Canyon Courier 5
May 12, 2022
VOTE TOTALS Elk Creek Fire 1 position for a one-year term Chuck Newby 179* Dominique Devaney 179* John Mullan 8 2 positions for a three-year term Greg Pixley 202 Joe Wienand 192 Melissa Baker 214 Inter-Canyon Fire Natalie Arnett 122 Ann Imse 79 Jackie White 139 Ginny Riley 131 Evergreen Fire Stacey Ballinger 864 Julie Ann Courim 929 Jeff deDisse 555 Kenny Erhardt 535 Mike Gregory 492 Wayne Hazeldine 252 John Putt 967 Evergreen Metro District Steve Beck 29 John Ellis 87 Joseph Frisk 65* Brian Stephens-Hotopp 65* James Viellenave 85 Evergreen Park & Recreation District Steve Beck 157 Al Buenning 380 Kristin Courington 489 Peter Eggers 1,023 Betsy Hays 1,161 Chris Lewis 314 Mary McGhee 508 Jeff Shappard 319 • Stars signify tie votes, and the districts will wait for any overseas absentee ballots and then for a recount by each Canvass Board. If there is still a tie, each district’s attorney will decide how to determine a winner.
ELECTION FROM PAGE 1
ing on the staff, especially with Vander Veen coming on board. “I want to make sure there is shared vision, mutual understanding of where people are at and what their jobs are,” he said. “I really want to give (Vander Veen) the tools to make good decisions about staff.” That goal, he said, is followed by goal No. 2: building consensus on the board and creating a strategy for the district to move forward.
The election judges at the Wulf Recreation Center — from left, Luke Wescott, Vanessa Drake and Cherie Paul — decided to liven things up on May 3 by dressing as, well, judges. They brought smiles to voters, who elected three new members of the Evergreen Park & COURTESY PHOTO Recreation District board.
“Things like a dog park and other capital improvements are going to have to wait until the time is right where we are all together and reach out to the community with a common vision and get their input,” Eggers said. “Right now, there’s other work to do.” Hays’ priorities Hays was the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce president before her current position as director of resource development at Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice. “I really think the first step is for all five of us (on the board) to get together and get to know each other to figure out how Betsy Hays we can best work together,” Hays said. “We need to go forward with consensus and with no individual special agendas.” She emphasized the importance of the EPRD board working as a team, with the new board members getting to know Vander Veen since they were not part of the selection process.
“COVID was a challenge for all organizations, but it was really tough for EPRD,” Hays said. “Coming out of COVID, we need to find out what the community wants by communicating with them, and telling them how they can be involved and what’s next.” She noted that the rec district needed to accommodate the needs of all constituents, and to do that, board members need to reach out to learn what other groups think. For example, no one on the board has young families, so she wants to make sure she is plugged into that group, so they have a voice. “Then we need to come up with a strategic plan to make sure we can get something done,” she said. “We need to decide what are the priorities with the funds we have. People deserve to know the order of things.” McGhee’s plan McGhee, who is a senior IT systems auditor, also coordinates the volleyball programs at Wulf Recreation Center, so she brings to the board a knowledge of what the rank-and-file EPRD workers do. She wants the board to be more engaged with constituents, believing in “management by walking
around,” noting that she wanted to spend time at both recreation centers to talk to patrons and employees to learn what they think. “You can get the pulse of an organization and the rec centers if you’re there talking to Mary McGhee the people,” she explained. “I want to have an opendoor policy and be accessible.” A large priority for McGhee is for EPRD to collaborate more with sister agencies such as Denver Mountain Parks, Jefferson County Open Space, Jeffco Public Schools and more the way it did in the past, noting that what she called EPRD’s recent culture of isolation needed to stop. She agreed with the other new board members that a strategic vision for the district was a must while still having the day-to-day operational view of the district, and she hopes EPRD can find a spot for another community garden. She said her strength would be keeping the board informed and not letting things slip through the cracks.
