Almost two decades ago, residents approved a half-cent tax to pay for construction and maintenance of the Rec Center, as well as improvements and expansions of the Animas River Trail. Today, the center is built and the debt will likely be paid off by 2018, a year earlier than the original 20-year term./Photo by Jennaye Derge

Ballot busters

Four vie for council seats; City asks voters to renew parks and rec tax

by Tracy Chamberlin

It’s decision time in Durango. With four candidates, two open seats and one question on the April ballot, the choice voters make this election cycle will shape City Council and Parks and Recreation projects for years to come.

Durango City Clerk Amy Phillips said the ballots went out March 20. Likely to land in mailboxes over spring break, all ballots are due back by 7 p.m. Tues., April 7.

Anyone needing a replacement ballot can stop by City Hall, 949 E. 2nd Ave. It’s also one of three options for returning them.

Residents can simply mail the ballots back, drop them off at City Hall, or drop them off at the County Clerk’s office in Bodo Park. City Hall, however, is the only spot to pick up a replacement.

The one thing voters forget most often is to sign the outside of their ballot envelopes. “Otherwise it will not count,” Phillips explained.

One of the decisions for voters living within Durango city limits is balot question 1A, which asks voters to renew a half-cent sales tax used specifically to fund Parks and Recreation projects.

Almost two decades ago, residents approved the half-cent tax to pay for construction and maintenance of the Durango Rec Center, as well as improvements and expansions to the Animas River Trail, which now stretches 7 miles.

Still, the city has plenty of projects in its Parks and Rec master plan. Like extending the river trail north to Oxbow Park, upgrading river access points at 29th Street and improvements to the BMX track at Cundiff Park.

The city decided to come to the voters this year for two top reasons, according to Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz.

First, the Parks and Rec Department works on a 15-year horizon for capital improvement projects. Looking that far ahead allows city staff to do things like apply for state and federal grant monies, which often require matching funds.

The other reason is the debt for the Rec Center construction will likely be paid off by 2018, a year earlier than the original 20-year term of the tax.

The previous ballot measure included language stipulating that once the debt for the Rec Center construction was paid, the tax would sunset. Since the city can only bring tax questions to voters during elections held in odd-numbered years, like 2015 and 2017, the clock is ticking.

If Durangoans deny the city’s request for a renewal of the half-cent sales tax this year, there would still be enough time to come back to the voters in 2017 for a second chance, just ahead of the 2018 deadline.

It’s not lost on city officials that taxes aren’t always welcome – no matter the purpose. “People have different opinions about taxes in general,” Metz explained.

With the city looking at various infrastructure needs, like a new wastewater treatment plant and airport terminal, Parks and Recreation projects aren’t the only items that need funding.

However, if approved, the half-cent sales tax would be earmarked specifically for those parks projects. It could not be used for infrastructure or other needs. And, that would be true for the entire 20-year term of the tax. 

Typically, city staff bring budget data and suggestions to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which then votes on recommendations. But the final word on which parks projects would get the monies is up to the Durango City Council.

And, there are four candidates vying for two open seats on the council this April. Incumbents Sweetie Marbury and Dick White take on challengers Dave McHenry and Sean Waddell.

The Telegraph asked each of these candidates questions about themselves and their long-term visions for Durango. Here are their responses.

Meet the candidates

Name: Sweetie Marbury

Occupation: Retired teacher

If your music player got stuck on “repeat,” what would you want it to be stuck on? “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Any song by Roy makes me happy.

What is your dream vacation? My dream vacation is on a beach in Maui. I hear the crashing of the water on the black lava rocks. The whales are in sight. I feel peaceful. The water is cool and the sand feels good on my feet.

What is your favorite local restaurant? It would not be polite to say which restaurant is my favorite. Everyone is special. I love the chicken at Yardbird. I love the elegance of Seasons. I eat at Zia’s on North Main before City Council meetings. The Ore House is a family favorite. Mahogany Grill is where I take out-of-town friends. The Himalayan has a wonderful menu. Ken and Sue’s has great service and food. Grassburger makes a yummy burger. Subway makes me feel healthy. Cyprus Café supports local farms. Chimayo has butternut squash soup. I’m lucky to live in Durango, and I’m running out of space.

What are your hobbies? My hobby is gardening. I grow happy hydrangeas. My delphiniums are splashes of brilliant cobalt blue­­. The monarchs like my asters. The bees are frequent visitors to my magical garden as the sign reads on my house. My 1950 International truck is a working girl and hauls mulch, rocks and furniture. We have a lot of fun cruising down the road.

With a myriad of issues facing the future City Council, what legacy would you hope to leave behind? My legacy is happening every day in Durango.  Single stream recycling makes a huge difference in deceasing waste to the landfill. Schools, hotels, businesses, residents have the opportunity to make a difference every day in Durango with recycling. My grandson recycles his yogurt cups and we say he is making another cup by recycling. He gets it. This little boy as an adult will teach his children to recycle. My mother grew up on a farm and nothing was wasted in her family. She taught that same value to her children. I hope to see Durango become a regional recycling center for the Western Slope.

Name: Dave McHenry

Occupation: Licensed landscape architect

If your music player got stuck on “repeat,” what would you want it to be stuck on? “One Toke Over the Line” by Brewer and Shipley

What is your dream vacation? All-expense paid trip for two to the Turks and Caicos Islands with our stand-up paddleboards.

What is your favorite local restaurant? Anywhere I don’t have to do the dishes.

What are your hobbies? My favorite hobby is to play Thursday night drop-in volleyball at the Community Recreation Center. Most weeks I am the oldest one in the gym but I can still stuff the college kids.

With a myriad of issues facing the future City Council, what legacy would you hope to leave behind? If I am elected to the Durango City Council I wouldn’t be focused on the legacy I left behind, but instead I’d set aside my ego and be mindful of the present.

Name: Dick White

Occupation: City councilor – otherwise retired

If your music player got stuck on “repeat,” what would you want it to be stuck on? Branford Marsalis, “Romances for Saxophone”

What is your dream vacation? New Zealand

What is your favorite local restaurant? It depends, but I’m in Carver’s more often than any other.

What are your hobbies? Golf, basketball and bird-watching

With a myriad of issues facing the future City Council, what legacy would you hope to leave behind? The legacy I hope to build is a more resilient, self-reliant, sustainable Durango. That is the goal that led me to help found and lead the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado and to serve on the boards of other sustainability-related nonprofits. It led me to serve on steering committees for founding the Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency and for the La Plata County Climate and Energy Action Plan. It prompted me to seek election to the City Council and it drives me to seek re-election.

All of the challenges facing the City in some way relate to sustainability. We need sustainable funding for our essential water and sewer infrastructure. We need to pass Ballot Issue 1A to support our parks and recreation systems and our pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, because they enhance health and quality of life for all of our citizens. We need an airport that will reliably serve the transportation and economic needs of Durango for generations. We need to address the housing challenges that face Durangoans, especially the disadvantaged, students and young adults. We need to nurture the music, arts and culture that enrich our community life. We need to minimize our waste – and the 70 times-larger waste stream associated with replacing what we discard. And we need to reduce the emissions that represent our contribution to the changing climate, which threatens our water supplies and our forests.

Fulfilling a vision of a sustainable Durango will require a solid foundation in community dialogue and mindful action. I hope to help lay such a foundation in the next four years.

Name: Sean Waddell

Occupation: Self employed rental property manager; past career: Fiserv ISS 16 years, TDAmeritrade three years, BNY Mellon two years, Swan Wealth Advisors two years.

If your music player got stuck on “repeat,” what would you want it to be stuck on? Boston’s “More Than a Feeling,” for sure.

What is your dream vacation? Four days at Pear Lake in the Needles. I’ve been blessed to see it a dozen times in my life. My first time, I was 8 years old.

What is your favorite local restaurant? Griego’s at least once a week.

What are your hobbies? Skiing, hiking, cycling (road, town and mountain), hunting, fishing. Anything my kids are involved in … (dance, soccer, golf, etc.)

With a myriad of issues facing the future City Council, what legacy would you hope to leave behind? I want my legacy on City Council to be I was a fair, honest and respectful representative of all the citizens of Durango. I want to protect the culture and the integrity of this community while we tackle some very difficult issues. I want to see Durango grow at a manageable pace and I want my kids to be able to raise their children in a community that their grandfather and great grandfather would recognize and enjoy.