Parks & Community Services
Critical Needs:
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Contracted services for park maintenance.
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Expansion of recreational programs.
We have insufficient staff to meet growing community demands. I suggest we partner with local non-profits and community groups to provide volunteer support for park maintenance and program delivery. Travis County, Texas successfully partners with local organizations for park maintenance and community programs, leveraging volunteer support to reduce costs.


Facilities & Strategic Infrastructure Management
Critical Needs:
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Elevator maintenance and replacement.
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Park facilities maintenance.
Aging infrastructure leads to higher maintenance costs and potential safety issues. Use of predictive maintenance technologies and increased investment in energy-efficient upgrades can reduce long-term costs.
Public Works Critical Needs:
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Akers Facility Run-off Control Improvements
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Dix Circle Trash Capture Project
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High Priority Stormwater Projects
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Illicit Discharge Abatement Program
Lack of timely responses to stormwater issues can lead to significant damage and increased costs. Implementing a rapid response team for stormwater issues and partnering with local businesses for quicker solutions. We should look at other counties using comprehensive stormwater management program that uses green infrastructure, such as bioswales and permeable pavements, to naturally manage stormwater runoff. This approach reduces the burden on traditional infrastructure and lowers costs over time.

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Mental Health: El Paso County has long had a high suicide rate. This is a serious issue that requires professional involvement in multiple settings which is why I am eager to explore bringing a proven program that has efficacy rates of up to 62% improvement. The Zero Suicide program has shown very promising results across the nation in many cities like Detroit. We also need to incorporate research that shows a clear link between altitude and suicide so we are better armed to identify compounding risk factors and get El Paso County citizens to the right professionals to help battle this serious health challenge.
Homeless Crisis: The homeless have spread throughout our city and are impacting neighborhoods and businesses. Homeless encampments bring human waste, drug paraphernalia and other ecological hazards. Hundreds of fires are caused within these camps, which tax our First Responders.
Homelessness is a broad issue and we need to look at a tiered approach in our attempt to intervene. Folks that are homeless because of rising economic costs and inflation, sleeping in their cars or elsewhere should be our first priority. As a community, we deserve neighborhoods and trail systems that are free from human waste, drugs and crime that result from this problem.


Law Enforcement: To have and retain the best law enforcement in the nation, our compensation, benefits and training packages need to be the best. The Sheriff of El Paso County has identified the following 2024 critical needs:
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Increased funding for inmate medical care and extraditions.
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Recruitment and retention programs for high-quality employees.
Rising care of medical and extradition costs is a challenge for many counties. One solution is to introduce telemedicine programs for inmates to reduce in-person hospital visit costs and explore collaboration with other counties for shared extradition services to reduce transportation costs.
Evacuation Modeling: Most of District 3 lies in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), which means that it is WHEN not IF, the next wildfire occurs. My first priority will be to work with my fellow Commissioners to pass an ordinance that requires evacuation modeling, reporting of maps and times to citizens and implement evacuation safety standards for development. As President and Co-founder of Westside Watch and President of the Mountain Shadows Community Association, I have worked with citizens throughout El Paso County helping them protect their neighborhood.
