Comments (0) Best Activist - 2007
Rita Bertolli
Rita Bertolli was fresh out of film school in 2004 when she battled a housing project slated for a ravine behind her parents' Green Mountain home to a standstill. Last fall, she set her sights on bigger game, leading a grassroots group that challenged a developer's plan to trade a "drainage strip" for 22 acres of Lakewood park land. Despite heavy backing by the mayor and ample spending by the developer, the land swap was defeated at the polls by Bertolli's insurgents. And Bertolli's not done yet. The website she shares with fellow gadfly Mike Muller podcasts live from city council meetings and provides needed counterpoint commentary. Do we hear a future in politics calling?
10 comments
Rita, if yo are elected Mayor of Lakewod will you help protect the homeonwers on the west side by ensuring the proper infrastucture is put in place surrounding the Solterra development. The main concern of most residents off Yale and Indiana is that if McCntrye is not put in service prior to the opening of Soltera it will be 15-20 years befroe it is. Dropping property values, raising many safety concerns for homeowners and their children in those developments with the additional 2500-3000 cars a day on those roads from Solterra. Let me know, Thanks
Thank you, Rita, for correcting Brian H and bring us up to date on the ditchland donation. Now, the "wildlife corridor" is protected, but the general rule is that when people move in, wildlife moves out (or become road kill). Did anyone believe for a moment that Solterra would utilize the ditch for million dollar homes next to a middle class, Green Mountain neighborhood?
Here we go again. The City / Consolidated water has staked out an area on Open Space land on Green Mountain to put in a water tank. What ever happened to protecting our Open Space parks. They have proven they will do anything they want at any time. We need you again Rita.
I'd also like to point out, Brian, that personal attacks however veiled they are, will not prevail against strength, character, and truth. But I'm sure people are wise enough to read through and find your motive of really why you have written that blog entry. The bottom line is, we fought the good fight and we won. We're going to do it again this next November election.
Well, unfortunately, Brian H is wrong. Because the developer Carma just approved a donation of a large amount of the unbuildable "ditch land" to the City of Lakewood. So Brian, I don't think a mistake has been made. I think you need to trust that the facts aalways speak for themselves and that the less we cater to developer threats, the more we preserve our quality of life. The citizens made an informed vote, and by doing so, protected the most amount of land possible. This is what we fought for. I hope the next time you'll join us.
Actually, Rita didn't stop the developers at all. All she did was to shift part (only a small part) of the development onto a corridor that would have given the old subdivision 50' of wildlife passage from Green Mountain to Coyote Gulch, as well as space between old subdivision and new division.
Instead, with Amendment #1 turning in Rita's favor, her great work will cause the new subdivision, Solterra, to be build right next to the old subdivision, much to the displeasure of the owners of those houses (that for years have had nothing but an immense view). They were against Rita. But her voice is so strong, and everyone is a lemming and no one does research of their own accord.
Either way, Solterra will be built, and is being built. Drive down Alameda and see for yourself. It's going to be a HUGE and quiet impressive subdivision. I am against it, but I certainly was not against the wildlife corridor. Too bad no one has a brain of their own, and unfortunately, Rita, who is so young and so driven, just *had* to fight Carma developers one way or another. It ended up being a mistake, but she won't know or care.
Obviously people listen to Rita. A career in politics would undoubtedly turn her into a politician; I would hate to see a nice girl's morals, ethics, beliefs, and power to lead people be defenestrated for careerism. She just needs to learn what fights are worth fighting.
Hey, Rita. How 'bout checking into Boulder and Longmont City Council's venality, corruption, nepotism, favoritism, etc.Any takers out there?A society without watchdogs isn't a society at all but rather sheep being led to . . .
Rita not only stopped a huge canadian developer, she stopped the most corrupt, bought and paid for council and mayor in Metro Denver . The only government enity worse than the City of Lakewood, is RTD, hopefully that is her next target. God help the yoyo's of Lakewood if she runs for mayor of Lakewood.
