Surrounded by supporters, Dave McHenry announced Monday he will be running for Durango City Council on the steps of the Smiley Building.
He faces two incumbents Mayor Sweetie Marbury and Councilor Dick White. The three candidates will be competing for two seats in the April 7 election.
McHenry, 61, moved to Durango 37 years ago and worked as a landscape architect for Fort Lewis College before retiring. He now works part-time for DHM Design.
If elected, he said he would focus on preserving neighborhoods, housing and infrastructure.
“We have to continually defend our neighborhoods against development such as increased density, hotels, vacation rentals and creeping commercialization,” he said of the city planning department.
Specifically, he cited residents submitting a referendum to the city officials this summer to significantly lower the number of vacation rentals allowed in certain neighborhoods.
If the City Council had better understood the unpopularity of a large number of vacation rentals, it could have prevented the costly initiative, he said.
Safe rental housing in Durango is also a major concern for McHenry.
“I don’t think there is any effort being made right now to address that issue,” he said.
A habitability code ensuring rental housing obeyed basic life-safety regulations would be one his priorities, he said.
While he didn’t mention it in his address, McHenry has been the spokesman for Citizens for Healthy Established Neighborhoods, a group that has been advocating to limit the number of accessory dwelling units.
He said he is now satisfied with the way ADUs will be built in the future.
The City Council also is grappling with many projects, including a potential new airport terminal, recreation at Lake Nighthorse and the potential STEAM (Science, Theatre, Education, Art and Music) Park along the Animas River.
The city also needs a new $55 million sewer plant and many other upgrades to water and sewer lines.
As a landscape architect who helped manage many renovations at the college, he believes he could bring valuable experience to prioritize infrastructure projects.
“Since there is no unlimited amount of money to do all these projects, there’s got to be a balance between what I would call the amenities and the infrastructure,” he said in an interview.
One of McHenry’s supporter’s Alma Evans said she thought McHenry would bring experience in project management that the council currently lacks.
“I’m supportive of Dave because he is fiscally responsible candidate, and he has a deep care for the neighborhoods in Durango and their value to the city,” she said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
