A small crowd cheered as Durango City Councilor Dick White officially announced his re-election campaign Tuesday afternoon.
As he stood on the steps of the Strater Hotel, he highlighted how he had worked to fulfill his past campaign promises and his goals for the future.
“Four years ago, I stood here and said that as a member of the Durango City Council, I would foster the economy of the future, advance community self-reliance and seek collaboration with all of our neighbors,” he said.
White was elected to City Council in 2011. He is a former astronomy professor at Smith College in Massachusetts.
He pointed to a growing economy and regular meetings with the Southern Ute Tribal Council as progress toward keeping his promises.
He also outlined the challenges that face the city, including expensive infrastructure needs such as $55 million in upgrades to the sewer plant, a pricey potential new terminal for the Durango-La Plata County Airport and upgrades to city facilities such as the Durango police station.
White said his first term gave him the experience to address looming decisions on these issues.
This past winter, White voted along with all the other members to raise utility rates to help fund water and sewer infrastructure needs.
With many issues vying for the council’s attention, White said sustainability policy needed more attention.
“This very crowded council agenda, however, has delayed direct attention to sustainability,” he said.
While the city has improved the transit system and started single-stream recycling, White said much more work remained to be done.
He promised to bring attention back to the organically managed lands program and the Climate and Energy Action Plan, a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.
Finalizing local rules surrounding accessory dwelling units, he said, improves sustainability by allowing more people to live in town and helping to limit those who commute to town.
Deciding on ADU and vacation-rentals regulations raised some of the most challenging questions because answers weren’t obvious, he said.
There is still work to be done in this area because the rules for ADUs in East Animas City haven’t been finalized, and four meetings are still scheduled to discuss the neighborhood.
While crafting the rules for ADUs, White said he was looking for a balance between housing density and maintaining neighborhood quality.
Those who came out to support White said they appreciated his attention to sustainability issues and his background in science.
“To get a person of that caliber willing to serve our community, it’s a gift,” said Gregg Dubit, one of his supporters.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
