Harrison Wendt is the type of young, progressive voice we need on City Council.
Take, for example, his thoughts on the proposed increase to the lodgers tax. The increase would raise the price of hotel rooms for tourists by a very small amount, and is estimated to bring in $900,000 from June to December of this year alone. It’s a good idea, and Wendt agrees with the members of City Council who support this tax increase.
Where Wendt radically disagrees is how the revenue from that tax should be spent. The current City Council has voted to spend 55% of the money on “sustainable tourism.” Over the next decade, this will add up to millions of dollars.
I’m voting for Wendt because he knows that this idea is insane. It’s trickle-down economics. Our neighbors are experiencing homelessness. Our transit is underfunded. Our community struggles massively with mental health and addiction. How will putting even more money toward tourism (which we all know is a double-edged sword) help the poorest and most vulnerable in our community? Wendt knows that it won’t!
Putting these millions toward affordable housing and transit should have been a no-brainer. If Wendt was on City Council, I know he would have fought to make that happen. We need someone like him to change things, and make sure Durango is the type of city that truly respects all of its residents.
Isabelle R FarrellDurango
