Englewood City Council selects Joel Moore, PJ Kolnik as finalists to feel vacated seat | #citycouncil

Elisabeth Slay
ESlay@coloradocommunitymedia.com

The Englewood City Council interviewed the top four candidates to fill the vacated At-Large seat left vacant by former councilmember Cheryl Wink on Aug. 9.

After interviewing candidates Brenda Hubka, Joel Moore, PJ Kolnik and Tena Prange, discussed who would be the best fit to temporarily fill the seat, narrowing the candidates to Moore and Kolnik.

The council agreed Hubka and Prange would do well in the position but felt because they’re both members of the Englewood Planning & Zoning Commission there would be an issue when voting on CodeNext.

They also agreed CodeNext is one of the biggest issues the council will work on in the next few months along with determining the city’s budget.  

“I thought that both Tena Prange and Brenda Hubka did really well in their interviews but the only hesitation I have as I reflect on them is they’re obviously very familiar with CodeNext but I wonder if they’re not too familiar and if any of that would be bring some kind of conflict of interest,” District 3 Councilmember Joe Anderson said.  

The commission voted in a July 25 meeting to approve the recommendation of the proposed changes to the code development plan to the council. A public hearing to discuss CodeNext is scheduled for Aug. 21. 

“We do believe that if someone from (the Planning & Zoning Commission) that voted on CodeNext were appointed to city council that they should not vote on CodeNext on city council,” Tamara Niles, city attorney said during the discussion. 

She said since Prange and Hubka have already learned about CodeNext, weighed the evidence and voted on the most recent draft, then they would have to recuse themselves because they could not be impartial.  

While the council selected Moore and Kolnik as the top contenders, they weren’t able to reach a consensus as At Large Councilmember Jim Woodward didn’t hear Kolnik’s interview. He said he will watch a recording of the interview and make his decision.  

The council will appoint an interim council member at the beginning of a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 14. The new council member will also be sworn in Aug. 14 and will serve until the seat is up for reelection on November 7. 

Both Moore and Kolnik said they would not be running for office after they serve for the next few months. They said they want to help the city but didn’t have any plans to launch a political campaign.  

Moore has lived in Englewood since 2017 and currently works for the Education Commission of the State and served on the Englewood Budget Advisory Committee but resigned in 2020 due to a death in his immediate family. 

When asked by the council about the two greatest issues currently facing Englewood, he said infrastructure and development.  

He said he feels the city can continue to work on its infrastructure and there are ways to create opportunities for obtainable housing without damaging relationships.  

“I believe that it is possible to maintain the character of Englewood’s neighborhoods while also considering uses for underdeveloped areas in the city,” Moore said. 

The council feels confident in Moore’s ability to make decisions regarding the city’s budget due to his experience on the Budget Advisory committee.  

“While we are working on CodeNext processing and that’s a huge component of what we’ll be doing…we also need to approve the city’s budget and I think Joel already having been through that process is ready to step up and do that,” District 4 Councilmember Steve Ward said.  

Kolnik moved to Englewood two years ago and worked for a national engineering and construction company for 10 years. He hasn’t served on any committees, but he said in his interview he is passionate about serving his community. 

He feels the two biggest issues facing Englewood are the budget and affordable and obtainable housing. Kolnik said with his construction background he can understand elements of CodeNext and if appointed he would want to help the council clear up any confusion in the proposed changes. 

“I think just removing inconsistencies where there are either contradictions or just opportunities to enhance affordable and obtainable housing in Englewood (are important),” he said.  

In his interview Kolnik addressed various programs and plans the city has worked on to create and implement and he explained what he admires and what can be improved.  

It was this initiative that various council members said they appreciated when they discussed Kolnik as a potential replacement.  

“What I appreciated is that he continuously referenced our strategical plan, how we make decisions, the vision of the city and he was the only one who mentioned multiple plans the city has had, and he seems the most well round in his understanding of the job,” District 2 Councilmember Chelsea Nunnenkamp said.  

Hubka is a senior consultant for Windstream and currently serves on the Englewood Planning & Zoning Commission, which she has done since last year. Additionally, she served on the Steering Committee from 2021-2022 and the Arts & Cultural Committee from 2018-2019.  

Prange is the Director of the Englewood School Board of Education, and she was the co-chair for two bond campaigns to rebuild schools in the Englewood school district. Currently Prange serves on the Englewood Planning & Zoning Commission.  

The city will invite Kolnik and Moore to the special meeting and determine at the beginning who will be appointed.