I am a very recently approved permanent resident of the USA and my wife and I have chosen for now to live in Highlands Ranch; it is a beautiful community with excellent amenities.
I was intrigued by the home rule banners and other signage, both for and against, that were displayed and although I am not yet a voter of sufficient status, I was able to read up about the subject — in part through the Highlands Ranch Herald.
It is perhaps not appropriate for me, as a newbie in the community — and perhaps to settle elsewhere in the country in the future — to engage myself with local due processes formally, but I think that my comments below will sufficiently make the point without my actually interfering with how things are done — and perhaps as they always have been. It seems to me that throughout the corridors of power in this wonderful country, money really talks; how more democratic would it be if funds for elections were allocated from a central fund available to all parties proportionately in some way? Millions if not billions seem to be spent / blown on campaigns for the election of a president.
I was shocked that a council could spend an alleged half-million dollars on a campaign and process that didn’t have to be addressed at this time; it could reportedly easily have been covered at the same time as the Nov. 4 coordinated election. In the United Kingdom — where we hail from — such an action would certainly initiate a storm of protest and definitely cause at least one head to roll; such would be demanded for such an apparent gross waste of money! Further, back in the old country, I believe that no commercial or other donations to support arguments of this nature either way could be accepted; funds would come only from local reserves and only after a full council vote to proceed.
So many programs (and deserving needs) could surely have been supported with a share of $500k! Who in their right mind makes such decisions and why would commercial entities be the primary supporters? I suspect there may have been ulterior motives behind the plan …
Just saying …
Martyn Battrick
Highlands Ranch