In the News
Denver City Council District 1: Which hopefuls survived the post-Paula Sandoval scramble?
By Jared Jacang Maher, Thu., Mar. 10 2011 @ 2:29PM
The race for the District 1 City Council seat in Northwest Denver has gone from snoozer to scramble. Paula Sandoval's March 2 announcement that she wouldn't seek reelection gave hopefuls just eight days to gather the 100 signatures needed to get on the ballot.According to the Denver Elections Division website, seven candidates have submitted their petitions by last night's deadline. As of right now, only four of those candidates have had their petitions deemed sufficient by elections staffers:
- City urban homesteading official Katherine Cornwell
- Denver cop and coffee-shop owner John Haney
- Civil rights attorney Ken Padilla
- Community organizer Susan Shepherd
The candidates whose petitions are pending verification are Larry Ambrose, Samantha Padilla Scheitler and Jeffrey Schitter. (Though Jon Lehmann and Eugene R. Lucero filed their intent to run, they did not turn in petitions in time, according to the city's website.)
Shepard, Padilla, Haney and Ambrose already have a good head-start, since they all made a run at the seat against Sandoval last May, when a special vacancy election was held after former Dist 1 Councilman Rick Garcia left to take a job as regional director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In that election, Sandoval earned 22.5 percent of the vote. But the fact that Shepherd came in second with 17 percent makes her the likely front-runner this time around. (Haney earned 12.4 percent, Larry Ambrose 10.1 percent and Padilla 9.9 percent.)
Hope they kept their old yard signs.
Susan Shepherd: City Council District 1 showdown, part 3
Over the past several years, northwest Denver has been the site of heated clashes over new development, struggling schools and other hot-button issues -- and the political pot got stirred into a frenzy when Denver City Council District representative Rick Garcia split for a gig with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ten candidates are vying to fill the vacancy; the contenders range from veteran politicians to neighborhood activists to longtime local business owners. (For details on voting in this special election, click here.)
To sort through the mess before the ballots are counted on May 4, Westword sent all ten candidates a pointed (and, yes, at times irreverent) questionnaire. We'll be publishing the unedited results over the next week (links to all of the responses so far can be found at the bottom of the blog). Here are the responses for candidate Susan Shepherd.
Please provide a three-sentence bio about yourself. Susan Shepherd, who dat???!!! I'm a New Orleans girl turned Denver community organizer, Mom & urban farmer, who wants to represent the creative and progressive thinkers in Northwest Denver. I graduated cum laude from the University of Oregon, and can talk sustainable development in French, Spanish or English.
Some reports suggest northwest Denver has the highest concentration of dispensaries. Do you believe additional medical marijuana regulation is needed and, if so, what should it be? Though I support medical marijuana, I will seek the following policies/regulations:
1. Sunset dispensary operation near schools, parks and similar community amenities.
2. Make medical marijuana business licenses travel with the business and not the land.
3. Limit the concentration of dispensaries (and related uses) to preserve the economic viability of our shopping districts, while pursuing an economic development strategy that favors local independent mom & pop shops.
Bonus question: If you were a strain of medical marijuana, what would your name be? Well, since my name is Shepherd, maybe "Flock Ewe Up?"
District 1 schools are struggling. Please give concrete examples of how DPS can accomplish significant improvements while also providing equal opportunities for all local families.
1. I will use the full force of the City Council office to help DPS leverage public-private partnerships to expand after-school programs, which can help working families while providing rich social and learning experiences for children.
2. DPS needs to re-evaluate its nutrition program, eliminate contracts with agribusiness that provide nutrition-poor products, expand local, fresh food choices for kids, and partner with my supporters and other urban farmers to grow more food on school grounds.
3. We as a community need to stop looking for outside solutions and need to take responsibility for improving our neighborhood schools. I've asked my supporters to pledge to keep their kids in DPS and to volunteer at least 10 hours over the course of a year to their neighborhood school.
Bonus question: To test your street smarts, answer this quiz question submitted by Geeks Who Drink: In the movie Space Balls, what was the cause of death for the character Pizza the Hut? He ate himself to death. (Correct)
What specifically would you want done to the new zoning code before final vote on June 21? I want to change the zoning in the West Colfax area to better align it with the West Colfax Plan (which my campaign manager authored) and the West Colfax Partnership's TOD Plan. The current draft map threatens the integrity of the Craftsman, Victorian and Mid-Century Modern portions of the established neighborhood. These areas need to be preserved while we direct appropriate growth to the areas that need revitalization, such as main street corridors, light rail station areas, and town centers such as St. Anthony's.
Bonus question: Include the name or address your least favorite building or house in District 1. Vacant storefronts and run-down buildings bum me out. I will promote a Neighborhood Investment Fund to pool the resources of local investors in support of micro-enterprise. I will also work to expand facade improvement programs along our corridors and work with groups like Create Denver to promote programs similar to the Lab at Belmar that provides gallery space for artists in vacant storefronts.
Name two potential areas of the city budget that you believe could be trimmed and name two potential new revenue streams for the city. We must think creatively in the midst of this budget crisis and consider all options. For example, let's investigate budget savings that could be generated by shifting to a 4-day, 10-hour workweek that allows us to close public office buildings 1 day per week. Utah has instituted this policy with strong results that extend the hours that government services are available to the public, reduce energy consumption, improve customer satisfaction, trim the city's utility bills, decrease the use of sick and vacation leave, contribute to fewer overtime payouts, lower vehicle miles traveled in fleet vehicles and reduce janitorial expenses.
I'd like to see the Strategic Parking Plan recommend more customer-driven policies that include strategies like Parking Benefit Districts that may increase revenue generated from parking, but which return that money to those same areas as investments in infrastructure and other improvements.
Bonus question: In which District 1 bar/coffee shop/restaurant/dispensary are you most likely to be spotted, and what would you be consuming? In my dreams you'll find me at my favorite Indian food restaurant along the Federal Boulevard cultural corridor -- attention all purveyors of Indian food! In my waking hours, I'll be sipping green tea at Common Grounds.
Many changes are possibly afoot for city parks -- and in the meantime, rec fees are skyrocketing . What are your opinions on new proposals on the table such as expanding off-leash areas, as well as new revenue initiatives such as allowing parks to host admission-based events? I would like to establish a Friends of Denver Parks philanthropy organization to find creative ways to raise awareness and funds to improve our parks system, which is the largest municipal system in the country. I support the expansion of off-leash areas. However, dog ownership is a privilege that comes with the responsibility to obey all applicable laws and to clean up after one's pet. We need to explore what it would take to develop flagship rec centers like the one in Wheat Ridge, since we are losing a lot of revenue from the many Northwest Denver residents who prefer to go there.
Bonus question: If the city were to hold a karaoke concert in Berkeley Park, what song would you sing and who would you have on back-up vocals?"Bicycle" by Queen with back-up vocals by David Byrne (author of Bicycle Diaries), the Colfax Nine & the Living Streets Initiative Task Force.
What should be done to diversify transportation options in District 1, while at the same time encouraging pedestrian traffic and drawing visitors to the area's business districts We have to develop and implement a complete streets policy based on the work initiated by the Living Streets Initiative. That said, government can't do everything, people have to commit to get out of their cars and walk, bike and take transit. I will commit that my staff and I will use alternative transportation at least 1 day per week, and walk our talk.
Bonus question: If there were a three-way gang war between the Highland Mommies, northwest Denver dog walkers and local urban homesteaders, who would win? Urban Homesteaders, we pack pitchforks!
Barnes-Gelt: Changes in North Denver
North Denver has seen huge demographic and cultural changes over the past 20 years. The transformation of the space once occupied by Elitch Gardens into the mixed-use Highland Gardens; densification in Sloan's Lake, Potter's and West Highlands; Sunnyside; and infill throughout the district is attracting younger, diverse and more progressive urbanites. The May 4 special election to replace Rick Garcia in City Council District 1 could be a harbinger of change — or the last gasp of calcifying North Denver politics.
The victor in this plurality is by no means assured. The winner will stand for re-election next May, during Denver's quadrennial municipal elections. Ten people secured the requisite 100 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. Candidate websites, interviews and a recent televised debate reveal a diverse slate.
Two candidates term-limited in the state legislature have name recognition: state Sen. Paula Sandoval and state Rep. Jerry Frangas. In her eight years in the legislature, Sandoval primarily focused on social legislation benefiting kids and the elderly. Predictably independent, sometimes she votes in Denver's interest, sometimes not. She and her husband, Paul, own Tamales by La Casita, commercial real estate in the district and a restaurant at Denver International Airport.
Frangas, a social worker by training, was one of few Democrats opposed to Gov. Bill Ritter's plan to freeze property tax rates in order to increase public school funding. He led an effort to deregulate Denver cabs, which passed in a severely watered-down fashion. Many considered him the front-runner for Sandoval's Senate seat, before he dropped out to run for council.
Urban farmer Susan Shepherd worked in television, financial planning and the restaurant business before going to work for the Denver Area Labor Federation in 2005. She is active in the Neighborhood Supported Agriculture movement. She runs a small business growing and selling organic vegetables and has a strong grasp of issues pertaining to land use, transportation and sustainability.
Neighborhood activist Larry Ambrose has been a voice in North Denver since the 1970s. As a member of Inner-Neighborhood Cooperation and the parks advisory board, his characteristic "just say no to change" attitude alienates some and pleases others. Though not part of the old North Denver political cabal, his perspective reflects a similar mindset.
Former Denver police detective, lifelong North Denver resident and coffee shop owner Tom Haney touts himself as "a new voice for North Denver" — though it's hard to discern what's new. He is for safe neighborhoods, safe parks, good schools and secure marijuana dispensaries.
Longtime civil rights attorney and activist Ken Padilla is also on the ballot. He is for partnerships, good schools, seniors and dog parks.
Two younger men, Jon Lehmann and Chris Jeffrey, also made the ballot. Lehmann, son of southeast Denver councilwoman Peggy Lehmann, is an environmental lawyer with deep civic roots in Denver. He represents a more progressive view of the city and its challenges.
Jeffrey has a business and human resources background. He promises to protect North Denver from severe budget cuts, pledging to work with stakeholders to improve the community.
Randle Swan serves on the Colfax Business Improvement District. He is for the "right" zoning of District 1's stable neighborhoods (whatever that means), parks, recreation and historic preservation.
Georgia Sigala has been a para- professional with Denver Public Schools and an advocate for at-risk families and children.
Each of the candidates has a website. The Channel 8/League of Women Voters forum is available ondenvergov.org. Cast an informed ballot.
Susan Barnes-Gelt ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) served on the Denver City Council and worked for Mayor Federico Peña.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_14940420
Cultivating Community in Northwest Denver
I grew up in a working class family and was educated in public schools, and we need to cultivate that same sense of connectedness and self-reliance in northwest Denver. That's why I'm running -- to grow a resilient and thriving community as the representative of District 1 on Denver's City Council.
A strong education may be the best chance many students will ever have to make a better life for themselves and their families. Improving the quality of our neighborhood schools will be one of my top priorities, since it is key to ensuring the long-term vitality of northwest Denver.
Tremendous progress has been made over the last several years, especially at the elementary school level, but so many of our parents send their children out of district or to private schools once they reach middle school. Too much emphasis has been placed on looking for outside solutions to solve our problems. We need to step up to the plate as a community and take responsibility for our role in helping to improve our schools.
It can be as easy as picking up a math or English book, a hammer or some gardening tools, heading over to our neighborhood school and offering to share our talents with those who really need it. I propose that every family commit to spending 10 hours volunteering at their neighborhood school over the next year.
We must also rely on ourselves to support the small, family-run businesses in northwest Denver such as those at Highland Square or Tennyson Street. We need more of these same opportunities along 38 th, Sheridan, and especially on Federal Blvd. and West Colfax.
I will work actively with existing local business groups to recruit development along these transportation corridors that features local mom and pop shops over big box retailers. Additionally, I will work to establish a local investment fund that would allow small investors in the neighborhood to pool their resources in support of micro-entrepreneurship.
Finally, I'd like to encourage everyone to buy local. If we shift just an additional 10 percent of our purchases toward local retailers it could translate to a $3 billion dollar boost to Colorado's economy in just two months. During the holidays I made a conscious effort to buy local, and I ended up spending 60 percent of my entire budget right here in northwest Denver. The multiplier effect of more of our dollars being spent locally can boost our economy much faster from the bottom up than waiting for government solutions.
That's what I mean about cultivating community - taking personal responsibility for doing both the big things and the small things in our power to improve our neighborhood. This is the vision and leadership style I hope to bring as the representative of District 1 on Denver's City Council.
Susan Shepherd is running for the District 1 City Council seat.
http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Stories/Elections/Story~752895.aspx
The Road to a Sustainable Neighborhood
Denver Urban Agriculture Examiner
Cat Stone
March 19, 2010
Well, the time has come and people are coming together to cultivate vibrant communities where food is grown by adults and children in family gardens, community gardens, and CSAs. Last week Susan Shepherd, who is running for the open seat in Denver City Council in District 1 (Northwest Denver) held a community talkback to find out from folks what they want their neighborhoods to look like. Sundari Kraft from Sustainable Food Denver and Heirloom Gardens organized the affair which was held La Crema located at 2339 West 44th Avenue in Northwest Denver. Local residents assembled to share their ideas of optimal community living. Local beekeepers expressed concern about pesticides used in playgrounds, parks and other public open areas that are showing up in beeswax. Lisa Rogers from Feed Denver brought up the issues that are impeding the development of community solar lots. Lisa told the group “We need someone who can remove the barriers (zoning) to sustainability.”
Sundari expressed her frustration with the permit situation regarding food producing animals in neighborhoods and believes it is an individual’s right to raise chicken and goats if he or she desires. Dana Miller from Transition Denver told the group that TD will be taking their platform of policy recommendations to Denver City Council in the very near future.
The issues of individual self reliance and sustainability continue to gain momentum below the radar of most of the public and the mainstream media. But things are changing. Neighborhood residents searching for representatives who support their causes in Denver's City Council District 1 seem to have found one in Susan Shepherd who last year completed CSU's Master Gardener training and started a successful small business selling organic vegetables out of her garden to local families. Keep an eye also on Susan's campaign manager, Katherine Cornwell who has recently taken up the position of Organizer of Greater Denver Urban Homesteading Group.
The road to a sustainable neighborhood is not always smooth, but it is filled with dedicated and informed hardworking people to help the rest of us do just enough just in time.
Plenty of Food for Thought in the District 1 Council Race
Westword Café Society blog
Patricia Calhoun
Mar. 11 2010
The Colorado Restaurant Association wanted to encourage a restaurateur to run for the District 1 seat on Denver City Council that Rick Garcia's vacating, and so far it has two, sort of, and a third candidate who's a leader in the urban farming movement.
John Haney, a Denver police detective who co-owns Haney's Coffee Shop at 3814 Lowell Boulevard, has declared, as has Paula Sandoval, a Democratic state senator who owns Tamales by La Casita at 3561 Tejon Street with her husband, Paul Sandoval. And then there's Susan Shepherd, a political organizer and urban farmer, who sowed some seeds for her campaign at La Crema (formerly Cafe Cafe) last night.
And that's just the start of the lineup. Along with Haney, Sandoval and Shepherd, Larry Ambrose, a longtime neighborhood activist, has also officially declared, as has Chris Jeffrey, who has a consulting business.
Four more candidates have announced, but have yet to file their paperwork: Georgia Sigala, a nonprofit coordinator; John Lehmann, an environmental lawyer (and son of Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann); attorney Ken Padilla and Randle Swan, treasurer of the Colfax Business Improvement District. And state representative Jerry Frangas may make a run for the seat, too.
The Berkeley Regis United Neighbors group will host a forum for the candidates at 7 p.m. March 24 at the Oriental Theatre; the West Colfax business Improvement District will host a forum at 6 p.m. March 31 at Confluence Ministries, 1400 Quitman Street.
http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2010/03/plenty_of_food_for_thought_in.php
Susan Shepherd and John Haney enter City Council vacancy race
North Denver News
March 5, 2010
Two candidates with the potential to challenge the political status quo have emerged as candidates for the City Council seat being vacated by Rick Garcia.
Susan Shepherd and John Haney, different as chalk and cheese, may radically shake up politics as usual. Shepherd, a Highland Mommie, and Haney, a cop and coffee shop owner, represent much about a North Denver that has changed greatly in the past decade.
Both are challenging State Senator Paula Sandoval, considered by some to be a favorite in the race. Shepherd is counting upon her past political experience to leverage the concerns of young families in the council district, typified by the powerful internet social network, the Highland Mommies. “I believe the shared concerns of moms and dads are key for the health of our neighborhoods and the quality of life for every resident. Basic issues like parks and streets, city services and education speak to all of us. And if young families rally together, we can put somebody who lives those issues on city council.”
…Shepherd and Haney acknowledge the odds of taking on politically powerful Sandoval. But both think North Denver has changed since the time when back-room deals could decide who ran for what, and who won. Both are champions for transparency, and share a strong concern for schools…Shepherd knows the hard challenges of quality childcare in North Denver…
Read the full article here.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27847021/North-Denver-News-march-2010-p1-12
10 candidates vie for northwest Denver's City Council seat
The Denver Post
Christopher N. Osher
March 14, 2010
The race to fill the vacancy in the Denver City Council seat representing northwest Denver will have 10 candidates.
State Rep. Jerry Frangas, a Democrat, entered the race at the last moment. His entry sets up a battle that also includes another northwest legislative power, state Sen. Paula Sandoval, also a Democrat, who has been planning a council run for months. Frangas said he no longer is running for the state Senate seat that Sandoval is vacating.
Also getting certified for the ballot were Jon Lehmann, an environmental lawyer and the son of Denver Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann; Denver police Detective John Haney; former labor activist Susan Shepherd; nonprofit coordinator Georgia Sigala; neighborhood activist Larry Ambrose; civil-rights lawyer Kenneth Padilla; Randle Swan, treasurer of the Colfax Business Improvement district; and Christopher Jeffrey, who owns a human-resource consulting firm.
The seat became vacant when former Councilman Rick Garcia left to take a job with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14672085
Shepherd Throws Hat in Ring
Denver Daily News
March 3, 2010
Susan Shepherd, a northwest Denver mother, urban backyard farmer and community organizer, is running to replace Denver City Councilman Rick Garcia in District 1 in the special vacancy election set for May 4, 2010. A press release from Shepherd says she was inspired by Howard Dean’s people-empowering message in the 2004 presidential race and went on to discover a deep passion for political organizing. Shepherd currently lives in the Witter Coffield Historic District with her husband Doug Jeavons, an economist and Managing Director at BBC Research and Consulting in Denver.
http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=7503
Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Shepherd
Mi Casa E-Newsletter Vol. 2 July 2009
June 29, 2009
Susan Shepherd grows more vegetables in her backyard in northwest Denver than she and her family can eat. So when she came across the farmer’s market put on by the kids at the Mi Casa Neighborhood Center, Susan donated baskets of fresh produce to their business effort. Susan now volunteers as the coordinator for the Mi Casa Community Garden, recently planted with tomato, pepper, eggplant, pumpkin, sunflower, lettuce and zucchini seedlings. The gardening project is meant to teach Mi Casa’s youth participants about nutrition, healthy choices, and the importance of eating locally produced food.
Before Susan came along, Mi Casa youth participants attempted to cultivate their garden on a strip of land prone to weeds and foot traffic. So Susan, along with her husband, spearheaded a project to build Mi Casa three raised garden beds filled with nutritive soil. Susan has also welcomed the Mi Casa children into her home to explore her flourishing garden, learn about growing food, and experience the fun of picking strawberries right off the vine.
“I love to see the children’s eyes light up when they look at the work they’ve done in the garden and as they learn about how things grow,” says Susan. “Vegetable gardening is my passion and it’s a joy to share it with these kids and to see them get excited about it is really fulfilling.”
Susan sells some of the produce she cultivates to other families in the neighborhood and her entrepreneurship is another reason she’s a great role model for the kids at Mi Casa. The Youth and Family Development staff place special focus on teaching children about career choices, higher education and business, with the goal of helping the children prepare for economic self-sufficiency.
Having grown up poor in New Orleans, Susan says she feels kinship with the students at Mi Casa, all of whom are from low-income families. Although their love for spicy hot Cheetos remains strong, Susan hopes her work with the children will ignite within them a lifelong interest in growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables.
http://www.knowledgemessenger.com/c/ViewNewsletter.asp?App=MiCasaDenver&Id=1475
Harvest Aplenty at Northwest Denver Microfarm
North Denver Tribune
October 1, 2009
An avid vegetable gardener for years, northwest Denver mom Susan Shepherd has long fantasized about being an organic farmer. She left a demanding full time job in December 2007 to stay at home and raise her son. After spending a year adjusting to new mommyhood, she was ready to start considering ways to use her skills to make a little extra money while keeping a flexible schedule so she could continue to be her son’s primary caregiver. After completing Master Gardener program through CSU’s Extension office in April 2009, she felt courageous enough to apply some of her new skills towards turning her passion into profit.
Shepherd set about turning a large backyard garden into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) microfarm by convincing former co-workers to invest a small sum upfront to defray startup costs. In spite of a challenging 2009 growing season, since early June Shepherd has consistently been able to provide several local families with a weekly share of seasonal, organic produce fresh from her own backyard. Weekly shares have often featured tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, chard, cucumbers, butternut squash and culinary herbs, among other items.
Shepherd composts all of her green waste and focuses on intensive soil building techniques to maximize production rather than relying on expensive petrochemical fertilizers. Although Shepherd grows some heirloom vegetable varieties, she has primarily chosen varieties that are suitable for Colorado’s short growing season that also flourish in a compact, urban setting where space is at a premium. In spite of the coolest, wettest summer she’s experienced since moving here 10 years ago, she’s been fairly satisfied with the overall results.
“This first year has been a big experiment for me to see if I could pull this off, and I’m pleased to say that it’s been reasonably successful. In addition to paying for all the associated startup costs, my family has been able to have our vegetables for free and I’ve still managed to turn a small profit. Ideally I would like to continue this micro business over the coming summers and use it as a lesson to teach my son about where our food comes from, how to be a good steward of the land and how to have fun and make a little money while doing it.”
Shepherd dreams of doubling output next summer, and is currently analyzing whether it makes financial sense to tear up more of the backyard grass to devote to vegetable farming. In the meantime, she and her family are enjoying the fruits of their labor and canning scores of surplus tomatoes for use throughout the winter months.
http://www.northdenvertribune.com/2009/10/harvest-aplenty-at-northwest-denver-microfarm/#more-2604