We’ve got an election coming up in Fort Collins and there are SO MANY important issues on the ballot. I’ve put together a quick guide on how I’ll be voting below, but I also spent a ton of time with each of the candidates in the upcoming election while interviewing them for Dear Fort Collins, so I’ve provided some insights below.
I’d like to point out that these opinions are my own and not those of any Boards I serve on (either Parks + Rec Advisory Board or Boxelder Sanitation).
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Worried about RCV?
RCV is not hard. Just make sure you don’t skip any choices. Rank ’em all, no duplicates. While you technically can skip ranking a candidate, you really should rank them all.
If you actively don’t want to rank someone, that’s OK. If you do this, make sure you don’t create a gap in your rankings.
OK: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — even if there are 6+ candidates.
NOT OK: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 — will result in your vote stopping after #2 because you didn’t rank #3.
State-Level Issues
State-level issues LL and MM – Vote Yes if you like kids having free food at school. Super simple, doesn’t affect you in the slightest if you make less than $300K/year, and if it does, you can afford the $500/year missing refund.
County-Level Issues
1A, 1B -> Vote Yes, especially if you want better roads + bridges (1A), particularly Country Club Road and all the outlying spaces where County + City roads interact. Voting no means kids can’t safely get to school no matter where they live. 1B is also about providing funding for childcare, which is an affordability question, and if we all chip in, the whole city becomes that much more affordable. It will save young families THOUSANDS and cost us only a little on each purchase.
City-Level Issues
2A – vote YES. This is CCIP, it’s an existing tax measure that helps provide seed funding for so many of the nice things we have in our City – a yes vote is a continuation of the tax for new amenities. You’ll see on your ballot a sample list of things that will receive seed funding, including sidewalk safety upgrades, bike infrastructure, affordable housing capital, and more.
2B-2G – Vote Yes, these are charter cleanups and modernizations that don’t mess with your day-to-day life. They’ll make governance more common-sensical and bring our charter’s language into compliance with State laws.
2H – VOTE YES. We all voted to “save Hughes”, which on the ballot language meant natural areas, parks, recreation, and open space. A Civic Assembly was convened, consisting of a representative swath of the community. Boards and Commissions and City Staff helped present, along with several local organizations. The chosen citizens decided together to determine uses and allocations of space based on expert advice and city budgeting and all sorts of considerations. It doesn’t guarantee a Bike Park on Hughes, but it does open the consideration pathway for one among serveral other sites. It also doesn’t mean that everything will happen all at once – in fact, the only thing that has an identifiable funding source is a potential bike park if CCIP passes. The rest will be part of future budgeting discussions – 2H simply sets some bumper lanes for what’s possible.
302 – VOTE YES. If you like natural areas, this extends the existing Natural Areas funding tax indefinitely. Now, I know indefinite taxes can make some folks nervous, but the same mechanism that allows us to take care of the natural areas and trails doesn’t fully fund it, either, and voters can also undo it using the same methodology it was created with if they need to in the future. But for now, it’s a really smart investment in our land banking ability to create outdoor spaces for everyone. This funding will allow the City to maintain these excellent amenities with a lot more breathing room.
303 – VOTE NO. This is an insidious and underhanded attempt to override the will of the voters and the conscience of the City through the Civic Assembly. It removes the other usages from the previously approved ballot language about “saving Hughes” and leaves only “natural areas”. Which means that the only use for that space would be 100% natural areas. It’s a 160+ acre space and the City’s natural areas department has already said it cannot afford to manage that large of a natural area all at once without making significant sacrifices. Some areas of the land would require extensive mitigation and restoration. While more natural areas are good, we also have to be smart about how we do it – and make sure that there’s a good balance of human/recreation interaction in the space so the natural areas so they stay viable.
Let’s be really clear: CSU framed the Hughes property value around development *potential* and infrastructure readiness that doesn’t exist, while downplaying the actual remediation costs needed to make the site workable for any large-scale project. CSU turned down the City’s $7.2 million offer, then later agreed to a $12.5 million sale — all while leaving out critical details about infrastructure removal costs. My feel is they strategically inflated the land value without accounting for what it actually costs to make the site ready for development.
In 2016, when CSU vacated the site, the Natural Areas Department declined to purchase it, citing a $12 million price tag and millions in additional remediation costs beyond the $3M already invested by CSU because they would significantly limit the department’s ability to conserve “truly pristine” land in the future. Natural Areas staff also emphasized that their “purchasing power for other properties” would be directly affected by how many acres of Hughes they were expected to manage as a natural area.
City planners and CSU staff have repeatedly noted that the site is heavily disturbed, having been used for decades as a gravel pit, staging area, and stadium site — meaning it lacks the ecological characteristics typically prioritized for natural area designation and would require extensive rehabilitation.
Do not fall for the 303 nonsense. Vote No.
Candidates
Every candidate I interviewed with cares deeply about the City and honestly wants to do a good job. Fort Collins politicos have a tendency to vilify folks for a particular misstep or position.
I don’t believe in that; these folks are your neighbors and sometimes your neighbors do silly things, but it doesn’t make them bad people.
Similarly, all of the candidates have things you may love or hate, but just like ice cream, some folks love butter pecan, some folks love s’mores. Rank accordingly without rancor, please.
I’m going to try to honor the intent of your question without bias. I obviously have my own favorites, but every one of these candidates would do a solid job if elected.
The only person I don’t talk about is Jeffrey Shumway. He didn’t interview with me, he didn’t show up to any of the candidate interviews, and he doesn’t seem like he’s actively running or campaigning (he has also failed to file several campaign reports). I wouldn’t recommend ranking Jeff for these reasons.
Mayoral Candidates
- Adam Eggleston, Emily Francis, Tricia Canonico, and Shirley Peel have the most practical existing experience. These folks would be almost certainly “ready from day 1” depending on what you want from a Mayor.
- Adam E. is a strong frontrunner if you care about businesses, thoughtful housing policy (not growth at all costs, but a balance), and nonprofit/holistic city services vs pragmatism on our budget. Adam’s support of and deep knowledge of the nonprofit community in Fort Collins make him a very strong contender. He’s spent more time in council than almost any other candidate not currently on the dais, speaks eloquently, and knows his stuff from the state and municipal level. Adam understands the needs of small business owners better than any other mayoral candidate. I think a Fort Collins with Adam at the helm would look like a course correction on housing, land use code, and economic development to help us put density and transit in the right spaces and cohesively reduce the cost of living. See Adam E.’s Dear Fort Collins Interview here.
- Shirley is a strong frontrunner if you care about economic sustainability, pragmatism, community input, and bringing more voices to the table. Shirley has very strong business connections and community ties, and when she was on Council for D4, she held a huge number of listening sessions and put her constituents’ wishes into play frequently. She’s been labeled as a “pocket Republican,” but in working with her directly, she’s deeply committed to bridging divides. She was also one of the few Council members who came out directly to Crescent Park when we were having issues to see what was going on and how to help. I think a Fort Collins with Shirley at the helm would look like a refinement of form – how do we make what we have work better for more people. I think Fort Collins folks would truly feel heard because Shirley has demonstrated a penchant for engaging folks at all levels. See Shirley’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Emily’s a strong frontrunner for stability and policy insight. Emily’s policy knowledge of Fort Collins, especially economic policy, housing affordability, and the mechanisms to get us there, along with her state-level experience and her connection to the community through her experience as Mayor Pro Tem have given her a cohesive view of how to perform fairly as Mayor. Emily has the practical understanding to generate meaningful progress on housing availability and affordability and the economic understanding to know that bringing small businesses and nonprofits along with that will be a critical win for the City. Emily has always been a great listener and, when she has time, a willing teacher to folks who ask questions about how we got where we are and why. A Fort Collins with Emily at the helm would be incredibly stable, we’d push forward towards density and transit, while also fostering program extensions that help with sustainability and affordability. See Emily’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Tricia’s regionalism focus is probably the strongest of all of the candidates; she’s worked incredibly hard at bringing a ton of state-level experience and connections to bear at the local level. Her knowledge of the business space is solid, and her volunteerism for local nonprofits also makes her pretty knowledgeable about large-scale nonprofits. Transit is a major focus for Tricia, along with achieving climate goals. I think a Fort Collins with Tricia at the helm would look like regional economic prosperity initiatives along with a heavy focus on fixing transit so that it works for more people and goes to where we want it to go – and alternative transit modes being highlighted and reinforced through the city. Tricia cares a LOT about transit and making it more effective, and her ability to navigate issues around water because of her depth of connections could free us up from some of the stickier points of increasing density or housing affordability. See Tricia’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- ScottyV is the “hometown hero”-type candidate that you root for. He’s super knowledgeable and has a lot of really cool ideas, but mostly, he wants to bring everyone to the table to help solve problems. That kind of energy can be super helpful in a Mayor, but he’d realistically need at least two terms to make meaningful progress. Scotty’s focus on livability and the “place” of Fort Collins means that the arts, music, and culture scene would be a primary focus, along with placemaking – that is, creating hubs within neighborhoods. A Fort Collins with Scotty at the helm would emphasize local nonprofits and cultural connectivity, a focus on livability and lived experience, and focusing on local solutions to local problems. See ScottyV’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Adam Hirshhorn (no website) is an interesting candidate who obviously cares a lot about Fort Collins, but his overall answers and policy connections seemed disconnected from those of most other candidates, because his focus is on issues beyond the scope of most municipal governments. This may be a major plus for some voters. He brings a lot of experience as a renter and as someone who cares a lot about lived experience in the City. He rides the bus daily. My sense is that his focus would be heavily on sustainability, environmental justice, and making waves on politically progressive causes. A Fort Collins with Adam at the helm would see a lot more activism from Council on issues that may or may not have a day-to-day impact, and then probably some major practical changes that would have a positive, heavy day-to-day impact. See Adam H.’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
District 1 Candidates
D1 is perhaps the largest, weirdest district in FoCo. It spans truly established and connected Cityscapes like Edora and Lemay’s corridors, to Old Town and the surrounding neighborhoods, and then the alternative transit wasteland that is North East FoCo with its County abutments, and even a neighborhood on the EAST side of I-25. It is positioned to have 60,000 additional residents over the next 10 years and is the center of the majority of future growth in Fort Collins. It also has the LEAST developed infrastructure to handle any of that growth.
- Daisy has incredibly practical experience in small businesses and nonprofits, and policy expertise from her work on the Disability Advisory Board. Daisy’s ability to quickly understand an issue, size up what needs to be done, and then deliver a cohesive solution that folks can use as a starting point is fascinating and probably the result of her experience working with the military. I’ve also seen Daisy’s ability to deliver speeches on the fly, which move folks to action. Daisy’s understanding of complex issues like minimum wage and how small businesses need some bridging from local governmental support to avoid being smushed by large corporate interests is super solid. And the environmental and water concerns of growth at all costs vs. purposeful infill or land code changes would help us actually align transit with density and services rather than generate sprawl, while also navigating an incredibly limited water supply to do all the things we want to do. Daisy’s depth of knowledge and straightforwardness in explaining issues and problems makes me hopeful that real solutions are right around the corner. A D1 with Daisy at the helm would see safety considerations for those south of Prospect and connectivity advocacy for those north of Prospect. See Daisy’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Chris is, in every interaction I have ever had with him, a single-issue candidate concerned primarily with affordable housing. No matter what you ask him about, he brings it back to that. And I get the feeling that when you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It’s not clear to me that Chris really understands the needs of small businesses or even necessarily the nonprofit spaces, although his family is heavily involved in the nonprofit space through Trees Water People. When discussing larger policy issues with Chris, I didn’t get the sense that he was particularly interested in cohesive solutions that improve the quality of life for most residents beyond “make housing cheaper” because he genuinely and wholeheartedly believes that housing affordability is the root of most problems in FoCo. He pushes for accessibility for kids to participate in sports that aren’t club sports, though the City has some programs for that already. His upbringing in North East Fort Collins was as a County resident and he understandably wants to push for connectivity in that area, but I worry that he’d be so singularly focused on affordable housing and growth that shifting to build the cohesive connections required with the County would be a stretch for him. He’s a quandary in my mind because his supporters are super aligned in putting him into office… he’s got support from most of the major political figures in Fort Collins. He’s also raised the most money because he’s actively used the Democratic fundraising mechanism (in a nonpartisan race). He’s also used his platform to actively attack fellow candidates in D1 and D3, and was the subject of a recent Coloradoan Article on the dissolution of the Poudre Canyon Group of the Sierra Club – depending on your interpretation, it looks like a coup to gain an endorsement. I think a D1 with Chris at the helm would look like a push for development and density at the expense of anything else. See Chris’ Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Susan – and I say this having run against her in 2021 – has a huge heart and wants to make good decisions that help the most people while also being in tune with the needs of those impacted by those decisions. Susan took a lot of flak for her defense of Alexander Adams in D6 in 2023. Listening to her Dear Fort Collins episode gives a really clear insight on that (and I’m paraphrasing here): Susan’s position is that, as a teacher, she saw students occasionally make truly heinous decisions, and it was her responsibilty as the “adult in the room” to build the bridge for students to walk back on – not only because it demonstrated the kind of person you think they COULD be, but because if someone doesn’t build that bridge, the kids just get deeper into the heinous decisions. She made this point without any hesitation and spoke straight from the heart. In my mind, it’s the kind of conversation we SHOULD have had back in 2023 – how do we heal as a community when someone with atrocious views runs for office and gets votes? Susan’s heart-first approach sometimes puts her in a weird spot, like when she advocated for the needs of Adriel Hills residents (who live in the County) rather than the folks who live in the neighborhoods east of Turnberry (who live in the City and are her constituents). Susan’s background as a teacher and her background in serving on the school board and the Council have given her practical experience. Her track record for actually connecting the dots on things that matter to half of her district is pretty weak (North East Fort Collins has not had an advocate since prior to Bob Overbeck). I think Susan’s sense is that there are more folks now north of Prospect and a desperate need for connectivity and services. She consistently has an eye for sustainability and water. Her position on small business support is weak to mid, but her support for the arts, culture, and nonprofits is solid. A D1 with Susan at the helm would look like a focus on natural areas, water, and sustainability at the expense of density and growth. See Susan’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
District 3 Candidates
D3 actually has one of the largest bases of low-income housing and housing mixes of any other District in the City, despite most of us knowing it for Twin Silo Park, the Harmony business corridor, and Timberline. The advent of the South East Rec Center and regional trail connections means that D3 is positioned to be the next big hub of FoCo outside of Old Town. There’s a lot of money and bigger businesses in D3 and it’s the second largest commercial corridor outside of Old Town.
- Lance’s experience as a City employee gives him an inside edge on understanding how the budgeting processes work. Lance was perhaps the least polished of the D3 candidates, which tells me that his mind isn’t on politics so much as policy. His wide lens of interests also makes him an interesting contender for the position. I think he’d be a candidate that would be grounding for City Council in a way that Kelly Ohlson is now. Lance was one of the few candidates who accurately articulated that the City’s reliance on special districts to support and sustain the growth of City services through new, affordable housing was extremely limiting and created pinch points in the budget that we’re seeing now. His ideas on housing, collaboration, and water were extremely well-informed. His experience with the budget would make him an excellent candidate to navigate the budgeting challenges we’re going to face in the next few years. A D3 with Lance at the helm would look like a very pragmatic, eye-on-the-numbers, “let’s get real”-type approach which could rub some the wrong way after being used to D3 having an explosion of growth. See Lance’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Steve has his hands in a lot of things – and his primary push is away from the political divide and closer towards centrism. He’s the founder of the Colorado Center Party… and as you would expect, his views walk a tightrope down the middle. He’s staunchly anti-growth because of the water issues involved, which is informed by his practical experience as a California transplant. He also acknowledges the budget woes that the City is facing and wants to seek more pragmatic solutions, but I think his lack of understanding of the small business and nonprofit communities would be frustrating when paired with the anti-growth sentiment. D3 has no lack of good infrastructure, and Steve’s ideas for bringing the Old Town-type solutions into D3 tells me that a D3 with Steve at the helm would see a fight around funding and service shifts from areas of the City that are overserved to areas of the City that are underserved – to create a more balanced feel throughout FoCo. See Steve’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Josh is easily the most solid presenter in the bunch. His experience in Larimer County and on the Board of Trustees for the Poudre Libraries has given him a broad perspective on policy. Josh had the most comprehensive view of the D3 candidates when it came to regionalism, the reliance on partners to help us solve problems cohesively, and to share budget concerns, while not dropping services. His understanding of how to apply long-term policy vs short-term incentives to achieve shifts is refreshing. Josh’s knowledge of budgets and their application for maximum strategic effect would be a huge boon to the City as it navigates the upcoming sales tax crisis we’ve seen roll through Colorado municipalities lately. Josh had extensive small business and nonprofit knowledge which seemed immediately applicable. A D3 with Josh at the helm would look like a collaborative, budget-focused course correction, engaging our regional partners to address the problems we’re all facing, while also recognizing that FoCo can shine in its own special way. See Josh’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
District 5 Candidates
D5 is a weird beast. It has most of the middle housing and a large number of natural areas, but also CSU dominates *everything* that D5 does. The roads are narrower but two of the five regional transit corridors also run through it while trying to maintain small neighborhood feels. Traffic, pedestrian safety, and environmental impact while maintaining open space are key considerations – and the sense of place here is heavily impacted by CSU and the proximity to Old Town, meaning the smaller hubs can’t really get established as their own “places”.
- Amy Hoeven has extensive experience in connecting the dots here locally, has extensive small business and nonprofit experience, and is a huge proponent of sustainable transit that works for a large number of residents. Connecting transit and commercial corridors is a primary goal for Amy. Affordable housing and creating neighborhood centers through placemaking were also mentioned heavily during the interview. Amy repeatedly mentioned bringing more people to the table to help make better decisions – whether those were artists, housing experts, business people, natural areas enthusiasts, etc. A D5 with Amy at the helm would look to establish D5 as “the 15-minute city hub” as an example for the rest of Fort Collins, so I’d expect a heavy push to realign transit corridors, establish arts and cultural spaces inside neighborhoods through cohesive partnerships, and carry CSU’s alternative transit connectivity and standards all the way West to Overland. See Amy’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
- Zoelle Lane‘s experience in working with nonprofits and grant management led her to a position at CSU. She also highlights that she is a renter, grounding her experience as someone really working hard to stay in Fort Collins amid an affordability crisis. Zoelle has extensive experience with nonprofits and grant management, meaning she’d bring sensible budgeting expertise to help the City partner with and offload services to nonprofits and local organizations while also supporting local employers to backfill services in a way that doesn’t trounce the nonprofits. Zoelle’s more focused on climate action and affordability for entry-level homebuyers, but pointed towards solutions such as fixing pragmatic transit gaps and park-and-ride-type solutions to reduce congestion around D5. A D5 with Zoelle at the helm would focus specifically on building entry-level housing availability, focusing on improving transit corridors and adding infrastructure, and an expansion of climate goal programs. See Zoelle’s Dear Fort Collins interview here.
PSD Candidates
Poudre School District is a beacon of high-quality talent and resources (and if you don’t believe me you should absolutely take the time to join Leadership PSD when it comes back around), so it makes sense that there’d be some competition for School Board seats. The way our School Board elections work, everyone votes for candidates in every district, even though your residence exists in a particular district. So, lucky you, you get to select a candidate in Districts C, D, and E, even though you may not live in those districts.
Here’s my quick take on each candidate:
- Karla Baise – you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the nonprofit space who hasn’t had a great experience interacting with Karla through her Community Outreach work at Odells. Odells has earned its spot as a rightful champion for so many local causes as a direct result of her work. Karla is a quick learner and very dedicated to identifying key roadblocks for literacy, disparities between schools, and addressing teacher burnout. The PSD Board with Karla elected would have a well-resourced advocate for a wide range of issues and greater outreach to support district-level CTE and career readiness. Check out Karla’s Dear Fort Collins episode here.
- Sabrina Herrick – is running on a platform for reforms to ensure student safety and inclusivity, especially for the nonverbal autistic communities. She has direct experience as a project manager and a focus on communication and transparency. Sabrina’s daughter was a victim of Tyler Zanella, the former para who abused autistic and nonverbal students and was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail for his crimes. Her drive is largely personal and informs much of her policy critiques. The PSD Board with Sabrina elected would have a distinct focus on reforming policies and processes, inclusivity programs for students with disabilities, and likely a public dashboard to demonstrate how changes have impacted student experiences. Check out Sabrina’s Dear Fort Collins episode here.
- Coronda Ziegler – holding a PhD in Education with a specialization in Organizational Change and two decades of experience specifically focused on student success and transitions, Coronda brings a wealth of experience to the table. In my interview with her, Coronda directly mentioned wanting to visit with every school in the district to understand their unique culture and needs, with a focus on building and policy audits to ensure safety and inclusivity. Student well-being and prioritization of “navigational skills” are key points in her campaign. A PSD Board with Coronda elected would have a focus on publishing baselines for schools to help improve decision making, expanding programs for teacher retention, and regular policy and building audits, training, and student input to address disparities between schools. Check out Coronda’s Dear Fort Collins episode here.
- Tom Griggs – Tom’s 35 years of education experience in the classroom for bilingual/ESL instruction and as a substitute give him a strong footing to understand the lived experience of teachers in the district. He emphasized that he’d spend a portion of his tenure getting to know the board policies and governance, as well as building strong relationships amongst the Board and stronger partnerships with families and community organizations. Tom emphasized student success is rooted in the support of the “whole child” and not just their academic performance. A PSD Board with Tom elected would have a distinct focus on policy review and updates, effective governance, and professional development for teachers and staff. I suspect there’d also be a lot of work on Board cohesion and communication. Check out Tom’s Dear Fort Collins episode here.
- Andrew Spain – Andrew is running unopposed, but wanted to be clear that he expects families in the district to hold him accountable. His focus on elevating student and community input, and data-driven decisions, means that he’ll likely be very intentional about communicating the hows and whys behind decisions brought in front of the Board. I got the distinct impression that he values first-hand data and feedback from families with lived experiences and that governance to him was rooted in active feedback mechanisms as opposed to a “heavy-handed” top-down approach. A PSD Board with Andrew elected would have a focus on improved communication with families, staff, and students, as well as intentional input gathering mechanisms before decisions become finalized. Check out Andrew’s Dear Fort Collins episode here.
Just VOTE!
To be clear, no matter who you vote for, as long as you are participating in the process, you’ll be winning. Get engaged, stay engaged. Municipal government is one of the most directly impactful things in your day-to-day life and you simply cannot afford to ignore it.
Nick Armstrong 