Article Contributed on: 10/3/2007 1:46:47 PM
Clark Griep is running for Broomfield mayor
My name: Clark Griep
Age: 56
My family: Married to
Joan for 28 years. Sons
Justinand
Marcus, Granddaughter
Katrena Lee.
What I do: Business Insurance Broker
My favorite place in town to hang out: In my garden
What I like most about living here: My neighbors and the spirit of volunteerism that gives Broomfield its small town feel.
My interests and hobbies: Gardening, photography, hiking & writing
What is my favorite thing to cook: Breakfast Crescent Rolls - I fill them with diced ham, four cheese Mexican shredded cheese & strawberry preserves.
People who inspired me (and how): My parents who worked hard on the farm and always looked for the positives in people and situations.
How I have contributed to the community: I have always tried to be a good listener and have been helping citizens solve problems for over twelve years. I have volunteered in many capacities including youth programs like Broomstock and J.A.M. I served as Chair of the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce and was Chair of the US 36 Transportation Management Organization for two years. I served on the Board of the Broomfield Economic Development Corporation. I co-founded the Broomfield Open Space Foundation. I served ten years on the Broomfield City Council and I was deeply involved in the campaign and transition to become a city and county. I was Mayor Pro Tem when Broomfield adopted its first Long-Range Financial Plan.
What are the biggest issues facing your city now: Growth and its impacts. We need to stick to the Comprehensive Plan and Residential Growth Limits. Broomfield has been very successful since 1996 when I first joined the City Council. Our sales tax revenues have increased from less than $8,000,000 per year to over $39,000,000 per year. We must manage those funds responsibly. We have a Long-Range Financial Plan, which calls for balancing land use between commercial, retail, residential and recreational uses. We need to adhere to it with each proposal that comes forward. We need a Long-Range Facilities Needs Plan to guide our budgeting decisions and plan for our community's future needs in a fiscally responsible manner. We must control our spending. Created with a great deal of citizen input, Broomfield's Long-Range Facilities Needs Plan could prioritize our community needs, so we can pay as we go. It is not fair for us to saddle our children with our debt.
Traffic congestion damages our air, wastes our time and taxes our patience. We must continue to work at every level to solve our transportation issues. This includes additional lanes for traffic, better traffic management systems, better public transportation, more bike lanes and completion of the 120th Avenue Connection. We must also mitigate the impacts of heavy traffic on many of our streets.
Our youth will be competing in a global marketplace. We need to make sure they have the tools they need.
Broomfield is an aging community. Our citizens and our housing stock require a little more maintenance today.
We need to develop plans to deal with both issues. This would include everything from a volunteer corps to low interest loans for home repairs through our Housing Authority.
If you would like to know more, please visit my website at www.clarkgriepformayor.org, call me at 303-466-4656 or send me an e-mail at clark@clarkgriepformayor.org.