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Election 2021: Patrick Driscoll seeks to champion sales tax increase on Littleton council

Incumbent has linked his campaign to measure 3A

Robert Tann
rtann@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Posted 10/12/21

For Patrick Driscoll, a 21-year resident of Littleton, there are various projects and challenges that need to be met throughout the city, but few are as important and as immediate as getting Ballot Measure 3A over the finish line. 

And he knows the stakes should it fail. 

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Election 2021: Patrick Driscoll seeks to champion sales tax increase on Littleton council

Incumbent has linked his campaign to measure 3A

Posted
For Patrick Driscoll, a 21-year resident of Littleton, there are various projects and challenges that need to be met throughout the city, but few are as important and as immediate as getting Ballot Measure 3A over the finish line. 
 
And he knows the stakes should it fail. 
 
Since he began serving on the council in November 2017, Driscoll has heard the same warning over and over again: if something is not done to replenish the city’s capital projects fund, it will have no money to invest in major infrastructure and city services, such as police, within the next four years.
 
“Getting 3A passed is a huge one,” Driscoll said. 
 
The measure would raise Littleton’s sales tax by 0.75%, which would raise about $9 million in annual revenue for the city’s capital projects fund, according to city officials. 
 
Driscoll, who seeks reelection to Littleton’s council District 1 seat, said he advocated for 3A making it onto this year’s ballot, even as most of the city’s staff mulled pushing the question off for another year. 
 
“I said, ‘We don’t have time, we’ve got to get it on this ballot and get our capital projects fund project back to where it needs to be so we can do the week that citizens expect us to do,'” he said.
“The roads, medians and our buildings and our public works and police fleets.”
 
Should the measure fail, Driscoll said council would be forced to work with city staff to make cuts. 
 
But Driscoll is also balancing his role as a steward of the city with his affirmation for local businesses. 
 
Driscoll initially ran for council with a pro-business message. He serves as the council liaison for the Littleton Business Chamber, which advocated a smaller 0.50% sales tax increase. 
 
As he campaigns for 3A, Driscoll said he would be open to sunsetting the sales tax to 0.50% should the needs of the city be met and is willing to work with business leaders to find common ground. 
 
“I value the relationship I have with Littleton Business Chamber,” Driscoll said. “I’m always open … I think we have a great working relationship.” 
 
Along with 3A, Driscoll wants to see through a number of projects and priorities that he’s worked on over the past four years on council. 
 
One is the potential formation of a downtown district authority that seeks to transfer the management of Littleton’s downtown from the city to property owners. Driscoll also wants to cement plans for what the downtown area will look like following Denver Water’s pending replacement of the water main that runs through Littleton. 
 
“We want to get together and find out what’s the town going to look like when we put it back together,” he said. 
 
If Driscoll defeats his challenger, Candice Ferguson, and maintains his District 1 seat, the council will still see two to three newcomers. But Driscoll is confident that a new council would be able to jump on the work that has already been started. 
 
“They would obviously want to be up to speed with where we are and what we’ve been up to,” he said. 
 
Overall, Driscoll said voters should reelect him to keep an experienced hand on the wheel driving the city. 
 
“It’s been a fast four years and I’d really like to see some of these projects get completed,” he said. “And I’m really looking forward to Nov. 3 after 3A passes to see how much better the city can become with the improvements we have on the docket.”
Patrick Driscoll, littleton 3A

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