I want to thank the City of Golden and its residents for the opportunity to serve as City Councilor, and also for sending me to the Colorado Municipal League Annual Conference in Steamboat Springs.  Now into my 5th year of community service, I find that the more I learn, the more I want to learn, and the more important it is to attend offerings like CML.  The conference, from June 17-20, provided a variety of educational offerings as well as an opportunity to network with other elected officials and staff of 99% of Colorado’s municipalities.  Sending our City Councilors to this conference is an investment in our community and its welfare.   I will focus my comments on two areas:  education and networking.

Education:  I attended classes related to ‘leading your community during challenging times’ and ‘ethical leadership’.  The main issues we heard were positive interaction, establishing trust, and building on our success, while trying to ‘do more, with less’.    I also attended classes on ‘dog parks’, ‘infill development and redevelopment’,  ‘green building’, ‘hot topics in planning’, and ‘engaging different demographic  segments’.   We heard from notes speakers, with examples presented by various municipalities who have had the experiences to share.   At the Elected Officials Luncheon, I received an award for 60 Credits of Leadership Training completed over the past 5 years. 

Networking:  The opportunity to talk with other Elected Officials is almost of more benefit than the classes.  You are on neutral ground, relaxed, and willing to listen to others share their stories of challenges facing their community.  So, here are some tidbits:

1. Many conversations seem to be compliments from other communities on our City Manager and City Staff.  I am surprised at how much our Staff is valued for their expertise in a variety of areas, and how much other communities look to Golden for ‘how you did it’.  Our City Manager and City Staff are very well liked, respected, and trusted by other municipalities.  That is wonderful to hear!  We should all thank them for their hard work!
    
2. We are all dealing with the same issues, and it is helpful to share our successes and failures, ask for help, and provide support to others. 
    
3. Water, transportation, growth, planning, infrastructure, and aging are all shared concerns.
    
4. Money for highway repairs and bridge repairs are a concern state-wide.  Folks that I had conversations with were more concerned about maintaining our current highways than building more lanes of asphalt, and also were more concerned that we get on track for alternative transportation statewide.  Most folks are concerned about I70 between DIA and the mountain communities, summer and winter, as that is a big piece of the tourist industry. 
    
5. Many communities are working on some of the same issues that we have designated as priorities.  Affordable housing, or work-force housing, is a growing issue in the mountain resorts, as it is in Golden.  Walkability and Bikeability are being looked at in many communities.  A common theme prevailed on the need to work on ‘sustainability’, in light of global warming, raising energy costs, and a general need to be more conserving and responsible with our resources.
    
6. The concern about the effects of the State Smoking Ban has seemed to lapse into a warm acceptance that this is a health issue for folks.  Adaptation and adherence to the new rules of 2005 has been widely seen as a positive.
    
7. Downtown vitality and viability is a concern for all communities, large and small, and Golden seems to be moving in a much better direction than most areas. 
    
8. Engaging citizens is a problem in many communities, but I had to share that we have enormous interest by our citizens in being a part of the process.  I am amazed at the quality and quantity of our volunteers in Golden.
    
9. Communication is another area that Golden seems to shine as a great example for others.  Our Golden Informer is a monthly publication, full of great information, and contact information for citizens to keep them current.  We have good Web presence, and live televised Council meetings.  Not only does this help keep the citizens up to date with issues, it provides them the opportunity to see how the Councilors work, what they are thinking, how prepared they are, and what we all look like! 

The CML experience in the ‘lecture hall’ is really good, but the ability to network with others is even greater!  There were over 500 elected officials who attended the conference.  Hopefully, we all took back to our communities some new ideas, and some new friendships. 

Council has had a small summer break to allow for attendance at the CML meeting and possibly a little family time, and now, we will be back in Chambers on July 10, dealing with the usual issues.  As always, tune in to CH 8 on Thursdays at 7 to watch your elected officials at work, or come to City Hall and see us in person.  I am always available to listen to you…..e-mail, karenoxman@aol.com. Or phone 303-278-0400

Karen Oxman
Mayor Pro-Tem, District Two Councilor
City of Golden