| District | Name | 10.A. Over many years, open space in designated parks has been reallocated by the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation to other uses, such as recreation centers, museums, and zoos. Would you support an ordinance moving OS-A zoning from the Executive Director of Parks back to City Council? Yes/No | 10.B. Please explain your answer |
| 1 | Amanda Sandoval | Yes | I believe all zoning should live under the purview of Denver City Council. |
| 1 | Sarah Truckey | Yes | The Executive Director of Parks is not an elected position. The reallocation of funds should be under the purview of the people elected to represent taxpayers. |
| 2 | Kevin Flynn | No | This is a widely misunderstood issue. P&R does not control OS-A zoning, city council already does, and always has. It is not different than the Former Chapter 59 situation. |
| 3 | Jamie Torres | Yes | Land use should be the full purview of City Council as County Commissioners. |
| 4 | Tony Pigford | Yes | Council should be the deciding body when it comes to development of open space even in our parks. |
| 5 | Amanda Sawyer | Yes | Over the past couple of decades, City Council has repeatedly handed over responsibility and control of major issues – including this one – to City Agencies. But City Agencies don’t report to City Council in a strong mayor form of government, they report to the Mayor’s Office. That means City Council has essentially handed over more power to an already extremely strong mayor and decreased oversight of important issues that face our community. I believe this is a smart thing to do, but would need to know more about whether it requires a Charter change or just an ordinance change to get it done. |
| 5 | Michael Hughes | Unsure — open to learning about this question, exploring the pros and cons and working with the new administration, the broader community and council to sort out the right answer | |
| 6 | Paul Kashmann | I would be open to that discussion. | |
| 7 | Nick Campion | I would need more information about this topic in order to give a proper response. | |
| 7 | Adam Estroff | Yes | City Council should be the final determiner of zoning commissions. |
| 7 | Guy Padgett | Yes | As a rule, I think major land use decisions should ultimately rest with the city council, even if agencies come to the council with specific recommendations. I believe this even more strongly when it comes to the use of our city’s open spaces. So yes, I would support this. |
| 7 | Arthur May | Yes | The Executive Director of Parks may not always represent the voice of each district. |
| 8 | Shontel Lewis | Yes | City Council’s involvement in ensuring allocation of funds for parks and open spaces in neighborhoods like District 8’s should ensure these spaces remain a priority for Council and the city. |
| 9 | Candi CdeBaca | Yes | Generally, a lot of powers need to be returned to Council if we are to have a balanced power structure that serves the people before profit interests. |
| 10 | Margie Morris | Not enough information to make an informed decision. Denver Zoning Code Article 9, Division 9.3 regarding OS-A zoning lays out shared responsibilities between City Council and the “Manager of Parks and Recreation”, as well as detailed restrictions and limitations on a wide range of uses, buildings and design standards. I would be interested in learning more about INCs concerns and how the current practices of the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation are in violation of the Denver Zoning Code, as well as recommendations for ensuring our Department of Parks and Recreation works effectively and on behalf of residents. | |
| 10 | Noah Kaplan | No | No. We are in a crisis regarding the rapid creation of new recreation spaces and facilities in Denver to support our needs related to the unhoused and youth after-school programming. I want to work with Parks and Recreation to determine plans for expanding facilities and help organize community meetings so that voices of support and concern can be accommodated and heard. |
| 10 | Shannon Hoffman | Yes | Yes, especially considering the ED of Parks is now a career service position and the current person in the role will be able to stay in this position after our current mayor’s term. I believe parks zoning should be under the jurisdiction of council to offer localized insight on parks, recreation centers, and the like. |
| At-Large | Sarah Parady | Yes | This is a tentative position that depends quite a bit on the policies of a new mayor; in general, council’s ability to tackle big issues sometimes depends on keeping its authorities limited and focused, but at the same time, parks are a key feature of our city. |
| At-Large | Marty Zimmerman | Yes | Before I would agree to support such an ordinance, I need to find out more information. Here are the questions I want answers to: How often does the E.D. of Parks & Rec use this power? Does adding these structures meet other city goals or are they arbitrary? Who is paying for the building of these entities? Are additional parks being created to offset the lost open space? Is this power being abused? Is the ED of Parks & Rec gathering meaningful community input before making these changes (meaningful is defined as listening to the community and including their input before making any final determinations)? What safeguards or processes are there to ensure that the E.D. of Parks & Rec follows established guidelines before making any decisions? Once I have this information, I can determine my position on this issue. |
| At-Large | Penfield Tate III | Yes | This authority should have never been removed from City Council. |
| At-Large | Jeff Walker | No | I have not seen a detriment to recreational opportunities at any city parks. Further, it seems that increased recreational and educational options has been mentioned as a way reduce the amount of youth violence. |
