VOTE411 Voter Guide

My priorities center around responsible growth, financial discipline, and strengthening community identity.

First, ensuring growth aligns with infrastructure readiness, including water, transportation, and energy coordination. Development approvals should be paced with verified capacity and realistic long-term financial modeling to protect residents from sudden spikes in costs through utility rates, infrastructure fees, or accelerated capital spending.

Second, strengthening Old Town through intentional and structured revitalization. Where appropriate, the Town can participate strategically in key parcels by applying clear R-1 Historic District design standards and using tools such as ground leases, structured purchasing options, or development covenants to preserve scale and character. This approach can create smaller, affordable and attainable commercial spaces with predictable leasing or purchasing structures that lower entry barriers for local entrepreneurs, discourage speculative turnover, and maintain long-term alignment with community identity and fiscal discipline.

Third, strengthening transparency by providing clearer context around major decisions and broadening how we communicate. Explaining the financial and procedural background behind Council items helps residents understand decisions. Communication should also extend beyond digital platforms and encourage residents to engage early and confidently in shaping policy and direction.

Financial decisions should be guided by long-term sustainability and cost predictability. First, I look at full lifecycle costs. Every infrastructure project carries not just an initial capital expense, but ongoing maintenance, replacement, and potential financing obligations. Budgeting should reflect the total long-term commitment, not just the immediate approval. Second, pacing matters. Growth that outpaces infrastructure readiness can accelerate capital spending, which may contribute to sudden spikes in fees, utility rates, or service costs. Responsible budgeting aligns development approvals with verified capacity and realistic financial modeling. Third, I consider impact on household affordability. Residents experience municipal decisions through cumulative costs, including utilities, infrastructure fees, and taxes. Budget discipline means evaluating how each decision fits into the broader cost picture. Finally, strategic investments, such as participation in key Old Town parcels, must be structured carefully with clear parameters, defined return expectations, and long-term stewardship goals. Financial stewardship requires discipline, transparency, and alignment between growth and infrastructure capacity.

Timnath has already implemented important drought and wildfire measures, including turf restrictions, non-potable irrigation systems, fuel management, and coordination with the fire authority. The question is not whether we are doing anything, but whether we are planning far enough ahead.

Environmental risk should influence the timing and scale of growth. Before major approvals move forward, we should be confident that our water supply, emergency access, and infrastructure capacity can withstand extended drought conditions or elevated wildfire exposure, not just average years.

Because Timnath is in a higher wildfire risk area, growth patterns matter. Road access, development layout, and infrastructure readiness should reduce exposure and support evacuation and response, not complicate it.

Air quality is shaped by how a town develops. Compact, walkable areas reduce congestion and vehicle dependence without heavy regulation.

For me, the focus is simple: anticipate risk early, build with it in mind, and avoid reactive decisions that create higher costs later.

Affordable housing is shaped by land cost, infrastructure requirements, regulatory structure, and development timing. The Town does not directly build housing, but it strongly influences the conditions under which housing becomes attainable.

First, growth pacing matters. When infrastructure expansion accelerates, those costs often flow into housing prices through impact fees and utility rates. Aligning development with verified capacity helps stabilize long-term costs.

Second, regulatory clarity and predictability reduce uncertainty. When developers understand timelines, requirements, and design expectations upfront, financing becomes more efficient, which supports attainable pricing.

Third, encouraging a mix of housing types, including smaller-footprint and diverse product types where appropriate, increases supply options without compromising character.

Finally, strategic Old Town revitalization can create opportunities for smaller-scale live-work or mixed-use spaces that support economic mobility and local entrepreneurship.

Affordable housing is not achieved through mandates alone. It requires disciplined planning, cost predictability, and coordination between infrastructure, zoning, and long-term financial sustainability.

A). Manage Growth and Finances Wisely. Timnath’s population has grown from 400 to 12,000 over the last 15 years, in large part due to its location and natural environment. To ensure the town maintains its livability and financial viability, it needs to stay ahead of development and budget pressures. I recommend two steps be taken immediately: 1) expedite the update to the town’s comprehensive plan to guide growth; and 2) develop a 10-year financial plan to ensure revenues are sustainable as service and maintenance costs increase.

B). Revitalize Downtown and Build a Diversified Economy. The recreation center recently approved by voters can be a community gathering place and catalyst for downtown revitalization if we design and coordinate its development with future investments. Moreover, Timnath needs someone responsible for attracting and supporting the types of businesses, especially locally owned ones, that meet the needs and desires of the community to reduce reliance on big box retailers.

C). Oversee Metropolitan Service Districts. Metro districts incur debt, levy property taxes and assess fees to finance and operate neighborhood infrastructure. In recent testimony to the town council, I advocated for more transparency and accountability by metro districts, including better disclosure of taxes and fees levied on homeowners, financial justification for proposed debt and taxes, and expedited transfer of control to homeowners.

The same factors that guided me during my years of service as a government finance and budget director for other communities: 1) One-time revenues should not be used for ongoing spending. Because one-time revenues are not sustainable, structural deficits occur once they are expended. Recurring spending, such as compensation for permanent employees, should only be financed with recurring revenues. 2)The operating costs associated with capital projects should be fully disclosed and considered when those projects are approved and funded so future budgets are adequately funded to underwrite those additional operating costs. 3)Alternative sources of funding and methods should be considered, so where appropriate, the beneficiaries and users of facilities and programs are partially responsible for covering those costs. For example, current taxpayers should not bear the full cost burden of new facilities that will benefit future taxpayers for decades to come.

Droughts in semi-arid regions such as ours necessitate conservation of water resources, particularly potable water. The town should provide incentives to metro districts, homeowners associations, businesses and individual homeowners to reduce overall water use and avoid using potable water for irrigation. Monetary and regulatory incentives could be used to promote installation of drought-resistant vegetation and smart meters, as well as experimentation with non-potable water sources and uses. In addition, the town should preserve wetlands and other natural areas that buffer against wildfires while providing homes and refuge for wildlife. One way to do this is to designate environmental corridors that can serve as buffers and protect the town's natural habitat. I would advocate for their creation as a member of the town council.

We are experiencing a national housing supply and affordability crisis that is particularly acute in Colorado’s Front Range. Population growth has outpaced construction leading to escalating costs and strains on water, transportation and school systems. This situation has ignited a debate over what level of government should control housing policy—the state or local municipalities. The state sees this as statewide economic issue with employers and workforce groups warning that housing shortages are hurting employee recruitment and retention. Cities and towns argue that land use is at the core of their home rule authority and state housing mandates won’t match their infrastructure, size or character. Timnath should examine its land use policies, zoning requirements and building codes as part of the current update to its comprehensive plan. We should prioritize local autonomy and adopt policies that preserve our small-town character, while also promoting housing options affordable to people at different income levels. As part of this effort, the town should take a hard look at streamlining approval processes and aligning development with existing infrastructure. If done smartly, the town can guide development toward more affordable and sustainable options, while retaining the character and amenities that attracted current residents.

Timnath has built strong momentum over the past several years, and my priority is to continue building on that progress while planning responsibly for the future. That includes responsible growth, long-term financial stability, infrastructure planning, safe streets, and reliable police services supported by strong coordination with regional fire and EMS partners.

As Timnath grows, development should continue to align with our Comprehensive Plan and infrastructure capacity. Roads, water systems, parks, and municipal services must keep pace with growth while remaining financially sustainable over the long term.

I will continue supporting strong capital reserves, thoughtful infrastructure investment, and development standards that promote connected neighborhoods with pedestrian and bicycle access. Every major decision should consider what Timnath will look like in 10 to 20 years, not just immediate demand.

My budgeting decisions are guided by long-term risk, resident impact, community feedback, infrastructure sustainability, and transparency.

I evaluate reserve levels, projected revenue trends, long-term maintenance obligations, and future capital replacement needs. I ask whether today’s decisions could increase the long-term financial burden on residents through higher taxes, development-related costs, or deferred maintenance.

Maintaining strong capital reserves and carefully evaluating long-term financial commitments is essential. Residents deserve transparency about long-term obligations, infrastructure commitments, and development-related financing structures. Financial discipline today protects stability tomorrow.

Environmental resilience must be integrated into infrastructure and land-use planning.

While regional districts provide water, Council influences long-term sustainability by aligning development approvals with confirmed water capacity, coordinating closely with water providers, and incorporating conservation-focused design standards into development approvals to help protect long-term supply.

To address wildfire risk, Colorado law requires local governments with Wildland-Urban Interface areas to adopt minimum wildfire resiliency standards. I support adopting the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code in compliance with state statute and implementing regionally consistent building material and defensible space standards based on mapped fire intensity levels.

Air quality and congestion are influenced by growth patterns. Supporting connected neighborhoods, expanding trail connectivity, and maintaining EV-ready building standards are practical tools for managing traffic impacts and supporting long-term livability.

Housing affordability must be addressed thoughtfully and sustainably.

Timnath should support a range of housing types that support all phases of life while ensuring infrastructure costs are responsibly managed. Shifting infrastructure expenses entirely into home prices can reduce attainability, but poorly structured financing can expose residents to long-term financial risk.

Affordable housing solutions must consider the long-term total cost of ownership, not just purchase price, including taxes, infrastructure costs, and ongoing community maintenance. Aligning development with infrastructure capacity and our Comprehensive Plan helps maintain Timnath as a family-oriented, financially stable community.