Five candidates for Durango City Council will compete for three seats on the April ballot this year.
Councilor Dean Brookie is the only incumbent seeking re-election. The other candidates are Chris Bettin, Melissa Youssef, Tom Eskew and Dave McHenry.
Mayor Christina Rinderle is term-limited and cannot run again. Councilor Keith Brant has decided not to run again.
Brookie, 63, an architect, said he would focus on public transportation, housing and redevelopment if re-elected.
“In my mind, we aren’t moving fast enough to provide the direction and controls to allow development to evolve in a fashion that protects the interest of our residents as well as provide the vitality and the economy that we all enjoy,” he said.
The City Council is working on an update to its comprehensive plan and character district plans to guide development in many parts of the city.
He would also like to see large construction projects, including the sewage-treatment plant, the parks and recreation maintenance facility and Animas River Trail projects to completion.
McHenry, 63, a retired landscape architect, promised to fund basic infrastructure needs such as paving alleys, repairing sidewalks and managing stormwater runoff to prevent pollution.
“It’s back to basics. Let’s do the simple things right,” he said.
To help address the need for housing, he would also like to encourage mixed-use projects along north Main Avenue that would have housing on the second floor. He would also like to see the city allow tiny homes between 100 and 400 square feet and secondary housing units in more areas of town.
Eskew, 52, who runs Heartwood West Tree Service, said he would focus on fostering good jobs, applying common sense to development regulations such as the land-use code, and good management of Lake Nighthorse.
A 25-year resident of Durango, he said he would like to see the city be open to small business ideas that are non-traditional.
“I feel that the city needs to be as much as possible business-friendly,” he said.
He would also like to revisit the issue of whether motorized boats should be allowed on Lake Nighthorse, and he supports organic management of city parks.
Bettin, 47, owns several vacation rental companies and co-owns Durango Land and Homes with Rinderle, his girlfriend.
“It has been inspiring to see someone whose commitment to community service is such a sustaining and meaningful presence in her life, and to understand that her efforts have genuinely impacted our collective progress,” he said in an email.
Encouraging affordable housing and investing in infrastructure are key issues for Bettin.
“I’m very concerned about affordable and available housing for a broad diversity of our citizens,” he said.
Youssef, 51, founder and former CEO of a medical billing practice, announced her candidacy in January.
She promised to invest in infrastructure, provide transparent fiscal oversight and work with the community to determine where growth should occur.
She wants to involve the community in preserving the town’s character, create affordable housing and ensure safe options to commute exist as the town grows.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
