My name: Rita Bertolli
My age: 26
My family: Brother works in Washington DC for the Innovim Group, a subsidiary of NASA. Younger brother, at the age of 20, is pursing his PhD in Nuclear Physics at the University of Tennessee. My sister, Rosanna, is a Benedictine at the Abbey of St. Walburga near the Wyoming border.
Education: B.A. Italian Language, University of Colorado-Boulder, B.F.A. Cinematography & Film Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder, graduated Valedictorian of Machebeuf in Denver
What I do: I work for Outward Bound, a non-profit that promotes character development in youth and I run a small online community broadcasting business housed in the KBDI/KUVO building in Denver.
My favorite place in town to hang out: 90% of my time is quite literally spent at neighbors' houses. I love people. I love listening to and talking with people.
What I like most about living here: Lakewood is a relatively safe community and does not have the concrete, urban big-city atmosphere of Denver but is 20 minutes away from the metropolitan scene. It is also my home.
My interests and hobbies: I compose music and have played piano for 20 years. I am a professional photographer, graphic designer, artist, and cinematographer. My work is inspired by the magic of the natural world.
My favorite thing to cook: I love to cook. My favorite? Something flavorful and fast, like a nice salad with cilantro, grapes, grilled shrimp, and a sesame dressing.
People who inspired me (and how): People that get involved, are giving without seeking a reward, that have a vision for the future, that are passionate about what they believe, that sacrifice themselves....these are people that inspire me.
How I have contributed to the community: I organized, financed, and spearheaded two citizen initiatives to save our open space against big developers(see land swap website, www.lakewoodvoter.com); I've worked with numerous neighborhood groups on various development projects, using my land use expertise to help them have a true voice in the process. Forsberg Park was willed to the city of Lakewood to remain open space. Mike Rock and the City Council voted unanimously to a 'land swap' with Carma, the second largest developer in North America. I led the citizen initiative to defeat this poor decision, protect our land, and stand strong for our principles: that donor-restricted gifts are not to be sold to private interests. One person can change the future...and many people together can accomplish anything.
The biggest issues facing Lakewood now: Lakewood faces the prospect of losing its last remnants of charm and becoming yet another sprawling expansion of Denver. Our neighborhoods are being over-developed, tax breaks to big corporations have created a crippling effect on small business and city services; although we are still a safe suburb on the western edge of Denver, we see our crime rate increasing and our quality of life in overall decline. Runaway development has homeowners moving to the Chatfield area, to Morrison, and further west. We need change and bold innovation. We need energetic, hard working leadership committed to planning growth around sustainability and the preservation of natural resources--not developer demands. Lakewood government needs to take a hard look at tomorrow's reality and be ready to face those challenges by preserving community values.
Why I am running: There are hundreds of reasons...for the hundreds of people that emailed, called, and spoke to me after the land swap election encouraging me to run for office. The groundswell of support from Lakewood citizens and my ability to be an honest, attentive, compassionateservant of the peopleis the primary reason why I am running. Lakewood is going to return to serving residents. Council is going to return to the policy-making role (that role currently, improperly held by City Manager Mike Rock). Zoning decisions are going to be genuinely based on citizen input. Developers are going to be required to hold true public meetings, not open houses. Parkland and open space is going to be legislatively protected from any more abuse. Government is going to be transparent. Citizens are going to know how their taxes are being spent, how their land is being used. Growth is going to be responsible. Economic development is going to promote our community values and work in sync with them. Lakewood is finally going to have an identity and citizens are finally going to have a voice.