JIM JACKMAN
Party: Democrat
Website: www.jimjackman.com
Biography
I am 62 and retired from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad after 31 years of service. My background is in Labor Management Relations and Safety. Prior to retirement, I was responsible for the safety of 2,000 employees. Since retirement I am serving the community by volunteering with the poor and homeless through my church in downtown Denver. I am also a director for my Home Owners Association.
What do you consider to be the four most important issues facing Arapahoe County?
- Keeping a balanced budget while meeting the needs of the county.
- Maintaining human services in a time where more people are losing employment and housing.
- Addressing the needs of our crumbling infrastructure, especially the roads and bridges in the county.
- Addressing the expansion issues of our county courthouse and jail. Both are filled beyond capacity.
If elected, how to you plan to address such issues?
- I would keep a balanced budget by funding capitol needs only, and cutting some of the pet projects that are not of benefit to most of our citizens.
- We will need to work closely with the state to maintain adequate funding for human service needs.
- Infrastructure needs must be a priority for funding. Deferring maintenance on our roads and bridges is a serious safety concern and leads to great financial outlay.
- While we must do our best to reduce the population in our jail, such as programs to reduce recidivism, ultimately we are going to have to address the need for expanded facilities.
What do you see as the County's role in the future?
- I want to ensure that the county's mission of enhancing the quality of life through exceptional delivery of services and efficient use of public funds is restored.
- We must improve the relationship between the county and the cities and work more closely with them to ensure proper planning for growth and development.
- The commission must work more closely with other governmental agencies to ensure the best use of financial resources and avoid some of the current duplication of services.
Are there other items you plan to address if elected?
- My focus will be to represent all of the citizens of Arapahoe County and to ensure that their voice is heard on the commission. I want to reduce the influence of special interest groups.
- I want to protect the environment by promoting sustainability in long term planning in the county.
