RITA FOR CITY COUNCIL 2023
I would like to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your City Council Representative these past eight years. It truly has been a great privilege, and I did not take my responsibilities lightly. It has been and will continue to be my goal to ensure that your voices are clearly heard. Throughout my two terms, I have hosted regular Town Hall meetings and coffees to update you on Council activities, to listen to your feedback, and to hear your ideas and concerns. I have enjoyed meeting many of you, and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the next four years. Those of you who have become involved in Englewood’s City government by contacting me have made a real difference. You have influenced decisions on proposed developments and have directed Council’s attention to issues that might otherwise have been overlooked or under-emphasized. I have learned much from listening to you.
I have also learned much from my experiences with Council. After serving only two years, my fellow Council Members unanimously chose me to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. When the Mayor resigned to become our Municipal Court Judge, I acted as Mayor for five months.
During that time, I presided over City Council meetings; met weekly with the City Manager to set the agenda; worked closely with the City Attorney; attended many meetings, including some with officials of other cities and government agencies. I was also privileged to represent the city and the Council on several occasions during those five months. This experience gave me greater insight into how the City government works, and I believe made me a more effective City Council member.
Englewood faces several major challenges that must be dealt with throughout the next four years to protect our quality of life.
- Much of our aging infrastructure requires repair
or replacement. - Increasing density will lead to increased traffic and parking problems, as well as increasing the crime rate.
How will we protect that “small town feel”?
And how will we make certain that Englewood is a safe place to live, work and play?
We may also have an opportunity to revisit the Redevelopment of City Center seeing that SKB (the Master Developer) backed out a few months ago, and now LNR has listed the Weingarten Property for sale, property the City wanted to include in the Redevelopment of City Center.
With eight years under my belt, including my experience as acting Mayor, I have a thorough understanding of our challenges and our citizens feelings about them. I will continue to listen and to grow, and I believe my common sense, ability to prioritize and commitment to advocating for the City’s best interests will equip me well to provide the leadership we need moving forward.
I would greatly appreciate your support and your vote.
Together we can make a difference!
Rita Russell
RITA'S VISION FOR ENGLEWOOD
As a Council member, I promise to open and keep open the door to our City Government with transparency and regular communications. I would greatly appreciate your vote!
A TIMELY REVISIT...
In looking over past notes I came across a list of my top priorities when I was first elected to City Council. My two priorities were Public Safety and Cutting Wasteful Spending. I believe it is very timely to revisit this discussion once again.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Public Safety has always been one of the priorities we care about most in Englewood! We all want a safe environment in which to live and raise our families. To that end the citizens of Englewood have been very supportive of our men and women in blue. In November of 2016 the electors in Englewood passed a ballot initiative approving a $32M G.O. bond to build a state-of-the-art building housing the latest technology for our Police Department.
It is an amazing facility we can all be proud of! In January 2018 City Council purchased a Lenco Bearcat armored rescue vehicle for our Police Department. City Council has supported additional Police Officers as well as approving Alternative Policing Programs including co responders, case management personnel, restorative justice, substance abuse, crisis services and mental health services that have increased our budget by $1.8M annually since 2018. These Alternative Policing Programs account for a large portion of our General Fund Budget.
However, budgets are not created in a vacuum. We have 20 more police officers today than we did 20 years ago. We need to explore alternatives that will address the rising crime rate without increasing cost to the community. I have heard from constituents they would like to see more openness and transparency when Police are interacting with the public and integrating upper management into activities that are more visible in the community.
CUTTING WASTEFUL SPENDING
Which brings me to my second top priority when things get tight for you and I, we reevaluate our priorities and maximize our resources. In the current economic climate, I do not think it is unreasonable for you to expect your City Government to do the same! What citizens expect is a place to live where residents and businesses feel safe and can depend on their elected officials to live within their means.
I consider it a great honor and responsibility to be your public servant. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your questions and concerns.
God Bless You All!
Together We Can Make a Difference!
Rita Russell