A quality Jason Slowinski finds remarkable about Golden is how many people volunteer their time to make Golden a great community.
“We are all very fortunate to be part of the Golden community,” said Slowinski, who delivered the State of the City address at an April 12 luncheon at The Golden Hotel. “Many of our citizens routinely come together to work hard for the betterment of Golden.”
About 120 community and business leaders attended the State of the City luncheon.
“Together, we will touch upon the successes of the year ahead for Golden,” Leslie Klane, president of the Golden Chamber of Commerce, said in the opening presentation. “We are Golden, and we make a difference in the lives of those who work, live and visit here.”
Slowinski, who was appointed city manager in September, talked about the National Citizen Survey conducted by the city in the past year, which provided statistics on Golden’s livability and desirability. It showed 95 percent of those who took the survey rated Golden high as a desirable place to live. Also rated high were the city’s public safety, recreation and wellness, environment, economy, civic engagement, public information, confidence in city government and overall value of services.
In fact, Slowinski said, “when comparing our community to others nationwide, Golden rated at or higher than national benchmarks in virtually every category.”
Going forward into 2016 and beyond, the city will focus on a couple of top priorities, Slowinski said.
One focus will be affordable housing “to make sure that Golden continues to be a place where diverse populations can come together and afford to live.” Parking will also come to the forefront within the next several months.
Growth pressures will continue to exist in Golden, Slowinski said, so the city will be proactive in managing it.
“Golden exists in a rapidly changing metropolitan area and state,” he said. “We want to ensure that our community retains the character and charm that exists today, and that new growth, while recognizing that it can be good, needs to enhance, not detract, from our current environment.”
Slowinski closed by noting that Golden is “remarkably strong,” because the community takes a vested interest in its overall success.
Slowinski relocated with his family — wife Stephanie and two daughters, Francesca, 10, and Sophia, 6 — from the Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois.
“I am truly thrilled to be in Golden,” he said. “What a fantastic community to be a city manager in. When I think about Golden and its values, and what separates our community from the rest of the world, I like to think of us as a collection of local celebrities — local heroes, really.”
