Christina Thompson, a fresh face for Durango politics

DURANGO, Colo. – In 2003, the Selection Committee of Leadership La Plata saw something in Christina Rinderle.

She hadn’t yet imagined marrying Walker Thompson; she’d just begun working for Phil Bryson’s On the Edge Productions corporate team-building firm; and she looked much younger than her 27 years. But she was accepted into the broad-based community education and leadership program, among the youngest ever chosen to participate. Given the path she’s followed since, it was a good choice; but no one, not even Thompson, imagined that in 2009, she would run for Durango City Council.

Many around town know Thompson as the manager of the mixed-use Crossroads Durango, a redevelopment spurred by Phil Bryson and Jim Hoffman to help revitalize Historic Downtown Durango. While Thompson continues to manage the “family” of 40-plus businesses and residents in the complex, and to market Phase II of Crossroads, construction won’t begin until the economy turns around, leaving her with a little time on her hands.

“I’ve got the time,” said Thompson of the workload City Council will impose. “And I think Durango is the most fabulous community I’ve ever lived in, hands down. I want to see this quality of life and energy and excitement continue.”

Like many mountain towns in Colorado, Durango struggles with sustaining its Historic Downtown, the so-called “heart” and even identity of the community. The town is also grappling with growing pains – be it influx of second homeowners or expansion into Three Springs, as well as adjusting to a new city manager and a current Council with a wide range of not necessarily popular opinions.

“I think that values are what shape our community, and it really is a collaborative effort from everyone,” said Thompson, who through her work with On the Edge has helped Fortune 500 companies around the world learn how to work together. “It takes collaboration. I can help people network. I can be a cohesive glue to help ideas come together. So many people may be making valid points, but they do it in such a way that it negates any good information that they have.”

Thompson’s business background is something she’s learned basically “on-the-job.” Originally from Indiana, she earned a bachelor’s in environmental science from Purdue University. Joining a network of researchers, biologists and designers, now known as Fred Phillips Consulting, she went west to Arizona and helped create the first native plants nursery and nature preserve for the regional tribes. The ‘Ahakhav Tribal Preserve remains a model for wetland, riparian and upland restoration on the lower Colorado River.

Discovering Durango, Thompson joined Ecosystem Management International as a botanist and researcher, and went on to work for GeoNav International, where she learned about in-fill, green building practices and reuse of centrally located space. Crossroads Durango has been a model for this, built to LEED green building standards.

“I don’t think that resourcefulness and being environmentally conscious are mutually exclusive,” said Thompson, also acknowledging the diverse definitions of “open space” in the community. “I think they can be brought together. It’s important to remember that social responsibility and environmental responsibility are also tied to our economy.”

She cites her strong support of in-fill development, plus enhancement of the live-work opportunities Downtown that contribute to its vibrancy and safety, while eliminating the need for workers to commute excessive distances.

“I know what it’s like to commute,” she said, explaining that because she couldn’t find an affordable solution in town, she lived in Hesperus and commuted when she first moved to the area. “The project I was able to afford was Parkside Terrace because it was in-fill development, high density in town. I was a strong advocate of Parkside and spoke in front of City Council when it was being built. Some people opposed the density, but I was in favor because it allows so many people to own their own home and enter the market, plus walk or ride their bikes to work.”

Looking forward, Thompson would like to see the restrictions on in-town “granny flats” or small rental apartments on individual properties relaxed. While she understands it might not be appropriate in some historic districts, such as East Third Ave., allowing homes that have the space to have rental units benefits the town in several ways, including opening up in-city housing to lower-paid workers, not forcing them to commute long distances.

“Also it would help those who want to own a house, but they need some help off-setting their mortgage payments,” she said, suggesting that the issue of on-street parking congestion could be mitigated if a future city parking structure would lease spaces to downtown residents to “house” their vehicles, similar to solutions found in cities such as New York and Chicago.

While working at Crossroads Durango (and initially Durango Office Suites), Thompson discovered the community passion for Downtown, and stepped in to help the Downtown Durango Partnership, a coalition of stakeholders concerned with Downtown sustainability. She was active in the process to create the Downtown Vision and Strategic Plan, approved by City Council in 2006.

“It was great getting involved with the stakeholders of Downtown and the community,” said Thompson. “It was really insightful to learn all of the different perspectives, and I appreciated all the input that people brought to the table that I hadn’t known about. It was very helpful.”

Her experience in the process opened her eyes to connecting the Animas River with the Downtown, as well as the need for a Downtown conference center, not purely for increased event space, but because of the potential new revenues such a facility would bring to restaurants, hotels and retail operations.

Thompson also discovered, when initially entering the business world in Durango, the need for “creative” employment, and, indeed, her first years in town, she’d leave Ecosystem to work tables during night and weekends at Carver Brewing Co. to supplement her income.

“I am a really big proponent of bringing in those innovative companies like StoneAge Tools, Mercury Payment Systems and Syndicom,” said Thompson, whose husband Walker now serves as vice president of marketing for Syndicom. “They provide great jobs and they’re bringing in new dollars – as well as being low impact, unlike a large manufacturing plant.”

Thompson, who enjoys the outdoor activities Durango has to offer, has all the attributes of youth – energy, optimism and enthusiasm – plus she’s completely at home with technology, the use of which she is carrying into her campaign. Her web site includes easy access to email, but also features a blog.

“My tagline is ‘It’s Your City,’ because I want to get other people’s input,” she said, urging residents of both La Plata County and the city to contribute to her blog at christinafordurango.com. “It’s interesting that at meetings you see the same group of people. I want to know why that is. Do people feel disenfranchised? Do they feel that it doesn’t matter what they say or that they’re not going to be heard? So I really want to create an openness, a transparency with City Council. It’s your city. You can help make decisions.

“Everything that happens in the city of Durango affects us all,” she continued. “We have a great town right now for ‘real’ folks. We have a great diversity. I really want to keep that dynamic. We all essentially want the same thing. How are we going to do it?”

In addition to her education and contributions locally through Leadership La Plata, Thompson was recently selected as one of the 2009 Center for Progressive Leadreship Fellows, a non-partisan, statewide leadership development program.

  

[email protected]