SPEAKER 03 : 0:01

Welcome to Retirement Unpacked with Al Smith, owner of Golden Eagle Financial. You want a retirement plan that alleviates your fears about the future so you know your money will last. As a chartered financial consultant, Al Smith will help you find a balance between the risk and reward of the market and the safety of your retirement income. And now, here’s your host, Al Smith.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:24

Welcome to another program of Retirement Unpacked. I want to thank you for tuning in. I’m sure there’s other things you could be doing, but we’ll have some good information for you this afternoon or this morning, depending on when you’re listening. Recently, I talked about some ways to mitigate risk. As you accumulate wealth toward retirement, there are some ways to continue accumulating wealth and having less risk in your accounts. If these are things that you have concerns about, arrange a visit to me at my office. You can contact the office at 303-744-1128. We all remember last November was the big, big election, but there is another election coming up this November. I know Littleton has a city council election, including mayor, and so does Centennial. And we’re really lucky here today because we have with us Robin Carnes, who is the only returning city council member in Centennial. And she wants to keep things handled locally so that the people can decide what they want for their own community. Robin, thanks for joining us. What would you like the listeners to know about what you would like to have for the future of Centennial?

SPEAKER 02 : 1:55

Well, Al, thanks so much for having me. It’s great to be on. You know, Centennial is a special, special place. We’re a city that will celebrate our 25th anniversary next year. And the story is pretty unique in how we came to be. Our neighboring partners just north of us, Greenwood Village, they sort of wanted to take over what we know today as Centennial. It used to be unincorporated Arapahoe County. And the residents came together and said, that’s not the best idea. So from both sides of the aisle, they got together and they wrote a home rule charter. And from there, Centennial was birthed back in 2001. So it’s pretty exciting when you think about where we came from. We’re a very young city. We’re a very lean city, real well-balanced government. We’re a contract model. And here’s what you have to know about Centennial. We currently have a board of nine, and of those nine, five seats are up for grabs this November. November 4 is the election. And so there’s a lot that could be shifting. We tend to be a conservative city. We’re known for being fiscally sound, long. We’re 15 miles long and we’re about three miles deep. And we’re a contract model, which means we can be agile and flexible. We’re not real heavy when it comes to staff. We want to make sure we’re using taxpayer dollars in a wise fashion. And so that contract model has been incredibly advantageous. Things could shift. Even our mayor, she tends to be conservative. And we currently have five conservative, I would say, folks on the board. Again, with this election coming up, that could shift significantly, which we don’t want to see happen.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:43

No, I totally understand that. And in spite of the fact everything we see and hear on the news, we hear a lot about national politics and so forth. But I think it’s important for us to realize that there’s a saying that all politics is local. The things that really affect us are, you know, things like the traffic pattern around Arapaho Road and I-25. Yes. And Centennial did a great job of clearing that up after about, I don’t know how many years of construction, but they did a fantastic job of making that intersection far more passable. And I know it goes on. way back a long period of time, if any of you have been around a long time. But when they did T-Rex, that big project widening I-25, they never shut down a lane when they built that. And I know in Centennial, the things that you and your conservative peers are looking for is having the local folks, home rule, decide what happens going forward.

SPEAKER 02 : 4:52

Yes, I’m glad you brought that up, Al. We formed with a home rule charter, which is basically a set of rules or bylaws that says the locals know best. And so the state, unfortunately, has made a lot of decisions that impact home rule and impact local municipalities. And it can’t be a one-size-fits-all. I mean, Colorado is known for pioneering some of the best ideas, right? And we’re very forthright in trying those out. And so trying to stamp a one-size-fits-all on every municipality and jurisdiction that just don’t look the same, that is not in the best interest of our constituents. And so we really want to protect home rule. And because we do believe that the neighbors know what is most appropriate in Centennial, not those under the Golden Dome. So that’s been a real source of contention. As you may be aware, six cities decided to file a lawsuit against the state of Colorado just for this very reason. Now, Centennial was not one of them, but we were in favor of keeping that home rule status. Allie, I wanted to… I love the fact that you realize traffic is a big part of what city council does. A lot of people ask me, well, what does city council do in the first place? And I say, it’s really about streets and safety. And that’s just not sexy when you’re on the campaign trail. It’s just not. But your local races and your local government is going to impact your life the most because it’s what’s closest to you. And so I love the saying potholes aren’t partisan. Right. And so I’m not going to when someone calls me and says, we need that pothole fixed. I’m not going to say, well, are you a Republican or a Democrat? No. No. We’re going to get it fixed as soon as we can. But if you go back to streets and safety, every street, it leads to a business or a home or a place of worship or a school. We’re talking about people and pathways when you’re thinking local governments. And so when we say potholes aren’t partisan, this is a nonpartisan race, meaning that when you receive your ballot this November, there will not be an R or a D or a U for an affiliate or independent behind any candidate’s name. So it’s really imperative that you do your research on who it is that you’re voting for.

SPEAKER 04 : 7:16

Well, I think that’s incredibly important. And years ago, I mentioned to you before the show started that I lived in an area not far from where you live now that was Littleton at the time. It was before Centennial was formed. And I always thought it was interesting that Centennial was two or three miles wide and 15 miles long. But I also think that the folks who live in that area are the ones that should be deciding things about traffic patterns, potholes and things of that nature. And I know there’s one intersection and this is sort of not terribly important to the whole election, but they changed the whole pattern. It’s at the intersection of Monaco and Union. And they changed the pattern, and I thought to myself, well, the previous one was better. But then when I really thought it through about how you’re able to turn right after you make the left turn with the arrow and so forth, that somebody was really doing something for the benefit of all the motorists in Centennial.

SPEAKER 02 : 8:20

Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. There’s a lot of things that are shifting. Well, and because I think, too, as Denver continues to make changes, people are coming out to the suburbs. And Centennial is an incredibly desirable place to live. We mentioned being ranked the number one city to live in. in Colorado, according to U.S. News and World Report. We just received that award. And not to mention, we’ve got great schools. We have Littleton Public Schools. We also have Cherry Creek Public Schools that encompass Centennial. We have private schools. We’ve got also some charter schools. And it’s just between that and then you know our trails and our park and recreation systems it’s just a very very desirable place to live and so people are coming they’re still relocating i heard one say that it checks all the boxes centennial is able to check every box that we have as far as looking for a desirable location to move to so that’s something we can all be proud of you know we didn’t know we were going to come to centennial 20 years ago i moved from iowa i’m an iowa farm girl and we moved back here to Lowry just to rent and kind of get to know the city. And we landed in Centennial simply because back then our home was affordable. So we bought our first and only home that we are still living in today, just right off university. And we’ve sort of made it where we want it to be. But it has become a very, very popular suburb. We’re sort of the gateway to kind of the southern location before we go down to the springs. And it’s being right on the I-25 corridor. It’s very accessible even to DTC or if you’re going to work downtown or if you’re going to work south.

SPEAKER 04 : 10:04

Well, I totally agree. And one of the things that I think is really, really helpful for folks who live in either Littleton or Centennial is South Suburban Parks and Recreation. They have a great number of trails, a number of golf courses. And I know I like to bike and hike and things of that nature. And I think Centennial has always had… an important influence along with South Suburban Parks and Recreation to maintain those areas for the benefit of the folks who live there.

SPEAKER 02 : 10:39

Yes, absolutely. In fact, we frequent those parks a lot. I remember growing up with my two boys who are now ages 13 and 15. We spent many times at the parks all around and the creeks and Highline Canal Trail and and just the trees especially we’re coming upon fall when the trees are turning and it’s just such a beautiful place to be but you know somebody once said Colorado’s a leanest state around because we just love the great outdoors and so we as a city we want to make sure that we continue that terrific support with South Suburban and our Parks and Recreation also Trails Recreation Center on the east side just because it is it’s a tremendous value for our constituents and that’s important We heard from them loud and clear. They love the parks. And so we’re going to continue partnering and investing well in those partnerships.

SPEAKER 04 : 11:27

Well, I think those are excellent choices. And I live in downtown Littleton, which is obviously not Centennial, but you can’t really tell where some of the trails in Littleton end and some of the trails in Centennial begin. A big example is the Highline Canal, which I think it goes all the way. It goes for an enormous distance. West, it goes all the way out to Chatfield. And east, it winds all the way through Cherry Hill, Centennial, and then further north, doesn’t it?

SPEAKER 02 : 11:58

Yes, it does. Yes, it does. And then you have, I mean, I often run. I run every morning with my dog. We don’t go far and we don’t go fast, but… It does amazing things just to clear your mind. And so we take advantage of those trails as well. Yes.

SPEAKER 04 : 12:12

Well, that’s a real blessing for the folks who live out there. And we will have a little longer conversation about why people should vote for you and what the future of Centennial looks like right after the break.

SPEAKER 01 : 12:30

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SPEAKER 04 : 13:53

Welcome back to the second half of Retirement Unpacked. If you just tuned in, we’re talking with Robin Carnes, who is running for city council in Centennial. She is an incumbent, and in her experience, she’s also worked with some folks in some bipartisan projects, including both housing and the homeless circumstances. Tell us a little bit about that, Robin, and what you foresee in the future for Centennial and how it’s different than some of the other communities where you see a lot of panhandlers.

SPEAKER 02 : 14:30

Yes. Allie, I also want to just mention the specific part of Centennial that we’re running is District 1, and that is the west side of Centennial. So we always say the west side, what’s our story? Well, we’ve got a great one. We’re considered sort of the older part of Centennial. The boundaries are on the north side, it’s about Orchard Road. South side is County Line Road. And then on the east side, you’re going to have Colorado Boulevard, and the west side is going to be Broadway. So it’s everything within those boundaries that’s considered District 1, home to about 22,000 people. Of those 22,000, only about half get out to vote. So we’re looking for as many voters as we can in November. I will say ballots drop October 12. So it’s even going to be a month before. But you asked, you know, how we’re working sort of across the aisle. So, you know, I’ve been serving residents for the past four years. And so now I want to continue a second term. I’m a believer in term limits, but that second term allows you to take everything you’ve learned and really put it into action. to continue moving forward for what’s best for Centennial and District 1. And so I do have a history of reaching across the aisle on council and finding common ground, in particular with my other district co-council member. Her name is Council Member Amy Tharp. Now, she is a registered Democrat, but we work really, really well together on issues, like you said, housing and homelessness. And so even though, you know, city council is officially nonpartisan, everybody comes from a party. We just do. But yet my aim, and I really think Councilmember Tharp’s aim, too, is to keep the partisanship out of our policy discussions. to really focus on delivering results for our residents. And so how does that break down? Let’s talk about the homelessness right now first. If you come to Centennial, my hunch is you’re not gonna see a lot of folks that are actually experiencing homeless. And I like the term, we need to have compassionate common sense. It can’t just be all compassion and it can’t just be common sense. We need a blend of the two. And so the way Centennial’s done that through the vision of our mayor, Stephanie Pico, she saw this need early on. And so we have formed a homeless outreach coordinator. And if you see someone who is experiencing homelessness in Centennial, you simply call the number and she will come out and meet with that person or that group and help to find them a place to live or to work. So they get off the streets. So there is a bit of… We’re not going to just give a hand up. We’re not just going to give a hand out. We’re going to give a hand up, too. We want to help these people get back on their feet, and we have the resources to do it. Now, Centennial has a tremendous faith council that was also formed per the vision of our mayor, Stephanie Pico. And so she rallied the different bodies of places of worship together. And she called forth the leaders and said, let’s have the communities of faith and also government work hand in hand, which is kind of a shocker because normally they don’t like to do it. But I come from a background. I was a chaplain for seven years. I’m a Denver Seminary graduate. And so I’ve always seen missions is seeing a need and meeting it. And so when we see folks that are experiencing homelessness, again, not just a handout, we’ve got to give them a hand up too, but we need those resources to do it. So that involves partnerships. And so this faith council has sort of taken on homelessness, and they serve as partners because a lot of times the churches are already doing missions well. And so it’s just a matter of connecting those individuals to those groups of faith that can then take them further, sort of to next level. And so I think it’s a brilliant concept. It’s one that’s working well, and we want to see it continuing to. I will say this. We formally partnered with Arapahoe County with our homeless outreach coordinator, which just didn’t seem to be the best fit. So we value this issue in Centennial enough that we brought our homeless outreach coordinator in-house. So she is now a full-time employee of the city of Centennial.

SPEAKER 04 : 18:52

Well, that is awesome. And I think the bipartisan approach, Republicans and Democrats, we differ on a lot of things. But the things we have in common, we want safe streets. And the thing that you mentioned, there are no Republican or Democratic potholes. I think that’s a great example. And people want safe streets. Maybe how to accomplish having safe streets might differ a little bit, but I think that’s a goal shared even by people who don’t vote. And it’s unfortunate that a large number of people don’t vote. And if you don’t vote and you’re unhappy with… the potholes or the homelessness or whatever it is, you have no reason to complain because you didn’t go to the polls.

SPEAKER 02 : 19:39

That’s right. That’s right, Al. You know, and when people say, what’s your top priority if reelected to Centennial City Council? And I would say, without a doubt, it’s crime and public safety. My husband is in law enforcement, so I understand, you know, we’re a blue family. And I understand very, very, very well that if people don’t feel safe, nothing else matters. And so, again, as a wife of a law enforcement professional, I know the importance of keeping residents safe and really supporting our first responders and our public safety professionals. Because otherwise, fear alone is going to dampen every other area of life, and it really will keep people. residents from truly thriving. I know that my co-counsel, Councilmember Amy Tharp, she also values this. And how does that play out? Historically, every time our partners, now the city of Centennial does not have their own police force. Just a little education, cities are typically, they have police and your counties have sheriffs, right? And so our city does not have our own police department. We contract with Arapahoe County Sheriffs. It’s one of the largest contracts we have. And we have a very positive relationship with them. In other words, any time they may need additional funding, let’s just say even if it’s turned down by, say, the county, Centennial has given them that additional funding for additional responders or for a co-responding program. Because, again, we know that matters to our voters and to our constituents. One of the greatest programs that Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has launched over the past couple years is a co-responder program. And this is… We discovered that over 75% of the calls that come in to 911 dispatch are not necessarily… They’re not always a 911 emergency, as we may know it. They often… have to do with somebody going through a mental health crisis or having some kind of struggle where that co-responder is so valuable because they’re trained as specialists to help people with those needs and those issues. And so what we’ll see is we’ll see someone calls 911 and they will send out both, say, a sheriff deputy as well as a co-responder to answer that call. And many times the co-responder can utilize their skills and abilities to sort of deescalate the situation.

SPEAKER 04 : 22:05

Well, I think that’s incredibly important because I’ve even heard stories of people calling 911 because they got the wrong order when they were in the drive-thru line or something some ridiculous false uses of 911 but a lot of them are people who are extremely troubled but it may not be criminal in nature and that doesn’t mean they don’t need help they could be on on the verge of suicide or there could be a dispute of some kind that could easily be handled by a mental health person but if there’s danger involved we need the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department so I think that’s incredibly important And I think we’ve learned a lot about what you would like to see in the future going forward. And I’m especially intrigued by how you have a homeless outreach coordinator person who just reaches out to any homeless in Centennial. And since that goes from Broadway east past, it goes past Parker Road, doesn’t it? Yes. That being the case, I can’t help but think there are some homeless in there, but I’ve never seen them. I have clients who live out east of Parker Road off of Arapahoe Road, and I’ve been up and down Arapahoe Road a number of times, and I’ve not seen them like I do in Littleton on Santa Fe and Bowles. They seem to have a regular spot there. As well as a few other places in Lakewood and certainly in Denver. But I think what you’re doing there should be shared by other municipalities.

SPEAKER 02 : 23:54

Absolutely. And, you know, you talked about a 15 mile stretch is significant for one person. And so right now, I think that my first time when I ran in 2021, it was an issue. But I really have not heard it’s that significant of an issue in Centennial any longer. Now, that’s a different story in Denver. It may be a different story in Littleton. But in Centennial, again, we see a need and we met it. We come up with a real creative, out-of-the-box solution that isn’t always just your standard government solution. way of dealing with things. It involves listening to residents. It involves the communities of faith. And I think that’s what makes Centennial so special is we are innovative. We’re smart. We’re strategic. And we’re one of, again, I think that’s why we’re one of the number one cities to live in, according to U.S. News and World Report.

SPEAKER 04 : 24:48

in Colorado. Yeah, I think the things that you and the other council members and the mayor and everything have done is, you know, on purpose. And those things that you did deliberately and on purpose are the reason that it’s the number one city in Colorado to live. And there’s lots of other You know, suburbs, there’s Lakewood, Aurora, Littleton and Englewood and so forth. But to be the number one city in Colorado, that says a lot. And I think it’s largely because of the things that you and the other city council members have done, as well as your mayor. Mm-hmm. And so how can people learn more about you and reach out maybe to help your campaign?

SPEAKER 02 : 25:36

Yes. Oh, boy, I would love that. We have 57 days until the election, 36 days until ballots drop. So if you would be so kind, we will take all the help we can get. Financially, we are still raising money and we need it. So you can visit Carnes for Centennial, which is C-A-R-N-E-S.com. Four is spelled out F-O-R. So karnsfirstcentennial.com to learn more. We’ll take volunteers. We’re knocking on doors. If you live in District 1, we’d love to place a yard sign in your yard. But yes, we would love for you to just get out to vote once those ballots drop. We need people to show up. And again, I may be the person who is the face, but really it takes an army behind us to really continue moving Centennial forward. I always say not left, not right, but forward, right? Regardless of where we’re coming from, we want to do what’s best for Centennial.

SPEAKER 04 : 26:36

Well, Robin, I want to thank you for coming on my show. And I see Centennial going in the right direction, assuming you’re reelected and so forth. And those of you who are listening that would like to have a conversation with me about if you’re on track for retirement or if you’d like some guidance while you’re in retirement, call my office at 303-744-1128. God bless you. Thank you for listening. Let’s continue to pray for our leaders and for some peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. Again, God bless you. Hopefully you’ll be here next week.

SPEAKER 03 : 27:20

Thank you for listening to Retirement Unpacked with your host, Al Smith of Golden Eagle Financial. Set up a free consultation with Al today at klzradio.com slash money. Find your purpose in retirement with Golden Eagle Financial. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor. VCM and Golden Eagle Financial Limited are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through VCM but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.