Community Vitality Center-#2

The other very important area Curt Childress directs is the master planning, subdivision regulations, physical planning and zoning. There is a part-time employee on the staff currently that was laid off in 2004 despite 25 years of service to the City. Pat Breitenstein was forced out by the previous manager along with the other senior members of the staff. He served as the Planning Director, Planner and for a time Executive Director of NURA. Because of his practical experience he was brought back to write a difficult ordinance and has remained to conduct other activities; excepting planning and development. You will see why it doesn’t make much sense shortly.
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In 2005 they hired another planner who didn’t have all the skills and temperament they expected. He was cautious in the field and not flashy. He didn’t last long; unfortunately. Last November the Manager brought in Terence Quinn as the City Planner at the salary of $70,096. Mr. Quinn previously worked for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). He looked at and worked from a regional perspective. He does have a Master’s in Planning but local government detail is not his specialty. He did have one additional qualification. Our Mayor serves on the DRCOG Board and she was an informal reference.
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Mr. Quinn ran straight into the rigors of local government which includes a zoning ordinance, master planning, design review, permit applications, signs and subdivision regulations. Since he is either not qualified or experienced in these areas or too distracted, he immediately found that he needed help. Of course, he couldn’t utilize the knowledge of Pat Breitenstein, I guess, so he, Mr. Childress and our new Interim Manager, Leslie Cullen, entered into a consulting contract 12 days after Nelson resigned.
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For the tidy sum of $45,000 payable for services through mid-December, we now have a “practical” planner named Travis Reynolds. Guess where he used to work. Guess what his duties are? Did you say DRCOG and look at Mr. Quinn’s duties as listed in the previous paragraph. If you did, you are starting to understand how the present City leadership thinks; and pays.
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With a salary of over seventy thousand and a contract for a ten month period of forty-five thousand, we might start to get some services in the planning and zoning section of the Community Vitality Center for $115,000.
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Now we know Leslie Cullen is relying on Curt Childress who is relying on Terence Quinn who is relying on the ability of Travis Reynolds. (Sounds like the last posting; doesn’t it.) In the previous posting I pointed out that a contract employee, Becky Hogan is carrying the ball in economic development. Here we see that a contract employee, Travis, is carrying the ball in planning and zoning. It appears to me that we could do without Curt Childress ($76,662), Kay Press ($89,892) and Terence Quinn ($70,096); and contract all the work out. (-$236,650 plus benefits)