Meet Peter

We have to approach water issues from several directions, as we are already running “behind” a moving train.  We need share our water situation with facts, and motivate action from our leaders and residents.  We need to encourage conservation, reviewing building policies and exploring creative use of resources (such as non-potable water for irrigation).  We need to begin upgrading water treatment and water storage capacity, and we need to expand water acquisition, partnering in regional planning and cooperative projects.

These are actions we need to take now to avoid negative impacts to quality of life and expected growth.  Water rationing and a moratorium on building would be very hard to face, but swift action could prevent or forestall that outcome.

The job of our city council is first to listen, and then to provide guidance – not the other way around.  Our city planning and city management professionals understand the ins and outs of transportation engineering (and other issues), and we should take their input to inform strategic guidance.

As our population seeks to be more connected to the cities around us, we need to ensure the ability to travel efficiently and safely. This includes infrastructure and safety systems, increased highway access, mor robust public transportation, and solutions like sponsored carpooling to facilitate commuter needs.

We need to worry about transportation within the city, as well.  We are outgrowing our “on demand” bus service from RTD, we have roads and intersections that lag behind traffic usage, and we need to close gaps in road construction and expansion.

Growth in Brighton has outpaced expectations and plans.  Now we need to race to meet the needs of rapid growth:  infrastructure, utilities, and basic services; commerce to support the population; and outdated or outsized community health facilities (parks and pools, recreation center, senior citizen center, and other elements of our current development plans).  

With property values skyrocketing, it is a challenge to secure affordable housing.  However, we can manage subsidized rental housing and senior communities, we can design for greater housing density, and we can encourage developers to include homes at varying price points in each neighborhood.

It is hard to anticipate how much revenue marijuana dispensaries might bring to Brighton, and to balance that against the impacts and costs in regulation and enforcement.  Excise taxes on marijuana make up less than 1% of the state budget.  In Pueblo, marijuana tax revenues make up about $600,000, less than 1% of their annual budget.  

I would seek to know how residents are responding to community surveys, and what services and facilities they desire (such as expanded/improved athletic fields, recreation facilities, or public activities) and then consider the actions of cities like Pueblo, which established scholarships for local graduates, and Aurora, which invested revenues in a Day Center for homeless residents.

Partnership and influence are the keys to cultivating great quality of life.  We can foster education as a value, but we collaborate with School District 27J, rather than direct them.  We have an opportunity to support the school district and its ballot issues to help close funding gaps in the face of tremendous growth.

Our responsibility is to encourage and fund those things which generate interest and activity in the city.  Recreation centers foster physical health, and investment in arts and cultural events drive community engagement. Outdoor arts installations, concert and parade events, open space and historical landmarks, marketing the city for commercial development, and other such activities are critical to developing an interesting and lively place to live.  

The definition of a “vibrant” downtown warrants consideration.  Downtown Brighton is an interesting combination of commercial, cultural and social engagement.  We are not Cherry Creek, and we are not “Old Town” Lafayette.  We have vibrant locally-owned businesses that appeal to the demographics of the northwest quadrant of our city, interspersed with local restaurants and brew pubs.  It’s a great microcosm of our community, but it may not be what was once envisioned.  We have more work to do on the I-76 and US 85 entrances to town, and we need to re-envision traffic patterns on our main arterial roads.

Always, I seek to listen and to learn.  How do people want to be engaged?  Who has time and expertise to contribute, and how do we help them to do so?  What gaps in diversity and representation we need to fill?  Whose voices do we need to hear?  Do we make it possible – and desirable – to participate?

Getting the attention of busy families is always challenging, and we can increase the use of technology to engage them.  Social media is critical to communication with younger families and their children.  Families may participate more if we encourage active remote participation, with events like telephone town halls.

My intent is to engage people by being present, inviting people to share, and communicating with integrity.

Thank you so much for providing me with this opportunity to engage with Building a Better Brighton.  I appreciate you enabling me to frame my candidacy in the context of issues you see as critical to the community.  I do hope to achieve your support and endorsement as we look at these challenges together.