Mayoral Candidates Take Off the Gloves in TMJ Questionnaire

Levy and Carr address key city issues

One of the pivotal races facing Woodland Park voters in the April 3 municipal election is the showdown for mayor between incumbent Neil Levy and challenger Val Carr.

 

Both mayoral candidates need few introductions and are well-known figures in the community.

Val Carr

Carr has a degree from Stanford University in systems programming and one from the University of Colorado at Boulder in aerospace engineering. He is CEO of his own company doing military
communications consulting. He has served on the city council since 2016. His tenure on the council has been anything but quiet, as Carr has questioned many of the fiscal policies of the current WP administration, and at times, has been an outspoken critic of the city manager.  

Neil Levy

Levy, meanwhile, holds a degree in marketing from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of New Mexico. He is the owner of The Swiss Chalet restaurant in Woodland Park. Levy, who has also gained a reputation as a local coach for a variety of teams, was first appointed as mayor in the summer of 2014. He was then re-elected in 2016, beating Councilman Noel Sawyer. Levy has gained a reputation for endorsing many of the staff decisions made by the current administration. 

 

It’s no secret that the two mayoral candidates don’t agree on too many big local issues.

 

The following are questions and answers presented to the mayoral candidates by TMJ staff writer Bob Volpe. We urge the voters to take a look at this detailed questionnaire, as it gives a good snapshot on the candidates’ respective views on key issues facing the city.

Also, this Wednesday evening, the Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce will host a candidates forum, featuring the mayoral and council candidates. This forum provides good insight into the candidates’ stand on many issues of concern facing the voters. 

More importantly, remember to vote. All ballot must be turned into the clerk’s office by no later than7 p.m. on April 3.     

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Val Carr
1. What role should city government take in helping businesses in the city?
A town cannot survive without business vitality.  Businesses and residents create the wealth that makes a city prosper to the benefit of the prosperity and quality of life of all citizens.  City government can do things to help business and indeed overall prosperity.  It must perform essential services to maintain infrastructure – but frugally and efficiently.  Government does not create wealth, it only spends it.  Tax burdens like our mil rates, zoning and code burdens detract greatly from a business bottom line and a business friendly environment.  Direct aid is available from entities such as DDAs and Urban renewal agencies.    The City can also help businesses by fostering a safe, clean public environment for itizens.  What government should not do is pick winners and losers by their policies and actions.
2. Since city council has the final say on a budget, do you believe the city manager has had too much power over budgetary issues in the past and if so how would you change the budget process to reduce the city managers power? 
Yes.   The city manager has had too much power over the budget but only because the majority of the City Council has of late been unwilling or unable to treat the City Manager’s budget as a proposal
to be scrutinized and optimized to reduce waste, eliminate perks, and pursue expensive adventures that are not the proper role of government. The City Manager recently presents the staff wish list as the budget presented to council.  This is typical of government agencies.  In other organizations “zero based budgeting” is often used.  Households and private businesses do this often.  With agreed goals, and starting from a basis of zero and then “tell me exactly what each need is and justify how much to budget” gets departments to put some additional effort into originality of needs versus wants each budget season.  I believe this approach would benefit both the efficiency of city services and the tax money allocations.  A new City Manager may have interest in this approach which will put more confidence in the council’s budget deliberations, in my opinion. Wants versus needs is something to always consider in all budgeting. Oversight of the city has always been at the front of my mind in
representing the voters.
3. Do you think a 10 percent general fund reserve is enough to see the city through an emergency and what unforeseen emergency do you think may be on the horizon that would require a larger reserve?
The fund balance should be as much as possible (not limited by a certain percentage), balancing community provided services and staff to reasonable levels.  Reasonable is always the key, but often ignored in balancing return on investment and needs versus wants.  “Do we NEED free ice cream, or do we just WANT free ice cream?”  We are one wildfire and one multi-week Highway 24 closure away from financial problems for our citizens.  Our debt obligations are also great enough to concern many in our community. The city often states that disasters are covered by our CIRSA insurance for City entities and buildings, but the citizens are not, so their risks are the mayor’s elected concern. Risk, based on a rigorous risk analysis, is not a percentage of revenue – it is a summary of threats.  The reserve should be
reflective of risks appropriate to our town.
Do you think it is appropriate for a sitting council person, mayor, city manager, or any employee of the city who has decision making authority serve on the chamber of commerce board of directors? Why?
 Because of the privacy of the Chamber’s Board of Directors decisions and that their budget is not made public, the impression of conflicts of interest will always be a potential concern for any public officials or representatives to be serving on such an entity’s board.  Many other non-profits are fully open to the public and their transparency of budgets, decisions and missions leave the public without concerns on their membership by public decision makers, since the work can be checked and monitored by the public.   Having said this, generally speaking, the mayor should be supportive of business and hopefully, the chamber’s mission is to support business.  Public liaison only roles for such officials would avoid any perceptions of conflicts of interest.
5. Other than budgetary issues, what do you feel are the most pressing issues facing Woodland Park and how would you deal with them?
Other issues include the following:   
*Honesty and Transparency of government will improve with me as Mayor.  Public meetings will be run properly and “in order.
*Carrying out the Will of the People.  I will change the rubber-stamp inclinations of the current Mayor to the proper role of oversight in contrast to his making decisions based on City staff
opinion instead of the People’s Will.
*Public Safety and Maintenance of public areas.  Our citizens want a safe and beautiful City, with reestablishing regular cleaning and maintenance of our public areas.  As Mayor, I will also support improving public safety.  One easy way to do this is to enforce the speed limit through our downtown core.
*We need to examine the debt obligations and whether we should consider any new capital projects until those are well under way to repayment.
*We should consider that plans made in the past may not be best for the future and a rigid obligation to some plans may be lacking common sense priorities in the present.  Some past policies instituted may not face an efficiency test that benefits the community, but new Council and City Manager have an opportunity to examine those various issues and formulate optimum policies that
benefit the community best.
Neil Levy
1. What role should city government take in helping businesses in the city?
Our charter, as voted on by the citizens, does not allow for the reduction of fees, free infrastructure, or monetary incentives to businesses.  However, there are ways that the city can appropriately
support businesses.  For instance, city council and management should continue to improve consistency in the application and interpretation of the municipal code.  We should listen to any reasonable business
concerns and make sure the code stays current and relevant in the marketplace.  We can also build upon our continuing efforts to streamline processes.  Consistent and streamlined processes are the
best way the city can support business and we should let the free market determine the success of any business.  As a business owner, and as mayor, I have observed city management emphasizing consistency, and process improvement, as key priorities for the city when working with existing or new businesses. The city can also continue to provide appropriate infrastructure, necessary services, and a safe and pleasing environment to supplement the business community.
2. Since city council has the final say on a budget, do you believe the city manager has had too much power over budgetary issues in the past and if so how would you change the budget process to reduce the city managers power?
City council does indeed have final say over the budget, not the city manager.  Therefore, once the budget is adopted by the council, the city manager has the responsibility to manage the budget.  If there’s a need to exceed what’s budgeted, the city manager must come back to the council for approval.  Council approves all major contracts even after funds have been allocated, in the budget, which is another form of checks and balances.  In my time as mayor we have seen the city staff continue to improve the budgeting and reporting processes, and city council reviews detailed financial reports quarterly.  We also review the third party financial audits and there have been no
material findings or concerns.  I do believe that city council should continue to do a better job of establishing polices and setting priorities for the city manager and staff to execute.
3. Do you think a 10 percent general fund reserve is enough to see the city through an emergency and what unforeseen emergency do you think may be on the horizon that would require a larger reserve?
Short answer, no, and only God knows what emergencies will emerge in the future.  Based on what council has learned in studying and discussing the general fund reserve I believe that most, if not all,
council members believe the reserve level should be higher.  I believe we should target a stronger reserve between 17-20 percent, based on studies and reports we have seen. However, this should be a strategic goal without losing sight of other priorities.  We have a history of paying down debts faster than scheduled amortization, and we should continue that practice.  City council allowed the reserve to be reduced for the purpose of completing the most recent capital projects.  Council was confident in doing so because despite the Hayman and Waldo Canyon fires, flooding on Highway 24, and the economic recession of 2008, the city never dipped into the general fund reserve.
We have been blessed.  However, our responsibility to be fiscally responsible dictates that we build the reserve to a prudent level. After much discussion, City Council agreed it was time to increase the
general fund reserve back to a level of 10 percent, and the City Manager brought a 2018 budget that accomplished that goal, and we approved it.
4. Do you think it is appropriate for a sitting council person, mayor, city manager or any employee of the city who has decision making authority serve on the chamber of commerce board of directors?  Why?
The Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership organization which advocates and supports the business community.  I was chair of the chamber board prior to becoming mayor, and I can attest to the fact that having the city manager on the board facilitated accurate and complete information between the city and chamber board.  This was very beneficial in understanding the needs of the business community. Most of the members of city council are currently, and have previously, been active on boards in many non-profits that serve our community.  This is also true for many city employees. These good works have only strengthened our community.
5. Other than budgetary issues, what do you feel are the most pressing issues facing Woodland Park and how would you deal with them?
I would respectfully state that I do not believe we have budgetary issues.  City revenues support the debt the city has, even with the recently completed capital projects.  That said, we should continue to
improve the return on investment of monies the city receives to operate.
There are many issues we should address, and I will spotlight two of them.  First, city council needs to find a first-class City Manager. I am optimistic that there are even better days ahead for our community, and we need the right person to continue to lead and manage the city to that end.
Second, city council needs to elevate the level of civil discourse, respectful disagreement, and healthy debate.  On many occasions, members of the council exhibited behaviors representative of a small
but loud subset of our community only interested in rumors and the perpetuation of untruths and misinformation.  We deserve more than this from city council, and I am committed to continue growing as a leader.  I will continue to challenge city council to have an answer to the question I am always asking, “How does this make us better?” So many who live, visit, invest, and own businesses in Woodland Park tell me how much they “love our town”.   There is no better motivation to continue to serve as your mayor than working hard to continue hearing those words.