The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Posted on July 5 at 9:21 a.m.
On Lanning under fire again

Brittney, you are so right. Please tell me what experience Council has in running the daily operations of the City. Council is elected to be the voice of the entire community and to set policy. We appreciate their willingness to do that job because many times it is thankless. We encourage Council to utilize Mr. Lanning's experience and courage to continue to make the necessary changes that have long been ignored. Should this Council decide to fire Mr. Lanning, who but the less qualified candidates would be willing to make the committment to move to Steamboat and work for such a group of elected officials? Is that who we want at the helm of the City while such tremendous growth and change is occuring? Do we want a puppet of Council or do we want strong leadership who can assist Council carry out their mission.
I encourage every citizen of Steamboat Springs to attend the very next Council meeting to voice your opinion.

Posted on July 4 at 10:16 a.m.
On Lanning under fire again

Steamvent, are you a City employee? Do you have first hand knowledge of staff morale? Second and third hand information, as we all know, is diluted and distorted each time it is repeated. Having had frequent interaction with City Hall and Mr. Lanning, I have seen the change in staff attitude and morale, which can be attributed to Mr. Lanning's positive changes and decisions.

The two issues described in the article are not new to this community. Real estate signs in the right of way has been a problem for many years. And now contractors, who've been informed numerous times that their records are subject to audit are complaining because of a "heavy handed letter?" Should we as taxpayers allow certain members of the community to not pay their due just because our current City Council is pro development? Perhaps those members of City Council who are outraged by this action, should question their motives. Is this Council afraid that Mr. Lanning will guide them to do their job, which is to safe guard the interests of the entire community and not just a select group?
Council, what are you trying to pull on our community?

Posted on May 8 at 6:58 a.m.
On Skating toward construction

The west end of the bike path along with a pedestrian bridge is currently under construction, leading directly to this location. Kids can skateboard there very easily from Howelsen or the Stockbridge/Community Center location (note: bus stop!) If you want enough space to build an adequate skatepark, then it will have to be a little further from the center of town but certainly not inaccessible for kids.
Perhaps the meeting with the City and skatepark designer provided more insight into the site selection process and how the local volunteer skatepark group collaborated with identifying the site.

Posted on May 5 at 7:02 a.m.
On All-day K on agenda

Charging tuition for public education - isn't that an oxymoron?

Posted on April 20 at 8:29 a.m.
On Here's a real LOCAL topic: Shutting down Whistler Road

I think this is a Mount Werner Water project.

Posted on April 6 at 9:11 a.m.
On Rob Douglas: Put an Emerald on this Crown

The Yampa Valley Economic Development Council is not a subcommittee of the Chamber. This Council is comprised of elected officials from government agencies within the Yampa Valley - Moffat County, City of Craig, Rio Blanco County, Town of Hayden, Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs.

This link identifies how the Council was formed and their purpose:
http://www.yvedc.org/archive/YVEDC_FINAL...

Most of us probably agree that while we don't like SOME of the actions of SOME of the participants in Triple Crown, it is unfair to categorize that ALL of these people pose the problems identified throughout this blog. Are we looking at TC's question "Can we use the Emerald Park fields for a limited number of games?" as mandate for them to bring their business to Steamboat or merely a question. City Council can tell TC they are welcome to return, under the same terms and conditions as in the past, without the use of Emerald Park. The City desires to continue to honor its commitment to the community by allowing only local use of those fields. Where do you think TC will go if we say "No." It's time to call their bluff.

Posted on April 5 at 4:08 p.m.
On Rob Douglas: Put an Emerald on this Crown

In 2006 the Yampa Valley Economic Development Council contracted with Corona Research to perform a study on the impacts of Triple Crown and builindg a sports complex in northwest Colorado. Here is the link:
http://www.yvedc.org/archive/Impact%20St...

It's BIG - 10 MB, 142 pages, so it may take a while to download. On page 6 of the study, the first scenario discusses what happens if no new facilities are built and Triple Crown leaves - fiscal impact to Steamboat is a loss of over $800,000 in revenue and 206 jobs. Regionwide results in a revenue loss of approximately $1.2 million and 266 jobs.

Perhaps this information may help you evaluate this issue a little more. I am no fan of Triple Crown, but when it comes to the health of our community, we must look at the overall impacts to what we like and what we can tolerate.

Posted on March 29 at 1:41 p.m.
On Rob Douglas: Ready, shoot, aim

Rob,

Thank you for explaining your point of view. I appreciate the intended "long" version of the article and have a better understanding of your perspective.
I can only hope that this Council realizes that as elected, public officials, they are under the watchful eye of the public and must be above reproach. There is considerable speculation that some members of this Council do indeed engage in backroom politics, an activity for which they admonished some former Council members. I don't want the majority of our elected leadership to be the spokesperson for the minority who may have the money and clout to architect the future of our community which benefits only the few. As with their predecessors, this Council needs to understand their role as policy makers and avoid the temptation to micromanage. To earn trust, one must have trust. I encourage Council to earn the trust of their constituents by being a true represenatative of the collective, listen to their appointed leadership, who has more experience in this arena and trust this community to work towards the common good.

Posted on March 29 at 9:11 a.m.
On Rob Douglas: Ready, shoot, aim

Rob,
I enjoy your columns and perspective on most issues; however, I must disagree with you on this one. Council members socializing after a public Council meeting, on the surface appears harmless. But most of us realize from our own experiences in the work place, that discussion of the meeting topics usually continue after we return to the office or go out after work for a drink. When it's work that pulls you together then most often, "shop talk" is the topic of conversation, even in a social setting.

The biggest concern is that this group, in an effort to encourage comaraderie, may also be meeting behind closed doors elsewhere, formulating policy, meeting and making preemptive decisions on issues that affect the entire community and possibly other decisions not in their realm of authority. See the attached editorial from today's Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_873...

One of Cari's campaign issues championed the public forum and criticized the former Council for what she deemed an extraordinary number of executive sessions. This type of "social" gathering only fuels speculation that this group does in fact meet elsewhere, outside of the public arena, and comes to public meetings with predetermined agendas and decisions just as they accused members of the former Council of doing. I hope some of their actions are due solely to inexperience. Once they fully comprehend the necessity of following the letter of the law and code of ethics for elected officials, they will more fully understand that public perception is just as important as reality.

Posted on March 26 at 6:47 a.m.
On Our view: Council should end Harwigs gatherings

So the next time several Council members come to a regular meeting with prepared motions or decisions, shall we just assume they do their homework alone and happen to come up with the same answers? Hmmm.