VOTE411 Voter Guide

My priority for the town is responsible economic growth which is closely tied to the strength of our parks, recreation, and community spaces. To attract quality commercial development and support our existing local businesses, we must continue investing in the spaces that bring people together. Well-maintained parks, accessible recreation, and welcoming public gathering areas make our community more attractive to businesses, families, and visitors alike. By prioritizing these investments, we create an environment where businesses want to locate, residents want to stay, and our local economy can grow in a thoughtful and sustainable way.

Second, I want to help enrich our downtown culture. A thriving downtown creates community pride and supports local businesses. Enriching our local culture is also a natural extension of creating better community spaces that improve accessibility and opportunities for all residents to gather, participate, and connect. I will advocate for events, public gathering spaces, and policies that encourage local shops, restaurants, and community activities.

Third, I believe in a transparent and collaborative board that listens to residents and works together to solve problems.

My decisions are guided by three core priorities: safety, responsible growth and development, and contributing to our quality of life.

Safety — our community should be a place where residents can trust that their safety is always considered when planning and developing our town.

Growth & Development — thoughtful growth and development guide our budget decisions, ensuring that today’s choices create opportunities for the future projects and long-term success of our town.

Quality of Life — enriching our community’s quality of life is central to every decision, creating accessible, vibrant spaces and opportunities that benefit all residents.

Future developments must carefully weigh their environmental impact on the community. Ongoing drought has increased water demand and costs, making it essential that projects consider their strain on utilities. Prioritizing non-potable water for irrigation and diversifying our water supply will support sustainability and resilience. As a region that regularly experiences high fire risk and wind events, our electrical infrastructure must be designed and maintained to withstand these conditions. In the event of a wildfire or natural disaster, it is critical to have an emergency continuity plan that coordinates all departments to protect residents, infrastructure, and community resources.

Diversifying housing options would allow our town to accommodate more residents within the same footprint, helping to manage growth responsibly and reduce sprawl. By offering a mix of smaller units, multi-family homes, and innovative housing types, we can make efficient use of land, provide affordable choices for all income levels, and maintain the character and livability of our neighborhoods. This approach supports sustainable growth, strengthens our local economy, and ensures that our community remains accessible and vibrant for current and future residents

My priority is making sure Wellington continues to be a place where families, seniors, and small businesses can thrive.

Our community is growing quickly, and growth needs to be guided with care. Thoughtful planning helps ensure that new development strengthens the community rather than placing unexpected strain on roads, water systems, and other infrastructure. Responsible planning today helps protect the quality of life that residents value.

I also believe local government should focus on supporting the people who make a town strong: families raising children, seniors who want to remain in the community they helped build, and small businesses that give Wellington its character and vitality.

Strong communities are built through collaboration, transparency, and long-term thinking. My goal is to approach decisions in a way that protects Wellington’s small-town character while preparing responsibly for the future.

Responsible budgeting starts with remembering that public funds come from the residents and businesses who make Wellington their home.

Financial decisions should focus first on the foundations of a healthy community: infrastructure, public safety, reliable utilities, and the services residents depend on every day. Maintaining these systems responsibly helps ensure that families and businesses have the stability they need to succeed.

Budget decisions should also consider the impact on working families, seniors living on fixed incomes, and the small businesses that are part of Wellington’s local economy. Careful planning helps ensure that the town remains financially stable while continuing to provide the services residents rely on.

Transparency is also essential. Residents deserve clear explanations about how decisions are made and how resources are being used to support the community.

Environmental challenges such as drought and wildfire risk are realities for many communities across Colorado. Local governments have an important role in planning responsibly so communities remain resilient in the face of these challenges.

Water stewardship is particularly important in northern Colorado. Long-term planning and responsible infrastructure investment help ensure that families, farms, and businesses continue to have reliable water supplies even during difficult drought conditions.

Land use planning can also help reduce wildfire risk by guiding development patterns and maintaining appropriate transitions between neighborhoods, agricultural land, and open space.

Environmental stewardship is ultimately about protecting the places where people live and raise their families. By planning responsibly and working with regional partners, communities can help safeguard natural resources while supporting a healthy local economy.

Housing affordability is an issue that is particularly important to me. Across Colorado, many families, young workers, and seniors want to remain in the communities they care about, but rising housing costs are making that increasingly difficult.

A healthy community should offer housing options for people at different stages of life. Young families starting out, working residents building their futures, and seniors who want to age in place should all have the opportunity to remain part of the community they helped build.

Local governments need to use the tools at their disposal, such as zoning, land-use planning, and thoughtful development policies, to support a range of housing types while maintaining the character of the community. Careful planning helps ensure that housing is developed in ways that connect people to infrastructure, transportation, and local services.

Partnerships also matter. Local governments often work with housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, and responsible developers to expand housing opportunities while keeping communities stable and welcoming.

The goal is not simply building more homes, but helping ensure Wellington remains a community where people can build a life, raise a family, and continue to feel a sense of belonging.

My four years on Wellington’s Board of Trustees have been driven by a passion for legislation and forward-thinking leadership. Professionally, I work for a software security company, resolving complex incidents for C-level executives – a role requiring the analytical professionalism I bring to the Town. To me, great leadership means providing clear direction without micromanaging experts on Town Staff. Proper guidance is critical in delivering unanimous outcomes. My commitment to our community is rooted in the dedication, historical knowledge, expertise, and experience necessary to see Wellington prosper. Top Priorities • Infrastructure: We must actively shape growth. This includes completing the Cleveland Avenue project, collaborating with CDOT on the I-25 overpass expansion, and transitioning to the Metropolitan Planning Organization for better regional transportation and funding. • Water Viability: I am laser-focused on our Water Source Development Plan, necessary to diversify our portfolio and secure our Town’s future. I support tiered rate structures over linear ones because they accurately reflect system strain caused by high usage. • Economic Strength: Home Rule is essential to protect local values from state mandates, and to foster a self-sustaining economy for our businesses. I address challenges through rigorous research and custom modeling. I weigh all issues against the community’s long-term health and will never dismiss an argument without listening to all sides.

My financial decisions are rooted in fiscal conservatism and the understanding that the Town is not a for-profit entity. I bring a data-driven approach to ensure every taxpayer dollar is used effectively. Budgeting Factors • Strategic Reserves: I do not view fund balances as ‘piggy banks’. It is vital to maintain balances above reserve requirements, while also planning for future Capital Improvement Projects through 2030 and beyond. • Growth Pays for Itself: New infrastructure costs should shift from existing taxpayers to the developments benefiting from them. I will also scrutinize any new development proposal pertaining to metro districts, ensuring that new residents are protected from runaway costs through firm mill levy caps and clear timelines for transitioning governance to residents. • Revenue Stability: I support tiered water rates to provide the financial stability needed for long-term viability. • Sustainable Investment: Occasionally, we must dip into fund balances for projects that improve our community. I am committed to projects that provide clear outcomes in filling gaps for service, such as Advanced Metering – allowing for residents to view their hourly water consumption online. I perform independent research and work to ensure our budgeting process includes a future-looking vision for major projects. I weigh expenditures against what is best for the entire community, ensuring our utilities are solvent, and that we remain a place where families can prosper.

Addressing environmental challenges requires a blend of historical knowledge and proactive, data-driven planning. My focus is on ensuring Wellington is resilient in the face of resource scarcity and regional pressures. Environmental & Resource Management • Water Scarcity: I am focused on diversifying our water portfolio and finalizing the North Poudre water contract to stabilize our supply and protect residents from market volatility. • Conservation via Infrastructure: I support tiered water rate structures, which encourage conservation by reflecting the true cost of system strain as usage increases. • Open Space & Air Quality: I’ve helped to secure an intergovernmental agreement for open space between Larimer County, Fort Collins, and Timnath. Preserving open space is a key strategy for maintaining air quality and creating natural fire breaks. • Regional Collaboration: By transitioning Wellington into the Metropolitan Planning Organization, we can better coordinate regional transportation and environmental initiatives that impact our air and land. This includes exploring regional transit options such as Bustang and Front Range Passenger Rail. • Utility Reliability: I am committed to working with partners like Xcel Energy to ensure Wellington’s voice is heard regarding energy reliability and regional power outages. I take my responsibility to the environment seriously. I believe in making decisions today that protect our natural resources for the generations that follow.

To ensure Wellington remains a place where families can thrive, I focus on balancing responsible growth with economic stability. Strategic Steps for Affordability • Preventing Taxpayer Subsidies: I believe growth should pay for itself. Existing residents should not bear the burden of infrastructure costs for new developments that benefit from it. I would also not support any Town-wide ‘metro tax’. • Non-Potable Water Requirements: For new developments, I believe in a non-potable water requirement for irrigation. Utilizing non-potable sources preserves treated water, reduces utility plant strain, and keeps water rates lower. • Scrutinizing Metro Districts: I will demand firm mill levy caps on new, developer-initiated districts to protect future homeowners from runaway costs. I will also require clear timelines for transitioning board control from developers to residents. • Stabilizing Cost of Living: Housing affordability includes utility costs. Finalizing the renegotiation of our water contract and diversifying our portfolio is essential to protecting residents from volatile utility rates. • Local Control: Transitioning to Home Rule allows us to opt-out of incompatible state mandates, giving us the power to protect our local values and housing landscape. Every new development project must be sustainable for Wellington's long-term health. I weigh every proposal against what is best for the entire community to ensure families can afford to stay in the town they love.

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- Eliminating Wellington's portion of property taxes. They are government-sponsored theft and immoral in my opinion. Replace it with sales tax.

- Running on a budget surplus. At no point in time will I eve rsupport a budget that runs in a deficit.

- Fixing the power outage issue with Xcel. Fact is, this problem is purely political and financial. Everyone knows how to fix the problem, they just don't want to. That isn't good enough for the people of Wellington.

Must run on a budget surplus at all times. That principle applies the same as if I were running a personal or business budget. Further, we cannot spent millions on a community center when we cant even fix basic quality of life issues.

It's starts with Xcel and PVREA. The current board has not done enough to demand that the constant power outages and, instead, has not held their feet to the fire. This problem is not monumentally complex, either. Every utility in the world has to figure out how to parallel two different utilities together via manual 3 phase airbreak. It can absolutely be done - they just dont want to get it done.

I would incentivize developments through tax breaks. In other words, if a developer wants to build a four-uniy MF complex, I would support reduced property or NO property tax for that unit and additional tax breaks so that it makes financial sense for them, which is much different than writing a check or directly subsidizing it.