Voters’ questions about Golden’s future lasted far into the evening Tuesday night in a City Council candidate forum. Over 125 people attended the event, sponsored by the Leadership Golden Alumni Association. Moderator for the evening was Connie Tysdal, chairperson of the alumni association, who said the evening was an effort to encourage participation in city government.
Golden Transcript - October 31, 1985
40 Years Ago
Golden was at a crossroads in 1985. The historic downtown was in a long, slow decline. The tax base was suffering, and the town's infrastructure was badly in need of repair.
Leadership Golden, which was one year old that fall, decided to host a Candidates' Forum, where voters could evaluate their options for the City Council Ward positions. Each candidate was asked the same questions and given the same amount of time to answer.
That year's City Council election included a slate of candidates who were determined to revive downtown and jump-start the City's economy. They wanted a powerful Downtown Development Authority that would make downtown more attractive and entice more businesses.
A Particularly Contentious Pairing
The feistiest race was happening in Ward 1, where Colorado School of Mines Football Coach, Marv Kay, was running against incumbent Dick Sargent. Kay thought we needed "positive and innovative" leadership to redevelop downtown. He pointed out that without economic development, our choices were to reduce services or raise taxes.
Correction: the spelling of Dick Sargent's name has been corrected (from "Sargeant").
Dick Sargent dismissed the "obsession with downtown revitalization." He pointed out that the population growth was at the south end of town and thought that business would naturally develop where the population was growing. He said that, based on his "grassroots research," there was no support whatsoever for a Downtown Development Authority.
Transcript Editorial
The Golden Transcript didn't always endorse candidates, but they chose to do so that year. They recommended all four of the pro-downtown redevelopment candidates--Marv Kay, Al Bachman, Ruth Maurer, and Tom Plummer. Maurer and Plummer were incumbents, running for second terms.
"A black day for incumbents"
Golden Transcript - November 7, 1985
Marv Kay won his race; Bachman, Maurer, and Plummer did not.
Correction: an earlier version of this article erroneously reported that Bachman had won the Ward 2 seat. The winner was Mark Macha.
Despite the split ticket, downtown redevelopment definitely took off from that point. The Downtown Development Authority was superseded by an even more powerful Golden Urban Renewal Authority. A streetscape project added planters and brick walkways and gave the old shopping district an aura of affluence and success. Facade grants encouraged property owners to upgrade individual buildings. New residential condominiums were built, as well as new office buildings. Sidewalks were power washed on a regular basis, and the town went berserk (in a good way!) with holiday lighting every December.
Leadership Golden is once again hosting a Candidates Forum tonight. I hope you will attend and evaluate the candidate's stances on issues facing Golden in 2025!
