Comprehensive cancer care that sets us apart.

rent District 2 eld and has been covered previously by the Arvada Press. Neither Gri th nor Loveridge declared a party a liation on their candidate a davit.

Loveridge, a native of Arvada, said he entered the race because he feels that this election could bring a lot of turnover for council and believes he can bring experience to the dais.

“We’re not going to have a lot of experience on council of people that can mentor the ones that are still learning,” Loveridge said. “And that isn’t always the best situation. I’m a native of Arvada. And I intend to live here. I’ve raised my family here. I would just want Arvada to be at least as good as what I encountered at rst in my life here.”

Gri th said he’s had continuing discussions with supporters over the past year that has led him to seek election to council. Gri th said he waited for the candidate eld to develop before entering the

“I’ve had conversations with folks probably for the past year, it just with partners at the local, county and state level.

“I believe Arvada’s city government is really here for a small number of things; things like maintaining the roads and streets,” Marriott said. “Parks is absolutely right in the center of our of our core responsibilities; public safety, which is police in Arvada; because we provide it, water and sewer is one of those things. ose are our core responsibilities.”

Marriott added that the city should do some economic development, but it shouldn’t be its primary function.

Both candidates are running without party a liation on the ballot. Marriott said he was a Republican registered voter for “most of (his) adult life” but is now unafliated because he does not “feel like (he) ts into any of the parties.”

According to voting logs, Simpson was a registered Democrat voter in the 2022 election.

Nevertheless, both candidates maintain that there’s not much place for partisan politics in local government — at least in Arvada.

“I think party politics and party a liation doesn’t belong in local elections,” Marriott said. “ e dayto-day operations of the city does nothing partisan about any of it. It’s all about making good practical decisions.”

“ is is a nonpartisan race, and as the mayor likes to say, ‘ ere’s no such thing as a pothole with an a liation,’” Simpson said in an earlier Arvada Press interview. “We all have our values and we all have our beliefs and any voter is always free to ask me where I stand. I genuinely do not care where they come from politically. It’s my job to listen to them and to help them.”

Handling homelessness

One area where the mayoral candidates seem to di er is their approach to handling homelessness in Arvada, which both believe is among the city’s most pressing issues.

Marriott said that while he believes the city and its partners should help connect homeless individuals to resources, he would also like to see the city shield its businesses and residents from the “negative consequences” of certain interactions with homeless people.

“Our focus tends to be on those homeless individuals; how can we help them and improve their lives and thereby hopefully, remove the di culties that they create?” Marriott said. “And I think that’s a viable thing to do, but I don’t think we need to do that exclusively.”

Marriott said that if the city can help people it should, but “we can’t sacri ce what we do for the vast majority of people just to try to help a small handful of folks.”

Simpson o ered a di erent approach, though she commented that she felt that the issue is “challenging,” and stakeholders are “frustrated.” Simpson said she feels the city needs to take an active role in helping people get o the streets and doesn’t believe that can be accomplished through criminalizing homeless people.

“We cannot criminalize our way out of this problem,” Simpson said. “I don’t believe just throwing people in jail helps them. One thing I think is incredibly important that we do here in Arvada is the One Small Step program through our courts. And I have tremendous credit to give to Judge (Kathryn) Kurtz for bringing this forward and driving this.”

Simpson shared her personal experience of watching her father su er through mental health issues while she was growing up and mentioned that when she was 15, he ran away from home and was homeless for about three years.

“I understand how painful this issue can be,” Simpson said. “When you have a loved one that you desperately want to help, they may be resistant to receiving help, or they may simply just not be capable of that, or they may not be ready for it.”

Parting thoughts

Simpson credited her years of working in diplomacy and her community engagement while serving on council as experiences that have shaped her approach to leadership.

She said that her favorite part of being on council is hearing from constituents and helping them when she can; in the process, she’s become familiar with the di erent needs of Arvada’s neighborhoods and added that she feels she is the best-suited candidate to bring the growing city into the future.

“I feel like the mayor has to be really thoughtful and comprehensive and has to understand the di erent needs of the di erent parts of our community,” Simpson said. “ e west side and the east side are very di erent. So just understanding the unique needs of each further community, listening to those residents, engaging with them, hearing what they have to say, internalizing that and recognizing how they move forward in that community, meeting their needs — that’s what I plan to bring to the table.”

Marriott has credited his childhood growing up in Arvada as one of the main reasons why he found success as a businessman — and later, politician — in adulthood. He stated that he would like to win the mayorship so that he can provide the same kind of rich childhood environment for generations of Arvadans to come.

“I have been incredibly successful in my life, and it’s clear to me that a big part of my success in life was the place I grew up,” Marriott said. “I’m so convinced of how important people’s environment is; what an advantage that can be. And I really want to see other people and their children have all the advantages that I had growing up so that they can really reach their full potential —not just for them, but even for the kids who aren’t here yet.”