José Madrigal wants to rebuild residents’ trust in the City of Durango through transparency in the city’s finances and decision-making processes, and he wants and expects accountability for meeting the goals that the community wants accomplished.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,560 –> 00:00:03,501
Durango’s new city manager
has spent his first six months
2
00:00:03,501 –> 00:00:08,020
on the job meeting people,
crafting a strategic master plan
3
00:00:08,020 –> 00:00:11,310
and coordinating $800,000 of COVID relief
4
00:00:11,310 –> 00:00:14,850
for local businesses, and that’s not all.
5
00:00:14,850 –> 00:00:16,550
You’re watching the Local News Network
6
00:00:16,550 –> 00:00:19,040
brought to you by to Tafoya
Barrett and Associates
7
00:00:19,040 –> 00:00:20,800
and The Payroll Department.
8
00:00:20,800 –> 00:00:22,910
I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
9
00:00:22,910 –> 00:00:25,280
When we asked new Durango city manager
10
00:00:25,280 –> 00:00:29,540
Jose Madrigal how his wife
would describe him, he laughed.
11
00:00:29,540 –> 00:00:33,070
Very happy, very optimistic, positive,
12
00:00:33,070 –> 00:00:35,724
and loves to socially engage.
13
00:00:35,724 –> 00:00:37,985
Those would be kind of who I am.
14
00:00:37,985 –> 00:00:40,710
I don’t get down on myself too much.
15
00:00:40,710 –> 00:00:43,500
I don’t get down on failures or times
16
00:00:43,500 –> 00:00:45,540
where we stomp our feet or we go through,
17
00:00:45,540 –> 00:00:47,600
it’s always about the next and moving on
18
00:00:47,600 –> 00:00:49,640
and always looking at that future goal.
19
00:00:49,640 –> 00:00:53,220
And Madrigal certainly
has been socially engaged
20
00:00:53,220 –> 00:00:56,530
since he arrived in September
to succeed former city mayor,
21
00:00:56,530 –> 00:00:58,371
Ron LeBlanc, who resigned last spring
22
00:00:58,371 –> 00:01:00,540
in the midst of controversy
23
00:01:00,540 –> 00:01:03,670
over a more stringent
performance evaluation proposed
24
00:01:03,670 –> 00:01:05,880
by a new city council.
25
00:01:05,880 –> 00:01:09,110
Madrigal’s meetings with a
broad range of constituents are
26
00:01:09,110 –> 00:01:12,392
one of several strategies he
has set to reestablish trust
27
00:01:12,392 –> 00:01:16,220
and transparency in city government.
28
00:01:16,220 –> 00:01:18,320
And I know that even when
I looked at my calendar,
29
00:01:18,320 –> 00:01:20,720
everyone was like, “Wow, that’s,
you’ve got like, you know,
30
00:01:20,720 –> 00:01:22,980
six hours a day of just
kind of meeting with people
31
00:01:22,980 –> 00:01:23,813
in the community.”
32
00:01:23,813 –> 00:01:25,050
And I knew it was important.
33
00:01:25,050 –> 00:01:28,370
It was something that was
very well ingrained into me
34
00:01:28,370 –> 00:01:31,300
during the interview process
and a part of a challenge
35
00:01:31,300 –> 00:01:34,150
yet an opportunity of really
establishing that trust,
36
00:01:34,150 –> 00:01:36,040
and the biggest way that
you can do that is be part
37
00:01:36,040 –> 00:01:38,371
of the community and be
out in the community.
38
00:01:38,371 –> 00:01:40,410
So every moment that I can, I, you know,
39
00:01:40,410 –> 00:01:43,510
taking in new meetings,
meeting with people, talking
40
00:01:43,510 –> 00:01:46,620
about their issues, talking
about what their concerns were
41
00:01:46,620 –> 00:01:49,640
and, you know, beginning to
make, piece by piece slowly,
42
00:01:49,640 –> 00:01:52,010
rebuilding that transparency,
rebuilding that portion,
43
00:01:52,010 –> 00:01:53,070
and it, and it really does start
44
00:01:53,070 –> 00:01:56,290
with making those introductions,
talking about who we are
45
00:01:56,290 –> 00:01:59,210
and when that call
comes in for assistance,
46
00:01:59,210 –> 00:02:00,930
being there to help out.
47
00:02:00,930 –> 00:02:03,100
Madrigal grew up in Austin, Texas,
48
00:02:03,100 –> 00:02:05,490
and attended Texas Tech University
49
00:02:05,490 –> 00:02:08,660
where he completed a bachelor’s
degree in political science
50
00:02:08,660 –> 00:02:11,630
and master’s degree in
public administration.
51
00:02:11,630 –> 00:02:14,359
He has 17 years of municipal
government experience
52
00:02:14,359 –> 00:02:17,235
in central Texas, with 13 of those
53
00:02:17,235 –> 00:02:21,350
in executive leadership positions
that included all facets
54
00:02:21,350 –> 00:02:24,880
of city management from
public safety to public works
55
00:02:24,880 –> 00:02:27,220
to finance and communications.
56
00:02:27,220 –> 00:02:29,930
In addition to his
community outreach efforts,
57
00:02:29,930 –> 00:02:34,290
Magical coordinated an
$800,000 COVID relief package
58
00:02:34,290 –> 00:02:37,030
for city businesses, and he led the effort
59
00:02:37,030 –> 00:02:39,210
to develop a strategic plan to address
60
00:02:39,210 –> 00:02:42,550
some of Durango’s most pressing problems.
61
00:02:42,550 –> 00:02:46,260
So I think right now the
biggest challenge, the biggest,
62
00:02:46,260 –> 00:02:48,010
I think, issue that we hear
63
00:02:48,010 –> 00:02:50,647
about all the time can be
summed up with affordability.
64
00:02:50,647 –> 00:02:52,810
That is what we’re hearing
from the residents.
65
00:02:52,810 –> 00:02:55,270
We just went through our
strategic planning process
66
00:02:55,270 –> 00:03:00,150
and it was affordability,
affordable/attainable housing.
67
00:03:00,150 –> 00:03:02,750
So, you know, an ability
to, to grab a house
68
00:03:02,750 –> 00:03:05,195
and purchase a house, even
for those that you know,
69
00:03:05,195 –> 00:03:07,950
are making, you know, a
working wage here, and I think
70
00:03:07,950 –> 00:03:10,900
that’s the biggest part and the
challenge that we’ll have is
71
00:03:10,900 –> 00:03:12,650
how do we solve that issue to where we can
72
00:03:12,650 –> 00:03:15,760
kind of make Durango that
multi-generational place
73
00:03:15,760 –> 00:03:17,420
where kids can come back and live,
74
00:03:17,420 –> 00:03:19,480
where we can continue to go
through and it doesn’t get
75
00:03:19,480 –> 00:03:21,540
to that portion to where
it’s such an expensive place
76
00:03:21,540 –> 00:03:23,500
to live that we end up losing a lot
77
00:03:23,500 –> 00:03:26,560
of that local charm that we
have here in the community.
78
00:03:26,560 –> 00:03:28,710
Madrigal said the strategic plan
79
00:03:28,710 –> 00:03:31,830
also identified
homelessness as a priority,
80
00:03:31,830 –> 00:03:33,880
but it won’t be solved easily.
81
00:03:33,880 –> 00:03:36,080
Nevertheless, the city
and La Plata County took
82
00:03:36,080 –> 00:03:38,950
a giant cooperative step
forward this winter,
83
00:03:38,950 –> 00:03:42,440
when it approved funding for
a homeless navigation program
84
00:03:42,440 –> 00:03:44,641
at Manna Soup Kitchen and formed
85
00:03:44,641 –> 00:03:48,760
a management-level task force
to ensure some progress.
86
00:03:48,760 –> 00:03:51,870
The task force includes both
city and county managers,
87
00:03:51,870 –> 00:03:55,713
attorneys a commissioner,
and city councilor.
88
00:03:55,713 –> 00:03:57,410
Will there be a solution next year?
89
00:03:57,410 –> 00:03:59,090
Probably not, but I will say
90
00:03:59,090 –> 00:04:00,300
that I think we’re getting progress
91
00:04:00,300 –> 00:04:02,240
to where we’re making
small continued steps
92
00:04:02,240 –> 00:04:04,970
to making to that big solution at the end.
93
00:04:04,970 –> 00:04:07,489
Madrigal admits that rebuilding
the community’s trust
94
00:04:07,489 –> 00:04:11,130
in city government will take
more than a few handshakes.
95
00:04:11,130 –> 00:04:13,353
It will take transparency, setting clear
96
00:04:13,353 –> 00:04:16,190
and measurable goals, and accountability
97
00:04:16,190 –> 00:04:19,480
for meeting those goals
through the strategic plan.
98
00:04:19,480 –> 00:04:22,770
That’s the biggest part of
what is my management style is
99
00:04:22,770 –> 00:04:23,780
that we’re going to be strategic.
100
00:04:23,780 –> 00:04:26,730
We’re going to hit the goals
that the community has outlined
101
00:04:26,730 –> 00:04:27,900
through the council.
102
00:04:27,900 –> 00:04:29,800
We’re going to show our
progress within the projects.
103
00:04:29,800 –> 00:04:30,890
We’re going to report back.
104
00:04:30,890 –> 00:04:33,190
We’re going to let the citizens know, hey,
105
00:04:33,190 –> 00:04:34,550
this is where our work is.
106
00:04:34,550 –> 00:04:36,640
We’re doing OpenGov right now, which is
107
00:04:36,640 –> 00:04:38,670
a really cool tool that I’ve
used that’s going to open up
108
00:04:38,670 –> 00:04:41,610
our financials where anybody
can jump on at any time
109
00:04:41,610 –> 00:04:43,950
and take a look at what
we spend on our budget,
110
00:04:43,950 –> 00:04:45,620
where we’re at on our
budget, what we spend
111
00:04:45,620 –> 00:04:48,050
through our check register,
you know, begin opening it up
112
00:04:48,050 –> 00:04:49,730
to where people can
come in and take a look
113
00:04:49,730 –> 00:04:51,630
and see that we’re
open, we’re transparent,
114
00:04:51,630 –> 00:04:53,930
you know what we’re doing,
you know why we’re doing it,
115
00:04:53,930 –> 00:04:56,300
may not agree, but at least you know why,
116
00:04:56,300 –> 00:04:57,300
and then you’ll know the results
117
00:04:57,300 –> 00:04:59,140
of where we’re coming from on it.
118
00:04:59,140 –> 00:05:01,820
Madrigal and his wife
Meredith have a blended family
119
00:05:01,820 –> 00:05:03,090
of five children.
120
00:05:03,090 –> 00:05:05,440
To learn more about the changes
that Madrigal hopes to bring
121
00:05:05,440 –> 00:05:09,850
to city government, visit DurangoGov.org.
122
00:05:09,850 –> 00:05:12,850
Thanks for watching this edition
of the Local News Network.
123
00:05:12,850 –> 00:05:13,930
Be sure to stay on top
124
00:05:13,930 –> 00:05:17,170
of our latest news stories
on Twitter and Instagram
125
00:05:17,170 –> 00:05:20,410
or listen to us on your
favorite podcast app.
126
00:05:20,410 –> 00:05:21,863
I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
