A vision of Sheridan's future

I believe we are on the right path in Sheridan. Here are some of the things we are doing well and a vision for how we can keep building on our success.

Sheridan will be:

A beautiful, well-maintained community

Financially stable with low staff turnover and high staff satisfaction

Full of strong businesses who engage with the community and city and are proud of being in Sheridan

A connected community

Let’s consider each of these elements of a great Sheridan.

What does it mean to be a beautiful, well-maintained community? What does it take to get there?

We want to feel pride in our city and a quiet enjoyment of our surroundings. We want to see nice views and travel on smooth streets and sidewalks. To get there, we want the codes passed by the city to be enforced so we don’t have “eyesores.” We want our major investment – our vote last year to pay higher property taxes – to be visible in new roads, sidewalks and drainage. We want to be able to enjoy recreation in Bear Creek and the South Platte River because the water is clean and free of refuse. We want to experience clean, fresh air without odors and particulates that diminish our enjoyment or endanger our health.

What does it mean for our city to be financially stable with satisfied staff? Why is it important?

Everything you want from your city government ultimately comes down to the funds to accomplish our goals and the right staff to execute our vision. I was on council during the Great Recession, and we experienced year after year of being unable to even dream of improving Sheridan, because we were just surviving. The city was unprepared for an economic downturn. I never want our city to be in that situation again. We now have a healthy fund balance that allows us to prioritize the projects that are important to you and accomplish amazing things! We need to keep our outstanding staff - accountants, engineers, and other talented professionals – who have helped us recover and can keep the city healthy and productive.

In addition, our health and safety rely on keeping talented public safety officers and code enforcement. We need to have competitive benefits and compensation so our employees don’t “learn and leave” but instead see Sheridan as a great place to learn and work for the long term.

What does it mean to have strong businesses who are engaged and proud to be in Sheridan?

We should continue to fill up vacancies in the RiverPoint shopping area as well as throughout the city with high-quality businesses. We should support our existing businesses. We should encourage the expansion of a chamber of commerce so our businesses can be more connected to one another and become more engaged within the community. A strong business community supports all of us with jobs as well as goods and services that improve our quality of life.

What does it mean to be a connected community?

In the Information Age, we often think of this just in technological terms, but it is much more. Sheridan doesn’t exist in a vacuum. We are all aware of how tightly integrated we are with the Denver metro area, sandwiched as we are between larger neighbors: Denver, Englewood, and Littleton. We are connected by major highways, waterways, and trails with these neighbors. How much we can achieve can be limited or expanded by the level of cooperation we have between us and our neighbors as well as other government and non-profit organizations.

We rely on partner organizations for services, such as Sheridan School District for education and South Suburban Parks and Recreation for recreation.

Another element of connection is how the city government connects with the residents and businesses. Everyone should have access to information about the activities of the government and our community. We should have a revised and updated newsletter and website along with handy updates via social media.

Finally, connection means between neighbors, government and businesses. We should expand and encourage community activities sponsored by the city or by businesses, residents or non-profits, so we can all get to know each other better. We should have formal and informal gathering places to meet up with one another. Our amazing new library is an example.

These are just some of the visions I hope you share with me for Sheridan’s future. I hope you will consider giving me your vote this year. Our small but amazing city has so much going for it, and I hope we can work together to realize all its potential.