Letter to the Editor

Vote Yes For Parks

As a family that has made Park Hill our home since 1979, we are very aware of how lucky we are to be surrounded by great parks and outdoor spaces. Who doesn’t enjoy a run or walk around City Park or listening to jazz music on Sundays in summer next to the bandshell? Our kids and grandkids grow up frequenting Turtle Park. But did you know that more than half of Denver’s parks were rated in fair or poor condition and the backlog for repairs is over $127 million? This is because we don’t have a funding source dedicated to this.

Every other Front Range county has a dedicated fund for parks, trails and open space, and we should, too. That is why I urge you to vote yes on ballot measure 2A. Now is the time to act. We all know that Denver’s population is growing at a remarkable rate. We need to invest in our parks, rivers and open spaces to preserve our quality of life and our access to beautiful outdoor places.

City Park, Cherry Creek, the High Line Canal trail, Sloan’s Lake, Washington Park, Cheesman Park and the list could go on. They all provide us Denverites with recreation opportunities, places to get outside with our families, concerts, volleyball games, picnics, and find peace and quiet. This is our chance to help keep Denver a beautiful thriving city with healthy parks and rivers for everyone. Vote Yes on 2A.

David and Jody Smith, Park Hill

Vote Yes For Education

This November, Coloradans will have the opportunity to vote on a measure that could drastically impact children, families, and schools across the state. Amendment 73 will convert Colorado’s flat income tax rate to a tiered tax bracket system. This additional revenue source is projected to bring in an extra $1.6 billion for public education, including money for full-day kindergarten and public preschools.

As an early childhood educator who has taught in multiple states, I have seen firsthand the universal lack of access to quality early education programs as well as the desperation educators and administrators feel when evaluating their budgets. Amendment 73 will help relieve the financial struggles faced by school districts and provide valuable educational opportunities for Colorado’s children and teens.

Only eight percent of taxpayers (those earning more than $150,000 annually) will see a slight raise in their income taxes. Corporations will also see a small tax increase. That is an investment in kids that is well worth the cost. When you’re filling out your ballot this election, please vote YES on Amendment 73.

Jennifer Spires, Park Hill

Read The Fine Print on 73

Amendment 73, on our November ballot, would raise income taxes for individuals, families and small businesses that earn more than $150,000 annually and also would increase the corporate income tax. The amendment mandates that all this new revenue would go exclusively to preschool to 12th grade education. In the first full year, an estimated $1.6 billion would be raised. While PreK-12 education does need more funding, this amendment does so many other things and enshrines so many of them into the state constitution that voters should defeat it.

The amendment would raise property taxes on all residential property (houses and apartments) for school funding. Not just residences of wealthy Coloradans, but on all residences. Those property taxes will go up as fast as residential property values go up. At the same time business property taxes for schools will be reduced significantly (as their assessment ratio will be reduced from 29 percent to 24 percent). Over time, the residential property tax increases will be bigger and bigger because the “protection for residential property” for school funding purposes is repealed.

This protection for residential property was put into the state constitution by the Gallagher Amendment (which was passed by the legislature and by the voters in 1982 when I was in the state senate.) The Gallagher Amendment has saved residential property owners about $30 billion since it took effect and more than $2 billion last year alone. If Amendment 73 passes, it would increase residential statewide property taxes by $255 million and decrease nonresidential taxes by $318 million in just 2019. And that impact is just the start as more and more of the school property taxes would be shifted from businesses to homeowners.

Furthermore, the increased property tax for schools may come at the expense of property tax revenue for other local jurisdictions – cities, counties and special districts. So the amendment would up the tax intake for schools and jeopardize tax revenue for social services, parks, libraries, public safety, roads and other services.

I’d like to vote for more funding for schools, but I cannot support this constitutional amendment.

Barbara Holme, Park Hill

Editor’s Note: Holme served in the Colorado State Senate from 1975-1985.

Inspired By Jena Griswold

I enthusiastically support Jena Griswold for Colorado’s next Secretary of State. Jena grew up in rural Colorado in a working-class family that faced financial difficulties and sometimes received help from local food banks. She knows firsthand how important it is for every eligible Coloradan’s voice – whether a Democrat, a Republican or an independent – to be heard and for every vote to count.

As a former election lawyer for a presidential campaign, Jena was inspired to run for Secretary of State to oversee our elections, campaign finance system and business issues. She plans to increase voter participation and turnout by expanding automatic voter registration, bolster cyber security in our elections, and stop the flood of secret political money in our campaigns. In contrast, her opponent has opposed laws to increase voter participation, such as universal mail ballots and same-day voter registration.

Jena has been endorsed by EMILY’s List, by countless elected officials in Colorado and by Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama. Vote Jena!

Sue Felton, East Colfax

Editor’s Note: We love your letters, and give preference to those that address an issue that has been covered in the newspaper, or a topic that is Park Hill or Denver-specific. Join the conversation and make your voices heard. Send letters to editor@greaterparkhill.org, and include your full name, and the neighborhood in which you live. Deadlines are the 15th of each month, for the following month’s issue.