Candidates seeking positions on Englewood City Council in the current election met with voters the afternoon of Oct. 14 to talk, eat and drink as conversations ranged from business development to affordable housing. 

Hosted at the farm-to-table restaurant Grow + Gather, five of the six candidates running for council had the chance to hear from Englewood residents about issues most pressing to them and to make their case for why they should be elected to help meet their needs.

Cheryl Wink, an incumbent at-large councilmember who is running unopposed, did not attend. 

As candidates mingled, some voters said they were still undecided, though they felt certain candidates met their values. 

Danielle Carr, a 21-year resident of Englewood, said she feels that Englewood "can offer families a lot more with the safety of being able to let your kids walk to the park, the playground,” she said. “I feel like some of that could be lost with ... big growth."

Carr said housing is also a major concern for her, though she knows the issue has no easy answer. Carr said she has three adult children, two of whom want to buy a home but are struggling to meet the Denver metro area's soaring costs. 

“They've had to stay in an apartment, which their apartment rent is twice the amount my mortgage is for my old house,” Carr said. “I just feel we are doing a disservice to the young adults who are growing up in Englewood … being forced out into apartments or not being able to afford housing here.”

She said she is supportive of more affordable single-family housing being built as opposed to multi-unit developments because she said single housing preserves the city's character and attracts more permanent homeowners. 

Carr said she is also opposes COVID-19 mandates, whether it be for vaccines or masks.

“No vaccine mandates have a place in a free American society,” Carr said.

For Chad Knoth, Englewood is a “city in transition” and he said he supports candidates who are not afraid to open the city up to more business development. 

“It's exciting for me to see this city change and grow because change is constant, we just got to do it the right way,” said Knoth, who has lived in Englewood for 18 years. 

Knoth said the city should be allowed to grow, and that preservation, in some instances, is not necessary. 

“I feel for people who love older houses, but these houses were not meant to last hundreds of years,” he said. “I'm more on the side of seeing the growth happen.” 

Voters have until 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 to turn in their ballot. For more information on Engelwood city and school-board candidates, ballot measures and how to vote, view the Englewood Herald's voter guide at tinyurl.com/ArapahoeVoterGuide