STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 44
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
Water worries top concern for Brighton candidates BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Rapids isn’t part of Denver’s bid. “It’s not large enough,” Payne said. “With the anticipated crowds, we’d need a place that seats above 50,000 people. The average attendance in 1994 (the last time the U.S. hosted a World cup) was 70,000. Dick’s could be used as a training site.” Rodriguez said the economic benefit to the area could approach $360 million from hotels, restaurants, lodging and tourism-related activities. “We have 52,000 hotel rooms and 12,000 in the downtown core,” Payne said. “Most are within walking distance of the stadium. Think of the number of hotels that weren’t here four years ago. Then think of the number of hotels that will be built between now and when the World Cup comes.” “In 2026, the field expands to 46 teams. Folks who travel to see their teams play have economic power,” Rodriguez said. “They come for
Water issues — including water treatment, water rates and what to do with wastewater — weighed heavily on the candidates’ minds Oct. 15 at the Brighton City Council Candidate forum. “This is a time when we need to get serious,” Mayoral candidate Wayne Scott said. “We are in a water crisis. Potable water is at its limit. Wastewater is the next dilemma we are going to face.” Brightons’ three mayoral candidates — Mills current Mayor Greg Mills and challengers Laurie Lozano Maier and Scott — joined four of the five City Council candidates onstage at the Brighton Armory Performing Arts Center. Council candiLozano dates included Ward 1’s Maier Norm Brown, Ward 3’s Jan Pawlowski and Ward 4’s Peter Padilla. Ward 2’s Ann Taddeo was the only incumbent City Councilor to participate. Ballots for the Brighton council races were mailed to residents earlier this month. The ballots are due back to the city by Nov. 2, when they’ll be counted and council winners will be named. Outside of the mayor’s contest and the race in Ward 1, the podium at the Oct. 15 forum looked much like the council will look after the election. Ward 2’s Taddeo, Ward 3’s Pawlowski and Ward 4’s Padilla are the sole candidates in their races. Ward 1 incumbent Matt Johnston
SEE WORLD CUP, P15
SEE CANDIDATES, P4
Trophy of the FIFA World Cup and official ball of FIFA World Cup 2018.
PHOTO BY FIFG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Denver poised for World Cup bid City is one of 17 in the U.S. hoping to land part of 2026 event BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
There are a lot of things that go into Denver’s efforts to land part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s the overall interest in youth soccer. There’s a desire to be part of an expanded tournament field in 2026 (48 countries will earn spots), And there’s a desire to show off Denver to the rest of the nation and the world. “This will be 10 times the size of the Euro Cup,” said Manny Rodriguez, the co-chairman of the committee making the bid to bring the World Cup to town. “It’s the world’s biggest sporting event. It drew 3.5 billion viewers in 2018. Our biggest sporting event is the Super Bowl, and 150 million people tune in.
“Soccer is the world’s game.” Three North American nations – Canada, the United States and Mexico – are bidding to host part of the World Cup. In the U.S., 17 cities are expected to submit bids. Ten will make the first round of cuts. Eventually, three cities will win out, organizers said. Matthew Payne, the executive director of Denver Sports, said Denver has hosted other big-time sporting events, including this summer’s Major League Baseball all-star game. “We have the infrastructure. We have the stadium, the hotels, the arenas,” he said. “We’ve hosted high-capacity matches at Empower Field at Mile High (where most of the matches would take place). It’s a global city. When people visit, businesses often end up here.” Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City has hosted World Cup qualifying events, including a snowstorm-laced contest in 2013 between the United States and Costa Rica. But the home of the Colorado
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