2010 Election
Gaiter will focus on economy

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

After taking office in January to fill an unexpired term, Lew Gaiter is asking voters to give him a four-year term on the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners.

Gaiter, 50, has a business background in computer technology. The past nine months have been his first leadership experience with local government.

"I've always been interested in the executive branch of government," he said. "When Kathay (Rennels) resigned, it opened an opportunity."

Gaiter, a Republican, said the biggest challenge for the current board is declining county revenue from property taxes and sales taxes. As the three commissioners work on the county budget for 2011, they have prioritized services and asked departments to cut spending by 1 to 6 percent based on the ranking of services they provide.

Noting the relatively low priority given to Extension, 4-H and youth development, Gaiter said he is trying to find revenue-neutral ways to sustain those programs rather than using tax income. He would also like to put more county resources toward economic development.

"If our economy turns around, revenue from taxes goes up ... without increasing our tax rates," Gaiter said. "It's a long-term solution, not a short-term solution."

Gaiter said he would not rule out asking voters to extend two sales taxes (0.4 percent total) that will expire in the next few years. But first, he said, "I want to make sure we're responsible to citizens with what we do."

The county is actively looking for ways to save money and be more efficient, Gaiter noted, with work on a hiring freeze policy and salary caps. Another goal is to consolidate into county-owned buildings those offices now in leased spaces.

He said the commissioners' recent decision to spend $12.5 million in reserve funds to construct and remodel alternative-sentencing buildings is a good way to avoid a more costly jail expansion.

"It solves a problem without having to raise taxes," he said, adding that such decisions have to be weighed against "return on investment."

Gaiter attended Colorado State University from 1977 to 1979 and moved back to the county in 1986. He owned StarFire Enterprises Inc. from 1992 to 2003, growing the company to 10 employees, and filed personal bankruptcy after the business failed.

"It was one of hardest things I've ever done," Gaiter said about the Chapter 7 bankruptcy. "People got hurt."

The experience, he said, taught him the value of people, relationships, employees and communities. "Can you learn from your failures?" he asked. "I like to think you can."

Gaiter was self-employed when appointed to the commissioner's post by a Republican vacancy committee.

Gaiter cited his appreciation for the county's diversity as one of his strengths. "Larimer County is very eclectic," he said. "There's not one thing that defines us well. I think I have a handle on the fact that Larimer County is not Fort Collins."

His family lives just outside city limits on the north side of Fort Collins, and they lived in the Waverly area for a short while. Gaiter hosts three citizen meetings each month – in Wellington, Red Feather Lakes and Fort Collins – to hear concerns of constituents.

"I'm committed to learn and embrace and become more a part of the rural lifestyle," said Gaiter, who frequently describes himself as a "city boy."

Asked about principles he uses to guide land-use decisions, Gaiter said, "Citizens have rights; communities have interests."

If a development or business impact on a community is "significant," those concerns carry more weight, he said. As an example, he cited his vote against a medical marijuana facility proposed to be located near a skating rink that caters to families.