Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News

Meeting the locals

Michael (Mike) Copp, Black Hawk’s new City Manager, has spent his first week on the job, “soaking it all in.” He’s met with City Council members and employees and has met with, or will soon meet with, officials from Central City, Gilpin County, the Silver Dollar Metropolitan District and Gilpin Ambulance. He plans to meet with casino managers and property owners in the future and also meet Black Hawk citizens along the way. Copp beat out six other applicants for the job, officially starting on June 15^th.  What put him over the top? “I think he’ll be a tremendous asset to the City,” said Black Hawk Mayor, David Spellman. “His experience in Glenwood Springs is impressive and he has the skill set to benefit the City.” Spellman said Copp had a good grasp of Black Hawk’s needs and his urban renewal experience will help Black Hawk toward its goals to draw convention business and destination city status. Copp also mentioned his experience in Glenwood Springs – a city that, like Black Hawk, has a smaller population base but draws thousands of visitors and must manage their needs, too.

Good people skills, an extensive background in management and the ability to communicate with Council members and citizens, are all skills he brings to the job, said Copp. He believes in transparent and local government, and respects people who volunteer to be a part of it. “It takes a special person to be on the Council and work for the benefit of the community. I like working for that kind of person.” Additionally, Copp’s years of involvement in municipal government have resulted in professional connections throughout the state. He plans to renew some of those acquaintances and bring them to bear working on Black Hawk’s behalf. It shouldn’t be an adversarial relationship with the state, he notes, but more of a partnership. Black Hawk sends a lot of money to the state, Copp acknowledged. “Let’s make it easier for people to get here; make it a good experience,” he said, “The money will flow back to everybody.”

Another skill: Copp likes to “get things done.” In Glenwood Springs that meant convincing residents to pass a ¾ cent tax that was then used to fund amenities the citizens could enjoy (swimming pool, new city buildings, streetscapes, etc.). “Once they passed the tax,” Copp said of Glenwood’s citizens, “it put the onus on us (staff and council) to get things done – and we did.” He’s also pleased to have been part of an effort to bring broadband capabilities to “hot spots” around Glenwood Springs. Copp gives credit to the staff in Glenwood’s electrical and public works departments for the idea, but it was Copp who was awarded the International City Management Association’s 2004 “Innovations in Local Government Management Award” for getting the job done.

What would the new City Manager like to see “get done” in Black Hawk? He admits he doesn’t know as much as he needs to about the City – yet. He has reviewed the various programs, however, and the Historic Preservation Grant Program is “really a good program, an excellent program.” He’d like to see every eligible house rehabilitated, he said, thus preserving the housing stock of the City and the City itself. Historic preservation is what gaming was all about, he recalled. He’s aware of the controversy and allegations that some Council members had abused the historic funding. “Council members should be treated like everyone else,” said Copp, noting they shouldn’t get more, but also no less, consideration. He’s on-board with the City Council’s goal of becoming a “destination” city and has ideas (and the experience to back them up) for urban renewal projects on Gregory Street. He sees the Council’s ideas as striving to better the community and amenities for residents as well as visitors. He sees his role in helping to achieve the Council’s goals in meeting the community’s needs. “I’m looking forward to working with the Council,” Copp said.

What does Black Hawk need that it doesn’t have now? “A golf course,” said Copp, smiling. He no longer skis and has stopped playing baseball (“Everything hurts, now.”), but he is a golfer. He’d like to see a convention center for the City, more small retail shops, and something to occupy the folks who accompany their gambling friends or family members, but aren’t gamblers themselves. Expanding the variety of goods and services benefits visitors and residents, he notes, and helps the community as a whole.

“The idea is to get people to come and stay and they need something for that extra day,” which also means more revenue for the community, he expounded.

Copp grew up in Pueblo, graduated from East High, earned his Bachelors Degree (Social Sciences) at CSU and his Masters (Public Administration) at CU. He served most recently as the interim manager for the City of Salida. The Glenwood Springs experience that impressed the Council members –  twenty years as City Manager there. He’s also done some stints managing metropolitan municipalities, but he was looking to get back to the mountains and that’s how he ended up in Black Hawk. He said he not only wanted out of the city” but deliberately sought out a small community. He’s worked with similar and larger budgets and with municipalities that had a similar or higher number of employees but, with an average population of 115, Black Hawk is the smallest city to employ him. One thing about small communities, Copp noted, is that people let you know what they think. It’s instant feedback, he explained. Whether they like what’s been done or not, said Copp, “It’s refreshing that people care.” He likes that interaction with people. He also likes that each day is different, bringing a different challenge and something new to learn. “I’m trying to absorb as much as I can,” he said, describing his new surrounds, “It’s a beautiful small mountain community with a lot of history in it and a gaming industry that’s unique-and now taking off with new games and new limits.” The new manager is currently living in Centennial, but looking for a home in Gilpin.