Ten candidates vie in city council races

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Interest in the Fort Collins City Council election jumped in February, with six more candidates getting their names on the ballot, along with the four who announced in January.

Doug Hutchinson

Mayor Doug Hutchinson said he is seeking a second two-year term to continue implementing the fundamental changes in the way the city functions instituted in his first term.

Most notable among them, Hutchinson cites the Budgeting for Outcomes process streamlining city operations and eliminating some 110 positions. Hutchinson said that effort went a long way toward paring down city government to its essential functions.

He believes additional economies are possible and must be pursued before seeking any new revenues. But, he said, that means more difficult decisions loom ahead when the council confronts the next budget.

"We're trying to strike a balance between the services people need and money we have," he said.

Hutchinson said he also wants to continue the strides Fort Collins has made toward creating a more "business-friendly environment" to maintain a vibrant economy.

Hutchinson, 64, retired after a 23-year career in the Air Force and 10 years as a civilian in the Department of Defense.

Scott VanTatenhove

Scott VanTatenhove is taking a different approach this time from his quixotic run for mayor two years ago when he finished last among four candidates. In an exercise in direct democracy, last year he vowed to act as the voice of the people as expressed through Internet polls.

This time he's actually taking positions while cautioning, "I will never rule out changing my opinion on an issue."

But those positions clearly are secondary to VanTatenhove. His fundamental goals are offering voters a choice, giving a voice on council to the working-class 25- to 35-year-olds who rent rather than own property, and listening carefully and openly to understand people without reacting with bias or preconceived notions.

VanTatenhove believes many Fort Collins residents are convinced they are not being heard because they are not entrenched within the "political/economical machine that dominates the Choice City."

He decided to run when it became apparent that no one other than the incumbent would be running for mayor. VanTatenhove describes the job as a "figurehead position" that could readily be handled by someone with a full-time job such as himself.

VanTatenhove, 29, teaches world humanities and the history of rock and roll music at Rocky Mountain High School.

Lisa Poppaw

Lisa Poppaw maintains that she would bring balance, leadership and common sense to the city council.

"I'm just a normal person," she said. "I'm not a business owner. I'm a stay-at-home mom who's been active in the community."

That community involvement, along with encouragement by people of all political perspectives, led her to take her public service to the next level by entering the District 2 race competing against businessman Matt Fries, according to Poppaw.

Poppaw cites six goals she would pursue: keeping Fort Collins the best place to live, improving safety, strengthening the economy, creating a responsible city budget, preserving a healthy environment and redeveloping Foothills Mall while ensuring appropriate development of the Harmony corridor.

The sense of balance she would bring, Poppaw said, is reflected by her belief that all those goals are of equal importance. "You can't just pull the economy out as the only thing," she said. "It's all interrelated."

Poppaw, 38, has worked to bring together neighbors in her English Ranch and adjacent southeast Fort Collins subdivisions to fight graffiti and vandalism. She also chairs the Linton Elementary School parent-teacher organization and serves on the city's Human Relations Commission.

Matt Fries

Matt Fries pledges to bring his innovative vision to the economy, government and the environment.

But his clear emphasis is creating a "business-friendly community" and eliminating "all unnecessary barriers to great entrepreneurial solutions that many bright individuals want to bring to Fort Collins."

On the environmental front, Fries advocates cleaning up and improving the Poudre River and a comprehensive expansion of the recycling program.

He also believes natural areas funds could be applied to parks, trails and open spaces closer to the city to provide relief to the general fund. "If you are like me, I never thought we would be buying land on the Wyoming border with our open space money." Fries stated, later adding, "We need to discuss asking the voters to redirect some of those funds."

Fries, 39, is the owner of Professional Document Management, which stores and shreds documents, and managing partner of Fries Enterprises, which owns and manages commercial and residential real estate. District 2 generally encompasses southeast Fort Collins.

Glen Colton

Glen Colton's campaign is all about preserving the city's quality of life.

He defines that elusive term as parks, trails, libraries, open spaces, cultural arts, safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, a great downtown and a feeling of community. To that end, he broadly pledges to work toward maintaining a healthy economy, helping the city resolve its budget issues, improving the safety and livability of neighborhoods, and continuing the cooperative working relationship demonstrated by the current council.

More specific to his district, Colton said he wants to ensure extensive public involvement in the improvement of west Harmony Road.

The city should control spending and consider implementing fees only after considering all other alternatives, he said.

Colton, 50, retired after a 22-year career at Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies. He was narrowly defeated in his previous run for the District 4 seat, which represents southwest Fort Collins.

Wade Troxell

Wade Troxell said he considers the District 4 city council race critical to ensuring a positive future for Fort Collins in the face of a "persistent element that wants to pull down what's wonderful about Fort Collins."

In a not-so-thinly veiled criticism of his primary opponent Glen Colton, Troxell said he wants to resist the efforts of those attempting to close the door to growth by consciously creating increased congestion and a "burdensome bureaucracy aimed at driving out local business."

"I feel we are at a crossroads," he said. "I liken these small elements to grains of sand in the community gears."

In contrast, "What I bring to this race is smart solutions," Troxell said. "We can't do it with preconceived radical notions."

Associate dean for research and economic development in the Colorado State University College of Engineering, Troxell believes the city can better employ the expertise of the university's nearly 1,000 professors to support and improve the local economy. As prime example, he points to the Clean Energy Cluster he co-founded, a public-private partnership dedicated to making Northern Colorado the "go to" place for clean energy.

Troxell cites as his top issues creating jobs, improving the local economy and implementing creative and entrepreneurial efforts to reduce expenses while attending to top priorities

LeRoy Gomez

In forcefully entering the District 4 race, LeRoy Gomez made it clear that he was running in direct response to the strong stand against illegal immigration taken by opponent Glen Colton.

"I couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth," Gomez said at the time. "I've got to hold him accountable."

While still acknowledging that Colton's words motivated him to enter the race, Gomez now distances himself from his initial heated rhetoric. Instead Gomez said he is most interested in bringing to the council his working-class background, common sense and sensitivity to diversity.

"I probably have a better background than any of those people," he contended. "Yes, we need people with college degrees, but we also need people in office...who recognize the middle-class working poor."

Gomez said although the city talks a good show on encouraging diversity, it never has delivered. Latinos and other minorities are invisible, he said. "We just don't see them," he said. "It's like they're not there."

Gomez, 62, is a retired construction worker, miner and self-described activist on labor union and Latino issues. He represents union interests on the Larimer County Workforce Investment Board and the Poudre School District School-to-Work program. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor three times.

David Roy

David Roy promises more of the same in a second term--protecting the Poudre River, revitalizing the downtown, improving neighborhoods and communicating incessantly with residents.

Such dialog is important to Roy, who prides himself on sponsoring numerous public outreach meetings during his tenure. "A strong citizen/city council relationship is only possible with a fully informed citizenry," Roy stated. "I have always believed in being available and responsive to citizen questions and concerns."

Among the major issues Roy cited were water supply, transportation, redevelopment of the Foothills Mall, the work of the Clean Energy Cluster and the success of the Urban Renewal Authority for north Fort Collins.

He rejected the need for any new revenues, saying "Right now we can make it with what we have."

Roy, 50, has worked for the last 13 years with FedexKinkos. He was appointed to fill a council vacancy and was subsequently elected in 2003. District 6 encompasses northwest Fort Collins.

Brandon Purdum

Brandon Purdum said his love for Fort Collins and desire to eventually raise a family here prompted him to seek the District 6 city council seat.

Purdum said he also wants to offer an alternative to incumbent opponent David Roy. He blames Roy's anti-growth attitude for contributing to the city's economic malaise.

"I think David Roy has an anti-growth attitude. He doesn't listen," Purdum said. He cited as an example Roy's fervent opposition to the effort of a Laramie manufacturer of water-quality instruments to relocate to Fort Collins.

"I'm not pro-growth and I'm not anti-growth," Purdum maintained, adding that he wants to better promote Fort Collins as a good place to shop and do business.

In addition to raising revenues, Purdum said he wants to reduce what he characterized as "frivolous" expenses such as the purchase of the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. He called it a waste of money to buy open space so distant from the city.

Traffic is another "huge issue" for Purdum, who advocates improving the availability and frequency of public transportation.

Purdum, 27, works in construction building retaining walls. He also works part-time for Goodwill Industries.

George Smith

George Smith was the last one to enter the city council race when he realized nobody else was stepping forward in District 6.

"I felt like we weren't being represented," he said. "Everybody I talked to had these issues and nobody was speaking up about them."

Listing his top concern, Smith said, "I think there's too much regulation going on and it's hurting us."

That excessive regulation, he said, is demonstrated by the property maintenance standards now under consideration. While he supports the standards dealing with such problems as dead lawns, peeling paint and rotten roofs, Smith said, "They're a little too tight."

Such strict standards, he said, "inhibit somebody's ability to do business" and contribute to the large number of houses for sale - half of them vacant according to a recent account he heard from a realty agent.

Smith said that he is concerned that he and fellow contender Brandon Purdum may split the vote, making it more difficult for either one to defeat incumbent David Roy. "I would say one of us should drop out," he said.

Smith, 42, is a mechanic for the Poudre School District. He serves on the city building review board.