By: Sylvia Jennings

Sylvia Jennings — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:39:03 +0000

Re: Raphael Sassower’s piece this week “Let’s Just Follow Denver”….really? Having never been to Haifa or Tel Aviv, I’m not qualified to weigh in on how those cities compare. But Colorado Springs’ long-standing reputation as Denver’s ugly little sister is pure myth. 20 years ago, I left a great job and willingly took a 30% paycut to leave Denver and move my family to Colorado Springs. My educated, elite friends, most of whom work in the news media, were astonished by my choice. Still are. But why argue? If they found out how good I have it, they’d just move here and spoil everything. In the 20 years since I arrived in the Springs, the population has grown 3 fold, and the community has morphed from a medium town into a major metropolitan community. Yet it remains an affordable, liveable place where mid-income folks can rent or own housing in the heart of historic Colorado Springs, the midst of Cheyenne Canyon, or within walking distance of any number of excellent public schools. I never imagined that in Colorado Springs, I would be able to start a small business and purchase a century-old building with my partners in one of the city’s most desirable downtown retail blocks. And this growing community still invites plain folks, like small business owners and philosophy professors, to actively engage in discourse about the direction our city is taking. As for the anti-tax climate of Colorado Springs, I think there are countless fiscal conservatives, such as myself, who would very willingly support higher taxes for infrastructure if we had the confidence that our local leadership would spend our dollars wisely.

Comments on: Let’s just follow Denver

By: Sylvia Jennings