A Rose by any other name – Fort Collins City Council – District 1

by Blaine Gallup

Fort Collins City Council District 1 encompasses the Northeast section of the city. Basically from College Avenue East to Interstate 25 and north from East Drake Road to East Douglas road, both with exceptions. It’s understandably the largest district in Fort Collins with the largest concentration of people, with the possible exception of District 5, but more on that later. Right now, allow me to summarize my view on the candidates who are running in District 1 and, in my humble opinion, state who I believe will do the best job for Fort Collins moving forward.

The Incumbent: Ben Manvel

Ben has held this Council seat for the last four (4) years. Since the last election, several things have become apparent. The first and probably the most troubling is that Ben has held only one (1), that’s right one, District meeting in 4 years. What is a District meeting you ask? A District meeting is when the “council person” from a specific district meets with the constituents of that district in an open forum to define any issues that they believe need to be taken before the Council. It is also the venue where constituents can voice their opinions on where their council person stands on specific issues. Roughly, in 1,460 days, Mr. Manvel has offered these opportunities to the constituents of District 1 one time to speak and hear from their Council person. With that track record, maybe he should run for a state office.

After personally reviewing several different city council sessions that dealt with the ‘three unrelated’ ordinance, I found another troubling fact about Mr. Manvel. Again over the last four years, Mr. Manvel has stated in either work sessions or open council meetings that “most” property owners including “landlords” are law abiding and follow the rule of law when it pertains to properties that they own. Since Mr. Manvel owns an illegal duplex in District 1, it seems that he does not include himself in this statement. To date, Mr. Manvel has failed to file papers to have the zoning corrected. You might ask if this is a new problem; one that he hasn’t had time to address. Oh no, this is not a new problem, but one that has been on the city books for close to 37 years. You may ask why hasn’t he corrected the problem. Well, let’s think about what 37 years of back real estate taxes, interests, and other administrative fees might cost if he were to file. tch tch tch Ben.

Mr. Manvel sites several “accomplishments” on his website. (These are under his “Good Decisions” marker.) I encourage each of you to go to his site and read these for yourselves, but in summary, he lists: Major budget reductions (doesn’t tell you what those were), Took a Firm Stand on SW annexation (again, does not tell you what that stand is), Involved in City branding initiative (including new logo). I know this topic has been hashed over, but did we really need a new logo? And why did we go outside of Fort Collins, heck why did we go outside of Colorado to have our current logo designed? We have CSU right here, why were they not given to opportunity to develop that logo? Oh and the Holiday display policy (would love to know his take on that.)

Regarding Mr. Ben Manvel, I have to side with W.C. Fields who said, “Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.”

Vivian Armendariz – Challenger

Ms. Vivian Armedariz is one of Ben Manvel’s opponents. For years, she has been an outspoken advocate for the marginalized citizens in our community. I believe Ms. Armedariz will continue to stand for our citizens that need a dedicated voice and who will continuously represent them before the Council. Ms. Armendariz was the first to enter the race against Mr. Manvel, showing that he should not be allowed an uncontested seat.

Ken Anderson – Challenger

Mr. Anderson entered the race late and has made incredible advances since his announcement. He has a daughter in college and understands the challenges of the college student all too well. Mr. Anderson supports the repeal of the ‘three unrelated’ ordinance (more on that tomorrow), he has a tremendous vision for Fort Collins, including how we can support growth yet still protect what we consider sacred open space and the small town feel.

Mr. Anderson has been a part of our community since 1970 and has owned several businesses. He is a graduate of Colorado State University and understands the importance of our college students and what we need to do to keep them here after they graduate. We have an incredible built in work force, most that do not want to leave our community. We should be looking at avenues to help them stay, build businesses, and grow families.

It is time that we embrace those that want to make our community better, help them thrive and reach their highest potential. I believe that Ken Anderson is the one best suited for that job in District 1.

In summary, we currently have a city councilman who “claims” to have the best for Fort Collins in mind. However, he has an illegal property in his own district and has only taken the chance to get to know the people in his district once in the last 1,460 days.

Vivian Armendariz is a stalwart advocate of those that cannot speak for them selves and is to be commended for taking on the moniker of this race. I hope she continues to fight the good fight.

Ken Anderson has a vision for the future of Fort Collins, how to retain our students and responsibly grow our city. The job development plan that Mr. Anderson has provided is not only forward thinking but also unique in its scope.

Stand with me for Ken Anderson. Support District 1 and support Fort Collins. Ballots went out in the mail this past Friday. Remember it is YOUR CITY, it is YOUR VOTE, and it is YOUR COUNCIL.