Profile: Jake Schroeder (CD7)

The candidates for the District 7 city council seat were all profiled in the March 2007 edition of the Washington Park Profile.

Jake Schroeder's now-abandoned candidacy was described as follows:

It’s a busy life for Jake Schroeder. While many Denver music fans know him as the lead singer of a popular funk-rock band, Opie Gone Bad, Schroeder fills his off-stage time with a trio of other occupations.

If you’re having a hard time finding a good cup of coffee (hard to believe in 2007 Denver), you can find Jake’s Joe on line at www.jakesjoe.com (Colorado-roasted, and served at 46 Arby’s around the state). If you’re kicking back listening to tunes at home or in your car, you may hear Schroeder on his 99.5FM music show, Mountain Home Grown.

And, if you’re a local kid wanting to fill your days in positive pursuit rather than mischief, you may know the longtime Platt Park resident as a special projects coordinator for the Police Athletic League.

“That’s probably the job I have the most fun with,” said Schroeder. “I volunteered with P.A.L. for seven years, and have been on staff for two. Safe neighborhoods are the most important thing to people in the district. Kids need more opportunities ... more athletic opportunities. It works to keep a lot of them on a positive path.”

Schroeder would reverse Denver’s decision to raise the cost of a recreation center card for Denver children from $5 to $35 per year. “We’ve got real problems. Graffiti is out of control and kids are being exposed to more violence, not less. We need to get them into the centers, not put up barriers to keep them out.”

Schroeder supports the attempt under way to downzone a portion of the West Washington Park neighborhood from
R-2 to R-1. “Responsible growth has been an issue since the first caveman moved his rock in front of a neighbor’s cave,” Schroeder stated. “The West Wash Park initiative is a good idea. People are downzoning their own property. The Sloans Lake model is probably not. People there are having their property downzoned out from under them.”

Constituent service must be uppermost in any councilperson’s mind, said Schroeder. “You’ve got to get back to them. They may not always like what I have to say, but I will get back to them. I’m not in this as a career, it’s a natural extension of all the things I’ve been trying to do for my community up to now.”

Though a newcomer to the campaign trail, Schroeder is confident in his qualifications for the post he seeks. “I reject the experience thing. I’m a small businessman. I bring a rational dialogue to the table. There’s nothing so complicated that I can’t learn it.”
Hoping to put voters’ minds to rest, Schroeder said, “I’m a pilot. If I can land a plane in a nasty crosswind, you’ll be in good hands when I’m learning the details of collective bargaining.

For more information about Jake Schroeder, visit www.voteforjake.com.