Economic development for ALL of Castle Rock

In the past few weeks, the Town Council has considered a proposal by the Downtown Merchants Association  regarding a Town loan to support the "Rink at the Rock." This proposal is for a temporary downtown ice skating rink in the winter months of December, January, and February. The Rink at the Rock would theoretically drive business to downtown merchants, as individuals who come for recreation at the rink use downtown restaurants or other downtown businesses. This would be good for the downtown merchants, and would provide another source of pride in Castle Rock's charming downtown.

However, the Rink at the Rock could hurt other Castle Rock businesses. A consistent fact of economic development is that economic growth in one area of a community is often at the expense of other areas of the community. In the case of downtown, when Castle Rock residents spend money at downtown businesses they have less money to spend in their usual northern, western, or southern business locations in Castle Rock.

While I believe that a healthy downtown is important for a community, I would prefer to invest in economic growth that benefits all of Castle Rock's residents and businesses. Such economic growth comes by attracting new money in the community, as people come from outside Castle Rock to generate sales tax revenues and build up local business coffers.

So I propose that we focus less on economic development strategies that pit Castle Rock businesses against each other, and more on strategies that bring in new dollars to the community, thereby providing economic development for ALL of Castle Rock.

Nice article in the Castle Rock News-Press

The current edition of the Castle Rock News-Press has an article about the Town Council candidate business forum hosted by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Castle Rock Economic Development Council on March 13, 2012. All the candidates from District 2 attended, and the News-Press article highlights a quote from me that conveys one of the key messages of my campaign: the importance of identifying ways to improve value that citizen receive from Town government.

http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/castlerock/news/business-community-hosts-castle-rock-town-council-candidate-forum/article_9a2df599-ffca-5098-b4e0-16bae790bb2c.html

Castle Rock Radio interview

I'll be a guest on the Castle Rock Radio show entitled Castle Rock RFD, on Wednesday March 14 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM. Please tune in on the internet at www.castlerockradio.com. You can listen live to the web radio station from the Castle Rock Radio homepage.

More about my background and experience

Here is a more expansive discussion about my background and experience, and how it demonstrates my high-level qualifications for Town Council. The question was asked in preparation for the Town Council forum next Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 AM.

How have your background and experiences prepared you for a seat on Town Council?

My experience and education have prepared me well to serve on the Town Council. Specifically, I have eleven years experience as a performance auditor in the public sector, as well as three years of experience as president of my homeowners association board. Further, my educational background includes a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and doctoral work in public administration.

I have served for eleven years as a performance auditor, both for the State of Arizona and the City of Denver. Performance auditing is very citizen-focused work; we take as our primary goal finding ways to improve the value that taxpayers get from their government. As a performance auditor, I have focused on the effectiveness of government programs, the extent to which government programs demonstrate efficiency, and the management of staff performance. I have diagnosed ineffectiveness, inefficiency, and poor performance management, and prescribed solutions that offer the taxpayers greater value. As a Town Councilman, I will bring my citizen-centric focus, and skills at increasing value for citizens to the Town of Castle Rock. I plan to meet with department heads early in my term to understand more about their processes and areas of concern, and offer my expertise as an outside party who can offer helpful suggestions for improvement. Finally, I should note that as a performance auditor I have audited a wide variety of programs. This requires me to quickly learn a program as well as the program’s own management and staff, so I can find areas for improvement and offer effective and feasible recommendations. As a Town Councilman, I will be able to quickly come “up to speed” on Town government to offer taxpayers greater value, as well as ensuring that I can provide District 2 residents the correct route for solving problems that they share with me.

In addition to my service as a performance auditor, I served for three years as my homeowners association board’s president. This service gave me experience in setting budgets, reviewing contracts, weighing attorneys’ advice, setting strategic direction for the community, and ensuring the fees were kept to a reasonable level. More importantly, I honed my skill in talking to people about their concerns regarding the community. I plan to bring my expertise in community policymaking to bear on the Town Council. Moreover, I plan to continue my efforts to solicit feedback from district residents, so I can more effectively serve their needs for information, resources, and action.

Finally, my educational background has given me significant insight into the ways in which public officials and public managers can be effective. My bachelor’s degree is in political science and history, while my master’s degree is in American history. Further, I am finishing my doctoral degree in public administration, and will graduate in May 2012. The area of focus in my doctoral studies has been urban policy, and I concentrated on small and mid-sized cities – similar in size to Castle Rock – in my doctoral dissertation. This academic experience strengthens the portfolio of skills and expertise that I will bring to the Town Council.

Castle Rock News Press profile

The Castle Rock News Press provided some information about the District 2 candidates on March 8. Here's a link to the article.

Please contrast in particular the three candidate answers to the question of the most pressing issue for the Town of Castle Rock. While the other two candidates focused on economic issues, I was the only candidate to identify the issue of multi-generational importance -- securing long-term water resources for today's children and their children as well.

http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/castlerock/news/three-vie-for-district-seat-in-castle-rock/article_609b63b0-d0d9-5eff-8fa4-4cf4c24091ce.html

Answer I submitted for upcoming candidate forum

I will appear along with the other District 2 candidates at a candidate forum sponsored by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Please come out so you can hear the candidates and you can get a chance to meet my wife, Deb.

The forum will be held on March 13 at 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM. The location is 4700 Castleton Way, in a property listed by NavPoint Real Estate Group, one of the sponsors of the forum. The property is downstairs, using the west entrance adjacent to Arapahoe Community College. In preparation for the forum, I was asked to answer three questions. Following is one of those questions.


Given the current difficult economic environment, if elected are you in favor of raising taxes or fees or cutting expenses (services) to ensure the Town's fiscal responsibility?  

As a performance auditor, I have consistently seen opportunities to improve the value that taxpayers receive from their government through efficiencies that save money. My first priority as a Town Councilman will be to find ways to save taxpayer money by increasing the value that we extract from current services. Once these methods are exhausted, I would look equally to evaluating services to be cut and to raising fees (rather than taxes). Every Town service aids some important constituency, but during difficult economic times we must sacrifice to make ends meet. Every household makes sacrifices, and they are right to have the same expectation of government.

In addition, I would look at whether fees have been set at the right level. There is a fine but important distinction between fees and taxes. Fees are paid by the users of a particular service for that service, while taxes are paid by everyone for services in general. I believe that it is more equitable to look first to the costs generated by consumers of specific government services, and ensure that these citizens are paying their fair share of costs. However, government should not be in the profit-making business, and should not be charging more than the cost of providing a service. This helps to ensure that government does not grow larger than is necessary for the important, basic services it provides for our mutual benefit. 

Should Only Homeowners Be Able to Run for Town Council?

Recently someone came to me with an objection expressed by a friend that I was not a good choice for Town Council, because I rent my housing rather than owning a home. The objection was based on the idea that people who don't pay property taxes should not decide what to do with property taxes paid to the Town.

However, in my view, the Town is not well-served by having a Council that is limited to individuals who pay property taxes. Here are some facts that support my position.

While property taxes are one source of income for the Town of Castle Rock, it's important to note that property tax income will be less than one percent of the total funding estimated for the Town in 2012. By contrast, sales tax revenue is 28.5 percent of the Town's estimated 2012 revenues. 

Further, if the standard of "who pays" is applied to Town Council candidates, then very few people would qualify to serve on the Council. For example:

·  Impact fees produce seven times as much revenue for the Town as property taxes. However, impact fees are paid by developers, not residential property owners. 

·  The Town takes in about three times as much revenue from motor vehicle taxes as from property taxes. Motor vehicle taxes are paid by individuals who buy a car in Castle Rock.

·  The Town brings in about twice as much revenue from franchise taxes as from property taxes. However, only utility companies, such as the cable companies, pay franchise taxes.

If the objection raised above is taken to its conclusion, who could run for Council? Only developers who own a home, who own a utility company, and who bought a car in Castle Rock in the past year? I hope that sounds as absurd to you as it does to me.

Preparing to Serve

As any good project manager knows, success often depends on moving forward with multiple activities simultaneously. In this campaign, I'm working not only to gain your vote, but also to ensure that if I have the honor of being elected to Town Council I am ready to serve effectively from Day One.

I'm preparing to serve in multiple ways. Most importantly, I'm talking to members of District 2 about what you like and what you want to see improved. I appreciate very much the kindness and courtesy with which you have received me, and I've enjoyed hearing about the issues that you have shared with me. I've also been working to develop relationships with other individuals who have experience with Castle Rock policy and administration, especially with reference to economic development issues. I have attended almost all the Town Council meetings held since October 2011, and have learned about the key issues currently facing the Town as well as who the key players are. I've had an opportunity to meet and talk to key members of the Town staff, as well as meeting each of the members of the Town Council. Finally, I'm availing myself of the wide variety of resources available on the Town website at www.crgov.com. I especially have been rewarded by my investment in reviewing the Town's 2012 budget, and in reviewing the four proposals to provide a long-term renewable water source. Water is a key issue facing the Town Council in 2012, and I plan to be ready to discuss the various water proposals in a detailed manner when the 2012-2014 Council is seated in April. I would appreciate any thoughts you may have on what the Town should look for in selecting a long-term renewable water supplier.

The Ballot is Finalized

It's official! I'm on the ballot for Town Council District 2. I'll be running against two others, including the incumbent councilman.

The ballot drawing was held at Town Hall yesterday afternoon. By virtue of the drawing, I will be listed first on the ballot.

Effectiveness, Accountability, and Responsiveness

The three political values that I particularly want to discuss in this race are effectiveness, accountability, and responsiveness.

Effectiveness: Effective government is what we as taxpayers demand and deserve. Effectiveness takes various forms, but in essence means ensuring that the government provides maximum value for our tax dollars. Effectiveness also means that citizens get what they need quickly and accurately. Effectiveness can be greatly enhanced through a strong system of performance measurement.

Effectiveness also entails efficiency, since inefficiency is a key enemy of value. Inefficiency costs time and money. For example, when a business applies for a license or permit, failing to move the application through the process in a timely way means that the business cannot act as quickly as it would like. It also means that the business and the government are paying more salary during the process than is necessary. This hurts both the business and taxpayers.

I have worked the last eleven years as a performance auditor at the state and local levels. As a performance auditor I assess the effectiveness and efficiency of public programs, which is exactly what the Town Council is expected to do. Consequently, I'm well-positioned to identify areas where Town government can improve its program effectiveness and its efficiency.

Accountability: Our Founders developed a system of government meant to ensure that all participants are accountable to someone else. The staff of the Town of Castle Rock is accountable to the Town Manager, who is accountable to the Town Council. All are accountable to Town citizens, who are responsible for determining what the Town should do. As a Town Councilman I would take my accountability to District 2 residents and businesses very seriously.

Accountability and effectiveness overlap in the creation of a strong system of performance measurement. Performance measurement is more than just a counting exercise; it requires a thoughtful assessment of the mission, goals, and performance metrics of an organization to ensure that all are strategically aligned. For performance measurement to be successful requires that management give thought to the kind of behavior that the measurement system encourages. For example, having a performance measure that rewards speedy data processing without addressing quality will certainly create results with an unacceptable level of inaccuracy. 

Responsiveness: Elected officials demonstrate their accountability to citizens through their responsiveness. Responsiveness includes both timeliness and helpfulness. If I respond to all inquiries in a few minutes, but don't understand the constituent's problem or how I can help, I'm not being very responsive. Conversely, if I respond to constituents with full information months after the initial inquiry was made, I am not being very responsive. As your Town Councilman, I would work for YOU. My goal is to respond to inquiries within 24 hours, and to be clear about what information I can share. If I need more time to follow up, I'll let you know that, as well as when I plan to come back to you with subsequent follow up.

Another Way to Contact Me

I have a dedicated e-mail address that you are free to use to contact me.

hortonfortowncouncil@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you. My goal is to return e-mails within 24 hours.

The Kind of Work I Do

To give an idea of the kind of work that I do, here's a link to report of a recent audit that I led on Denver's photo enforcement program. We found that Denver has not adequately demonstrated the safety impact of its photo red light and photo radar programs. Because each program has generated positive net revenues for the City, we noted that there is a risk that the public will view the programs only as a cash grab.

http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/3/documents/Photo%20Enforcement%20Audit%20Report%2012-15-11.pdf

The Denver Post editorial board agreed with us, which doesn't happen often.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_19580844

I'm particularly proud of this audit because it demonstrates our citizen-focused approach. We knew that photo enforcement management needed to recognize the risk of adopting a method of operation that played into the negative views that many Denver citizens have about photo enforcement. Ensuring that city residents get a clear voice in government, and that government officials listen to and are accountable to the residents is a long-time passion of mine. That citizen-focused attitude is just one reason why I enjoy working for the Denver Auditor, and it's one reason I want to extend my public service to the Castle Rock Town Council.

Introduction

My name is Chris Horton, and I'm a candidate to represent District 2 on the Castle Rock Town Council. My wife Deborah and I have been married since 2004, and we have 2 1/2 year old twin boys -- Zachary and Landon. I supervise performance audits for the City of Denver's Auditor's Office. I've been in the field of public sector performance auditing at the state or local levels since 2001. In the public sector, performance auditing is similar to management consulting. I lead a team of auditors who review city agencies' processes to understand areas in which management can enhance cost-effectiveness, process efficiency, operational effectiveness, and performance management. Before I became a performance auditor, I spent two years teaching high school history and government.

In addition to my work experience, I have an educational background that is useful for someone seeking the responsibility of local government oversight. I have a bachelor's degree in political science and history, and a master's degree in history, both from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. I have almost completed my doctorate in public administration from Arizona State University, and I anticipate completing my degree in May 2012.

In the posts that follow I will discuss some of the key qualities of effective local government, to further introduce my candidacy to the residents of Castle Rock's District 2. I look forward to having a dialogue with District 2 residents, as we seek to develop our district together.