On May 8, Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District will hold an election to fill two seats on its five-person board. Three candidates are in contention: Bryan Mendiola, Ron Pace and incumbent Jan Pizzi.The New Falcon Herald invited each candidate to write a 350 to 500 word statement defining their reasons for running for the board and what they hope to accomplish, if elected.Bryan MendiolaI would first like to thank The New Falcon Herald for offering me the opportunity to share who I am to the residents of Woodman Hills Metro District.Hello Woodmen Hills, my name is Bryan Mendiola. I moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2005 and soon thereafter called the Woodmen Hills community home. My wife and I started our family here and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences while making lifelong friends in our community.Over the past year, I have grown quite concerned about where our community is heading and decided to get involved not just by simply casting a vote.My goal is to build something that each family can benefit from for generations. I have spoken with several members of the community over the past several weeks. Many difficult questions and concerns have been posed. I have provided my stance and answers to some questions. For those I could not answer I was very candid and responded with, ìI donít have the answer to that questionî and then did the next best thing, just listened.I found listening to be invaluable because I heard views that didnít always align with mine and that is perfectly fine. From the time I committed to run for the Woodmen Hills Metro District Board I have been steadily doing research of past documents and working my way to present times.I have some concerns about the state of our district, including short and long term goals. I know many residents throughout the district share my concerns. If elected to the Woodmen Hill Metro District Board I ask that your support not stop by casting your votes. I implore each and every one of you to participate in some capacity, and let your concerns and praises be heard.I donít need to tell voters that we are in very tough economic times. These are stresses we as a community all experience either first hand or indirectly when our neighbors and friends lose their jobs or homes. Our community should be a source of stability in these turbulent times. One of my major goals would be to assess and ultimately reduce our debt levels, and to function soundly in the black while building our reserves for critical future projects. We need to also define our ìWants vs. Needs, ìin order to allow our district to continue to provide the essential services in an economically sound manner.Yes, there are many mores topics to be discussed and this is where I ask for each of you to engage. I look forward to the upcoming election on May 8 and having the opportunity to serve the community as a member of the Woodmen Hills Metro District Board of Directors.Ron PaceA partial list of Jan Pizzi’s voting record from 2008 to 2012*:
- Voted to increase debt to $53 million Service Delivery Plan
- Voted to expend $1,600,000 in legal fees
- Voted to buy a fence for Rusty Green $51,000
- Voted to build Multi-Million dollar Rec Center in another development
- Voted for additional civil actions (your cost?)
- Voted to take civil actions against other water districts (2008-2012)
- Voted on raises $67,000+ (2012 budget)
- Voted to increase salaries & benefits $621,000 (per year
- Voted to indemnify herself, you will pay for job-related mistakes
- Voted to expend $461,000 for covenant matter
- Voted to purchase 6 new trucks (2008-2012)
- Voted to finance bonds which will not benefit you ever!
- Voted to continue litigation on Warne matter
- Voted to add $86.34 to your bill (SDP)
- Voted to expend $250,000 for new water meters
- Voted for mill levy which would have doubled your property taxes
- Your cost Millions and counting:
- Lower overall operating expenses
- Put a stop to all frivolous litigation
- Hold management accountable
- Re-establish professional relations with other districts
- Cut the monthly utility bill
- Lower fees associated with being late
- Eliminate shut off fees
- Re-examine our waste water issue to find the most economical solution
- Hire legal counsel who actually gives out sound legal advice to avoid future situations and costly litigation
- To never let outside interest interfere with our operation
- To never let developers get our resources (water)
- To never let outside interest get additional money from you (debt)
- adopted rules and regulations, by-laws, a records retention policy and an e-mail policy.
- conducted a cost of service analysis that helps us to set our fees and lets us know the cost of our water and waste water processing
- gotten a master plan for our parks and recreation department and trails paid for by a GOCO grant that will help us obtain other grants to upgrade our services in the future
- obtained three El Paso County Urban Grants to upgrade playgrounds and trails
- upgraded our weight and cardiovascular rooms
- brought the YMCA contract in house, which opened the door for more programs and activities
- developed a code of ethics for board members and held Special District Association training for new board members
- started a strategic plan and committee
- obtained a much needed new lift station at no cost to the district
- included the library land in the district so the library could be built
- deeded ground for the new fire station
- gotten four clean financial audits
- obtained a new billing system that allows payment by credit card, online and bank draft, making it easier for our residents to pay their bills
- won the Colorado Rural Water Association Water System of the Year award
- settled a lawsuit with Paint Brush Hills Metropolitan District and re-financed our debt, keeping fees low and no increase in your fees in 2010 and 2011
