The holiday display in front of Denver’s City and County Building deserves some stockings, stuffed with great care.
• For Council President Jeanne Robb, a huge holiday bouquet honoring her straightforward explanation of how decisions are made regarding Denver’s beloved parks.
Add to that an excellent bottle of red wine for her tireless work on behalf of both her council district and the city. Robb has mastered Denver’s opaque regulatory systems, recognizing that land use policy is one of the few areas where the council has statutory authority. Finally, a coffee gift card for working tirelessly (along with other task force members) on the proposed new zoning code and map. (I’m a member of the task force, but my attention wavers.)
• Planning Director Peter Park’s stocking holds gift cards for Italian pasta and biscotti for his relentless dedication to the new zoning code. This expansive five-year effort led by the visionary urbanist will provide the tools for Denver to truly become a livable, sustainable and connected city.
• Auditor Dennis Gallagher’s office deserves a hearty pat on the back for an incisive audit of Seedco, the national non-profit financial institution selected to siphon off local federal development funds in order to leverage more development. The audit resulted in the council pulling the plug on a singularly bad idea.
• Hizzoner John Hickenlooper deserves three gifts. First, applause for invigorating Denver’s cultural assets: acquisition of the Clyfford Still collection; a worthy attempt to expand Denver’s civic footprint with the new Denver Justice Center west of the City and County Building; and putting Denver on the world’s stage during the flawlessly produced 2008 Democratic National Convention.
A half-baked souffle awaits poorly thought-out or possibly ill-timed initiatives. Next summer’s Biennial of the Americas is a wonderful idea. The initial concept — In Good We Trust — put forth by Canadian architect Bruce Mau has been significantly reduced in scope and Mau hasn’t been seen or heard from in months. This initiative is classic Hickenlooper: big, bold, creative and potentially significant. Here’s hoping the Biennial is successful and the souffle rises.
The fate of Civic Center’s Carnegie/McNichols building poses a similar dilemma. The city issued a request for ideas more than a year ago. Finalists were chosen and interviewed. Then . . . what? The historic structure’s interior will be gutted (a good thing) to house the Biennial. What happens to this important building following the scaled-down event is anybody’s guess.
Similarly half-baked are the mayor’s attempts to reform a bureaucracy stuck in silos, build a multi-modal transportation system, make the city more sustainable environmentally and fiscally, and communicate his priorities to staff and Cabinet. His tenure as a fair-weather mayor was excellent. It remains to be seen how well he handles the stormy days ahead. For these challenges, he gets a sturdy, oversized umbrella and a bottle of calcium.
• Lumps of coal, hearing aids and copies of “Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten” to the Denver Board of Education, superintendent and senior staff. The shenanigans that took place following the seating of three new board members were unprecedented. District leadership’s political tin ear doesn’t bode well for strong communication among board members nor with the diverse stakeholders in the community.
A healthy and peaceful season to all!
Susan Barnes-Gelt (sbg13@ ) served on the Denver City Council and worked for Mayor Federico Peña. She is a consultant to local architect- ural and development companies.
