage new arrivals to make the city of Denver home through thoughtful placemaking in available brown and greenfields from Sun Valley to Green Valley Ranch. These areas are uniquely situated for smartly designed higher density living because infrastructure exists, or is in development, to reasonably accommodate concentrated numbers of people with access to light rail, bike routes, recycled water and affordable land. Second, we can utilize these developments as models to educate surrounding municipalities on best practices to reverse course on resource intensive suburban development patterns. And, finally, we should recognize that our sunshine and proximity to the mountains are hallmarks of Denver’s desirability and a degree of automobile use is intrinsic to that. We should incorporate active living and open space opportunities in and around the dense developments, and partner with the state, counties and municipalities on novel ways of enhancing Denver residents’ physically active lifestyles.

Shepherd: Water is biggest limiting factor for growth in the metro area, as we do not have enough water to meet the population growth within 25 years.  I have met with Denver Water CEO Jim Lochhead to encourage them to take a stronger leadership role on this issue as currently 30% of water usage in the Front Range is for lawns, which is an inappropriate use of one of most precious resources in our high mountain desert climate.  Continuing to build sprawling single family home developments miles from our urban core is not sustainable.  We also need to work more closely with Denver water to educate property owners on low water usage techniques outside the home, incentivizing them to convert more of their landscaping to xeric and continuing to upgrade our Parks Department irrigation systems to be more efficient.  We should also convert more Denver park space to low or no water natural areas.

If more intense zoning is needed for future population growth, I would advocate for additional density near enhanced transit corridors, just as the 2010 zoning code recommends.  As the Chair of the Infrastructure and Culture Committee we need to continue to develop all opportunities to increase multi-modal options for our residents such as increased transit access and safer bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.  Continued reliance on single occupant vehicles will degrade our air, water and land and make traffic and parking unmanageable in a city that doesn’t have the option to widen roads.

 Tribune - Safety: What are your plans for improving Police/Citizen relations in Denver?

Shepherd: I supported a recent law that gave greater investigative authority to our Independent Monitor.  I also think all sworn personnel in our Police Department regardless of rank should wear body cameras at all times while on duty.  There should be a graduated penalty structure for officers who do not use the cameras properly, up to and including termination for repeat offenders.  I think we need to strengthen recruitment policies to better screen out candidates with violent tendencies, and require continuing education of all of our officers on cultural competency training for working with the diverse racial and religious populations that comprise Denver.  We need better tools to terminate officers who are continually the object of excessive force investigations.

I have had the pleasure of working with the District 1 Police Department for the last 4 years under the leadership of Commander Pazen and believe that his team has done an excellent job of building strong community relationships.

Espinoza: Police officers are members of our community who have been charged to execute the laws we put in place. Unfortunately, history, human psychology and some bad apples have led to the tensions we experience today. I believe that we have one of the best community oriented police forces in the city in Northwest Denver, and it is imperative that the type of trust built here is brought to other neighborhoods in the city. Both sides of this relationship can only improve with more informal contact in non-emergent/high stress situations. My aims would be to work with the department to increase community and police engagement, enhance training where needed for officers across a number of areas, ensure that the discipline matrix and administrative structure is actively working to deter groupthink among the ranks and is removing bad apples, and strengthen police efforts where those are needed to bring safety to the community. We also must ensure that body cameras are not only used by officers but also that information is disclosed in a fashion that protects the rights of all involved while providing the transparency needed to help further develop trust. In Northwest Denver, officers are a strong part of our communities and are a vital part of preserving our rights and our safety. However, it is imperative that all members of the community, civilians and officers alike understand that we each play a vital part in creating the trust that turns a city street into a neighborhood we call home.

Tribune: Prosperity & Diversity: Describe your plans to ensure that prosperity and diversity - racial and economic - exists in North Denver.

Espinoza: On issues of prosperity and diversity, I will engage, listen, propose and act. In the wake of the foreclosure crisis and economic downturn, families lost their homes only to see those homes purchased and resold at rates well above what they could afford. Forced into the rental market these families, often individuals of color, have been pushed beyond the city borders, into food deserts and areas where health care, child care and transportation are nearly impossible to access. Yet, despite this, we have weakened the ordinance that was supposed to drive affordable home construction, and now all we see are $800 thousand duplexes and $1500+ rentals that are pushing working class families out. My opponent points to 268 affordable housing units built in District 1 during her term of office, omitting the number of lost units. Meanwhile, more than four times that number of higher-end and “luxury” housing units were built this year alone in District 1. The new 7-block St. Anthony’s redevelopment championed by my opponent, has not a single affordable for-sale unit. Clearly this has been a failure of leadership that I will address. I will continue to work with businesses to enhance job growth in Denver and Northwest Denver. I will work with developers to attain affordable housing for our teachers, nurses, elderly and other working class Denverites and work to strengthen affordable housing provisions.  Finally, I will immediately engage with organizations and programs working to find solutions that allow communities to remain intact and grow in prosperity together.

Shepherd: Denver’s economic prosperity fueled by our housing boom has not lifted all boats equally.  I fought hard to raise the minimum wage in 2006 and support raising our state’s minimum wage again.  I was a deciding vote last year on important changes to our Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that will incentivize more affordable housing in Denver, especially near transit.  But that solution is a drop in the bucket compared to our identified need of 30,000 affordable housing units citywide.  I support a dedicated revenue stream for that purpose. I also think we should have stronger standards for affordable housing tied to our tax increment financing laws.

I want our district to be a great place for business and job creation.  I support mixed-use zoning that gives residents more opportunities to work and play near where they live.  I also support expanded investment in Office of Economic Development’s small business loan program and also the Denver Energy Challenge program, which provides low interest loans to businesses who would like to become more energy efficient and reduce costs.  I also support continued investment in our Denver library system such as the newly completed Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales library, which will provide transformational educational and job skills development in a needy area of northwest Denver.

Tribune: Credentials: What should District 1 voters know about your credentials to manage Denver resources on the  City Council?

Espinoza: My life experience is uniquely comprehensive, and I haven’t forgotten how it shaped me. It’s partly why I willfully jumped at the opportunity to do affordable housing and equally why the only thing that could pry me away from serving that community is serving Northwest Denver. My 20 years of professional experience as an architect have exposed me to a diverse portfolio of project types of varying scales and complexity. These properly equip me to immediately take up the critical planning and zoning discussions that have led to the deepening concern of residents who have watched the issue languish over the last 4 years. Likewise, I am keenly aware of the City’s years of neglect and have watched Northside city streets crumble, sometime even as they are being built. As part of my management of our city resources, I would ask for a seat on both the Neighborhood Planning and Infrastructure Committees and call upon my experience to help drive initiatives that address our crumbling streets.  As a community proponent, I have successfully negotiated on behalf of the community to improve neighborhood outcomes, and I have offered time and treasure in neighborhood cleanups, crime fighting efforts, small business promotion, park upgrades and pedestrian pathway improvements. I am a skilled creative problem solver with an often unique perspective and passion for finding a way forward on seemingly unsolvable problems. Finally, I am a neighbor who cares deeply about working with you to constantly better our Northwest Denver.

Shepherd: From my time growing up in a working poor family to being a working mother, I have always managed a budget to meet the bottom line and get the most out of every dollar. My background and passion has been as an advocate for working families. I believe that the work done on City Council can improve our communities while fitting within our budget.

I have experience working with business to create Business Improvement Districts to help our local economy thrive. I have worked with the City to find ways to improve our Northwest Denver Parks, improve our transit system, add bikability, all within our current budget.

It is critical to me, that we invest in our communities and work toward sustainability. I have done this through my work as Chair of the Infrastructure and Culture Committee and as a volunteer creating community gardens in our most needy areas. I have successfully worked to reduce the energy and water use in our City to not only save our city money but to protect our environmental resources.

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