Dillon Council Candidates

The election is Tuesday; candidates running for four seats - the candidate who receives the fewest votes will serve a two-year term

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SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
March 27, 2008

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Lucinda Burns
Age: 49
Hometown: Sherborn, Massachusetts
Occupation: Executive Director, Early Childhood Options
Community Service: Current member, Dillon Town Council
Length of time living in Summit County: 8 years
Family: Husband, Jeff, children Kevin, 23, and Alison, 21

1. What is your vision for Dillon's town core? What kind of development would you like to see for the area? What role should the town government play in development of the core? Please be as specific as possible.

Dillon town core has the potential to be a vibrant neighborhood with mixed residential, retail and cultural opportunities. The beautiful and pristine lakefront provides a wonderful anchor for our town. We can complement this by promoting development in the core area that emphasizes residential and ground level retail use, with a focus on the arts. I believe that the Lake Dillon Theater and Colorado Mountain College are important amenities to the core area. Other development can be achieved through economic redevelopment strategies that include the creation of an urban renewal authority, and tax incentives in certain cases.

2. Do you feel that town government is responsive to the needs of Dillon's citizens? How would you encourage more participation from residents?

The Town of Dillon welcomes involvement and input from its citizens. The Town has worked closely with citizens in recent efforts involving developing consensus plans for the Dillon Marina and Marina Park, and in developing a vision and plan for revitalization of the downtown core. I encourage town members to continue to stay involved through community forums, town council meetings and work sessions and direct communication with staff and council. There are also many opportunities to be involved through participation on various town committees. Recently, Dillon residents have voiced their interest in town events, particularly summer events. I welcome this input and encourage residents to work with staff and council on summer event planning. I believe that Dillon will always be a small mountain community that is friendly and responsive to residents, supportive of business owners and welcoming to guests.

3. Compared to other Summit County towns, Dillon has been relatively uninterested in developing deed-restricted "affordable" housing. Do you think affordable housing should be a priority for the town? How do you think the town should spend its 5A revenue monies? Again, please be as specific as possible.

Dillon has some work ahead regarding affordable housing, and I believe this will be one of our priorities in the coming months. The housing supply is limited in Dillon. To be successful in offering affordable housing our planning must include both county-wide and Dillon specific strategies. 5A revenue monies will always be limited in Dillon. We can offer down-payment loans, both on our own and in partnership with the Summit Combined Housing Authority. We can also encourage some attainable housing in partnership with new development opportunities. Ultimately, we should consider options for deed restricted housing within the town limits. Dillon is a special place to live, and I believe it should be accessible for a wide range of residents, including local employees.

4. What do you think is the biggest challenge faced by Dillon today, and what policies would you support to meet that challenge?

The upcoming months and years will be exciting times for Dillon. We will have opportunities to improve our Marina, our parks, our roads and our downtown. One of our challenges will be to adequately fund proposed projects at the Marina. An additional challenge will be to move forward with the revitalization of the downtown core in a way that ensures a balance of growth and long-term sustainability while simultaneously maintaining the pristine nature of our mountain town. I look forward to working with community members and staff as we address these upcoming opportunities and challenges.

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Mary Forsythe
Age: 54
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Occupation: Special Projects Coordinator, Forsythe Appraisals, LLC
Community Service: Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Town of Dillon; Dillon Park and Recreation Committee Member; Dillon Economic Revitalization Committee Member
Length of time living in Summit County: Full-time since 2004
Family: Husband, Tim, four married sons, nine grand children

Question 1:
My vision of Dillon’s town core is to see a vital year-round community of residents and visitors. The core would emphasize a pedestrian orientation with parking in central locations. I hope to see development in the core area focus on a blend of retail, restaurants, and gathering spaces on the first levels of buildings with office space and residential living space on the second floors and above.
Strong pedestrian connections to the lake are paramount as I feel Dillon’s greatest assets include is its waterfront, marina and park. The role of the Town of Dillon will be to emphasize strong public/private partnerships in the redevelopment. As stated in our Dillon Town Center Vision and Direction, this can happen through various ways including streamlined development review, zoning assistance, financing districts, public improvements to name a few.

Question 2:
In the nearly four years that I have been a full-time resident here, I have been most impressed with the outreach to the stakeholders in Dillon. Realizing that the most effective way to really feel the pulse of the permanent residents and second homeowners alike, Dillon engaged professionals to garner views on a variety of topics to produce an economic redevelopment study through Leland Consulting. The Greenplay Park and Recreation Study also gathered opinions to present an assessment and recommendation to the town.
Similar stakeholder communication has recently been part of the JJR Marina Master Plan. The community was invited to present their thoughts on each of the studies and there was an impressive turnout.

Question 3:
We are fortunate in Summit County that we still have areas (though limited) where growth of deed restricted “affordable” housing can be properly planned and developed. Breckenridge and Frisco have taken leadership roles and we will all benefit from this. The core area of Dillon is somewhat limited for any large scale of development. Rather than a “deed-restriction,” I would like to see a program of down payment assistance for full time workers. Our 5-A monies will be considerably less than other towns in Summit County and I feel that utilized in this way, we can provide real help to first time home buyers and yet not restrict them from participation in the appreciation of their property. I am very interested on working on a policy toward this goal.

Question 4:
I feel Dillon’s greatest challenge is having “warm bodies” in Dillon on a year-round basis. We have wonderful summer attendance at our Amphitheater and Marina events. Our bike path is a wonderful discovery for visitors. My experience in speaking with many Dillon residents is that there is great support for Dillon to embrace redevelopment in the core. We can establish a sustainable year round, vital community where residents and visitors alike come to experience a mountain lifestyle while offering year round housing, restaurants, galleries and shops in a setting that is not a resort, but a real community where people feel valued. Strong policies of public/private partnerships will help us to meet this challenge.

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Ron Holland
Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas
Occupation: Restaurant Owner, Ristorante Al Lago
Community Service: Board of Directors, Lake Dillon Foundation for the Performing Arts: Board of Directors RAIN Colorado (Regional Aids Interfaith Network); Numerous fund raiser (benefits) for community organizations in Summit County hosted by Ristorante Al Lago
Length of time living in Summit County: 10 years
Family: Partnered for 13 years with two children: Kris, Manager, Ristorante Al Lago, and Jason, United States Navy.

Question 1:
I would like to see a unique mix in the Town Core of commercial and residential development that would set the Town of Dillon apart from other Towns in Summit County. My feeling is the Town of Dillon has a great opportunity to build a community that is beneficial for both the existing business community and residents of Dillon. My vision would be to increase the "foot traffic" in the Town Core by offering residents and tourists a blend of shopping, dining and cultural opportunities that currently do not exist in Dillon.

Question 2:
Yes, I do think the town government is responsive to the needs of Dillon's citizens. Town Council meetings are open the public with time for community input and question. Town staff has a open door policy for all. I have found the council and town staff responsive and respectful of idea's and opinions presented. I would encourage participation from residents by encouraging them to become involved in town government by volunteering their time and energy in the many opportunities that currently exist.

Question 3:
I believe the council and staff of Dillon are concerned with affordable housing. There is a sum of money available for housing which needs to be spent to help the most amount of residence. If down payment assistance or some other form of help is the best route to go needs to be decided by the tax payers and the town. I would like to see the town and the residence work together to make the dollars available do the most good for the most people possible.

Question 4:
There are no challenges - only opportunities. I would support policies that encourage total participation from the town residents. Respecting and maintaining the quality of life for the residents of Dillon. Support sensible growth while respecting the environment. Commitment to the promotions of the arts.

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Douglas Roessel
Age: 43
Home Town: Sea Isle City, NJ
Occupation: Health Club Owner
Length of Time on Summit County: 8 Years

Question 1:
My vision of Dillon’s downtown or core area is a thriving mix between business and residential units with full time residents supporting the growth of Dillon while maintaining the small town charm that is Dillon. I believe that Dillon needs smart development that encompasses the needs of the current town and development that addresses the older buildings and parking issues. Town government needs to be the entity to start this process. This has already started with the approval of a blight study, which in turn will lead to an Urban Renewal Authority.

Question 2:
I believe the current town council has been somewhat responsive to the needs of the citizens but I also believe that the locally owned and operated business have not been considered on some key issues. It is fairly simple to get more participation from current residents by reminding them this is their town and by attending town council meetings their voice can be heard. Also remind the residents and business that most of the council members are approachable and willing to listen to issues that concern them.

Question 3:
I don’t believe that Dillon is uninterested in affordable house, but that Dillon is much smaller than some of the other entities. Dillon has some unique issues with space for development and the ability to attract developers who need to be sure their projects are making financial sense. I do believe that affordable housing is a priority for the town of Dillon, but it needs to fit in with all that Dillon is currently working on. As for 5A revenues monies, I would like to see some type of down payment assistance program for Emergency Services Employees, teachers, and town employees.

Question 4:
The biggest challenge Dillon has is to get development moving forward with including the input of residents, businesses and visitor to be sure that the future of Dillon is bright as possible. The one policy that will support this is to keep communication happening between everyone that wants to see Dillon succeed in the future.