These are the questions contributed by our readers. Candidates, feel free to answer them here at the Estes Parkian at our expense. We have a much larger circulation and daily readership of any media in the Valley. So if you want your story out, embrace that keyboard and tell us what you know what you think and earn our vote. The World Wide Web is at your beck and call available to all the candidates equally.
· Do you favor or oppose the Ballot Question, and why?
· Would you be in favor of an independent forensic audit? If not, why not?
· What would you do to address the mistrust the public has of "The Town"?
· Would you favor opening the town's auditing and banking services up for bid? If not, why not ?
· Do you favor or oppose renewal of EPURA, and why?
· Are you a proponent of Home Rule" for Estes Park why or why not?
· Are the offenses listed in Patrick Cipolla's CBI report true?
· Describe your vision for Estes Park. How will you lead this community in realizing that vision?
· Other than tourism, what type of economic development do you see in the future that Estes Park can sustain.
· What would you have the town do to make Estes Park more attractive to tourist in the Fall-Winter-Spring time of the year?
· What do you see as the town’s plans for development in 1, 3 and 5 years other than more condos?
· Starbucks is not about selling coffee. It is about selling the Starbucks experience. The Estes Park experience is changing and perhaps not for the good. How do you see the Estes Park experience and how should it be developed for the future?
· My question - How do you feel about the Performing Arts Center? What do you see as its possibilities for success or failure? What part should the town play in it's completion?
· Describe the singular mission/identity that guides our community unity, pulling all the sectors in the same direction. What is that mission the entire community agrees on pulling the Valley together?
· Which department of the town do you feel qualified to oversee and why? How will you represent me?
· Chuck Levine, you ran on a platform, four years ago, that you intend to “heal this town” it is my impression that we are embroiled in more turmoil more law suits, more distrust of town hall than before you took office four years ago. Give us one example of one thing you healed.
· Sue Doylen, as a trustee you were quoted in the Trail Gazette as describing the businessmen / women in Estes Park as “stupid” and lacking “moxey.” Your are also quoted in a letter to the editor that the school board are a group of petulant children. Do you feel that as mayor you exude the qualities of a community leader capable of unifying this community?
· Rocky Mountain National Park is soon to be a wilderness area, how does Estes Park compliment that? How do we stack up as a neighbor to a wilderness?
· What would you do as trustee or mayor if you found corruption, misuse of funds, or you felt the town was breaking the law? Do you use your own judgment or do you listen to the town attorney’s interpretation?
· What is your thinking on the following proposal:1. Draft of comprehensive 2, 5, and 10 year strategic plans for the entire valley community. Authors selected by valid random methods, NOT APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR!2. Publish the plan and hold a series of OPEN community wide discussions chaired by a professional, outside, disinterested party. 3. Finalize the plan and publish.4. Review and update the plan annually. 5. Include accountability metrics as well as course correction methods.
· According to the Park Service most of the trees in Rocky (east side) and the Estes Park Valley will be dead in 3 to 5 years due to the beetle infestation. With that, the tourist will be gone. What will you do shrink the size (cost) of government to match the reduced revenues?
· Sue Doylen - Other than Case# 1999CV001054, Filed 09/15/1999, how many times have you been named as a defendant in a lawsuit while serving on the Town Board?
