About Todd
My name is Todd Hendreks and as a twenty year resident and current Councilmember of Parker, I am running for a second term for Town Council this Fall 2024!
As you read through my website, you'll find that I am very much vested into Parker based on my civil servant duties these past four years and with my community involvement within the Town currently and over many years prior to my current term.
Vision
On Town Hall it states: "The Ultimate Authority...Resides in the People Alone"
Let me be very clear for a moment. While I have personal beliefs regarding some issues, my strongest belief is that one must follow the Law. Even if I / we do not like something, we must all follow the Law. That is what the quote by James Madison means to me. You are entrusting your elected officials to follow the Law even if you do not like the result or outcome of a decision.
Having said that, Laws can be modified and should if it makes sense. But proper planning and research are paramount before one does so.
Being a Councilmember requires wearing many hats. You have to understand Zoning (Use by Right, Use by Special Review), Property Rights, act in a quasi-judicial role and basically leave opinion or personal beliefs aside and follow the Law.
And last but not least, listen to your fellow citizens but realize you represent the best interests of all 67,000+ who call Parker home.
Open Space:
This is a crown jewel within Parker and as a family man and outdoor enthusiast, I feel blessed that Parker has so many trails and open space. Town Open Space = 1114 acres (7.7% of Town's total land area.
My fellow Councilmembers and myself celebrated the opening of the Harvie Open Space project, a 71 acre parcel, in December 2023. We will continue to look for opportunities in adding to our open space as opportunities present themselves.
Small Business Advocate:
Shop local!
As a small business advocate, my support for local is rooted in the belief they help form the foundation of our community. I have been a relentless advocate for many years as a customer and on social media.
During the pandemic’s stay at home order, I created a list with as many local businesses included and their statuses: closed, open, operation hours. The list was useful for people who were looking to support their favorite local businesses as well as the owners of those businesses having another channel of communications out to the public via my page. This effort was 100% Volunteer without any compensation. All I wanted to do was to help the community in the most effective way.
In addition, local businesses often provide jobs for many High school children. They contribute to many high school sports, clubs via donations. This is a key reason why these businesses need the town’s support to continue to give back to the community.
As an elected official I strived to make sure our small businesses have that continued support and also look into improving the Town of Parker's relationship with them.
As small businesses are major contributors to the Town Budget, I would like continue building better relationships as opportunities emerge.
Examples of those opportunities include:
- Working with the Parker Chamber of Commerce and State representatives in bringing back the Wine Walks.
- Supporting the Downtown Business Alliance in creating a local Bid area, that seeks to improve the downtown district and create more vibrancy.
Public Safety:
Our Town is blessed with one of the finest Police departments in the nation. I am proud to say my fellow Councilmembers and myself fully support our Police Department. When I am re-elected I will continue that support.
In my four years I have seen first hand how important our men and women in blue are and understand they are a big reason why Parker is one of the best places to live.
Personally I interact with Police Leadership monthly, taken a ride a long with an officer at night, attend various Police functions in support and I am a graduate of the Citizen’s Police Academy, which is a 15 week program where participants gain first-hand information about how the Police Department operates.
Growth:
Growth is always a hot topic but ultimately educating the public about Zoning, Master Plans, Property Rights and actions that took place many decades ago shape what you see today. The Town is approximately 80 percent developed or built out based upon a vacant land analysis. Most of the build out is in the form of privately owned, pre-planned developments. Here is the Parker 2035 Master Plan, which is a good document to review.
My goal is for Parker to be a thriving, self-sustaining Town. I embrace both the history of it and the future. Each generation deserves their own piece of history, but I believe in a healthy balance between the past and what lies ahead.
Growth Areas I Support:
Independently owned businesses (shopping, entertainment, restaurants), Parks / Recreation & Open Space, Office Space, Infrastructure, Senior Housing, Home Ownership
Economy:
During the past four years we have seen exciting movement on projects that will enhance the local economy for decades to come, and I support continued growth in the local economy for Parker. My Mainstreet project will bring increased vitality to our Downtown district in the form of more retail, housing, office space and public gathering spots. A data center bringing high paying jobs was approved. Our very own hospital, AdventHealth Parker, announced expansion. Finally several retailers our citizens have desired are either here such as Trader Joes or coming soon (Whole Foods).
In addition, as mentioned above we have a terrific collection of locally owned businesses that our citizens enjoy. These small owned businesses are part of the backbone of our community and we see more of them opening up so it is vital to support and retain those existing businesses as well as embracing the new ones.
Infrastructure:
Easing road congestion is another goal of mine. The Town does a good job given the limited amount of funding as you can check for yourself here:
Parker: Capital Improvement
Thankfully a renaissance is occurring in Parker with several infrastructure improvements happening now that was supported by my fellow Councilmembers and myself these past four years. Working with Town Staff and various partners, we have several projects that have started or will start soon. These include:
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Chambers Road Expansion (6 lanes) from Hess to Crowfoot
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Dransfeldt Expansion / Bridge
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Lincoln Ave Expansion
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Plus many more!
Parks and Recreation:
We are blessed with great programs and amenities. But we can do better.
I would personally look into measures to continue growing this area as I think they are vital in keeping Parker the amazing Town it is today. In addition, for the size of our Town, we are woefully under utilized in sport fields. Parents have told me their practices are in other Towns. I personally had to do this as well.
Lack of fields means we turn away our own children from playing sports. It also means we cannot host tournaments, which can help our local economy when out of town guests can shop local.
Luckily improvement is coming. Along with my fellow Councilmembers, we have supported the expansion of Salisbury Park! This is meant to create a vibrant outdoor experience for all of Parker's citizens.
The project is expected to be conducted in phases over several years and could include the following amenities:
• Phase 1, 2025: Four lighted baseball/softball fields, two synthetic turf lighted multi-purpose soccer fields, restrooms/shelter, parking and landscape
• Phase 2, 2026: Two tennis courts, 21 pickleball courts, restroom/shelter, parking and landscape
• Phase 3, 2028: Community hub pavilion, outdoor fitness area, inclusive playground, restrooms, parking and landscape
• Phase 4, 2029: Bike park and overlook pavilion For more information, and to follow updates about this capital project
Details over at ParkerRec.com/CapitalProjects
These are just some of areas I am focused on. If you have specific questions on where I stand, please contact me.
