On the City Council web page the following vision for the people of Longmont is stated:

“In 20 years, Longmont will be the world’s greatest village, where children are most fortunate to be born and raised, elders are supported through their entire life journey, where people will have access to food, shelter and everyone has the opportunity to thrive and feel they belong.“

If I were on Council when this was drafted I never would have attached my name to it. Not because it is overtly silly and over-the-top idealistic, but because it makes a fundamentally flawed assumption. That is, over some given time period and with hard work we can arrive at a mythical conclusion where we all live “Happily Ever After.” The vision statement is not based in reality, and is clearly not how life works. This journey we are all on is a never ending process for our families and our city. In 20 years Longmont will undoubtedly still be struggling with some of the issues we are facing today, as well as others that are newly presented. We will, of course, continuously strive to improve our city through representative governance, but let’s not pretend we’ll ever reach a utopian conclusion.

My vision statement might include ideals such as these:

“Beginning today we recognize the value and importance local businesses bring to the people of our city, so the formation and attraction of new companies will be encouraged by reducing barriers to entry. We know that safety of family and household is foundational for happiness, therefore our police force will always be adequately funded. Longmont thrives when equality of opportunity is the norm, allowing each person a chance to achieve success, so it will be actively promoted. We believe government should only dictate development in limited ways, that property rights are paramount, and the free market is best at determining the mix of commercial and residential development within our city.”

Respectfully,

Gary Hodges