Longmont is recognized and admired along the Front Range for our water, electricity, and Internet services, and I want to extend and enhance our well-deserved reputation by bringing Diversity of Ideas to our City Council.
Sept 1998. An apartment complex in Longmont that went by the name of The Orchards when we lived there. It’s now called Advenir at Wyndham.
Preserving neighborhood character.
The City of Longmont has made great strides in managing the floodplain of the St. Vrain River through the city, so a future event like in 2013 should not have the same devastating impact. I support this important work. My wife and I know about a dozen families and individuals who lost homes in the 2021 Marshall fire. Sadly, some of them were under-insured. Guarding against such a man-caused fire in exceedingly dry conditions with 100 mph winds borders on impossibility. It sounds flippant, but Longmont could include information about encouraging insurance reviews in the City Line publication that arrives with the utility bill. So many who sustained a total loss would be in much better shape today had they been adequately insured.
No one currently sitting on City Council, or any of the other candidates, has a science background in both education and career that compares to mine.
What would you do to address the increasing number of empty storefronts, especially in the north Main Street area?
About 75% of respondents to the most recent resident satisfaction survey indicated homelessness is a significant or severe problem in our city. It’s clear the public is demanding a comprehensive and durable solution. Quality of life for residents of Longmont is being undermined, and our business community is suffering mightily. The bottom line is urban camping and public drug use cannot be tolerated. We must send a clear message that if our laws are violated, freedom will be lost. In short, any person found camping or using drugs will be detained and then screened for health and shelter needs. Upon release a shelter bed and a treatment plan, if necessary, will be offered, giving the individual a chance to get back on their feet. Refusal of services and they must leave our city or freedom will be lost.
The pursuit of affordable housing should not make housing affordability worse. The biggest problem with this pursuit in my view is it doesn’t relieve a burden, it only transfers it to another group. Taking $1.00 from one person and giving it to another is one thing, but because of intrinsic inefficiencies we actually have to take $1.25 from one to give $1.00 to another. So the burden isn’t merely transferred, we affirmatively shift and expand the housing burden onto another group. This creates the perverse outcome of trapping people in their affordable units, because the market-rate housing climbs in price at accelerated rates. A better way to address housing needs is using thoughtful zoning. I will also support the consideration of higher-rise residential structures that contain a range of floor plans and price points in the downtown and Sugar Mill areas. When neighborhood development is proposed I will advocate for single family starter homes that are in harmony with the surrounding area.
So we’re clear, nothing Longmont does, or doesn’t do, will have any impact on global climate. Anyone suggesting otherwise is selling a fairy tale. Environmental focus should instead be on local issues we can actually have some control over. The city has established a 100% renewable energy goal taking effect in bit more than 6 years. There is ZERO chance all the power consumed in Longmont will come from renewable sources by this date. At this point it’s nothing more than a vanity effort. Our Council and Mayor suggesting it’s possible are selling false hope to the public. Living one’s life using fantasy as a guiding principle is one thing, but setting government policy based on the same is a bad idea. If we arbitrarily shut down our power plants according to the current schedule we will be forced to buy power on the spot market. If this power is generated in Wyoming, Kansas, or some other distant facility, because of line loss it will require more carbon-based energy sources to be consumed than if we generated the power locally. The sensible solution is to continue using our power plant as configured. There are good reasons other than climate goals to reduce our reliance on carbon-based energy sources, but we must be realistic when it comes to something as critically important as is the power the city requires to function. The 2030 100% renewable goal should be extended to something more realistic and potentially attainable.
As a councilman I will follow all established procedures and guidelines in place for accommodating those residents who don’t speak English.
I don’t believe any person is less or more capable of functioning in society because of immutable characteristics. Good governance and policy making should be individually neutral so that every person is equally impacted or benefited regardless of any particular trait they may hold. I will not propose, pursue, or support policy that favors or impedes a particular group.
Every resident of Longmont has a different lived experience than I do. I will be accessible as a councilman, and commit to treating all residents with dignity and respect.
