Graffiti and housing foreclosures have become so prevalent in west Denver that candidates for the District 3 City Council seat say theirs is a race for revitalization.
Seven people are running to fill the seat left open when Rosemary Rodriguez was appointed to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Each candidate hopes to be an advocate for change in the area.
“West Denver has just been skipped,” said candidate Paul Lopez, a union organizer and community advocate. “You walk into District 3, and you begin to ask yourself, ‘What’s going on?”‘
Candidate Antoinette Alire, who has lived in the district since 1996, said the city has some responsibility for contributing to the decline.
“You drive down Federal Boulevard, and our streets need to be paved,” she said. “We have a lot of people that work and live on Federal, and they feel like they are driving in a war zone – and those are not my words.”
JoAnn Phillips, who was an aide to former Councilwoman Ramona Martinez, said it seems as though there is a vacant or foreclosed home on every block.
“We need to find these absentee landlords, and we need to start making them accountable for their properties,” she said. “We don’t want to live next door to that.”
And Mark Roggeman, a Denver police community resource officer, said residents have told him that graffiti is their biggest concern.
“Graffiti – No. 1,” Roggeman said. “I think it’s the biggest problem to them because you see it all over the place.”
The candidates said they know west Denver as a strong, working-class community that just needs investment. And they point to signs of progress.
The area was part of a pilot program for the “broken windows” policing philosophy that emphasizes punishing quality-of-life crimes. Several candidates said the program has been a success.
“I think it’s working,” said Kathy Sandoval, who works in Aurora as a city planner. “I’d like to see it expanded. If New York can do it, we can do it here.”
And the area is hoping that the FasTracks commuter and light rail expansion will bring in business investment.
Architect Niccolo Casewit said his experience with transit-oriented development will help the community plan for expansion around the rail stations.
“I’ve been saying, ‘West side, it’s our time,”‘ Casewit said. “We are in a special place where we meet the qualifications … (residents) just really, really warm to the fact that we care.”
Candidate Ben Romero was less enthusiastic.
“I think there may be some benefit with bringing more people through, but I think it’s still too early to know the negative effects, such as noise and crime,” said Romero, chairman of the Denver board of adjustments.
An all-mail-ballot election that culminates May 1 is underway. Denver residents who have not received a ballot by today should contact the Denver Election Commission or call 311.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
