Issues
A Mayor of Action
I am proud and honored to serve as the seventh Mayor of Parker. I offer a common sense conservative approach to government. It's not the same decade-old ideas that will take us in to the future. New, innovative and out of the box thinking and strong economic development will make Parker thrive! I am a fighter. I wake up every day amazed at the opportunities we have and ready to roll up my sleeves to get the job done. Our hometown is a town worth fighting for!
Repeal the Grocery Sales Tax
This is an antiquated tax that was in place when Parker didn't have business and commercial development. Taxes on necessities, such as food, are the most regressive taxes and hurt those struggling to make ends meet. Grocery sales tax is a portion of the Town’s annual revenue, but it's clearly not the only source. Elimination of the grocery sales tax does not lower the tax rate, it only eliminates groceries from the base. We will still have a 3% Town of Parker tax on most goods and services. Only Castle Rock and Parker Tax Groceries – All the other towns and municipalities in Douglas County do not tax groceries. As to timing, the earliest date the tax on groceries could be removed is January 2026 due to a 2015 Sales and Use Tax Refunding Note on the Fieldhouse that the sales tax is pledged to and will be paid off in December 2025. The current remaining balance on that note is about $1M.
Leave RTD
The biggest issue facing transportation in Parker is not only roads, growth and traffic – it is the fact that we are sending over $15 million per year (in 2022) of your tax dollars to RTD for $1 million in services. Our solution must be to work with our State elected officials and stakeholders who rely on public transportation to pass legislation allowing municipalities to leave RTD. We can form our own cost-effective solution for far less than $15 million. We have run a bill with Representative Kim Ransom in 2021 and a bill with Senator Jim Smallwood in 2022 to allow us to vote to leave RTD. We won't stop till we get the opportunity to self-determine our transportation. Parker has to stop getting TAXED for services we don't receive and that RTD can't provide!
Economic Development Program
Parker must have a meaningful Economic Development program partnering government with both private sector and community organizations to build a stronger base for both small and large business – while always supporting our locally owned proprietors. That is why in 2022-23, we have built the Parker Economic Playbook (PEP). The playbook sets out a plan to go not only retail, but living wage jobs. We must keep growing our economic footprint and explore every opportunity afforded us.