Questions:
1) What made you decide to run for council? Was it something specific?
2) How do you think the current council members work together? How would you, as a council member, make things run more smoothly?
3) What do you believe is the most important issue to which Golden residents should pay attention?
4) Economic development is an important issue for Golden. What direction do you want those efforts to take?
5) Efforts to build the Jefferson Parkway are once again front and center for Golden. What do you believe the City Council should do to oppose or support this project?
Rich Feltes
Age: 67
Family: A wife, two sons, one stepson, two granddaughters
Occupation: Disabled veteran
Address: 612 Golden Eagle Circle
Contact: richfoxtrot@aol.com
303-988-5378, Web site: http://feltesfordistrict1.webs.com
Profile: I am a Colorado native. I attended Mullen High School, Palomar College, UC Berkley and UC Irvine. I joined the Navy at age 17 and served for 20 years. As a Navy corpsman, I performed combat medicine for the Marines during the Vietnam War. I also taught school while serving in Japan.
1) Throughout government I see the Constitution being abandoned or amended. In whatever way I can, I would like to help bring us back to the principles that our founding fathers originated for us. The concept of limited government leads the list. Specifically, I would like to help maintain the small-town charm of Golden and its historical roots.
2) I believe that what is more important than how well council members work together is their ability to discuss and debate the issues and bring light to them. The goal would be to work toward this at all times.
In order to ensure that citizens and councilors have a closer relationship, I would like to see outside people brought in on study sessions.
3) Our small-town atmosphere seems to be going by the wayside. Population density is part of the problem as is getting back to basics, i.e. sidewalks, street lights, etc.
4) A greater amount of business and manufacturing would be a plus. FasTracks does not pay for itself. Sales taxes have limits.
5) For the most part, I would follow the recommendations of CINQ (Citizens Involved in the Northwest Quadrant). No matter what else, we should be certain that funding be bonds backed by secured mortgages if we are unable to stop this.
Saoirse Charis-Graves
Age: 59
Family: daughter, Alyssa Graves
Occupation: retired
Address: 1013 Cottonwood Circle
Contact: saoirsecg@gmail.com, 303-709-7529, Web site: www.saoirseforsouthgolden.com
Profile: I am a passionate community advocate and a retired school psychologist, having served the children in Jeffco schools for 27 years. I have lived in Golden for 15 years, where my daughter, Alyssa, is soon opening a new business downtown.
1) I love our small-town character, and I want to put my talents to work preserving what we love about Golden while laying the groundwork for a prosperous future.
2) Current councilors do a great job working through disagreements with open conversation. I’d encourage questions early on from all members and the general public to determine the diversity of opinion.
3) Many citizens have already participated in laying out a plan for future growth through Golden Vision 2030, and I would encourage even more citizens to participate. This input will shape the future of Golden, from our economic development plans to the expansion of parks, trails and open space.
4) My view, reinforced by ongoing conversations with our citizens, is that our economic development model must respect Golden’s unique, small-town character by avoiding reckless expansion and instead focusing on local businesses and attracting visitors from the Metro area to come enjoy Golden as a destination city.
5) It’s clear that the people of Golden do not want the beltway, so the first job of council is to stop it if possible. I will continue to explore innovative approaches, such as the citizen-suggested offer to purchase the right-of-way, but I’m not afraid of a lawsuit if that’s the only option we have left. And whether or not we win this fight, we must continue to address residents’ growing traffic concerns by improving safety and traffic flow, minimizing pollution and keeping our communities connected.