When push came to shove, Falcon residents showed up. Almost half the registered voters living within the boundaries of the proposed city of Falcon visited the polls the Tuesday after Memorial Day, according to county records. About 78 percent voted against incorporating Falcon.Falcon residents also showed up to actively fight – via a Web site, flyers, signs, informational meetings and a phone tree – a yes vote. Leaders of Falcon Area Residents Operating Under Truth (FAROUT), a group opposed to the Falcon incorporation effort, said that although a seemingly large group of Falcon residents did not want another layer of government, they do want to be involved in decisions that govern the destiny of their community.Many people who voted no felt they had been left in the dark about the incorporation plans and the process, said John Seetch, member of FAROUT. “People will rally against people being sneaky,” he said. “As I told the Gazette, anger was a huge motivation – the primary motivation.”Another motivator was the absence of a detailed budget for the proposed town. “You can’t just say ‘pass this, trust this, and we’ll put something together later,”” said Jeff Harrell, co-founder of FAROUT.However, Julie Brickley, the election clerk and a resident of Falcon for seven years, voted for incorporating Falcon because she said she wants to have some control over development. Brickley said she kept quiet about her opinion prior to the vote because of her involvement with the election process.”I live in a more rural part of Falcon, and I moved out for the country,” she said. “It’s like urban versus country out here. I want control over my land being developed.” Brickley also said fears of a Colorado Springs annexation guided her vote. Even if Colorado Springs city planners maintain they aren’t knocking on Falcon’s door, she said Falcon is still a “goldmine,” although a faceless one, in her opinion.As long as Falcon is unincorporated, Brickley said it’s “really Peyton.” She said she believes that Falcon as a city would provide an opportunity to meet other people and establish a sense of community.Is designation as a city the catalyst to a sense of community?Seetch and Harrell don’t think so.Both said the direction that FAROUT took to rally people against an issue by educating, informing and taking action proved that Falcon doesn’t have to be a city to get something done. “We came together because we had a common interest,” Seetch said.”At our first public meeting, we had about eight or nine people,” Harrell said. “The following week, we had 80.” The group moved quickly in the approximate 30 days they had until the election.The energy level was high, Harrell said. The FAROUT leadership kept its role to facilitation, with a goal to “keep the energy from bursting out of the building,” he said.Facilitating a group is a “balance between controlling the direction and getting out of the way,” Seetch said. Harrell said it’s about keeping the direction action oriented. “Our success was about us acting in a manner of communicating and addressing all of the issues,” Harrell said.The same energy can continue, with the common interest being what’s good for Falcon, Harrell said.FAROUT leaders want to keep the momentum going. To do so, they’re proposing a monthly roundtable discussion open to all Falcon residents. For now, the two are calling it FAIR: Falcon Area Issues Roundtable. Harrell said they’re open for other name suggestions.Although Seetch said the poll results indicated that most people in the Falcon area are OK with the status quo, he said there might be long-term issues that need to be discussed and “perhaps acted on.” FAIR is not a reaction to the incorporators concept that Falcon is in “peril,” he said.Seetch and Harrell are hoping for a July meeting to kick off FAIR. “Jeff and I are moving forward toward monthly meeting at the fire house … for those of voting age or older,” Seetch said.”FAIR can be a forum to get to know each other, express ideas and work together. It’s kind of like a neighborhood association. Perhaps we could sponsor some kind of debate … or learn about the kinds of resources we do have available.”Seetch said he would like to see a more “effective relationship” between the county and Falcon area residents. “There are other ways to interact with county government – write letters – send e-mails. People don’t know what tools they must have to interact with their area government. If we get that out there, the excuses are removed.”The roundtable would be a perfect format for discussions with School District 49 and other organized entities in Falcon, Seetch added.Falcon has grown fast in a relatively short time, which, as Brickley said, could leave long-time residents feeling alienated and unhappy. “The high-density people aren’t the enemy, but a lack of information breeds suspicion,” Seetch said. “Change is inevitable, but we need to be on the front side of the change curve … shaping the change.”And the format needs to be nonpartisan and wide open, he added.Seetch and Harrell said they believe a community is about people, not government. “We don’t need to pass a bunch of rules or tax people to get things done,” Seetch said.”It’s accomplishing some of the goals of incorporating without the government,” Harrell said.”I think it’s a great idea and a year too late,” Brickley said. Although she is concerned that the group’s input could be minimal, Brickley said she’d be willing to sit in on the roundtable discussions. I’d be open to it,” she said. ‘But is it possible to create a sense of community without (being) a city?”Seetch said he believes it is possible. Some people have a misconception that government or leadership is about taking care of the people and resolving all the issues, he said. “You don’t need to sign up for additional government just to have people taken care of,” Seetch said. “(With government), you get things you never asked for and don’t want.”
