Outstanding Neighbor
Community Activist Dave Felice Wins Award, Riffs on Failures, (Some) Success of City Government
By Cara DeGette
In February Park Hill’s own Dave Felice was heralded as the “Outstanding Delegate of 2013” by Denver’s Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation. The coalition represents approximately half of Denver’s 220 Registered Neighborhood Organizations. Felice was recognized for his work in the area of parks and recreation, and also his wide-ranging representation of neighborhood interests at government meetings.
During the awards presentation, it was noted that, “Dave never hesitates to tell it like it is.” Felice, who writes the City Matters column for this newspaper and is an at-large member of the Greater Park Hill Community Board of Governors, is often critical of city government. He maintains that one of its biggest failures is that too often it operates in a vacuum, does not communicate its intentions with the citizens and prefers to operate in secret “as much as possible.”
GPHN: What gets you so motivated?
Felice: There is a growing belief that representative democracy is not working as well as it should. What really got me going was in 2007, when the Anschutz Entertainment Group wanted to close off two-thirds of City Park and charge admission for a three-day music festival. I said to my wife, that is not right and someone needs to do something about it. And since no one was doing anything about it, it became me. That led to INC and plenty of other issues that we’re dealing with … like the plan to allow part of Hentzel Park to be developed, what to do about Interstate 70, selling alcohol in the parks, admission-based events in the parks, City Park Loop, marijuana regulation, I could go on.
GPHN: What big action would you take if you were mayor of Park Hill?
Felice: If I were mayor of Park Hill I wouldn’t take one big action, I’d concentrate on several little actions. The most important thing I would do is listen to the good, intelligent, hardworking people who care about their community who are being ignored, dismissed and denigrated. I would surround myself with experts on an issue, who are not just political allies or friends of political allies.
GPHN: Can you be specific about ways people are being ignored?
Felice: The City Park Loop is one big example where the interests of the neighborhood were not being heard. The issue of Xcel power poles being installed between Locust and Monaco is another example – where the utility company ignored the neighbors and installed what neighbors believe are ugly, tall power lines and reduce their property values, and the city government is not doing anything about it. Parking at City Park is an issue where city government is simply ignoring the issues of the neighborhood.
GPHN: Has the city done anything right in the last year?
Felice: That’s a tough question. I’m trying to think. Um, if I say no that makes me sound like a nattering nabob of negativism, but I honestly can’t think of anything that prominently stands out. In my opinion some of the marijuana regulation has been done properly – not all of it but some of it. And it was probably appropriate to retract a proposal on disposable shopping bags because that proposal was not properly thought out, and not supported by the community or by businesses.
GPHN: What advice do you have for people who want to get involved in city issues but don’t know how?
Felice: You can spend as much time as you want being involved. The key is, you’ve just got to find something you are interested in and show up. I think people generally have an obligation and responsibility to be involved at the level they can be involved. People who are not involved don’t have the prerogative to complain when things go wrong.