Top 3 reasons to vote for Christina
To the editor,
It’s election time again for City Council seats. Although you may not think local elections or who sits on City Council is important, it is. Here’s why I’m voting, and why I’m voting for Christina Rinderle.

Top 3 reasons to vote in the upcoming City Council election:

1) It’s your money! The City Council spends taxpayer money to run and improve our city. Casting your vote for a candidate that represents your views ensures that your money is spent in a responsible and sustainable way.

2) It’s your neighborhood and your community! The outcomes of local elections often have a greater impact on our daily lives than national elections. Your vote can help ensure that Durango is the kind of community in which you want to continue to live, work and play.

3) It’s your future! City Council decisions have a real impact on the kind of community in which our children will grow up. Making decisions now about land use, job creation and education affects the future of all of us.

Top 3 reasons to vote for Christina Rinderle:
1) Christina works for environmental sustainability. She has been a passionate advocate for ensuring that Durango remains the kind of beautiful outdoor mecca that draws awards and recognition from around the nation. During her first term, the City was able to purchase more land in Horse Gulch, bringing the total to over 1,000 acres. She was also a part of developing the Parks Open Space & Trails Recreation Master Plan.

2) Christina believes in economic development. She is on the executive board of the La Plata Economic Development Alliance and works hard to ensure that Durango is a place where its community members can find meaningful work with competitive pay.

3) Christina cares about affordable housing. As a member of the executive board of the Regional Housing Alliance and an outspoken advocate for accessory dwelling units, Christina believes in a community where all its members can afford to live and thrive.

Check out her website: www.christinafordurango.com to learn more about all of her accomplishments from her first term and her plans for the next one

.
– Sarah Brown, Durango

Brookie a longtime local leader
To the editor:
I’d like to bring readers’ attention to the fact that it is City Council campaign season, and there is one outstanding candidate in the running, new to elected office but not public service. His name is Dean Brookie, a local architect and longtime community leader.

Dean moved to Durango in 1980 and has contributed thoughtfully to its growth and development ever since. In fact, he has been on the leading edge of realizing the vision Durango established for itself as a community committed to economic, environmental and social sustainability.

One of his early jobs was with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which identified Durango as a pilot for its Main Streets program, a public-private partnership that helps communities to retain their historic districts. Dean was the man on the ground working with merchants and city officials to preserve our history and establish the early foundation of Durango’s commitment to historic preservation, one of the main drivers of Durango tourism.

In 1990, Dean was among a few residents who helped stop the development of a Wal-Mart at the county fairgrounds, and later was on the design team for the Durango Community Recreation Center. More recently, he designed the Durango Transit Center, completed in 2009, and is a proponent of public transportation.

A small business owner, Dean understands that our community’s economic vitality contributes significantly to our quality of life whereby sales tax helps fund the development of the many recreational amenities we, and visitors, so enjoy. Dean will work for a diverse and vital economy.
A man of ideals, Dean has worked for affordable housing in Durango for over thirty years and serves on the Board of Habitat for Humanity. In 2007, he was awarded the Colorado Habitat for Humanity Volunteer of the Year award.

Dean exemplifies, in the most humble of ways, a man of great integrity who walks his talk. He is an honest man of good humor, a consensus-builder, and the kindest and most generous person I know. Durango would be lucky to have Dean represent us on City Council. Please join me in electing him and vote Dean Brookie for City Council.

– Sincerely, Ellen Stein

Senator Portman sees the light
To the editor,
As a former Buckeye, I read with amusement Rob Portman’s (Ohio U.S. Senator) change of heart about gay marriage because his son recently “came out!” That is truly an ideologically sound reason for no longer bashing gay marriage throughout Ohio. Maybe if his son gets married to an African American man he will also change his mind about suppressing and intimidating the black vote in Ohio. In fact, his position on Obamacare and the demise of the American economy may also change due to the fact that “his portfolio” saw 10 days of the stock market surging.

Now maybe he will also have second thoughts about gays in the military in light of the fact his son and lover may join up. Maybe he will go to Dick Cheney’s home and have dinner with Cheney and his daughter and sing Kumbaya.

Hope his son does not join a union, if so Portman may even stop bashing unions! Oh how fortunate that the beam of heavenly light has enlightened such a primitive man! Thank you Jesus!

– Bob Krejci, Durango

Brant will keep first things first
To the editor,
Keith Brant promises to maintain the City Council as effective and prudent guardians of the public resources, focusing on true priorities, essential services and realistic programs and projects that will best serve our community. I’ve known Keith for several years, and I know that this is not just an empty campaign promise. He sees the view from 30,000 feet and rationally understands the impacts City Council can have on all of us. What the city of Durango does affects everybody in La Plata County and many people in the region. It’s important that we have council members who keep first things first and are discerning financial stewards for the good of the community as a whole.

– Rob Alexander, Pastor of Spiritual Growth, New Hope Durango