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Bertolli: Checks and balance needed in Lakewood

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Contributed by: Rita Bertolli on 9/21/2007

My Lakewood Neighbors,

I wanted to share with you that I was invited to attended a neighborhood meeting last night, Thursday Sept 20, concerning a rezoning for one of our neighbors on 10th Street. All I can say is that I am alarmed at what I witnessed at this meeting and the nature of our City management in Lakewood.

Many adjacent homeowners attended last night in support of their fellow neighbor on 10th, who for the past 9 months has been asking the City of Lakewood to downzone his property to R1A. He owns a beautiful 2 acre lot with an old historic farm house. He is a recent buyerand was hoping to remodel some of the house, keeping it in sync with the farmland feel and making it modern enough to be habitable.

The City proceeded to tell him that in order to do the minimal expansion he was seeking on his property, it would require a rezoning. He proceeded for months to work with the City to go through a rezone to R1A, which is a farmland zoning (ie, all our parks are also zoned R1A).

Then, all of a sudden, during the last few months, the City planners told him they apologized but that he COULD NOT rezone to R1A. That he would have to instead rezone to PD (Planned Development). In fact, they said, if he chose to try to downzone to R1A, they would essentially stop him by refusing to make a recommendation, DESPITE all of his neighbors being 100% (quite literally, there was also a straw poll last night) in favor of the farmland zoning.

Last night, at the meeting, I witnessed first hand a stonewalling practice of this individual Lakewood citizen. City Planners (who do not live in Lakewood), proceeded to tell the neighborhood that they were forced to accept a PD zoning because they had "concerns." Neighbors asked why both the property owner and the adjacent neighborhood couldn't simply get the zoning they all wanted. The planners had no answer except to say that "City Hall" has a "long term plan" (the words of Tim Gelston, Development Review Manager) for their neighborhood.

The lack of ethics, honesty, common respect that took place at this meeting is why I am running for Mayor. This dictatorial Lakewood administration must end. We need desperately a system of checks and balances in Lakewood where our representatives--our only voice in the administration--can make a difference in the administration. Denver has such a practice, allowing Council to investigate any departmental official accused of misconduct or an ethics violation. Currently, Mike Rock serves as a shield to eliminate any accountability people may seek in an abusive process that has, as we've witnessed, stonewalled a citizen, cost him money, and forced an abrogation of his rights.

It is time for change.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE END OF OCT.

Rita Bertolli

www.lakewoodmayor.com

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

Submitted By: Rita Bertolli

posted on 9/25/2007 @ 2:34:20 PM

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Diana, I didn't see you at the meeting.

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Submitted By: Diana Allen

posted on 9/24/2007 @ 4:24:38 PM

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The conspiracy theory is getting a little old...

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Rita Bertolli

Lakewood , CO

Rita Bertolli has posted 51 stories and 267 comments since joining on 11/2/2005. Rita Bertolli 's average story rating is 2.85.

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