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Government is quietly and almost invisibly changing as we speak. Government has managed the business of communities by promising they will take care of the issues, expecting the citizens to trust their decisions. Today, government is asking the citizenship to “stand up, get involved, and work with them to deal with the tough issues we all face in building a sustainable community. This means we will need to work together for our future health, safety and prosperity. The county and municipalities are beginning to understand they must work together so they can easily facilitate the public participation and foster the consensual support needed to deal with the issues efficiently. An excellent example is the Inter Governmental Agreement finalized between Parker and the County and soon to come to fruition, Castle Rock. I visited the Franktown Public advisory Committee and watched the citizens work together in charting their future. It was exciting watching this group of people create and become a community with common goals. The vision for Douglas County’s future has focused on the next 20 years but needs to extend to 100 or 200 years. This will be the commissioner’s biggest challenge, but it is our moral and political duty to meet the needs of the present generation while not compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations. How do we accomplish this monumental task? You have to take small bites at the issues and I compare it to the challenges I face daily. I must be committed to identifying and communicating about the problems we face. Then comes bringing people from all entities to the table to take one step at a time to solve the problems. Leadership and dedication will guide the way. I commit to you I have both and have proven so in my past experiences while on Castle Rock Town Council, in business ventures and involvement in the community. Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame said “live long and prosper”. This will require considerable faith and take leadership to inspire our community to meet this challenge. Here are a few of the goals I have for the future of Douglas County : Continue the efforts of the Douglas County Water Authority and deliver a progressive plan in the next 2 - 3 years that will provide renewable water for our future. Work regionally to recapture and reuse water, create long term substantial storage and minimize the costs to citizens. Take a leadership roll in identifying and educating citizens about conservation. Manage the growth through our master planning process and maintain balance between residential and commercial development Facilitate citizen discussions for a long-term solution to transportation issues. Building a sustainable community is the solution and involves literally hundreds of changes in how we do business - changes in technology, technique, and behavior. I believe there is abundant reason for hope in our future and am committed to leading the way. |
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