Moving the Agenda: Helping Build Sustainable Communities CPL Fellow Christina Thompson was recently elected to City Council in Durango and wants to focus on sustainability

In discussions about the economic crisis, a few things come to mind: the credit crunch, housing foreclosures, and the failures of banks and car companies. But there may be one thing that people don’t always think about: the effect the economy has on many downtown areas in small to mid-size cities. What were once central locations for shopping, working and entertainment are now filled with boarded up buildings and “for sale” signs. Without a thriving downtown, many families find themselves making a long commute from work to home, and moving farther away from larger cities.

This is the problem Christina Thompson wanted to address when she ran for City Council in Durango, Colorado. A 2009 CPL Colorado Fellow, she is currently serving her first term as a Councilmember in Durango. Having grown up in a small town in Indiana that saw the effects of an economically depleted downtown, she knew the importance of creating healthy communities where people can live and work and urban sprawl can be eliminated.

Christina’s election to City Council is also part of the shift toward a more diverse leadership in terms of age, gender, and race. “Historically, it’s been 60 year old white men [in Durango City Council]”, says Christina. “With a woman mayor in office, I’m excited about seeing [more diversity] on our city council as well.”

Taking a Leap

When Christina made the decision to run for Durango City Council, she did so with her hometown in mind. “I saw the downtown area just crumble and lose its soul,” she says. “When you have a more walkable, sustainable community, people become more invested emotionally and socially.”

Her passion was creating a viable economy that promoted healthy lifestyle and supporting local business to help the economy thrive. A botanist with a degree in Environmental Science from Purdue University, Christina put her environmental research to work and explored the link between a healthy environment and economic vitality throughout her career.

As the Project Manager at Crossroads Durango, she has addressed creating environmentally safe and sustainable developments in downtown Durango. With the support of her boss at Crossroads, Christina created a campaign with a focus on creating a healthy community that will promote economic growth. “In Durango, there is a new demand for new opportunity, and restoring our community to the center,” she explains.

Besides her knowledge of environmental issues and planning for greener communities, Christina also has faced the challenges of having to live in a community without a viable downtown area. She had a second job at a neighborhood coffee shop and had to commute back and forth to work for several years.

For that reason, Christina chose a simple message during her campaign outreach: she used to work at the coffee shop serving the citizens of Durango, and now she has the opportunity to serve 17,000 of you. Many people recognized her as the “girl at the coffee shop”, so often when she would knock on doors for fundraising events, the face to face contact is what made her different from any other candidate on the ballot. Christina’s approach made voters feel like they were being listened to, but most of all it got many people in Durango excited about becoming involved in the election and also staying informed about the City Council’s priorities and news.

Building Healthier Communities

In her first term, Christina hopes to continue her goals of creating a community that is both healthy and affordable. Many citizens in Durango have a story just like hers: the median income in Durango is $20,000 per year, whereas the average house in the same area costs $400,000, making it difficult to live in the city without a secondary source of income. In addition, many families in Durango have to commute outside of the city to find work. Christina wants to create more attainable housing with lower costs and a greater proximity to downtown Durango.

Another one of her goals is strengthening the CEO Network in Durango, a collaborative network of the leaders from high-tech companies in the surrounding areas, and the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. This network will offer small local businesses a chance to gain the support of larger companies who move into the Durango area, and provide a greater opportunity for economic growth.

As a councilmember, Christina hopes to facilitate more collaboration for job creation and taking bigger steps toward a more sustainable community in Durango.

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Christina is a member of the 2009 Colorado Political Leaders Fellowship.