Letter to the Editor, 1/27/05
Re: "Where are you taking us, mayor?" Jan.27 opinion

It is interesting that Susan Barnes-Gelt refers to vision when asking our mayor to see the greater good that this community deserves.  Yet, in one respect, both are blinded by the lights... and this is due to an abject lack of regulation in Denver of poorly designed lights that produce glare, trespass and massive skyglow.  Unlike other Colorado and US cities and counties, Denver lacks adequate nighttime lighting controls, despite a year of planning efforts and stakeholder input.

The issue is whether our mayor can envision a city where our non-renewable energy reserves are used more wisely, where lighting is sufficient for safety and marketing,  without blinding us all to the stars.  The question is whether the mayor can perceive the impact on children who are growing up under a blank, bluish nighttime sky, thinking they live in Questville, not Denver.  

Ms. Barnes-Gelt calls on the mayor to express a vision for Denver.  I, for one, hope this vision extends to enhancing our quality of life, with better quality of lights, and not increasingly blinding us all.

--Robert Stencel
Professor of Astronomy

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Where are you taking us, mayor?
By Susan Barnes-Gelt 

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - The Denver Post

Dear Mayor Hickenlooper: 

A year ago, you and I wrote articles for The Post about your first six months in office. You identified the substantial challenges of your new administration: a $70 million budget deficit, a bloated bureaucracy, squabbling airlines and the tragic shooting of 15-year-old Paul Childs. You've been focused on fixing things, from budget shortfalls to the personnel system and from parking meters to the culture of the police department.

You've accomplished a great deal. With your support and tireless campaigning, voters approved a charter amendment enabling Denver to make its pay and benefit system accountable. Your enthusiasm for the Denver Public Schools bond initiative translated to voter approval. You forged a successful coalition with the metro mayors to support both the renewal of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District and the $4.7 billion FasTracks transit plan.

Thanks to your penchant for consensus, appetite for the campaign trail and warm good humor, you've set a tone of optimism and cooperation among metro and state leaders unparalleled in recent times.

You've iterated and reiterated your five goals in speeches, on your Web page and in your 2005 budget overview. By the end of your first term, you've vowed to:

Achieve the highest customer-service rating in the country.

Create 25,000 new private-sector jobs.

Make Denver a better place than it was in 2003.

Make Denver city government a better place to work.

Ensure Denver city government lives within its means.

But mayor, where are you taking us?

Your five goals don't add up to a broad vision. They are purposeful objectives, but surely your aspirations and dreams for your city go further than job creation, customer service and budget prudence.

You're trying to simplify the permitting and development review protocols, and for good reason. But will a streamlined development process really result in Denver becoming a more beautiful, livable and memorable place?

You've got a tough election coming up in May. So far, your sales pitch for the $300 million Civic Center/Justice Center has been confined to promises of building this important civic project at the lowest possible cost. How about a more compelling message? Public safety and the administration of justice are fundamental to government's mission - especially local government's.

Before World War II, America's civic centers boasted a courthouse, city hall and jail. The courthouse and jail were a key symbol of government: justice. With the suburbanization of American cities, downtowns declined along with their civic centers. Courthouses moved to shopping malls (or hotels annexes); jails were built in shabby industrial corridors; city halls were replaced with corporate-style office buildings geared to operating efficiency and low-budget design.

Denver avoided this fate. Our civic center remains a unique and valuable asset, a symbol of community pride and investment. From the state Capitol, City and County Building and original Carnegie Library to the Denver Art Museum, library and the new city office building, the district is a continuing record of pride. The finest materials, strongest design and quality detailing characterize nearly every gesture.

One hundred years have passed since Mayor Robert Speer and civic leaders launched their ambitious plan for Denver's Civic Center. Your commitment to build the Justice Center there was reinforced by the prestigious Urban Land Institute last spring. Don't apologize for expanding the symbols of pride and public investment in Denver's public square. Quality endures; price is forgotten.

You stumped tirelessly for FasTracks and it paid off. Now what is Denver's vision for the design and development of the stations? Who is going to insist on design excellence, the best materials and strong, seamless connections to existing and future neighborhoods? Mr. Mayor, this transportation system is your railroad, airport and sea harbor rolled into one huge opportunity. I agree with you: It is government's responsibility to build infrastructure. But I take issue with your statement that after building infrastructure, "government ought to get out of the way." The optimum realization of this multibillion- dollar transit system will depend on political leadership setting the highest standards.

You quoted Isaac Newton when you said, "If I see further than others, it's because I stand on the shoulders of giants." Consider, too, the words of your predecessor, Wellington E. Webb: "Be bold and don't worry about what critics might say. History will write the epitaph of what you've achieved."

Susan Barnes-Gelt (bs13@qwest.net) served eight years on the Denver City Council and was an aide to former Denver Mayor Federico Peņa. Her column runs alternate Thursdays.