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Tag: State of the County

  • Douglas County celebrates 2025 achievements at ‘State of the County’ event

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    DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Douglas County leaders and the community gathered Thursday night in Lone Tree to celebrate the area’s accomplishments in 2025.

    At the annual “State of the County” address held at the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows, officials highlighted several major wins, including a significant drop in crime and the completion of the county’s largest transportation project along the US 85 corridor.

    “Douglas County is safer than ever with the highest number of school resource officers in the state,” said Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle during his opening remarks.

    The county also touted its investments in parks and open space, with leaders emphasizing their commitment to creating an environment “where families flourish and businesses thrive.”

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    Douglas County Commissioners

    “Our community is one of a kind,” said Commission Chair Abe Laydon as he kicked off the ceremony.

    As 2025 comes to a close, Denver7 was in the community listening to the voices that call the area home.

    “The location, quite honestly, is just unmatched,” said resident Chuck Hellings alongside his wife Deb.

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    Chuck & Deb Hellings, Douglas County residents

    We heard several reasons why some of the county’s 400,000 residents choose to live here.

    “Midwest was getting very political, and there were times that my wife didn’t feel safe,” said resident Philip Karas, who moved to the area from Milwaukee.

    Denver7 also asked what Douglas County residents would like to see prioritized in 2026.

    “Obviously, schools… we came out here to give our kids a better life,” Karas said.

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    Philip Karas & his daughter, Silvia (9), Douglas County residents

    As the area continues to see more people move in, responsible growth was a common thread among the people we talked to.

    “It’s amazing to me, the amount of growth that I’ve witnessed here,” said Hellings. “I just don’t know how it continues.”

    In an interview with Denver7, Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle acknowledged these growth management challenges, explaining the county is developing long-term planning strategies.

    “We’re looking at what growth will be like between now and 2050 over the next 25 years, and we’re trying to do it in a way where the current residents aren’t disturbed by the growth, but we’re still welcoming of new citizens, new businesses,” Van Winkle said.

    • Watch the Douglas County “State of the County” address in the video player below:

    With the new year right around the corner, major projects are on the horizon, including the groundbreaking of Zebulon Sports Complex.

    And residents remain hopeful that Douglas County can preserve what drew them to the area in the first place.

    “Maintain the standard of living, the quality of life that we’ve come here to enjoy, and make sure it can be enjoyed by future generations,” said Hellings.

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Claire Lavezzorio

    Denver7’s Claire Lavezzorio covers topics that have an impact across Colorado, but specializes in reporting on stories in the military and veteran communities. If you’d like to get in touch with Claire, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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    Claire Lavezzorio

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  • Ronayne Reminds Us Everyone’s Welcome in Cuyahoga During Third State of the County Address – Cleveland Scene

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    There’s no denying that County Executive Chris Ronayne is the leader of the gladly received.

    New small businesses. War-torn Ukrainian refugees.

    He’s for more humane jails. Parks in the sky. Homeless mothers. Special Olympians. Natural Black hairstyles. Superman and his immortalized creators.

    “That is Cuyahoga County,” Ronayne said during his third State of the County address. “We welcome and we lead with a welcoming nature.”

    On Thursday, from a podium in the atrium of the Huntington Convention Center, Ronayne rattled off a list of county government’s reasons for praise, from big points earned on immigration, crime, courts, to police and development successes.

    But Ronayne’s inclination to welcome—a word he used 18 times in his 36-minute speech—brings up clear questions about how attractive Cuyahoga County must be to battle larger, negative narratives.

    Since 2020, the county’s lost roughly 24,000 people, the continuation of a decades-long trend.

    The state really hasn’t helped either.

    Its Senate Bill 1, which went into effect in June, has led to declining enrollment at several of Ohio’s universities, including about a 30 percent drop each at Baldwin Wallace and Cleveland State. And immigrants, mostly from Latin countries, have been abruptly locked up in detention facilities and/or deported with the help of sheriff’s offices from Geauga to Butler counties.

    Still, Ronayne kept his trademark cheer. A cheer that seemed to keep blinders on and keep the focus hyperlocal—whether that be celebrating the county’s win attracting the 2030 Special Olympics, building its new Office of Violence Prevention, soon breaking ground on its new jail, or being the first county in Ohio to ban conversion therapy.

    Ronayne shied away from topics too controversial—like massive loss of federal support—and kept his address focused on local wins. Credit: Mark Oprea

    There are roughly 380,000 people in Cuyahoga County on Medicaid and some 190,000 that get help buying food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, colloquially known as food stamps. About 28,000 of the latter, Ronayne said, will “be directly impacted” by the passing of Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill, which may eliminate such support to those tens of thousands entirely.

    A new Cuyahoga Hunger Response Team, used to combat the federal slashing of SNAP, will launch in late October, Ronayne said.

    “We’re going to have to face draconian cuts to our kids, our families and our seniors as if we were in COVID all over again,” he told the room. “And we are going to have to apply our best selves with the kindness of Cuyahogans.”

    “Together,” he said, “we are strong.”

    Although he teased briefly the forming of Cuyahoga LIVE!, the county’s planned music commission, and massive downtown development from Bedrock, Ronayne shied away from addressing anything touchy.

    There was no mention in his prepared speech of cuts at Cleveland State, of the Downtown Safety Patrol and its chase policy, of the abrupt destruction of radio station WCSB, or of the Haslam’s sure relocation to Brook Park.

    At least until those in the crowd bothered him with such questions.

    What, oh what, one asked, do you think of the Browns? Does the Haslams’ $100 million “gift” to the city make up for what’s been a pretty sour breakup?

    “I was happy to give a speech that didn’t mention the stadium,” Ronayne said, to laughter. He cited love for the Guardians, the Cavs and Cleveland’s upcoming WNBA team. “There is a lot of other work happening in the county.”

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    Mark Oprea

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  • In Lina Hidalgo’s World, Early Childhood Programs Are Still the No. 1 Priority

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    Harris County is days away from adopting its $2.7 billion budget, sinking in debt, and grappling over how to prioritize flood control projects, but County Judge Lina Hidalgo can’t stop talking about an early childhood program she tried — and failed — to fund through a tax increase earlier this year.

    The Democratic judge has been at odds for months with Commissioners Lesley Briones and Adrian Garcia, members of her own political party, as well as Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey. At the heart of most of the arguments is money.

    Briones and Garcia, who are both up for re-election in 2026, were noticeably absent from Hidalgo’s State of the County address last Friday. The event, sponsored by Greater Houston Partnership, was billed as an opportunity to hear from the judge on infrastructure, storm resilience, and economic mobility. Hidalgo, however, spent more than half of her allotted 40 minutes directing guests at the Marriott Marquis to a PowerPoint presentation on early childhood education.

    The judge is clearly still salty about a thwarted attempt on August 7 to let voters decide on a one-penny tax for the kids’ education program funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars that expire next year.

    Commissioners Ramsey, Briones and Garcia — referred to by Hidalgo as the “GOP three” — not only rejected the judge’s plea to continue funding the program but denounced her effort to involve children to sway votes, saying her behavior was inappropriate. Ramsey proposed a censure of the judge, which was supported by Briones and Garcia.

    “We need to get better leadership,” Ramsey said at the time. “We don’t have time for this.”

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    When Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, center, delivered her State of the County address last week, Rodney Ellis was the only commissioner who attended.

    Photo by April Towery

    Commissioners Court is scheduled to adopt its budget and tax rate on September 18.

    Since the August discussion on the childhood education program, the Harris County Commissioners Court has moved on to other budget debates, primarily centered on how to combat a $200 million deficit and how to compete with law enforcement pay at the Houston Police Department.

    Well, most of the Commissioners Court has moved on.

    “To get politicians to agree on something like putting [money] into early childhood education is harder than getting toddlers to agree on bedtime,” Hidalgo said at last week’s State of the County.

    The judge touched briefly on public safety, noting that she and Commissioner Ellis proposed $100 million in raises for county law enforcement, a measure that passed and is included in the proposed budget.

    But Hidalgo and Ellis voted against doubling the salaries of Harris County’s eight constables, who have asked for pay hikes to $290,000 per year, which amounts to more than the annual salary for Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and just slightly less than that of Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz. That measure passed 3-2 and is also included in the proposed budget slated for adoption next week.

    Briones and Garcia have indicated they support “pay parity” and are concerned about losing law enforcement officers to the Houston Police Department. A recently approved $1 billion Houston police contract includes a 36.5 percent raise for officers spread across five years.

    It was clear at last week’s event that Hidalgo wanted to avoid the rift among county officials and instead talk about the childhood education program, as she asked the audience to support her in ensuring that the matter is on the ballot in 2026.

    “You all understand that our workforce depends on what we do right now for those kids who are going to grow up and be in the future workforce,” she said. “You are the movers and shakers who are going to be able to spread the word about what we’re trying to do. Also, a lot of you have been able to get to where you are while raising children, so you know how hard it is.”

    The penny tax Hidalgo proposed would have cost the average Harris County homeowner roughly $24 more a year in taxes, and it would have provided educational opportunities for about 25,000 families, she said.

    “I may not be a mom, and I’m certainly not a teacher, but I do understand the importance of early childhood education, and I don’t think you have to be a parent or a teacher or somebody who works with kids in order to do so,” she said.

    The judge outlined data showing that the program is successful and voters would have supported it, according to a poll.

    “Early childhood education is popular because everyone understands how important it is,” she said. “What this shows you, in my mind, is a bipartisan reticence at the politician level to support early childhood education, when, at the community level, there is huge support for it. This disconnect between politics and the needs of the community does not stick with one party or the other.”

    “These kids are going to lose access to the programs,” she added. “It’s really important that we put this on the ballot in November of 2026. There is no excuse not to do it.”

    Following Hidalgo’s presentation, the judge dodged a question from Greater Houston Partnership president and CEO Steve Kean about whether she’ll seek re-election to a third term.

    “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to break news on that here today, but it’s coming very, very, very, very soon,” she said.

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    April Towery

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  • In Second State of the County, Chris Ronayne Plays it Cool for Packed Atrium

    In Second State of the County, Chris Ronayne Plays it Cool for Packed Atrium

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    click to enlarge

    Mark Oprea

    Chris Ronayne’s State of the County speech on Thursday was compact just as it was comprehensive.

    Despite the ceaseless drumming and droning of vuvuzela horns outside the new atrium at the Huntington Convention Center, County Executive Chris Ronayne delivered his second State of the County address in a mostly cool and concise manner on Thursday.

    For a little more than 40 minutes, Ronayne rattled off a “best of” tour of county achievements, both recent and foretold, to a sold-out crowd of 800—and about a half dozen pro-Palestine protesters who repeatedly interrupted Ronayne’s boosterism as if privately on set cue.

    Despite the constant criticism for the county’s $16 million investment in Israel bonds, Ronayne kept his fatherly, friend-to-all schtick intact, whether it was lauding the creation of the Child Wellness Center, or helping to build the new Fairfax Market in Midtown, or applauding Downtown Cleveland’s own “Superman Summer.”

    Ronayne kept his tour concise just as it was comprehensive—especially when touching on sensitive matters. Both the controversial County Jail project in Garfield Heights—which has seemed to worry surrounding residents—and the possible loss of the newly-named Huntington Bank Field to Brook Park, were glossed over quickly, it seemed, as if to check off a box.

    “Cuyahoga County is leading the way,” he said, when touching on the projected $750 million correctional facility. “Our government continues to innovate, modernize and transform.”

    click to enlarge Several pro-Palestine protestors interrupted Ronayne's speech throughout. - Mark Oprea

    Mark Oprea

    Several pro-Palestine protestors interrupted Ronayne’s speech throughout.

    With just a year-and-a-half in the county executive post, Ronayne has spent what seems to be an incalculable amount of time trying to present the county in a positive light, which seems bolstered by Ronayne’s encyclopedic knowledge and affection for a place where he’s lived the bulk of his life.

    It’s how Ronayne, in his 34-minute speech, seemed to frame his policy: vying to keep the 54 municipalities in Cuyahoga County politically attuned through a highly personalized lens. (“You can see I’m very close to our mayors,” he winked at one point. “We got each other’s backs.”)

    “Wherever I am, I always stop to hear from residents. I tell them I work for them. I work for all of you,” he told the crowd.

    “And the reality is our entire county team works for you,” he added. “Protecting our children, investing in housing, keeping our roads and bridges safe, supporting our small businesses, improving our government services, transforming our social safety net, innovating in sustainability and leveraging our assets for growth.”

    And growth was often substantiated by, as in Bibb’s State of the City, impressive data: 502 small businesses helped with the county’s financial assistance; 122 guns taken off the streets by the Downtown Safety Unit; 222 low-interest loans handed out for home improvements; $130 million from the EPA for the county to use towards climate pollution reduction.

    But Ronayne’s itch to highlight dozens of county programs and hurrahs sometimes felt a bit lacking in the exec’s trademark chutzpah, as if he was narrating a script for a marketing video to be shown in the Convention Center lobby.

    “Our word to the world is that you are welcome here,” he said, capping off a mention of the county’s new Welcome Center for immigrants. “We all are. All of us.”

    A welcome that apparently extended to the half dozen pro-Palestine protesters who managed to sneak into general admission tables. (“It’s the First Amendment right,” he said, as one accused him of “supporting genocide.”)

    At one point, during the event’s Q&A, a man wrapped in a black-and-white keffiyeh scarf asked Ronayne if he would reconsider the $16 million in Israel bonds in the county’s investment portfolio.

    Ronayne responded both curt and personal. He thanked the man for “coaching the kids” in the deep, complicated matters surrounding the Israel-Hamas War. He recalled his work as a local soccer coach.

    “I’m just going to say this,” Ronayne added. “We are not moving away from Israel bonds.”

    And that was that. Until next year.

    “In the words of my mother, a small business owner who got me through school and got me here today, I say to you what she said to me,” Ronayne said, ending his speech. “Let’s keep going.”

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    Mark Oprea

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