Election time is always interesting in Wheat Ridge. These days, much more subdued than ever. We have a city council that is all in agreement. All green lights on the dais for just about every proposition, amendment, idea or spending request from the city. Many that follow city council meetings have been voicing their concerns about the no discussion and quick voting on the majority of issues.
It’s great for keeping the peace and averting a standstill. It’s wonderful for keeping a positive outlook on how things are. But who is talking about what needs to be fixed? What costs need to be reduced? And what services aren’t being provided?
Does the lack of participation in our election process mean that people have simply given up on the ability to make a difference? I hear that from almost every city councilor that gets elected. They thought they’d be able to make a difference, but find the process to be so hard and frustratingly long.
The city does an excellent job in advertising all city events including their public and business meetings, both in print here in the Neighborhood Gazette and their multiple websites and social media posts. Short of knocking on every door and asking for one’s opinion, most prefer to hear about the decisions after the fact and then complain about them.
Most of the Wheat Ridge councilors up for election this year will be running unopposed, meaning that if you were not in agreement with their politics, you are out of luck. There will be no one that will speak up for you. Even more of a reason to attend city council meetings and speak for three minutes about your concerns. But the fact is that the number of people that speak before council is almost nonexistent.
We at the Neighborhood Gazette will do a better job keeping you updated on policy changes, increases in fees and stories that fly under the radar. Normally we would have city councilors debating these on the dais, on social media or reach out to the Neighborhood Gazette and write an article on the topic. But since this rarely happens anymore, we will be devoting more resources to report on city council meetings and city related news.
Finally just a shout out to our city’s Communications and Engagement Manager, Amanda Harrison, for always posting positive messages and the happy moments in our daily lives here in Wheat Ridge. Much better than the constant focus on crime.
As always, I thank you for reading.
Contact Neighborhood Gazette Publisher Guy Nahmiach at WRGazette@gmail.com or 303-999-5789.
