Hoffmann says fairness important

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News, October 2004

Loveland Democrat Roger Hoffmann wants to unseat Republican Glenn Gibson in the election for Larimer County Commissioner for District 3. Hoffmann, 53, is especially critical of Gibson's decisions on spending.

At the top of the list is the current commission's endorsement of a tax break for the Centerra development in Loveland. Although Loveland City Council made the decision, the county did not object and will lose $88 million in taxes over the next 25 years, Hoffmann said.

"Whenever you skew the playing field, you unfairly burden another group of people and businesses who didn't get special deals," he said. "Why weren't they standing up for the taxpayer? ... The last thing we should be doing is shifting funds for special interests."

He also criticized the commissioners for spending $10 million more on the courthouse offices building than voters approved. The final cost for the five-story building was $27 million.

Noting that the county will be facing tight budgets for many years, Hoffmann said more effort needs to go into analyzing public needs and services. "We need to know where we line up within the state and nationally and decide where we want to be," he said.

The candidate said county officials should take a long-range look at budget needs so they don't continually ask voters to approve new taxes. "We need to make sure we will have the revenue we need as we grow," he said, adding that adequate development fees are essential.

He said he would encourage all county employees to help guide improvements in their own departments. As a county leader, he would make a case to the public on what problems the county faces. "I would provide all the options for how to fix those problems and champion fixing those problems," he said.

Hoffmann added that he appreciates diverse opinions. "From the cauldron of competing points of view, you really get long-lasting solutions," he said. "If there are holes in an idea, I want to have them exposed early on to come to a better idea."

The county also needs to improve citizen involvement in public issues, he said. Notice of important public meetings is too short, he said, and most people cannot attend meetings during the day. When appointing volunteers to county boards, he would give more attention to finding a broad array of public voices, he added.

Hoffmann also criticized Gibson for having "too much ideological rigidity and drawing hard lines prematurely." For example, he said, Gibson took a hard line on management issues at Fossil Creek Reservoir when he voted against a previously agreed plan that the county would buy surface rights as part of the open lands program.

Hoffmann said his strengths are planning, organization, management and team leadership. In the mid-1980s he advocated for integrated pest management control of mosquitoes in Loveland, bringing diverse views into agreement, he said. His interests are in air quality, economic vitality, water issues and land use.

He attended Fordham University and the State University of New York. He has lived in Loveland since 1981 and worked for Hewlett Packard and Agilent for 13 years. He also worked as executive director of the Idaho Rural Council for one year. This is his first run for elective office.