2021 Reporter-Herald Voters Guide by Prairie Mountain Media

VOTERSGUIDE2021 OCTOBER 10, 2021

LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD

2 •OCTOBER10, 2021 •VOTER GUIDE

Ballots must be received at the Larimer

LovelandVehicle Licensing Of fice, 200 Peridot Ave.

Estes Park

Larimer County Cour thouse, 200 W. Oak St. Larimer County Human Ser vices, 1501 Blue Spr uce Drive.

VOTER SERVICE AND POLLING CENTERS

What youneed to know to vote inthe 2021 election

Estes Park Vehicle Licensing Of fice, 1601 Brodie Ave.

a.m.-1 p.m. Satur day,Oct. 30; 8a.m.-5p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, and7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day,Nov.2.

Estes Valley Community Center,660 Community Drive.

LovelandPolice and Cour ts, 810 E. 10th St. LovelandPublic Librar y, 300 N. Adams Ave.

The centers will be open 8a.m.-5p.m.Monday-Friday,Oct. 25-29;9

Voter Service and Polling Centers will be open Oct. 25-Nov.2,and voters can go theretodropoff a voted ballot, obtain a replacement ballot, change an address, regis ter to vote, or vote on an ADA-accessible voting machine.

BALLOT DROP BOXES

Estes Park

Larimer County Cour thouse, 200 W. Oak St.

County Elections Of fice, adesignated ballotdropof flocation or avoter ser vice andpolling center by 7p.m. on ElectionDay.

For tCollinsPolice Ser vices, 2221 S. Timberline Road.

For tCollinsT raffic Operations, 626 Linden St.

For tCollinsSenior Center,1200 Raintree Drive.

For tCollinsHabitatfor Humanity Restore, 4001 S. Taft Hill Ave.

Ballots will be mailed the weekofOct.11 to all activeregistered voters.

Nor thside Aztlan CommunityCenter,112 E. Willow St

Ballot drop box locations open 24 hours aday through Nov.2,include: Loveland LovelandHabitat for Humanity Restore, 5250 N. Gar field Ave.

S. Shields St.

Accor ding to theLarimer CountyClerk’s of fice, voted ballots maybe retur ned by mail with 58 cents postage attached, or hand-delivered to a designated ballot drop-of f location or aVoter Ser vice andPolling Center

Fort Collins ColoradoStateUniversity,Lor yStudent Center Elks Lodge, 1424 E Mulber ry St.

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER10, 2021 • 3

E LEC TION I NFORMATIO N

Locations are: Loveland LovelandPoliceand Cour ts Building, 810E 10th St.

Acenterwill be open at Front Range Community College,Longs Peak Stu dent Center in Fort Col lins at 8a.m.-5 p.m. Mon day, Nov. 1, and7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day, only

South Transit Center, 4915 Fossil Blvd.

Once they have voted, people can visitvote.larimer.gov or call 970-4987820 to verify their ballots werereceivedbythe Larimer County Elections Of fice.

Ber thoud Ber thoud Community Librar y, 236 Welch Ave.

Election Day 2021 will be Tuesday,Nov.2,and Lovelandareavoters will face decisions ranging from the Loveland mayor and councilor races, to school boar dseats to three state issues.

Fort Collins ColoradoStateUniversity,Lor yStudent Center Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road.

After Oct.25, the clerk’s of ficerecommends that voters personally deliver their ballots to adrop-of flocation ratherthan mailing it.

Har mony Librar y, 4616

Estes Park Municipal Building, 170 MacGregor Ave.

Asteam members,weall must:

•Developstrong work ingrelationships.

Whether interacting with individuals or groups of people, Istar teach day with this question: What is going on right here and now,and how canI act today toensureabetter tomor row?

Over thepast six years,I have seen the commitment of LPD to acultureof change. They areembracing change through hiring, trainingand technologyto ensureanever-safercommunity for our citizens. I am confident LPD will continue this mission.

1) If elec ted, whatwould you do to encourage council mem bers to work together moreefficiently?

•Confir ming goals and objectives for meetings.

•Demonstrateconsisten cy and reliability.

•Producing practical solutions that each team member buys intoboth during and after decisions have been made.

would enhance tr ust between citizens,city staf f and City Council.

Educ ation: Bachelor’sof science in phar macy from the University of Illinois; MBA from DeVry Universi ty

•Contribute individual exper tise and infor med opinion.

•Implementingand honoring agreements and rules of engagement. Peo

Family: Wife Debbie, children David and Danielle, and 2-year-old grandson Jasper.

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Loveland Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,do youbelieve should be implemented to improvethe department?

It would be easy to provide apolitically expedient answer,but that would be wrong. Ignoring excessive force would alsobewrong. Poor actors must be identifiedand removed. Bad behavioroccurs in all organizations, butwedon’tdiscredit entireorganizations as aresult. Astablesociety expects the organization to remedy the situation and prevent future wrongdoing. Disciplinar yaction follows due process, and fouron LPD’s staff have resigned during this process. Most of our first respond ers arecaring professionals. Allpolice need training and suppor t. Bad actors should be disciplined and ter minated if necessar y. I helped for matrust com mission to review LPD along with thecity of Loveland and recommend changes to council that

We live in oneofthe most desirable places in the countr y, so we must recognize that growth is inevitable. Good strategic planningand good vision areimpor tant for responsi ble growth. High-quality jobs with benefits areneeded, as is better transpor tation. Ichampion economic development through our business community.

Overcash

Years in Loveland: 15.

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bondsorcer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

People prefer not being in debt. Debt produces stress and incurs obligations that must be met, often hampering the freedom and ability to make other choices. Debt instru ments also come with added costs.Whenever possi ble, cash up front should be the goal.

This occurs with individuals and alsowithgroups of people. Ibelieve in and attempt to practice respecting people as unique individuals who arewor thy of respect and love. Yes, we don’t talk about “love” much in government,but it isnecessar yfor relation ships to go well. The oppo-

Ever ybody on ateam wants to be hear dand play arole in accomplishing the team’s mission. Positivity and tr ustwor thiness are essential attributesfor a team to function at its best.

Af for dability for all living in Lovelandisachallenge. Homelessness is another issue that increasingly demands ourattention. However,the most significant long-ter mchallenge for the next four yearsis the samechallengeasfor the past40 years. The lack of tr ustwor thiness being exhibited throughout our nation is resulting in greater division andpolarization that could lead to societal disintegration. We need to become tr ustwor thy individuals so that tr ust, the glue of society,can be strengthened. That will be areal win for Loveland.

Ever yhuman deser ves to be hear dand treated fairly.But it is easytobe slighted or even feel we are being treated unfairly much of the time. Unfor tunately,people arejustthat —people —and none of us is per fect. Excessive self-interest often enters relationships, and things go sideways.

L OVELAND M AY OR C AND IDATE

4 •OCTOBER10, 2021 •VOTER GUIDE

ple value having expectations met.

Professional background: Principal at TopLine Growth, LLC, acorporate trainingfir mindowntown Loveland. Previouslypresident of three medicalcommunication companies; owner of aretail phar macy in nor ther nMinnesota; and aphar macist.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

•Managing time and par ticipating in meetings wheremembers stay on topic, feel they have been hear dand feel respected.

•Display intentionality driven by motives that ser ve the team, not self.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

site of love is hate, which always leads to bad outcomes for everyone.

If elected mayor,I look for wardtobringing40-plus years of teamexperience to council as the manager of council meetings.

Don Overcash

el of assurance that the debt can be fully honored and aclear understanding of the impact on overall budgets going for war d until that debt is paid.

In some situations, however,debt mustbe taken on.Buying ahome (on a personallevel) or building areser voir (in agover nmental role) aretwo such examples. Therationale for taking on debt could include ajustifiableneed for immediate purchase and rising costsover time that make the debt incur redabargain. Neither personalnor publicinvestments should be under taken without aver yhighlev-

Some steps that are impor tant for council mem bers to implement include:

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER10, 2021 • 5

PAID FOR BY:

Growth is the biggest challenge as it encompasses many aspects: housing options, availability and af for dability for dif ferent income levels and for vari ous stages of life; transpor tation and traf fic; infrastr ucture; employment and child care; quality of life; environment, water resources and conser vation; andthe revenues needed to provide for the needs of agrowing community.

Marsh

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whose voices youfeel are underrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

6 •OCTOBER 10, 2021•VOTER GUIDE

If Iamfor tunate to be reelected, Iwould like to see our City Council fully embrace Rober t’s Rules of Or der.Cur rently,weuse Rober t’s Rules as aguide; one of the areas we don’t adheretoislimiting council commentary,which follows astaff presentation, council questions and public comment. Rober t’s Rules limitscouncil commentar ytotwo speaking oppor tunities per itemand

Family: Ason, daughter-inlaw and granddaughter who liveinNor ther nColo rado.

Educ ation: Coursework in early childhood education, park management and medical assisting at West Valley College and Monterey Peninsula College.

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Ever yday people arecur rently under represented. Think of the squeaky wheel: attention is paid to the loudest voices. The average person is busy navigating life. The average person, although af fected

indeed the obligation, to defend themselves in lifethreatening situations. However,ifthe situation war rants preemptive actions to aver tthe useof force, thenthose alter nate actions must be taken. De escalation should be utilized to ensurebetter outcomes for ever yone involved. We arelucky to live in acommunitywith ver ylittle violent crime. People make mistakes; that does not automatically make them criminals. We need to increase our number of mental healthco-re spondersaswellastraining. We need to focus on public safety with de-escalation strategies and practices that have been proven to produce better outcomes. We need to recognize of ficers whose actions and contributions result in better outcomes. We need transparency,and accountability,and possiblyan oversight committee with authority to conduct independent investigations.

ing and using cash reser ves, similartoadown payment,tolower the amounttobefinanced is pr udent.Using cash reser ves to pay ourpor tion of any matching grant funds for capital projects is another good example of when to use cash. Bonding is not to be taken lightly and should be used on largeprojects when saving enough money to complete the project is impractical due to the length of time needed to accumulate the funds and when considering the escalating cost of constr uction. Imagine tr ying to save enough money to buy ahome;wemight never getthereashome prices increase faster than we can save.

L OVELAND M AY OR C AND IDATE

Jacki Marsh

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,doyou believe should be implemented to improvethe department?

Just as we finance the purchase of our homes, financing large capitalprojects may be in thebest interest of our residents, especially now,wheninter est rates areathistoric lows andconstr uction costs areescalating at alar ming rates. Capital projects such as anew fire station,improvements to our wastewatertreatment plant andChimney Hollow Reser voir aregood exam ples of when to take advantage of financing tools. Sav-

limits the length of commentar y. Incorporating these limitswould encourage council members to be concise and thoughtful, and would eliminate the back-and-for th bickering.

At the end of the day, we arenine individualswho come together to conduct the people’sbusiness.We need to takepersonal responsibility for our wor ds and for our actions, and behave in aprofessionalmanner

Professional background: Owner of Rabbask Designs,for merly abrick and-mor tar jewelr ydesign business on FourthStreet in downtown Loveland. Previously general manager of ahomeser vice business; purchasing director, purchasing manager and trade showmanager of an inter national mainframe softwarecompany; accounting positions fora mobile pager company; bookkeeper for adental clinic; and apreschool teacher for the San Jose Depar tment of Social Ser vices and for aprivate pre school.

1) If elec ted, whatwould you do to encourage council members to work together moreefficiently?

Age: 67.

by City Councildecisions, is typically unawareofand not involved with their local gover nment. Therefore, their voices arenot hear dunless something causes them to pay attention, andthen only if they have thetime andthe for titude to educate themselves on how to makethemselves hear d. Contrast that to special interest groups, who have the knowledge, resources and desireto make thesystem work for them. Special interest groups have avoice that is hear d, and they can exer ta great deal of influence. If the question is in regards to marginalized groups, then yes, they arepar tof ever yday people who are cur rently under represented.

Years in Loveland: Imoved to Nor ther nColorado in 2012.

To ensureindependent, unbiaseddecision making, Iwould like to promote adherence to Colorado’s sunshine laws,which prohibit morethan two councilors from “meeting” outside of the public eye to discuss city business. Phoning and emailing one another to collaborate on items coming beforecouncilshould be avoided,ifit involves morethan two council members.

Based on recent videos, it appears that force is an acceptable option andcan be justified under our cur rent policies. Ibelieve that most police of ficers are good people doingadif ficult job. Ibelieve police of ficers should receive direction from the top down andthat direction from the top down for ms the culturewithin the depar tment. If force is deemed nor mal and acceptable, then force will be common. Obviously,police of ficershave theright, and

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

When people ask who do I suppor t in 2021?

Re-elect Rob Molloy Ward 1; Doug Luithly Ward 2, Penn Street Ward 3 and Caitlin Wyrick ard 4

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER10, 2021 • 7

As Mayor, Jacki is active in our community and can be found volunteering at KidsPak, Sunrise Community Health Center, attending veteran’s events school events, regional meetings and serving on several boards and commissions. Jacki is committed to transparency, accountability and prioritizing the needs of people and fairness for all.

Today, as in both my prior elections, my opponent is running during his mid-term on Council, he will retain his seat on Council, even if he loses the Mayor’s race.

1) Whatcould the city do to improve the quality of lifeinyourwardspecific ally? Howwould you, as acouncilor,help accomplish that?

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settledmultiple lawsuits against police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Doyou believe thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Loveland Police Depar tment? Whatchanges,ifany,do

It was Loveland this year,now it’s theAurora Police Depar tment, and later it will be yet another depar tment. We have asituation that spans more than one police depar tment.

This means we areinthe posi tionofneeding to use financial instr uments for almost anything we want to do. Infrastr ucturehas received alower priority than tax incentives, and this needs to change.

Our minority community can be ver ypower ful. Though they are small, they have the power to tur n elections in our community. I would prefer to have to answer to the people instead of aspecial interest that buys elections.

When Italked to the for mer mayor of Westminster afew months back, he told me thatthey spent alot of time weeding out bully candidates for their depar tment. Arewe beingthat proactive?

By expecting business to stand on its own instead of endless

Twoyearsago,alot of theCity Council held apro-police rally. Whereare they nowthat our police need them? Treating our police as fair-weather props to get elected is wrong.

NA L

Water.Doesn’t matter if you know that ashare of water is $60,000 or not. Thereare only so many shares of water to go around. Climate change is showing us that we will haveless water in snow and moreinrain. Apossible solution is to look at developing Easter nPlainsreser voirs instead of scrapping forshares of water thatare left.T ime to be proactive.

2) Under whatcircumstances would you suppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capitalprojec ts? When would you prefer to seethe city payc ash up front?

Years in Loveland: 52.

Iwould nothave aproblem being seen withour police because they aregoodpeople doing an often thankless job. We could help them do their jobbetter by taking careofour homeless and mentally challenged people better instead of dumping the problem on our public ser vices.

3) Arethere anygroupsinLoveland whose voices youfeel areunderrepresent ed currently and who youwould liketo represent specific ally if elec ted?

Quite simply, the voter is under represented. Left, right, and center see the incentive programs as a waste of money.These programs weresold to the public as abenefit when economic times wereworse. Now the economy is great, time to end them. Toomany candidates have stated that we need them.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant longterm challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Educ ation: Associate’s degree from Aims Community College; associate’s degree in ar ts with an emphasis in web design from Red Rocks Community College andplacement on the Dean’s List.

While runningfor of ficein2017, I advocated for finishing 37th Street across Dr yCreek. This was done, and it has improved our transpor

incentives, we can fund this goal by investinginLoveland instead of millionaires.

Ialready havesuccessimproving the quality of life in Ward I.

youbelieve should be implementedto improvethe department?

Family: Wife andthree sons in Loveland.

Larkin ANDIDATE TEN TIO EDUC AT IO

AM YDOR AN FO RT HO MP SON SC HO OL BO ARD Paid for by The Committee to Elect Amy Doran for ThompsonSchool Boardwww.A my DoranFor TS D. or g Amy is a14-yearresidentofLoveland,aregistered nurse, a licensed fosterparent, and aTSD parent and volunteer.With adeep drivefor ser ving her community combined with her passion of public education, Amy will use her voiceonthe Boardtopromote hig h-qu alit yp ubl ic educ at ionwith the well-being of the whole student at the forefront of all she does FA IR DE DI CATE DD RIVE NR ES PE CT FU LH ONES T BUI LD ING CO MMU NI TY Iamcommitted to listening to all sides and workingwith everyone to findsolutions that arebestfor our kids. PUT TI NG ST UDE NT SF IR ST Iwill champion policies that ensure the successof every TSDstudent. IN

Professional background: Communi cations installerfor 15 years and real estate professional for three years.

Age: 52.

N Isuppor t education with choices that fit each student. Amy Doranfor TSD@ AmyD oranForTSD AmyDoranForTSD@g mail.com 8 •OCTOBER10, 2021 •VOTER GUIDE

Iwouldprefer to paycash up front for aproject. Pay as you go The tr uth is thatwehavesunk ourselves into an incentive hole via tax cuts and tax giveaways to those whoneed them the least.

tation tremendously

LenardLarkin

Our society fires of ficersthat repor tmisconduct, and we need to ask our cultureingeneralwhy that is OK.

WARD I C

The nextinfrastr ucture project I want to see is bur ying the over head lines. My neighbor hood has had two blackoutsinaweek this last year purportedly because of squir rels. This will achieve our goal.

As ataxpayer,Iwould prefer to seethe city pay as we go, either by accumulating suf ficientfunds before beginning the project or by paying for the project from cur rent revenues. Inthe instance whenthat is not possible, Iwould not object to looking at bonds and/or cer tificates of par ticipation. In all instances, I believe the taxpayers should be allowed the transparency to ensure they understand what the city is committing to and why.Tosay yes or no right out of the box would do a disser vice to the citizens of Loveland. Like anything else City Council does,it must be in thebest interest of Loveland, in line with the City Charter andout in the daylight so the taxpayers can see what is occur ring.

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,do youbelieve should be implemented to improvethe department?

Gr owth! If not planned cor rectly it willaffect infrastr uctur e, traf fic, safety, land use andour ability to continue to be aprosper ouscity.Toplan, this council needs to be visionar y. Council needs the ability to think and deliver outside the box for our citizens. Above all, they need to talk to one another, agr ee or disagreer espectfully,and move for war d doing the people’s business in anonpar tisan manner for the better ment of this city.

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflife in your ward specific ally?How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

Many of our war dresidents spend time in acom mutetotheir jobs which arenot locatedinLoveland. Some of this commute is shor t, but many have a commute to jobs that are much farther away.Using 30 minutes one way as the average,with five days as a work week, that equates to 30 eight-hour days per year.This is ahuge hit to quality of life!Asacouncilor,I wouldwork with other councilors, the Chamber of Commerce and our small business community to find away to increase

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

3) Arethere anygroupsin

Years in Loveland: Ihave lived in Loveland for30 years.

Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

can gainthe majority suppor t. Ihave had an oppor tunity to listen to most of the candidatesfor council, and most agree on the problem, it is thepath to solutionthat they disagree on. We don’thave to agree, but we do have to talkifwe aretodowhatisgoodfor ourcity.

wages at cur rent small businesses while attracting employers that would bring primar y, higher income jobs to ourarea. This will not onlyincrease the cityof Loveland’s bottom line, it will moreimpor tantly allow our citizensa better oppor tunity to workand af for dto live in our city.

Ibelieve thereisaper ception thata cultureoftol erance for excessive force exists on the Loveland PD. It is up to leadership to change that perception through transparency and communications. Ido believe mostofthe LPD of ficers aregood and strive to do theright thing for the right reason.I also believe that youwill inherently find bad people in every job; that does not make all those other of ficers bad. When somethingbad happens, it is imperative that the leadership steps forwar dand take responsibility for what is occur ring. In my yearsofleadership, I have always practiced that if my staff does well and arecomplimented, it is all

Professional background: I am an ITprofessionalwho leads an IT division forthe U.S. Department of the Interior.

on them; if they make a mistake or step out of line, it is on me as the leader.I as the leader needto accept that responsibility and find away to ensure the samething does not happen again. Ialso believe that being transparent about what happened goes alongway in gaining the understanding of those who areaffected. In any organization, cultural mindset is extremely har dto change and requires transparency,training and constant communication and reinforcement with the staf fand public. These big three over time,ifconstantly applied, will do moreto af fect the change in culture and perception. Thisisnot aquick fix!

5) What is the most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Patrick McFall

Educ ation: Bachelor’s of science in computer infor mation systemsfromRegis University; Leadership Senior Executive Fellow at the Har var dKennedy School within Har vardUniversity Age: 65.

McFall

WARD I C ANDIDATE

With the bickering and divisiveness on today’s council,I feel that all groups areunderrepresented. Iwanttorepresent those in my war dand act for all in the city.Our council is supposed toworkfor the goodofthe city and not special interest groups, personalvendettas or par tisan viewpoints. It should not matter what your political leaning is; councilors aresupposed to be nonpar tisan andmaintain that stance while working in the best interest of the citizens of Loveland. Whenamajority of councilorsvote for an item you disagree with, and the vote is against you, that is how democracy works. Walk away,doyour homework and come back with abetter solution that

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER10, 2021 • 9

Family: Wife April, daughters BreStricker and Mari on Lawson, sons-in-law Aar on Stricker and Blaine Lawson, and one grandson.

Isuppor tall groups equally and not by population numbers or specific areas of livingorincome levels sexual orientation or culturalbackgrounds. My hope is that the proposed Diversity,Equity,Inclusion and Belonging commission will give cer tain groups the voice that they deserve. Under represented groups should not be excluded. Our cityispredominantly white, which is obviously over whelming tosmaller

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

10 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

Professional background: I am aself-employed landscape architect licensed by the state of Colorado and provide design and planning forcommercial developers.

Rob Molloy

groups. These groups, which include BIPOC and LGBTQIA+, needtoberecognized and celebrated as par tofour community and given the same opportunities as any other citizens. I also recognize that the seniors areofagrowing population, especially with inmywar d, andIbelieve we need to pay moreatten tion to the Senior Advisor y Boar dand work with them to provide for the needs for our senior community.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whose voices youfeel are underrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

Age: 56.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

WARD I C ANDIDATE

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specific ally?How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

Our war d, Ward I, is mainly in the nor thwest por tion of the city. We have great access to recreation trails; however,weneed morerecreational and social oppor tunities, which would include an indoor recreational facility and an additionofa library and ar ts center.I would push to utilize the capital expansion fees collected for development to be used for these ef forts. We arealso limited in goodsand ser vices, including agrocer y store, whichhas been envisioned over the past 20 years. Ibelieve we have reached the number of rooftops in our war dwhich meets the need for agro cer ystoretodevelopand

Family: Wife Teresa, daughters Aimee and Emily,son Joey andmother Jeri.

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Doyou believe thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,doyou believe should be implemented to improvethe department?

Educ ation: Bachelorofarts in landscape architecture from ColoradoState University.

Years in Loveland: Ihave lived in Loveland for30 years.

It has been an over whelmingly dif ficult year with what has come to light with our police depar tment in the previous two years.

The lawsuits aresecondar y to the mistreatment of our citizens. Idon’t believe that thereisaculturetolerant of excessive force within our police depar tment but moreofa cultureamong cer tain police of ficers who disrespected theirunifor m. Ibelieve we need to have a stricter enforcement of the rules theofficersare to follow.I believe we need to have more stringentbackground checksonthe peo ple we hire. Ibelieve we need more transparency regar ding the violations that occur and quicker action taken when they occur.Mostofficers respect their unifor mand the job they per for m, andI believe theyhave the most difficult jobinour city.We areworking towar dhiring additionco-responders for mental health cases which is great step in improving our depar tment.

Molloy

fessional experience in land planning to understand what our city’splan ning, and development ser vicesstaffers were pr esenting befor eus. Iwas able to understand their vision of the futur egrowth within ourcityand continue to applymyknowledge in my position as acouncil or.We ar eworkinghar dto come up with solutionsfor af for dable and attainable housing, andhave been successful in some ar eas. We recently appr oved a pr ojectthat will pr ovide 54 housing units for the homeless. Icontinue to push formixed-use and commer cial zoning as par t of largehousing developments to pr ovide goods and ser vices within immediateareas to reduce the need forvehicle trips on our roads. We also need to incr ease our multimodal transpor tation oppor tunities. Thegroundbr eaking of Chimney Hollow Reser voir,whichwas 20 years in the makingwas oneproject that alleviatedour waterconcer ns for the shor t-ter mfutur e. Due to our cur rent and continual state of dr ought, we need to continue with water-saving pr ograms. These ar e some solutions to gr owth issues, butwemust contin ue to workhar dto pr ovide additional solutions to maintain thequality of life our citizens expect.

The significantlongter mchallenge we will face is achallenge that alr eady exists, and that is gr owth. As we continue to gr ow,weface challenges of af for dable housing, transpor tation, homelessness and the ability to pr ovide ser vices. Ispent 13 years on the Planning Commission priortoser ving as amember of City Council and used my pr o-

would request thatthe Economic Development Depar tment star tresearching how this can be accomplished.

Isuppor tusing financing tools such as bonds when the appropriatefund has the capacity to repay the debt and only after the citizens have given the authority to issue that debt during an election. The city should use cashwhen thereare not suf ficientresources to repay the debt or in cases when raising rates to cover debt financingwould result in rates that aretoo high for citizens to pay

VOTE for the four Thompson School Board candidates who will support our public schools and PUTSTUDENTS FIRST

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VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 11

•steps up to the responsibilities of making informed decisions by listening &being respectful to all stakeholders. Amy Doran,Jarrett Roberts, Alexandra Lessem, and Barbara Kruse

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•works together &iscommitted, collaborative, trustworthy,&community oriented.

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We believe in aboardthat:

•isdedicated to student success through diverse learning opportunities,protecting the well-being of the whole child, &attracting and retaining quality staff.

Paid for by the Committees to Elect

Jarrett ROBERTS Alexandra LESSEM Amy DORAN☑ Barb KRUSE

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Doyou believe thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,doyou believe should be implemented to improvethe department?

Educ ation: Agriculture far minsurance specialist cer tification from the Inter national Risk Management Institute; U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Adminis tration general industr y outreach instr uctor cer tification; SafeLand/SafeGulf instr uctor cer tification from PEC Safety; firepro tection specialist cer tifica tion from the National Fire Protection Association; constr uction safety training from TrinidadState Junior College;EMT-B cer tification from Front Range Community College; firefighter cer tification from Aims Community College; and ar mor crewman cer tification from the U.S. Ar my Armor School.

If properly managed,the City should have adequate funds available. Additional monies might be needed due to timing or constr uction costs and then might make bonding improvements anecessity but only on an emergency basis and rareoccasions. Loveland has aproud histor yofpaying cash for things, even the savings for our shareof Chimney Hollow. The costs ofconstr uction and delay due to litigation made that project morereasonable with bondingasagroup, but our raw water dollars protect the citizens of our city from bearing the full bur den of those costs.

We have problems. I believe we must boldly address the multitude of contributing factors that led to the issues the Loveland PD is facing today.To do that, we must investigate thoroughly all of the contributing factors rather than act rashly out of our emotions. Knowing all of the per tinent facts allows us to build astronger depar tment while keeping the aspects of our depar tment that areworking well.

12 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

One group that has been drowned outbyall the noise on council arethe citizens not seeing the work of the city getting done. As an elected of ficial,myjob is to represent ever yone in the entirecity.Itismyjob to seek out the various voices withinthe city. Fur ther more, it is my job to create collaborative approaches tocity busi ness.

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specifically? How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whose voices youfeel are underrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

Years in Loveland: Ilived in Ber thoud from1998 until 2017, when Imar ried my best friend, Kristy Hall.

Lovelandisgrowing rap idly.The councilors need to guarantee well-planned and well financed-infrastr ucture, and essential ser vices. Fur ther,weneed to fund reser ves and revise contingency plans to handle unavoidable events.

Classical School is asafety concer nand needs atten tion. Look to revitalize the west U.S. 34 area of Loveland. Befiscally conser vative with our taxpayers’ funds. Basically,weshould make sure that we arefixing streets, patrolling our neighborhoods and making it easier for people to live, work and play.

Dana Foley

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Professional background: Safety,risk and loss control specialist.

Foley WARD I I C ANDIDATE

We need to reassess and conduct an evaluation to

The council needs to get back to the basics of city business. Stoppar tisan politics and personal attacks that delay getting the work done for the city.During drop-of fand pick-uptimes, the traf fic around Loveland

Finally,weneedtofocus on community enhancements and social/economic programs to help those who need ahandup. The goal is to have avibrant community wherethe choice is easy tomoveyour family or company here. That means we mustfocus on some less flashy stuf f, like makingsureweare prepared for the future. Having some reser ves is the fastway to fix apothole.

understand and then align the community safety needs with theneeds of the depar tment to deliver the necessar yser vices to maintain public safety. Understandingthese core items will allowustodeter mine the cur rent resources available andadditional resources needed. One change that could be imple mented immediately is who from the depar tment attends the police commission. Ibelieve having a patrol of ficer versus a senior of ficer could be of value.

Age: 49.

Family: My beautiful wife, Kristy Hall, and our seven children.

Aprimary purpose of gover nment is to provide essential ser vices to the citizensand businesses to work andlive. These tools should be available and expanded whenneeded to ensurewecan consistently provide these critical services and infrastr ucture. Because the need for such

ser vices increases with population, thecur rent method of collecting capital expansion feesworks well and should be timed with improvements so that we can pay for those new items without fur therbur dening the citizens of Loveland.

Iwill push for these enhancements to be implemented and advocatefor a higherstandar dofconduct and professionalism as an elected of ficial. Iwill be available andopentoour citizens, no matter who they are, by hosting regular townhalls, meeting one on one and attending meetings for groups. Councilors need to be accessible on a regular basis. Iwill keep the focus on what is best for Loveland andits citizens to safely live, work and play

Educ ation: Associate’sin liberal ar ts from Aims Community College; associate’s in science from Nor thland Pioneer College; studied at Colorado State University,Iowa Wesleyan College and CoeCollege.

as anew recreation center or librar ycenterand would rarely be in favor of the usage of cer tificates of par ticipation to fund aproject of this sor t. The ter mof the indebtedness would always be apar tofmycon sideration. In the case of str uctural upgrades such as the provisionofbetter vehicle exhaust venting for afirestation, Iwould lean towar dpaying cash up front as long as this provides the safest solution at the lowest expense to the taxpayer.

Professional background: Retired. Previously afield engineerfor asafety cer tification fir m, laser optics lab assemblytechnician, war ranty repair technician, and aradar technician andops analyst in the U.S. Air Force.

Age: 68.

Years in Loveland: 41.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Luithly WARD I I C ANDIDATE

Family: Wife Debbie, adopted sons Dylan and Alex, biological son who died at bir th Zachariah Kennedy,sisterDiane Stone, brothers-in-law Mark Stone and Bill Sitton, and nephew Preston Stone.

Adding mental health response teams that could respond tomental health crisis situations within WardIIona 24/7basis to the tools used by theLove-

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specifically? How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

land Police Depar tment would go alongway towar dimproving thequality of life in the war d.

Most definitely,BIPOC, LGBTQ+, single parents, youth and the working poor.I would specifically represent the voices of all the people who live in Ward II equally with integrity andhonesty.

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Doyou believe thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Loveland Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,do youbelieve should be implemented to improvethe department?

With a$3 million settlement as well as at leasttwo other settlements, and others in the pipeline, Icannot call these incidents alleged anymore. The police depar tment does have a problem. Whether it is a result of aculturewithin that requires rootingout, or,ifitismanagerial issues, requiring refor m solutions, is aquestionto be answered. The entire depar tment andcommunity should be involved in seeking solutions that will eliminate the har mthat was caused to a73-year-old

grandmother with dementiaora 19-year-old abuse victim in themidst of a mental health crisis. Changes should include my answer to the first question above —mental health responseteams taken to acitywide level, dispatched directly,not involving an of ficer unless absolutely needed. Thorough training and making trainingdocumentation open to the public and accountable. Making hiring practices andvetting open to the public and accountable. Totaltransparency. We can do much better, and the community deser ves it.

Iwouldfavor the usage of municipal bonds for capital building projects such

sent specific ally if elec ted?

DougLuithly

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 13

Acquiring a floodplain proper ty at First Street and Taft Avenue, andtur ning it into an extension of River’s Edge NaturalAreawith some amenities would not only benefit the wardbut also, thelookand feel of the Taft cor ridor.To accomplish these, Iwould work in collaboration, consensus and par tnership with the City Council members, thecity manager,the Parks and Recreation Depar tment, Parks and Recreation Commission, LovelandPoliceDepar tment, SummitStone, UCHealth Mountain Crest Behavioral Health Center and the Larimer County behavioral health facility set to open in 2023 to ar rive at common goals.

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bondsorcer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Increasing the inventor y of tr uly af for dable homes and apar tments so that teachers, single-parent families, our youth just star ting out and low-income residents canhavethe oppor tunity to reach out and achieve the American dream of homeownership along with personal economic stability.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepre-

incidents of excessiveforce.Doyou believe thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Loveland Police Depar tment? Whatchanges,ifany,do youbelieve should be implementedto improvethe department?

Years in Loveland: 43.

1) Whatcould the city do to improve the quality of lifeinyourwardspecific ally? Howwould you, as acouncilor,help accomplish that?

The cityofLoveland team must ensureweare providing optimal ser vices (i.e. Pulse, water,electric, street repair,trash pickup, public safety and so muchmore) while strivingtoreach eachand ever y

Isuppor tthe menand women of the LPD 100%. Idonot believe there is a“culturetolerant of excessive force.” I’m awaiting the results of the outside investigation to have fur ther insight. Irefuse to jump to conclusions without the facts.

Educ ation: Studied at Kearney State College; graduate of Leadership Loveland in 1990.

We used financing tools for Pulse, because we have revenues budgetedtomakethe payments. I would prefer to “pay as we go,” but if we havethe designated revenues to ser vice payments, Iwould consider bonds, etc.

Professional background: Nowwork ing at Children’s Museum of Nor ther nColorado. Previously executive director and boar d member of Boys &Girls Clubs of Larimer County; employee of the city of Loveland, Duke Publishing, Miniscribe, PoudreValley Hospital, Kodakand Continental Manufacturing.

2) Under whatcircumstances would you suppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capitalprojec ts? When would you prefer to seethe city payc ash up front?

P.S. Maintaining civility in an ever-increasing climate of negativity.

www.dforloveland.com www.facebook .com/DougforLoveland Loveland City Council Ward II Paid forbyDoug forLoveland EquityFairness Transparenc yIntegrity Honesty Please Vote By November 2nd 14 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

Attainable housing. I’mchallenging all of us to think creatively: 3Dprinted housing, tiny houses,etc. Par tnerships will be key between our faith community, gover nment, businesses, nonprofits.

Iser ve to represent eachperson in Ward II. Dividingusintolabeled groups is just not howI operate.

WARD I I C ANDIDATE

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settledmultiplelawsuits against police stemming from alleged

Engagement on next steps in our ongoing focus to improve how we talk with our residents.

3) Arethere anygroupsinLoveland whose voices youfeel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketo represent specific ally if elec ted?

5) Whatisthe most signific ant longterm challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Kathi Wright

resident in atimely manner with info that assists them in living positively in our community.I will continue to contact depar tments when thereare questions to be answered and work with the Of fice of Communicationsand Wright

Family: Oneadult son, Joe.

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflife in your ward specific ally?How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

The citycur rently has a bond rating that is theenvy of other communities. This is due in par ttothe wise management of debt and limiting the city’s exposure to liability.The bonding for Pulse is an excellentexam-

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whose voices youfeel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

Professional background: Retired. Previously a licensedcer tified public accountant and par tner in the nation’s largest CFO organization, B2BCFO.

In the past year and a half, acoupleofcouncilors have advocated for anew commission for special-interest groups. It is my obser vationthat when groups that actually repre-

sent asmall percent of the population receive special representation therefollows ademand for special privileges. The creation of aspecial commission for small segmentsofthe population of Loveland divides the community.We arebetter ser ved by acommission that unites the community.I would be in favor of acitizens’ advisory commission composed of citizens representing all sectors of our community but not dominated by any one sector.That commission could ser ve to advise the councilonissues that are tr uly communityissues, not one that is solely for one minority group.

The behavior of two police of ficers in dealing with an elderlywomen with dementiacannotbe excused or overlooked. In my opinion, the couple other instances that Ireviewed could have beenavoided had the citizen cooperated with thepolicerather than escalating the situation by arguing and refusing to comply with the request from the of ficer.

Ialso have confidence in the integrity of the executive leadershipofthe police depar tment to lear nfrom past mistakesand take appropriate cor rective action. It was acommon practice during my 29 years of ser vice in the U.S. Navytocomplete what was ter med “after-action” reviews. This was areview of asignificant eventto deter mine the lessons that could be learned. When the results of allthree investigations looking into police policies and procedures stemming from the Karen Gar ner case are available, therewilllikely beanumber of recommendations that willhaveimplication for futurepolicing practices.

Years in Loveland: My wife Teriand Ihave resided in Lovelandfor 22 years.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 15

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Idonot believethereisa cultureinour police depar tment that is tolerant

Ibelieve the most significant long-ter mchallenges facing Loveland over the next four years fall under the heading of “growth.” Thereare four areas that I believe we will need to continue to address, per haps moreaggressively than the past and theyare:attainable/af for dable housing, homelessness, traf fic and water.

Age: 74.

Ward IIIisa ver ydiverse war d. For those along the Colo. 402 cor ridor,which is the second of two east-west accesses to Loveland, traf fic has grown to be asignificantirritation. For those in the downtown area, the growing number of homeless on the streets is an emerging concer n. As kids reach adulthood, the high cost of housing is abar rier for many whodesireto remain in Loveland. Ihave

Family: Ihave twosur viving children. My oldest daughterdied of melanoma in 2008. Teri and Ihave 13 grandchildren andone great-granddaughter.I am blessed in that all my children andgrandchildren (except agrandson in the U.S. AirForce) reside with in 25 milesofmyhome.

been working on all these issues for the past four years. Iamthe liaison to the Af for dable Housing Commission andthe Loveland Housing Authority The primar yfocus of both is to expand our inventor y of af for dable homes. Like many of our citizens Ihave par ticipated in the public for um for crafting avision for the 402 cor ridor and addressing the overall traf fic concer ns of all of Loveland. Ihave been the city representative to the Larimer County Behavioral Health Commission, where Ihaveadvocated for the addressing of the unique needs of thehomeless population to receive ongoing suppor tsuch as getting to and from medical appointments. Ihaveadvocated for the cityhiring what has been termed a“lead agent” to develop astrategic plan for homelessness in Loveland andcoor dinate among the numerous nonprofit and faith-based organizations currently ser ving the homeless. That is soon to be implemented.

of excessive force. The Lovelandpolice had over 100,000 interactions with the public this past year. Of ficers aretrained to exercise restraint. Citizens arenot, and if dr ugs or alcohol areafactor,asitua tion caneasily escalate.

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,doyou believe should be implemented to improvethe department?

SteveOlson

ple of using debttofinance amunicipal project. The key to using bondsis ensuringthereisadesignated revenue stream to repay the bonds. In the case of Pulse, the payments for ser vices by subscribersisthe revenue stream that repay the bonds. Cer tificates of par ticipation areanother alter native, but again, Ibelieve theremustbeadesignated revenue stream to ensure repayment of thepurchasers of the cer tificates. I believe the city should be capped as to the amount of debt that thetaxpayers are at risk for.Loveland should not become adebtor city.

Olson

WARD I I I C AND IDATE

Educ ation: Bachelor’sin health careadministration from George Washington University; master’s in financial management from the Naval Postgraduate School. Ialmost have sufficient credits for asecond master’s degree in statistics.

16 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bonds or cer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Iwouldsuppor tusing

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,do youbelieve should be implemented to improvethe department?

silencedinLoveland.I will represent all of Loveland. I am someone who lives with adisability and knows how easy it is to be pushed to the side. Each and ever y one of us hasa right to have our voices hear d, to be seen,and to have oppor tunitiestospeak to City Council on thedecisions being made that impact residents’ lives. Diversity makes our community stronger.City Council is supposedtoleave their par ty lines and personal interest at the door.I know how to communicate across lines and show respect while disagreeing. The City Council needs to be open and respectful to all groups.

Professional background: Entrepreneur,business owner,special education teacher,development and outreach director for local nonprofits, talent relations specialist (Denver,Sun dance and Telluride film festivals), full-contact selfdefense instr uctor,independent living skills instr uctor,inter national leadership trainer,Americans with DisabilitiesAct coor dinator,public speaker,lobbyistfor the National Federation of the Blind and accessible emergency and disaster preparedness consultant.

Educ ation: Early childhood education cer tification from Front Range Community College; inter national leadership training from LionsClubInter national; ADA coor dinator cer tification from Great Plains ADA Center

Age: 53.

Years in Loveland: 11.

All groups arebeing

moments of our lives. Isuppor tnew training protocols to be implemented. The cur rent training has proven it is not suf ficient to keep residents or of ficers safe. Isuppor thiring full-time mentalhealth workers that can accompany of ficersoncalls. Isuppor tthe police havingtwo of ficers in one car so they will have the constant suppor toftheir par tner.AsI understand, right now, each of ficer hastheir own car or motorcycle. Iwould request asur vey to be done to see if it isnecessar yfor each LPDofficer takinga carhomeincreases safety in their neighbor hoods.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Ibelieve Loveland is par t of the national culturetolerant of excessiveforce. I strongly believe most police of ficers choosetheir careers to be part of serv ing their communities and protecting us from har m. They arethereatthe worst

Family: Husband Moses; daughters Chantr yDasaro and Tate Chartrand; sonsin-law Patrick Dasaroand Jabin Char trand; grandchildren Olive, Wesand Dylan; guide dogBeethoven.

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specific ally?How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

The citycan improve

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whose voices youfeel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

financing tools tofund capi tal projects if it was afiscally sound project that improved quality of life for Lovelandresidents. Af for dable andattainable housing, community use projects andgrocer ystores are examples of projects I would support if they followed this criteria. Iwould suppor tcashupfront on smaller projects or projects wherebonds or cer tificates of par ticipation did not make financial sense. As a taxpayer, Iwantour City Council to make financial decisions that positively impact our residents and keep ourbudget sound.

quality of life in Ward IIIby increasing infrastr ucture safety.Weneed to increase safety by fixing broken sidewalks andputtingin missing sidewalkstocreate safe routes to walk. This issue impacts Ward III morethan the other war ds. Audible signals and safe crosswalks areneeded in our growing communities. Lovelandneeds morebuses ar riving moreoften and moreroutes so that itisa valuable solution to our heavytraf fic flows. Ihave hear dfrommany war dresidents that heavy-traf fic areas around schools need speed limitsdecreased. I would advocate for grants fromthe state to help of fset the costs. Iwould request allocation of funds from the citytomatch the potential grants. Colorado’s Depar tment of Transpor ta tion of fers grants to increase safety in communities. Iwould ask developers to be alargerpar tof the solution in connecting sidewalks andcreating safer traf fic flow whenplanningtheir projects.

Ibelieve the most significant long-ter mchallenge for Loveland is building tr ust between residents, the City Council and the LPD. Withouttrust, respect is notpossible. Without respect, it is not possibletoworktogether. I believe having adiverse City Council and full-time mental health workers on LPD is astar t. It will take time to build tr ust, andI feel we can do it!

Penn Street

Street WARD I I I C AND IDATE

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

4) In the past year,the city of Loveland has faced and settled multiplelawsuitsagainst police stemming from alleged incidents of excessiveforce.Do youbelieve thereisaculturetolerant of excessiveforce within the Love land Police Depar tment? What changes,ifany,do youbelieve should be implemented to improvethe department?

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specific ally?How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

The most significant long-term challenge Loveland will face is managing growth. Many of the challenges we arefacing now result from population growth. Morepeople are moving herethan we have housing for,whichisdriving up housing costs. Our roads arehandling far morevehicles than they weredesigned for.And the cost of water is going through the roof.Ifwe grow too fast, we risk losing the Loveland character and culturethat make us special.Ifwegrowtoo slow,weend up like Boulder,where the median home price is $1.5 million. The onlyanswer is to look at the horizon, and plan for the future. We need to planfor Loveland 20, 50 and 100 years into the future, and create resilient infrastr ucturethat will grow and adjust as ourpopulation and economy shift over time.

Educ ation: Bachelor’sin computer engineering from the University of Evansville.

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 17

The tragedy of what happened to KarenGar ner is deeply troubling to me. Anytime people who are entr usted with oursafety abuse thatauthority,it’sa travesty, and we can’t tolerate it. Iwanttolive in acity whereour residents feel completely comfor table calling on our police depar tment for help when they need it.

The city’s primary impact on quality of life in WardIII is deciding how our tax moneyis spent. Budgeting isn’t asexy topic, but it’sthe most critical functionofCity Council. I have hear dfromresidents that they areupset their alleys aren’t wellmaintained. When Icontacted the city about it, they said the alley maintenance budget has already been spent. This maintenance backlog can only be addressed by allocating moneyneces sar ytoproperlymaintain our infrastr ucture.

One idea that Ihave is to create an appthat allows people to easily submit their issues to the proper city depar tment and receive aresponse in areasonable timeframe. This could also be used to gather input from Lovelanders on City Council’s weekly issues. They couldreceive athree-question sur vey about these issues and links to information about them.

pay thisdebt of f. Examples whereIthink bonding was appropriate include Pulse and the Chimney Hollow water storage project.

Years in Loveland: Five years indowntown Loveland; 30years in Nor ther n Colorado.

Thereare times when we don’thavethe cash to pay for aproject in advance, and starting the project now is necessar ytosecure our future. When we do this, we must alwaysmake surethat we have contingency plans andrevenue to

In the instance of Pulse, inter net is an essential utility today. Phones, medical careand education all depend on theinter net Loveland’s broadband ser vice had beenavir tual monopolyfor 15 years, and the incumbent provider lobbied our Congress to maintain that monopoly. Municipal broadband was the onlyfeasible way to create competition, andwe all know free markets requirecompetition.Since Pulse was announced, inter net ser vice bills by incumbent providers have decreased for many because we created acom petitiveenvironment.

Age: 45.

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bondsorcer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Unless thereisacompelling reason, we should save money topay forour expenses in cash up front.

Family: Wife Christina Gressianu, daughter Allie, father Vi,grandparents Vi and Betty (lived in Loveland from 1956 until they both passed away), dog Abby andcats Maya, Huck Finn and TomSawyer

We’reliving in atime when theloudest voices arethe only ones heard. They may or maynot even be the majority. Iwantto make sure that thequiet, caring people of Ward III arehear d. And Iwant ever yresident of Loveland to know that Iamsomeone who will listen to their concer ns and challenges, and help them whenever Ican.

Professional background: Web developer,ITprofessionaland small business owner.

WARD I I I C AND IDATE

being exposed to people in crisis day after day.We need to create aculture wherepolice of ficers receive mentalhealthsuppor tand treatment without stigma. Our first respond ers arecritical to Loveland being asafe place to live, and they need our support, and they need accountability when our tr ust is betrayed.

city understand thewill of our people. Itwould also help citizensunderstand budget tradeof fs that our city hastomake.

Ihavealso hear dfrom our residents thatthey don’t feelhear dbythe city. Communication is atwoway street, and Loveland needs to do abetter jobof communicatingwhat’s going on and listening.

Chimney Hollowisjustified because water storage is critical to Loveland’s future.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently, and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

Vi Wick am

Police of ficers arepeople too. Their kids go to school with our kids, and they shop at the same grocer y stores as us.They arenot immune to the stress of

We should use par ticipator ybudgeting to engage our people andhelp the

Wickam

Age: 65.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently, and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

nothing happens until a majorityofcouncilors agree on the project in question. Iwouldsuggest that thecouncilorsin which theproject resides take the leadindata analy sis and conclusions during council discussion.

Idonot believe there is a culture tolerantofexces sive forcewithin the Loveland Police Depar tment. However,asinany large organization, thereare bad apples that need to be root ed outand addressed. We must remind ourselves that once improprieties arediscovered, all U.S. citizens aretobegiven due process. We must notr ush to judgment beforeall the facts areclear; however, once the investigations are complete, punishments need to be swift andappropriate for allguiltypar ties

If elected, Iwould clearly like to reach out to the Hispanic community to get a feel for what needs they have. I’ve been able to be help somewhatinthe Hispanic and other minority communities through my work with LovelandHabitat for Humanity as past president and currently with LovelandHousing Authority on its boar dofdirectors. This involvement has been at ahigh level, but Iwould

thing.

Years in Loveland: 13.

For the past fewyears, the City Council has not functioned well. Meetings runbythe current mayor arenot ef ficient. Often the agenda is left unfinished, so the topics peoplecare about arepostponed to a later date, which exacerbates thenext meeting. This is notwhat the people of Loveland deser ve. It is the responsibility of the mayor to runanefficient meeting and theresponsibility of councilors to listen while respecting all viewpoints, providing input (without venom), and voting their conscience. Different opinions arehealthy if communicated inanoncombative way by both sides. Once we tur nthe climate around to one of camaraderie, the council can provide the leadership necessar ytoonce againdo great things for Loveland.

Educ ation: Bachelorof business administration in finance/insurance from the University of Iowa.

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specific ally? How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

18 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

also like to be moreonthe front line. Iwouldimmediately reach out to local minority leaders to direct me in what needs to be done andthen worktogether to ensureithappens.

WARD I V C ANDIDATE

Jon Mallo

Paying up front is always the best choice. However, thereare times when budgetsare tight, andprojects need to be done quickly. Bonds canthen be used to stretch out the payments over time and give the city someroom to breathe. There arealso instances when interest rates and ter ms aresuch that it’s smar ttotakeadvantage of them. In these cases, these options areusedas tools to provide better options for the city. Again, paying up front always is the best choice. But, just as in personal finance, sometimes loans areanecessary

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

Professional background: Cur rently retired from Swiss Re,the largest reinsurer in the world, aftera 43-year career as acom mercialunderwriter, including 20 yearsinmiddle management roles.

Mallo

Family: Wife Kathy, children Kaity and identical twin sons Drew and Ross, and daughter-in-law Amy.

Ward IV continuesto grow to the eastand south of town. Smar tgrowth can provide good quality jobs for the entirecitizenr yof Loveland. At the same time, we have the responsibility to improve infrastr uctureinhigh-growth areas.

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bondsorcer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

Proper traf fic flow is imperative. Between buildings and streets, it would be nice to plan for parks and green space. Of course,

regar dless of rank. It is the responsibility of thepolice chief, city manager and City Council to provide this oversight.

We areinneed of additional grocer ystores. We’veexperienced increased residential growth on both the nor th and east sidesofLoveland. I’ve hear dfromresidents from these areas who are asking for this.

council.City Council is elected to representall people in thecommunity regar dless of personal interests. Ican assureyou that Iwill be thoughtful with ever yvoteand protect the integrity andfutureof our community.

Isuppor texpanding our mental health co-responder program so thereissomeone on shift 24/7 dedicated to mental health-related calls. At arecentCity Council meeting, members of the LPD made it clear they feel abandoned. The frequency of excessive force allegations against individual of ficers has placed an increased bur den

Age: 32.

suppor tthe worktoseek out grants and other creative funding options to help fill gaps of priority projects.

on the rest of the depar tment. This canand will take a toll, so I also suppor t additional mental health ser vices for employees of the LPD

Improving the quality of life would requireafocus on infrastr ucture. This includes safer walkways and connectivitythroughout Loveland. While our local transit system has made great strides over the years, an online por tal or mobile app forbus passes would help. To solvethis,I suppor tseeking funding sources such as grantsor other creative options.

WARD I V C ANDIDATE

1) Whatcould the city do to improvethe qualityoflifein your ward specifically? How would you, as acouncilor, help accomplish that?

2) Under whatcircumstances would yousuppor tusing financing tools,such as bondsorcer tific ates of par ticipation, to fund capital projec ts? When would youprefertosee the city pay cash up front?

We need acouncil composed of people who will make decisions with allresidents in mind. We needa visionary andinnovative

Years in Loveland: Born and raised. My family has called Loveland home for over 100years,and Iama seventh-generation Lovelander.

Wyrick

Additionally,weneed to invest in filling thegaps of our footpath, sidewalks and bike paths. Working with the state to fill sidewalk

Fiscal responsibility is at the forefront of my concer ns. We owe ittoour community to thoroughly and responsibly consider all projects andpar tnerships. We need to make surethe investments in our community aresustainable and net positiveretur ns. We must givedue diligence to assessing risk and always doing right by our residents.

Financing tools should be used in emergency situations for projects that have adeadline and when the costtobor rowisreasonable. When considering these tools, we must bring the voters to thetable and let their voices be hear d.

We live in apar tofColorado that is in high demand, so having asus tainableinfrastructureto suppor tgrowth is amajor concer n. Attainable housing, higher-payingjobs and attracting businesseswho reflect ourcorevalues will be cr ucial to sustaining this growth.

Iamcommitted to listening to Loveland residents and thoroughly considering and scr utinizing any proposal that will come beforeme.

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 19

It’s no secret: The Loveland Police Depar tment has found itself at the center of attention lately.

Caitlin Wyrick

Educ ation: Studied at Front Range Community College; multipletrainings and courses in the financial industr y, managementand lending. Iwould consider myself anon-traditional student.

The law enforcement profession is challenging, and those who choose itdo so because they want to ser ve and keep their community safe. Weneed a healthy police force. We need to healthe breach and rebuild the tr ustwith our LPD.

Family: Husband Richar d, 8-month-old son Sebastian, and many generations of my family in Loveland.

As we consider ourtimelines andfinancing,we may choose to use cash on hand to help fund aproject and finance the remainder of the project.Inaddition, I

In my industr y, we take feedbackseriously.Wewelcome it and use it to hold ourselves accountable and improve our policiesand procedures. If acomplaint isreceived, we scr utinize ourselves and find ways to do better.The LPDisina positiontodosomedeep reflection and makesubstantialchanges and improvements.

We must considerthe amount of risk we take when not completing projects long ter mand we must consider the risk when considering financing options. Both area deli cate balance but arenecessar ytohelp our community thrive.

When considering financing tools for projects we must consider thecost to bor rowand theretur non investment. For example, cur rently the cost tobor rowisminimal due to historically low rates. While considering theamount of interest to be paid,wemust also estimate the amount we would pay in the long runifwedonot choose a financing option. If we wait to fund priority projects we could lose money, essentially costing the taxpayers and the city more.

3) Arethere anygroupsin Loveland whosevoicesyou feel areunderrepresented currently and who youwould liketorepresent specific ally if elec ted?

Iwill represent the residents of my ward and the residents of Loveland. Collectively,weare Loveland, and every voiceshould be hear d. Thedecisions made by City Councilhavelasting ef fects on residents now as well as in the future. Iwill be acouncilor who considers ever yvoice.

5) Whatisthe most signific ant long-term challenge youbelieve Loveland will face over the next four years?

gaps along U.S. 34 would be agreat star t.

Professional background: Banking industr yfor more than 13 years andcur rently manages ateam of bankers at FNBO in Loveland; executive director of local nonprofit Hear tand Sol.

Family: Wife,one fourthgrader,and several foster childrenwho went to ThompsonSchools.

volunteer oppor tunities, and stress to all residents that astrongpublic education system suppor ts our entireeconomy and society.

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching students about racism,

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the distric tcompared to the rest of the state?

Doran

social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

Age: 49.

4. Whatdoyou thinkisneeded to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

lum, andmuch more. Through my role on this committee, Iknow that improving CMAS scores is acomplex task, but it can be done. Teachers have told me they’d like assessment days beforeschool star ts to help them evaluate students to see where they str uggle and excel. That would help them tailor their teaching plan beforeschoolbegin instead of spending the first month figuringout how to best help each child. I’d also work to expand the district’s professional development oppor tunities and advocatefor smaller class sizes andearly intervention programs so students get a boost beforethey fall behind. Finally,asafoster

Years in Loveland: 14.

School shouldpreparestudents toliveand work in our global society. Cur riculum should be well-rounded, balanced, andadhereto state standar ds. When the boar dadoptsnew cur riculum, it’s important that we seek input from parents, students, staf f, and community members to make sure it ser ves our students well. Iwill make surewelisten to this input as the boar d makes cur riculum decisions.

Cities with strongpublic education systems have lower crime rates, abetter economy,and ahighly skilled workforce. Attracting and retaining excellent teachersand suppor tstaff is the foundation of that strong education system. Our district is str uggling to hirepsychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, paraprofessionals, and aides. When we don’t support studentswith theseser vices, all the responsibility falls to the classroom teachers. This af fects all students. Hiring and retaining staf fwill requirecreative solutions, such as collaborating with the citytosecureaffor dable housingand childcare for staf f, as well as advocating for adequate funding from the state. We are doing so many great things in this school district, and we have room to build upon our success. I’m looking for war dtobeing par tofthat ef for t.

AmyDoran

One thing school boar d members could do to engage the community is to be present at theschools they represent, and talk to teachers, students, and families. I’ve volunteered often at my daughter’s school, but I’m looking for war dtoattending aband concer tatLucille Er win Middle School, volunteering at Read Aloud Day at Coyote Ridge, and much more. Most of the residents in Thompson School District do not have schoolaged children at home. But these residents areso impor tant to thesuccess of our public schools. I’d work to improve our outreach to those residents, seek their involvement in various committeesand

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t?

S CHO OL B OARD D ISTRICT B C AND IDATE

We’velear ned that vir tual lear ning is difficulton students, families, and teachers. Most kids lear n best in-person, with their teachers, suppor ts, and friends.I want to make surekids stay in school and not retur ntovir tual lear ning. State and county public health of ficials stronglyrecommend that studentswear masks while COVID-19transmission remains dangerouslyhigh in our community to help kids remain in school for lear ning. If students have to stay home because they arequarantined or because their teachersare sick and thereare no substitutes available —a problemeven beforethe pandemic— the studentslose. And Iwill always put students first. I’m lookingfor wardtothe day whenwecan put COVID, and masks, behind us.

20 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

I’ve served on theSchool Accountability Committee at my daughter’s school. This state-mandated parent committee of fers feedback to the principal and staf f about test scores, cur ricu

School is astudent’s fulltime job. They arethere seven to eight hours aday It is their social environment. Studentsdeser ve to be taught afact-based cur riculum about allsubjects, including histor yand social issues.Students need to see themselves and their familiesrepresented and discussedinschool.

parent, Iknow that if children str uggle in theirpersonal lives, it’s dif ficultfor them to take schoolwork or tests seriously.I’d work to make sure thedistrict of fers ef fectivemental health and behavior health programs so all students have achance at academic success

Age: 54.

and innovativeways to fill in any achievement gaps. Teachers and parents must work together to help our children set their ownacademic goals. Goal-setting increases positive lear ningoutcomes across all subject areas, including math, science, and reading. We must encourage parents and caregivers topar ticipate in their child’seducation andhelp themunderstand howtosuppor ttheir student’s lear ning at home. When we do this, TSDwill be the highest per for ming districtinthe state. Now that’s agoalwor thfighting for!

Americanhistor y), we need to teach facts. Any related explanations or commentar yshould be well-balanced and free of political bias.

We shouldteach ourchildren that America is a melting pot, that all are welcome, and that all are respected and accepted regardlessofraceoreth nicity. Isn’t this how we treat people in the real world? In my neighbor hood, we have Black families, Hispanicfamilies, whitefamilies, andmulti-racial families. And we all treat each other withkindness andrespect. These lessons arebest lear ned in the real world and in the home, notinour schools. Thisishow we positively impact futuregenerations, our countr y, and the world. Regar ding American history,weneed to teach histor y —a chronological recor d of events. When we teach Americanhistor y(and it is the school’s role to teach

I’m not surewhat changed,and Idon’t know when it became the gover nment’sjob to decide what medications our children take or what they should wear on their faces.

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

school mask mandates because the data show that children can attend school safelywithout wearing masks. Ultimately, Itrust parents to make the best decisions for their children.

Vicino

involvement from community members, we must reach out,par ticipate in the community,and encourage ever yone’s involvement. After all, the schoolsdon’t just ser ve students and families —they impact ever ything and everyone within our community. When elected, Iwillopenly and rigorously debate any and all issues that come to the boar d. Iwill pursue the best possiblesolution to ever ychallenge. And Iwill ensurethat your voice is hear d.

Transparency.When we present issues using ambiguous language, we do our community a huge disser vice. Why would they show up if they don’t understand the severity of the issues? We mustpro vide clear,honest statements about the issues that under mine student achievement in our district. If we want continued

In or der to increase CMAS scores we MUST focus on academics. Cur riculum is the area of concer n. We must provide our studentswithrobust and rigorous cur riculumfreeof political bias. We must drill-down on individual student data so that we understand each student’s strengths and challenges. Then we can findcreative

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t? Academics. We need to focus on academics. The purpose of ourschools is to educate in all coresubject areas (math, science, reading, writing,etc.).Our students arecapable of lear ning —and to pin theblame of substandar dtest scores on race, ethnicity,orsocioeconomicstatus is insulting to students and their families. When teachers, administrators, students, parents, andcaregivers focus on academic achievement andset academic goals, students succeed.

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 21

•T rust the people, be tr uthful, and do notrely on coercion.

BeforeMarch of 2020, vir tually all wester ncountries and the WHO had a two-steppolicyprescription for handling apandemic:

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the distric tcomparedtothe rest of the state?

Family: Motheroftwo, stepmom to two, one in 11th grade.

After ayear and half, we have amassed a lot ofdata related to COVID-19, and our decisions regarding mask mandates musttake that data into consideration. We cannot institute a “one size fits all” policy because one size doesn’t fit all. Many Wester nEuropean countries don’thave

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching studentsabout racism, social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

4. Whatdoyou think is needed to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

Years in the area: Six-plus.

Deborah ‘Dee Dee’Vicino

S CHO OL B OARD D ISTRICT B C AND IDATE

•T ry to ensurethat life is as normal as possible, except for those who need protection (suchasthe elderly and the infir m).

Roberts OARD D ISTRICT C C ANDID AT

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching studentsabout racism, social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

E VISION •Business development, both large and small: providing practical incentives as away of competing and aconser vativeapproach to business regulations •Createmorejobs with opportunities forcareer advancement •Increase Loveland’stax base in order to pay forthe supportive ser vices forpeople in need •Maintain and cultivateorganizations that supportaffordable housing •Dignified eldercare •Increase productivity of the Loveland City Council meetings through collaboration ACHIEVEMENTS •A lifetime career of business analytics and management on local, national and international levels •Past boardpresident forLoveland’s Habitat forHumanity •Cur rentlyser vesonthe Loveland Housing Authority boardof commissioners •Ser vesonthe boardfor Greenhouse Homes at Mirasol, aLoveland skilled nursing community •Endorsed as acandidatefor city council by the Loveland-Berthoud Association of Realtors(LBAR) www.MalloForCouncil.com Please Vote JonMallo for Loveland City Council, Ward 4! 22 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

The Thompson School District recently hireda COVID-19pandemic response coor dinatorwho will advise on thebest strategytodeter mine when it is safe for rolling back these implemented safety tools such as universal mask wearing. We arein unprecedented timesand have asked alot from our community overthe past 18 months. As this pan-

We shouldadd atwo-way discussion for um as par tof the public comment section at the Thompson School Boar dmeetings to increase community involvement. This would open thedialoguebetween the boar dand thepublicto empower the communityto know their voices have been hear donvarious issues during School Boar d meetings, discussions, and decisions.

The Thompson School District obtains awealth of data from theCMAS tests each year including math and language ar ts scores and par ticipation by school, grade, andclassroom. As in the past, the ThompsonSchoolDistrict needs to use that data to work with each individual school, grade, andteacher on how best to raise the scores for that specific school, grade, andclassroom with the use of limited resources.

Student success.

ThompsonSchool District has arigorouscur riculum approval process that includes publicreview and discussion to ensurethat the cur riculum follows state standar ds. Students from all backgrounds need to be able to lear nabout the pastinorder to make well infor med futuredecisions as adults. Schools

Family: Mar ried, two children at Mountain View

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t?

need to teach the histor yof America with an age-appro priate approach andwithout bias, that is in accor dance with thestate of Coloradoeducationstandar ds and the district

S CHOOL B

JarrettRober ts

Occupation: Cer tified public accountant.

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the distric tcompared to therestofthe state?

4. Whatdoyou thinkisneed-

Years in Loveland: Eight.

Age: 54.

demic continued to change through multiple waves,we have hadtouse various tools to combatthe vir us and provide asafe work and learning environment for teachers and students.

approved cur riculum.

ed to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t?

Years in area: 21.

working in theclassroom. The boar dneeds to create oppor tunities outside of the boar droom, to meet with allmembers of the districtwhere open, honest dialogueisencouraged, respected, andlistened to.

As aboar dmember,I will focusoncreative solutions for ahealthy andpositive environment in which ever yone hasownership and whereevery childis educatedtothe best of their abilities. My focuswill be on the corepurpose of public education, which is to teach children how to read, write, perfor mmath, understand science and to develop criticalthinking skills. Working together, we can ensure that par ents/kids/teachershave the tools needed in the classroom and cur riculum is objective, fact based and neutral.Ensureevery classroom is asafe environment wherekids feel welcome to express their ideas and perspectives and embrace lear ning.

tric tcompared to therestofthe state?

Nanc yRumfelt

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 23

Age: 60.

The key is to define clearly what is theissue, and it’s notthe CMAS scores. Kids arenot lear ning conceptsina way that creates tr ue understanding and comprehension of the subjects. We must have an objective and arobust discussion of what is the root causeofkids not lear ning. Over the years numerous changes to cur riculum have been implemented, moremoney spent on professional development and moremoney spent on admin staff with no improvement in lear ning.

Rumfelt

In talking with parents, teachersand others in the community, thereisdistr ust thatthe boar dwill believe whatissaid if it goes against theboar d’s view of the district. I remember when for mer boar ds held community for ums in the schools to find out from parents what their concer ns were. The Boar dofDirectors must lead theway in creating a districtwhere parents are tr usted and believed, teacherscan speakfreely about what works and what doesn’t work in theclassroom, kids arelistened to, and communityinput is welcome. The boar dmust lead by example and show acommitment to seeking the tr uth of what is or isn’t

Family: Husband, three daughters (two graduated from Thompson), two grandchildren, one in Thompson.

Beforewespend anymore timelooking for asolution, we must make surewe set high standards for all children with afocus on academic excellence in ever y classroom.

S CHOOL B OARD D ISTRICT C C ANDID AT E

4. Whatdoyou think is needed to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

The medical professionhas lear ned agreat deal about what worksand what does not work with preventing and treating COVID-19. Common sense solutions such as disinfecting sur faces, hand washing and making healthy life choices have themost benefit in preventing COVID-19.The small and debatable health benefitsofa face maskare overshadowed by thenegative impact on achild’sabilitytofocus, learn and interact withtheir teachersand classmates. The decision to mask, to vaccinate or other medical decisions, must be made by parents whom I tr ust know best for their

At the star tofthe pandemic, no one knewwhat best practices looked like.

child.

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching studentsabout racism, social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

Occupation: Fractional chief financial of ficer.

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the dis-

The teaching of American histor ywhich includes racism and slaver y, must be taught using objective facts and pr esented using cur riculum that is not focused on pushing apar ticular nar rative. Using age appropriate materials, kids should be taught why our motto of “E Pluribus Unum” is what makes America so unique and why people arewilling to risk their lives to become American citizens. American is not per fect, but our founding principles and documents arewhy we continue to be the beacon of hope for freedom throughout the world. Par ents and teachers alike, want the classroom to focus on education and to leave the discussion of social issues, values and morals in the home with parents.

Law

Our CMAS scores arelow.I don’t want to just blend into the background when it comes to academic results. Iwant to have acultureofexcellence in our schools. High test scoresdon’tstart with cur riculum,they begin with self master y. Ifir mly believe in theold adage, “If you want your life to change for the better,start with making your bed.” One of the most ef fective ways we can improve test scores is to improve the personal expectationsand accountability of ourstudents. This way of thinking is common place among many private and char ter schools whoseacademic scores dwar four own. Another

Family: Wife, four children pulled from Thompsontohomeschool.

My goal is very straightfor war d. Iwill not allow the personal bias, opinions or agendas of theschool boar dtodictate thedecisions that af fect ever yfamily in thedistrict. I will draw aline in the sand and give theschools back to the children andthe parents who pay for them. We will hear ALL of thepar ents andI vowtorespect their wishes for their own children. The parents will finally have astrong voice at the district level.

E 24 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

Occupation: Entrepreneur.

Age: 41.

Years in the area: 10.

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focus within the school distric t?

S CHOOL B OAR D D ISTR ICT E C ANDID AT

set an example of that in all you do. Whenyou makeamistake, you need to clearly acknowledge any wrongdoing andbegin in earnest to repair any damageyou have done. Children need to be taught with absolute clarity that we areall par tofa world family that deser ves respectand love. Thesad and racist acts of the past can never be lost to histor y, but the bulkofthe lesson should always be focused on unity,love and the growth thatwehave attainedasanationaswehave worked towar dovercoming them. Americanhistor yiscrucial. Our children must be taught the impor tance of their heritage. They must be taught of the sacrifices that weremadeinorder forthem to live in thefreest nationinthe histor yofthe world.

My personal stance on the schoolboar d-enacted mask policy is that Iwould want par ents, teachers, administrators and staf f to individuallymakethe choice on whether or nottomask. My political stance leaves room for compr omise,mygoal would be to pr esent an email poll with arange of possible solutions to thebody of parents,teachers, administrators and staf f. The results of the poll would be repor ted back to the recipients along with an appr opriately weighted compr omise thatr epr esentsthe results of the poll.Ibelieve on issues wher e ther eissuch polarization, it is impor tanttohearall sides and make compromises.

way to improve our academic results is to realign our focuson kids who arefalling through the cracks. The desperate anddrawn out str uggle that my wife and I went through to finally receive an IEP plan for oneofour children anda 504 plan for another taught me thereisa severeneed for growth here.

4. Whatdoyou thinkisneededto increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

Another simple answer,just involve the parents in the decision making process. The best wayto alienate apopulation is to ignore them. It’s no wonder why the school boar dhas troublegetting the community involved. When was the last time you received an email from theschool board saying something like, “Wedon’t know exactly howtoproceed here, so we need input from ever ypar ent in the districttomake sure that our decision is in linewith the people who matter most?”

It’s innate. My answer only needs to draw on my experience as aparent. If you want your children to view ever ybody with love and compassion, youfirst need to

3. Whatisyourplantoaddress CMAS scores in the distric tcompared to the rest of the state?

Blake Law

2. Whatroledoschools playinteaching students about racism, social concerns and the histor yofAmeric a?

Iaminfavor of the mask mandate. There is good evidence showing masking to be an ef fective way to slow thespread of COVID and keepstudentsin school. It also helps to ensureteachersand staf f inthe schools do not become ill. The Larimer County Depar tment of Public Health, the Colorado Depar tment of Public Health and Environment, and the CDC allrecommend universal maskingin schools.Asanurse practitioner,the health andsafety of my patients depends on my knowledge and adherence to evidencebased guidelines and recommendations.Following publichealth recommendations regar ding COVID reflectsmypersonaland professional commitment to carefor the community.

implementation.

CMAS scores across the state, and in the Thompson School District, declined last year after not having testing in 2020. Therewas also significantly lower par ticipation which makes comparisons dif ficult.

While TSD students per for med better thanthe state average in some areas, therewereother areas whereTSD students werebelow theaverage. It is concer ning that only about 21%to40% of students taking the tests met or achieved expectations depending on grade and subject area. CMAS scores areanimpor tant par tofa child’s overall curriculum. Teaching methodologies must be reviewed and updated to ensurechildren arereceiving the best possible education. What happens in schools, however, is not the onlydeter minant of how achild will scoreon astandar dized test. Hispan ic, Black, andlow-income students consistently score significantly lower than white or higherincome stu-

dents. Morework needsto be done to better ser ve those students.I was pleased and interested to see at the boar dmeeting on Sept. 22 that these groups in TSD areabove the state average.Raising thebar for allstudents, while working on outreach ef for ts to help close the achievement gap,isan impor tant priority for me. This can be done through working with parents and other community stakeholders to help provide the best lear ning environment and circumstances for all our students.Itisimpor tant to think aboutthe whole child and what factors such as hunger,homelessness, lack of resources and lack of suppor tat home contribute to test scores. KidsPak and other innovative programs in the schoolswork to help address these underlying issues. Iwould be suppor tive of expanding and building on these ef for ts to ensureweare meetingthe socio-emotional needs of children to helpthem excel in school.

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t?

AlexandraLessem

Age: 46.

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the distric tcompared to the rest of the state?

Occupation: Nurse practitioner.

Lessem

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

My primar ygoalis ensuringour public schools remain strong as the backbone of our community.The school district is one of thelargest employers in thearea. The schools impact thousands of our residents directly or indirectly.The education children receive shapes who they willbeascitizens and communitymembers in the future. Ibelieve in suppor ting strong teaching and lear ning to ensureall studentshave theoppor tunity to thrive and succeed.

Just as Itrust the guidelines tohelp me carefor my patients, Itrust the public health recommendations for our community and willadvocate for their

see the relevance of the school boar dmeetings and decisions to themintheir daily lives. People arebusy and have many competing interests andwillnot be engaged if they don’t see it as impor tant. Reaching out to dif ferent groups, par ticularly those who areunderrepresented, and talking to people about theirideas and concer ns is agreat star ting point and Iwill work to do that. If people feel hear d, valued, and respected, they will be moreinterested in par ticipating. Iwould also encourage people who cannot attend meetings in person to watch and keep up to date on the district website.

S CHOOL B OAR D D ISTR ICT E C ANDID AT E

VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER10, 2021 • 25

Family: Husband, two sons in Thompson Schools.

Years in Loveland: 17.

4. Whatdoyou think is needed to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

Ibelieve schoolsshould teach students the facts about our histor ywhether they aregoodorbad. The histor yofthe United States is complicated. Ithink it is impor tant for allofusto look at ourselves and our histor ywith an honest and analytical lens in regards to race and other aspects of our society.Our countr y has achieved great accom plishments over the course of our histor y, but we are not per fect. To have asolid knowledge of what the United States is today,itis impor tant for students to lear nthe whole picture. Studentsshould be educated to be competent thinkers and be able to sift through all the infor mation and come to their own reasoned conclusions

Ithink people need to

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching studentsabout racism, social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

4. Whatdoyou think is needed to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

3. Whatisyourplanto address CMAS scores in the distric tcompared to the rest of the state?

ver ydif ficult. Beinginand out of school for quaran tines or closures did not allow for asuccessful year for most situations. We wanted our studentsto have time to lear nwith their teachers, not spend time preparing for CMAS. The CMAS test is only a snapshot of astudent’s lear ning, many additional ar tifacts canrepresent their knowledge.

Occupation: For mer public school teacher

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

S CHOO L B OARD D IST RICT F C AND IDATE Elect Penn Street LovelandCity Council Ward 3 pennforloveland.com penn@pennforloveland.com 970-430-3858 Penn for the People Decades of experience ser ving on and chairing local, state,and national boards, commissions, and coalitions. Entrepreneur and advocate for equal rights. Priorities •Affordable and Attainable Housing •Public Safety •Transportation •Fiscal Integrity •Community Inclusion I’m listening. Your voice matters. 26 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

Age: 73.

area of need, but through addressing the literacy for K-3, we will be able to impact math because of the amount of reading that occurs in math. This past year wasnot agood picture of what our district tr uly represents. COVID-19 made theprocess of testing

Family: Twodaughters who graduated from ThompsonSchools.

Lear ning in our world today is muchdif ferent than what it was at one time. In today’s world we all need to lear ntowork with others, be accepting of others and lear ntocollaborate withothers to be productive members of society.Weare all dif ferent, and each one of us deser ves to be honored and valued as aunique individual. Our countr y’s histor yhas gone through many changes,and all aspects should be included with respect and tolerance

My stance on the mask mandate is that if it keeps the students in school and in-person lear ning with their peers and from their teachers, then that is what weneed to do. Once the numbers drop significantly, wecan look at other options. No one liked the way last year went, so we wanttoavoidthat as much as possible.

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focuswithin the school distric t?

This is an interesting question because of the politicsthat seem to be entering thepicture.

the community areinter ested all of the time, of course we would like more. Most issues arenot divisive, but having community engage is alwaysa plus. We generally haveheld for ums wherecommunityand parents have an oppor tunity to be involved andpar ticipate in communitydecisions.

BarbaraKruse

2. Whatroledoschools playin teaching students about racism, social concerns and the histor y of Americ a?

Kruse

Iwant our community to be proud of our school district and tr ust thatweare tr uly making decisions that have thestudents always at the center.We havemany projects to finish to make the schools safe and secure for our students. Our districtshould be adistrict that families want to be a par toffor theirchildren.

ThompsonCMASscores arebeing studied and evaluated for areasofconcer n, but alsoareas of success. We know that math is an

Years in area: 49.

School boar disnonpar tisan because we are focused on needsofchil dren. Many members of

Occupation: Qualitycontrolchemist.

Family: Mar ried with three children in the district.

lenges because the gut and the brain areinconstantcommunication, andifthe gut is unhealthy,it can cause attention disor ders, mooddisor ders, and hyperactivity disor ders. Educating parents about this important dynamic will empower them to improve their child’s lear ning potential.

Mental wellness and mental fitness areter ms Iwant our students, especially our teens, to understand. When our students areempoweredtoimprove their mental fitness, it will naturally improve their innateability to lear nand understand.

4. Whatdoyou thinkisneeded to increase interest from the community universally in school boardmeetings,discussions and decisions?

5. Whatisyourprimar ygoal or focus within the school distric t?

My primar yfocuswill be on academic excellence andraising proficiency levelsinreading and math. Fewer than 50% of our students areproficientatmath and/or reading at gradelevel by third grade. This is adirect result of the cur rent boar d’s lack of attentiontothe basics (math, science, reading, writing,etc). Childrenneed to be “reading to lear n” after thir d grade, and iftheyaren’t able to, they will continue to fall far ther behind. We need to address the root cause issues, we need to remove distractions like ideologies, philosophies, and politics in the classroom, andweneed to remove barriers to lear ning, which includes mentalwellness and mental fitness challenges.

LisaWinbourn

Since Iamstill researching Iwill preemptively say thataddressing mental wellness and removing distractions in our schoolsystem will play arole in my plan to address CMAS scores in ourdistrict. I want input from teachersabout what their greatest obstacles and str uggles arerelated to teaching kids foundational reading and math skills.

To increaseschool boar dmeeting interest from the community, we need better email communication andsocial media marketing for boar dmeetings.Weneed better sur veys to bring awareness to

the topics at hand. We canalso add a“fun factor” by doingsimple drawingsand triviafor those who par ticipate in boar dmeetings.

IDATE Lets work towards... Attainable Housing Planned Growth MorePublic Transportation ving the People Since 1973 Serving the People Since 1973 Serving The Change Loveland Needs, The Voice Loveland Deserves Less Traffic www.mcfallforcouncil.com Patrick@mcfallforcouncil.com VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 27

Since masks areamedical device and there arerisks associated with wearing masks, we need to tr ust parents to decideif wearing a mask is beneficial or har mful to their child, based on their unique situation and their unique child. The school boar dshouldnot make aone size-fits-all policy about mask-wearing.

3. Whatisyourplantoaddress CMAS

S CHOO L B OARD D

Schools and educators should have afact-based, unbiased approach to teaching historical infor mation about racism, social concer ns and the foundation of America.Wecan acknowledge past mistakesand empowerstudents tothink abouthow they can best suppor tand respect people from all backgrounds. There is no place for shame, blame or victimization in ourcur riculum. Our educators should lead withpositive, inspirational, and creative energy for abetter world. Iwill ser ve on the boar dwith all students in mind, period.

Years in area: 22.

scores in the distric tcompared to the rest of the state?

F C

Another key component will be addressing attentiondeficit and hyperactivity disor ders, which are around 10% of children and growing ever yyear.Mostparents are not awarethat attentiondeficit disor ders arepar tially caused by poor nutrition and poor guthealth. Poor gut health cancause lear ning chal

Winbourn IST RICT AND

1. Whatisyourstance on the recently enac tedmask mandate across the school distric t?

2. Whatroledoschools playinteaching students about racism, social concerns and the histor yofAmeric a?

Age: 42.

Judy Solano, aretired teacher andfor mer Democratic state representative, is par tofthe No on Prop 119 campaign. She calls the measuredeceptive and wor ries about alack of oversight for the boar dthat’ll distribute funds.

These types of oppor tunities help children not just academically but with their social and emotional skills and creative development, she added.

Saja Hindi: 303-954-3379, shindi@denverpost.com or @bysajahindi

WHATOPPONENTS ARE SAYING

C OLO R AD O 28 •OCTOBER10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

“Weneed to be prioritiz-

Three issue committees have registered with the ColoradoSecretar yof State’s of fice to oppose the campaign, including the Cannabis Community for Fair ness and Safety

Smith, who is also the boar dpresident for Colorado Leads, acoalition of cannabis business leaders, said the industr yisalready high ly taxed.

Her group opposes money being moved from the ColoradoLand Boar dT rust that Solano said could instead go towar dK-12public schools

Delanie Holton-Fessleris the co-owner of Denverbased Craftsman &Apprentice, which provides crafts workshops and camps during and after school. She said that even though her organization provides sliding-scale tuition and ReSchool Coloradohas helped with scholarships to families, thereare stillsome that str uggle to access their programming

The measurecalls fora5 percentage point increase by 2024 on the state’s 15% sales tax for recreational marijuana by 2024 (star ting with a3%rateincrease in 2022 and 4% in 2023). If passed, about $20 million a year would also go towar d the enrichment programs from the Colorado Land Boar dT rust, accor ding to a Common Sense Institute repor t, though that number could fluctuatedepending on state land revenue.

But Solano also wor ries about the program ser ving as a“quasi-voucherpro gram.” Although the financial aid goes directly to students and their families and cannot be used for tuition, the money could be used for private programming and even religious institutions if the boar dconsiders them eligible providers.

The Colorado Education Association,the state teachers union, initially cameout insuppor tofthe measure, but is now neutral.

aresobeneficial to all Coloradans, why aren’t other industries asked to paytheir fair shareofthese taxes?” he added.

“This initiativeimposes a regressive taxonpeople’s pain, especiallyveterans, teachers and the elderly who need cannabisfor medicinebut can’t get amedical car d, and while local communitiesgenerate this tax, local school boar ds have no say over the education programs it pays for,” Chuck Smith, CEO of Bellrock Brands, saidinastatement.

“If these ballot measures

Proposition 119 will ask Colorado’s voters on Nov.2 whether to raise the state’s recreational marijuana sales tax to bring in about $137 million ayearfor out-ofschool educational programs for children ages 5-17 —with apriority on kids from low-income households.

Anew nine-member state agency —separate from the ColoradoDepar tment of Education and the State Boar dofEducation would administer the Lear ning Enrichment and Academic Progress Program, in which each eligible child would receive at least $1,500 in financial aid beginning in 2023. The money could be

Advocates from the Yes on Prop 119 Campaign say the measurewould lead to equity in education.

BY SAJA HINDI

access to these kinds of enriching oppor tunities.”

CEA President Amie Baca-Oehler tsaid while the group’s boardunderstood how chronic under funding leads to education equity issues making their way onto the ballot, thereare questions about how the program would get implemented, howthe boar ddispersing the money would workand how ruralcommunities that don’t have the same oppor tunities as those in urban areas would be able to get those resources.

THE DENVER POST

Themeasurehas support from across the political spectr um and areas of the state, and for mer Republican Gov.Bill Owens saidin astatementthat’s because “they understand the futures of so many of our young people —who are our futureemployees, employers, and community leaders —are on the line.” He also said the measure would help close an oppor tunity gap that grew wider during the COVIDpandemic.

“Webelieve it’s unnecessar yand feel like this is just adiversion of public monies for public education,” Solano said.

The proposition “gives parents control over the opportunities that theyseek out for their kids,” HoltonFessler said. “… We want to level the playing field for kids and give them all

Proposition119 asks voters to raiserecreational marijuanataxes forout-of-schoolenrichment programs

used for tutoring, support for children with special needs and lear ning disabilities, career and technical education training or other types of enrichment programs.

WHATPROPONENTS ARE SAYING

ing funding our schools ade quately,ensuring that our public schools havethe resources that they need so that no matterwhereachild lives, what theirZIP code is, that they haveaccess to oppor tunities that will help them thrive and succeedin our public schools,” she said.

HERE’S WHERE THINGS GETTRICKY

Here’s how this usually goes:Onceaproposed measurequalifiesfor the ballots, campaigns have afew months to state their cases and voters decide. If the measureisapproved, the state prepares to enact any resulting law changes.

Proposition 120: AColoradoproperty tax cutthatisn’t what it seems

“It’s going to be abattle of which one wins out,” Fields said. “Onehundredpercent, we’regoing to sue if it passes.”

BY ALEX BURNESS THE DENVER POST

By the time SB21-293 got going, it was too latefor Colorado Rising State Action to update its measureby adjusting language. Getting approval to circulate petitions can take months—

Pretty straightforwar d, right? Not in the case of Proposition 120 on the Nov. 2ballot.

Here’s how Republican state Sen. Bob Rankin put it in an inter view with The Post earlier this year: “Do we really want to cut the budget for firedistricts? I mean, really.That’s what will happen.”

the state income tax. Proposition 120 is in the same vein, seeking to lower propertytax rates on homes and businesses for an average annual $1 billion combined savings for taxpayers. The measurewould cut the residential proper ty tax assessment rate from 7.15% to 6.5% and the non-residential proper ty taxassessment rate from 29% to 26.4%.

He argued thelegislature had an ethical duty to inter vene.

Cr ucially,italso rewrites state proper ty-tax laws to breakbusiness andresidential assessment categories into smaller subcategories.

AlexBurness: aburness@denverpost.com or @alex_burness

For one, it wasn’t entirely neutered by lawmakers:

collecting signatures can then also take months and they’d have had to star t all over.

WHATIS PROPOSITION 120?

Lawmakers opposed this proposal because cutting proper ty taxes per manently and at such ahigh rate would have profound impacts on local gover nment operations fr om schools to parks to police depar tments. That’sthe likely basis for opposition campaigns this fall, too.

C OLO R AD O VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 29

Acoalition of Colorado lawmakers —mostlyDemocrats but with several GOP suppor ters —saw this billion-dollar tax cut coming and wanted to stop it. So, in the closing hours of this year’s legislative session, they took the unusual step of passinga bill to thwar t Proposition 120.

For merly known as Initiative27, the ballot measure is backed by the conser vative nonprofit Colorado Rising State Action, which has suc cessfully fought for several recent policies to limit gover nment spending in the state, like capping new gover nment fees and cutting

Whysuppor tProposition 120?

Whyoppose Proposition 120?

It’s also possiblethat the measurecould be enacted in its original intent. Michael Fields, the director of Colorado Rising State Action, vowed that if voters pass it,hewill sueunderthe argument that of the competing policies —SB21-293 and Proposition 120 —the one most recently approved should be implemented.

On June 23, the day Gov Jared Polis signed the bill into law,the ballot measure applied to outdated state law.And that was the point: The bill lawmakers passed ef fectivelynullifiedclose to 90% of the savings promised by the ballot measure.

Under theupdated state law, it stillprovides atax cut for multifamily residentialproper ties and commercial lodging proper ties.

SB21-293 makes atwoyear cut that will bring total proper ty tax collections down by about$200 million ayear,and allows some proper ty taxpayers to defer por tions of their payments.

Saja Hindi: 303-954-3379, shindi@denverpost.com or @bysajahindi

“It’s impor tant that we receive those funds quickly, and that they not get tied up in, for lack of abetter ter m par tisanbickering,that they come directly to the counties as quickly as possible, and Iamconcer ned that Amendment 78 doesn’t anticipate that situation and can really have aver ynegativeeffect on my community should we encounter such events,” Pogue said.

WHATOPPONENTS ARE SAYING

It’s alayer of bureaucracy, opponents said, and would have unintended consequences —like taking longer to get money for state emergencies or makingit har der for Colorado to get grant awards.

mit CountyCommissioner Tamara Pogue brought the lawsuit.ItnamesFields, Suzanne Taheri (an attor ney who is registered with the secretar yofstate’s of ficefor Amendment 78) and Secretar yofState Jena Griswoldasdefendants.

Pogue also opposes Amendment 78 because of its potential impacts on

His group had been discussing this initiative even before thegovernor needed toallocate federal stimulus money during COVID, whenFields said theamendment “became much more relevant.”

“This is aPandora’s box, and Ithink once people look at it, they’regoing to have a lot of questions about what this thing does,” he said.

Backers wanted lawmakers and the public to have a say on whereinterest money from settlements to the

C OLO R AD O 30 •OCTOBER10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE

WHATPROPONENTS ARE SAYING Executive Director Michael Fields of the conser vative political advocacy organization ColoradoRising State Action said the goal is to increase transpar ency and accountability on how state money is spent and ensurethat the state legislaturedoes so through its budgeting processes.

Custodial money,which “originates outside state gover nment,” the state’s ballot “Blue Book” said, could include funds for emergency relief, federal funding for state programs, legal settlements, transpor tation funding, grants and even gifts anddonations.

Gov.Jared Polis’office declinedtocomment on the measure, as did the attorney general’s of fice, the latter citing the pending lawsuit.

Amendment 78 will ask voters whether to require the Colorado Legislatureto approve spending of all state money, including what’s refer redtoas“custodial money.”

Scott Wasser man, president of the progressive Bell Policy Center and Bell Action Network, and Sum-

Although theColorado Secretar yofState’s Of fice approved the measurefor

Wasser man also said he’s spoken to alot of people who didn’t fullyunderstand that the ballot measure could af fect ever ything from research dollars to transit.

In astatement, Griswold’s of fice said “the case raises impor tant constitutional issues, andwelook for ward to having acourt resolve the questions presentedbythe plaintif fs.”

“This kind of flies against the spirit of what we have in our laws,” Wasser man said.

The lawsuit alleges that the measureshouldn’t have been placed on the ballot because it doesn’t meet the constitutional requirement that any question on an of fyear election ballot must involve the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

attor ney general’s of fice goes and money from private donations;Fields pointed to the gover nor’s use of donations to fund positions in his of fice.

BY SAJA HINDI

The measure, if passed on Nov.2,would also require the custodial money to be placed in anew fund. Lawmakers would likely have to develop anew process on how to spend the money and include apublic hearing.

THE DENVER POST

delayingfunding for emer gencies like wildfires, something Fields argues won’t happen if the legislaturehas aprocessinplace to address these types of situations.

Fields called the lawsuit frivolous and without merit, saying it meets all requirements and is coming too close to theelection.

the ballots thatare expected to be mailedthe week of Oct. 8, apending lawsuit filed Sept. 23askedadistrict cour ttoeither have the secretar yofstate’s of ficeto revoke the conservativebacked measurefromthe ballot or make surevotes cast have no legaleffect.

Amendment78asksvoterstorequireColorado lawmakerstoapprove allstate spending

“It getsmor epeople involved and mor evoices heard when it comes to allocating that money,” Fields said.Itleavesthe decisions in the hands of the lawmakers elected acr oss thestate, he said, rather than justone gover nor or attor ney general.

Because this would requireachange to Colorado’s Constitution, the amendment needs at least 55% of the vote to pass.

Tyler Gearhart

Blake "No Mandates"

Meosha of

YES/FOR

Ballot Issue 300 ORDINANCE CONCERNING RETAIL MARIJUANA SALES TAX IN THE TOWN OF WELLINGTON, COLORADO SHALL THETOWNOFWELLINGTON TAXES BE INCREASED BY $400,000.00 IN THE FIRST FISCAL YEAR AND BY WHATEVER ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS ARE RAISED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, BY IMPOSING AN ADDITIONAL SALES TAX OF 3.5% ON THE SALE OF RETAIL (RECREATIONAL) MARIJUANA AND RETAIL (RECREATIONAL) MARIJUANA PRODUCTS AS DEFINED IN THE COLORADO RETAIL MARIJUANA CODE, CONDITIONED ON THE VOTERS OF THE TOWN ALLOWING THE SALE OF RETAIL (RECREATIONAL) MARIJUANA AND RETAIL (RECREATIONAL) MARIJUANA PRODUCTS BY SEPARATE ACTION, WITH THE RATE OF SUCH TAX BEING ALLOWED TO BE DECREASED OR INCREASED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2022, WITHOUT FURTHER VOTER APPROVAL SO LONG AS THE RATE OF THE TAX DOES NOT EXCEED 5%, WITH THE REVENUES DERIVED FROM SUCH TAX TO BE COLLECTED AND SPENT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ARECREATIONAL CENTER OR GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES AS DESIGNATED BY THE TOWN ON AN ANNUAL BASIS NOTWITHSTANDING ANY REVENUE OR EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS CONTAINED IN ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 1 OF TITLE 29, COLORADO REVISED STATUTES, OR ANY OTHER LAW?

SA MPLE BALLO T

Caitlin

BallotIssue 6B

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

CouncilorWard

Board of Education Director District C 2YearTerm (Votefor One)

SAM PLE BA LL OT USE; SUPPORTING THE COST OF STAFFING AND GENERAL OPERATIONS; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO LEVY APROPERTYTAX AT ARATE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE THIS INCREASE, COMMENCING WITH TAXES PAYABLEIN 2022 AND CONTINUING EACH YEAR THEREAFTER (EXPECTED TO RESULT IN AMONTHLY TAX INCREASEOF $2.97 FOR EACH $100,000 OF VALUE IN 2022); AND SHALL THE DISTRICT ENTITLED TO COLLECT, RETAIN SPEND THOSE REVENUES IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER TAXES, FEES OR OTHER REVENUESOFTHE DISTRICT AND NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LIMITATION OR RESTRICTION OF ARTICLE X, SECTION20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION, OR WITHOUTREGARD TO THE 5.5% PROPERTY REVENUE SECTION 29-1-301, C.R.S.

Wickam Steve Olson Penn Street CouncilorWard 4 4YearTerm (Vote for No More Than One)

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

Board

Director District C 4-Year Term (Votefor One)

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

Ballot Issue 6C

Larimer County Eagle Crest Public Improvement District No. 74

Board of Education District 4YearTerm (Votefor One)

Brooks Board

Jarrett Roberts

HOME

2YearTerm (Vote for No More Than One)

Board of Education Director District 4YearTerm (Votefor One)

AND

Education Director in Director District F for afour-year term (Votefor One)

SHALL TAXES BE INCREASED $65,000.00 ANNUALLY (IN THE FIRST YEAR) OR SUCH GREATER AMOUNT AS IS RAISED IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PROPOSED EAGLE CREST PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 74 BY THE IMPOSITION OF AD VALOREM PROPERTY TAXES AT AMILL LEVY RATE NOT TO EXCEED 52.367 MILLS, THE REVENUES OF WHICH WILL BE COLLECTED BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER, SUCH REVENUES TO BE USED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ROADS AS REQUESTED IN THE PETITION FOR CREATION OF THE DISTRICT AND FOR THE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES; SHALL EAGLE CREST PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 74 BE CREATED; AND SHALL THE PROCEEDS OF SUCH TAXES, THE SPECIFIC OWNERSHIP TAXES RECEIVED BY THE DISTRICT AND INVESTMENT EARNING ON BOTH CONSTITUTE VOTER APPROVED REVENUE AND/OR SPENDING CHANGES AND BE COLLECTED AND SPENT BY THE DISTRICT WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY SPENDING, REVENUE RAISING OR OTHER LIMITATION CONTAINED WITHIN ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT AND EXPEND FROM ITS MILL LEVY ANY SUCH AMOUNT WHICH IS MORE THAN THE AMOUNT WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE PERMITTED UNDER THE 51/2% LIMIT PROPOSED BY SECTION 29-1-301, COLORADO REVISED STATUTES IN 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER?

Eric W. Dobbs

SHALL TAXESBEINCREASED $52,500.00

Deborah (Dee Dee)

of Education Director in Director District B for afour-year term (Votefor One)

Issue 6A SHALL THE PRAIRIE TRAILS PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO.

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

END OF BALLOT WARNING: Any person who, by use of force or other means, unduly influences an eligible elector to vote in any particular manner or to refrain from voting, or who falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any mail ballot before or after it has been cast, or who destroys, defaces, mutilates, or tampers with aballot is subject, upon conviction, to imprisonment, or to afine, or both. Section 1-7.5-107(3)(b), C.R.S. SAMPLE BA LLOT VOTER GUIDE •OCTOBER 10,2021 • 31

Ragland Board of Education Director in Director District D for afour-year term (Votefor One)

Law

Director

SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED $137,600,000 ANNUALLY ON RETAIL MARIJUANA SALES BY ACHANGE TO THE COLORADO REVISED STATUTES CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE OUT-OF-SCHOOL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLORADO CHILDREN AGED 5TO17, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, CREATING AN INDEPENDENT STATE AGENCY TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES CHOSEN BY PARENTS; FUNDING THE PROGRAM BY INCREASING THE RETAIL MARIJUANA SALES TAX BY 5% BY 2024 AND REALLOCATING A PORTION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS INCOME; AUTHORIZING TRANSFERS AND REVENUE FOR PROGRAM FUNDING AS A VOTER-APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE; SPECIFYING THAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE TUTORING AND EXTRA INSTRUCTION IN SUBJECTS INCLUDING READING,MATH, SCIENCE, WRITING, MUSIC, AND ART, TARGETED SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND LEARNING DISABILITIES, CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION TRAINING, AND OTHER ACADEMIC OR ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES;AND PRIORITIZING PROGRAM FINANCIAL AID FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS?

NO/AGAINST Ballot Question 3A Shall the Town of Windsor, without increasing taxes by this measure, be authorized to provide high-speed internet services (advanced services), telecommunications services, and/or cable television services, including but not limited to any newand improved high bandwidth service(s) based on future technologies, to residents, businesses, schools, fire and rescue service providers, libraries, nonprofit entities and other users of such services, either directly or indirectly with public or private sector partners as expressly permitted by Title 29, Article 27 of the Colorado Revised Statutes?

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST Proposition119 (STATUTORY)

OR ANY OTHER LAW? YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

Ballot 33 TAXES BE INCREASED $78,000.00 ANNUALLY (ESTIMATEDFIRST FISCAL YEAR DOLLAR INCREASEIN2022), AND BY WHATEVER ADDITIONAL AMOUNT AS MAY BE RAISED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, BY THE IMPOSITIONOFANADDITIONAL MILL LEVY OF NOT MORE THAN 14.676 MILLS (FOR ATOTAL MILL LEVY OF NOT MORE THAN 30.004), THE REVENUES OF WHICH WILL BE COLLECTED BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTERAND USED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, IMPROVEMENT AND CONTINUEDMAINTENANCE OF ROADS IN THE DISTRICT AND FOR THE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES OF THE DISTRICT ALL AS SET FORTH IN THE 2007 PETITION FOR IMPROVEMENTS AND CREATION OF THE DISTRICT, AND SHALL THE PROCEEDS OF SUCH TAX, THE SPECIFIC OWNERSHIP TAXES RECEIVED BY THE DISTRICT AND INVESTMENT EARNINGS ON BOTH CONSTITUTE VOTER APPROVED REVENUE AND/OR SPENDING CHANGES AND BE COLLECTED AND SPENT BY THE DISTRICT WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY SPENDING, REVENUE RAISING OR OTHER LIMITATION CONTAINED WITHIN ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT AND EXPEND FROM ITS MILL LEVY ANY SUCH AMOUNT WHICH IS MORE THAN THE AMOUNT WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE PERMITTED UNDER THE 51/2% LIMIT IMPOSED BY SECTION 29-1-301, COLORADO REVISEDSTATUTES, IN 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER?

SHALL HARVESTHEIGHTS PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 72 BE CREATED; AND SHALL THE PROCEEDS OF SUCH TAXES, THE SPECIFIC OWNERSHIP TAXESRECEIVED BY THE DISTRICT AND INVESTMENT EARNING ON BOTH CONSTITUTE VOTER APPROVED REVENUE AND/ORSPENDING CHANGES AND BE COLLECTED AND SPENT BY THE DISTRICT WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY SPENDING, REVENUE RAISING OR OTHER LIMITATION CONTAINED WITHIN ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT AND EXPEND FROM ITS MILL LEVY ANY SUCH AMOUNT WHICH IS MORE THAN THE AMOUNT WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE PERMITTED UNDER THE 51/2% LIMIT PROPOSED BY SECTION 29-1-301, COLORADO REVISEDSTATUTES IN 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER?

Kristen Draper

Director

1 4YearTerm (Vote for No More Than One)

Lenard

Proposition120 (STATUTORY) Shall there be achange to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning property tax reductions,and,inconnection therewith, reducing property tax revenue by an estimated $1.03 billion in 2023 and by comparable amounts thereafter by reducing the residential property tax assessment rate from 7.15% to 6.5% and reducing the property tax assessment rate for all other property, excludingproducing mines and lands or leaseholds producing oil or gas, from 29% to 26.4% and allowing the state to annually retain and spend up to $25 mi lion of excessstate evenue,ifany,for state fiscal years 2022-23 through 2026-27 as avoter-approved revenue change to offset lost revenue resulting from the property tax rate reductions and to reimburse local governments for revenue lost due to the homestead exemptions for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans? YES/FOR NO/AGAINST Ballot Question 2A May previously approved sales and use tax revenuescontinue to be applied to pay costs of Parks, Trails and Open Spaces as well as Streets? Maythe 1% Sales and Use Tax previously approvedbythe electors of the Town of Wellington for the construction and reconstruction of Wellington streets be used at the discretion of the Wellington Town Board of Trustees, for the continued purpose of development and maintenance of Wellington Parks, Trails and Open Spaces within the Town for the periods between January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2031?

YES/FOR

Vicino

Barbara

Natalie Hurianek

Berthoud Community Library District LarimerCounty Prairie Trails Public Improvement District No. 33 Larimer County Harvest Heights Public Improvement District No. 72 Ballot Issue 6D SHALL BERTHOUD COMMUNITY LIBRARY DISTRICT TAXES BE INCREASED $1,275,000 ANNUALLY FOR COLLECTION BEGINNING IN 2022, AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTERBYANADDITIONAL PERCENTAGE EQUAL TO INFLATION PLUS ANNUAL LOCAL GROWTH AS DEFINED IN ART. X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION, WITH HALF THE TAX INCREASEEXPIRING AFTER THIRTY YEARS,TOMAINTAIN EXISTING SERVICES AND TO MEET THE INCREASED DEMAND FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES, WHICH MAY INCLUDE: CONSTRUCTION OF ANEW, LARGER LIBRARY BUILDING TO MEET GROWING COMMUNITY NEEDS; SEPARATE SPACESFOR CHILDREN AND TEENS NEW COMMUNITY MEETING ROOMS, INNOVATION LAB, AND RECORDING STUDIO EXPANDED COMPUTER LAB AND INTERNET CAPACITY FOR PUBLIC

2 4YearTerm (Vote for No More Than One) Dana Foley Kathi Wright Doug Luithly CouncilorWard 3 4YearTerm (Vote for No More Than One)

Board of Education Director District 4YearTerm (Votefor One)

YES/FOR

S AMPLE B ALLOT City of Loveland St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J Thompson SchoolDistrict R2-J Poudre School District R-1 Poudre School District R-1 Weld County School District RE-5J Estes Park School District R-3 Aims College District Official Ballot for Coordinated Election Larimer County, Colorado Tuesday, November 2, 2021 AngelaMyers Clerk and Recorder InstructionstoVoters To vote your ballot: Use black ink. Fill in the oval completely. Do not mark in any of the incorrect ways shown below. If you make amistake, ask for anew ballot.

Larkin Patrick McFall Rob Molloy

Wyrick Jon Mallo

Amy Doran

NO/AGAINST

TAX

CouncilorWard

NO/AGAINST Ballot Question 2B Allowing the sale of Medical andRetail Marijuanainthe Town of Wellington. Shall the sale of Retail and Medical Marijuana be lawful in the Town of Wellington and shall the Town be authorized to issue licensesfor the sale of Retail Marijuana andMedical Marijuanainthe C-3 zoning district in accordance with the referral ordinance submitted to the Town Board by the Town Clerk on May 11, 2021 and published on the Town's website?

YES/FOR NO/AGAINST

Karen

Mayor

Jacki

Nancy Rumfelt

LIMITATIONOF

Marsh Don Overcash

Abshier Sarah

Alexandra Lessem

Kruse Lisa Winbourn

District D 4-Year Term (Votefor One) Brady Beall Jim Brokish Tom Griggs Director District E 4-Year Term (Votefor One) Jeannette Gaiter Carolyn Reed Director DistrictG 2-Year Term (to fill remainder of unexpired 4-year term) (Vote for One) Jessica Zamora Brandi Aspinall Director DistrictA 4year term (Vote for one) Sara Hall Director DistrictC 4year term (Vote for one) Write in Director DistrictE 4year term (Vote for one) Thomas Farmer Michael Wailes School Board Director At Large (4-Year Term) (Vote for no more than three (3)) Peggy Mauerman Ava Kendall Courtney Cabrera Danielle Wolf John Davis Stacy Ferree Trustee District C Four-Year Term (Vote for One) Marilyn Schock Ryan P. Smith Carl A. Alm Trustee District D Four-Year Term (Vote for One) Gene O'Hara SAMPLE BALLOT Ballot questions referred by the general assembly or any political subdivision are listed by letter, and ballot questions initiated by the people are listed numerically. Aballo question listed as an "amendment" proposesa change to the Colorado constitution, and a ballot question listed as a"proposition" proposes achange to the Colorado Revised Statutes. A"yes/for" vote on any ballot question is avote in favor of changing current law or existing circumstances, and a "no/against" vote on any ballot question is a vote againstchanging current law or existing circumstances. State of Colorado State of Colorado Town of Wellington Town of Wellington Town of Windsor Amendment 78 (CONSTITUTIONAL) Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution and achange to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning money that the state receives, and, in connection therewith, requiring all money received by the state, including money provided to the state for a particular purpose, known as custodial money, to be subject to appropriation by the general assembly after apub ic hearing; repealing the authority to disburse money from the state treasury by anyother means; requiring all custod al money to be deposited into the newly created custodial funds transparency fund and the earnings on those deposits to be transferred to the general fund; and allowing the state to retain and spend all custodial money and earnings and revenueonthat custod al money as avoter-approved revenue change?

ANNUALLY (IN THE FIRST YEAR) OR SUCH GREATER AMOUNT AS IS RAISED IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PROPOSED HARVESTHEIGHTSPUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 72 BY THE IMPOSITIONOFADVALOREM PROPERTY TAXESAT AMILL LEVY RATE NOT TO EXCEED74.096 MILLS, THE REVENUESOF WHICH WILL BE COLLECTED BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2022 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER, SUCH REVENUES TO BE USED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ROADS AS REQUESTED IN THE PETITION FOR CREATION OF THE DISTRICT AND FOR THE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES;

Your Vote Counts!

32 •OCTOBER 10, 2021 •VOTERGUIDE