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On Tuesday Ward 1 voters will choose their City Council representative.
Please choose very carefully. I know all three of the candidates and
enjoy talking with them on a personal basis. But City Council is not a
popularity contest. Longmont has many difficult decisions ahead. We need
the leadership, decisiveness, and experience to move Longmont forward
and to represent all the residents of Longmont. Tim Waters is the clear
choice.
Tim's main opponent is an affable man who works hard for Left Hand
Brewery. He has successfully organized many beer festivals and
represents his employer well at the Chamber of Commerce and other
organizations. Occasionally over the last year he has come to City
Council, mostly staying briefly. His opinions on important issues such
as oil and gas, development, affordable housing, and Longmont's energy
strategy seem to merely accept the former status quo. We cannot return
to having an elite group of individuals, organizations, and businesses
control Longmont's future.
Tim Waters has attended most meetings of the City Council for the last
year, start to finish. I have watched him ask excellent questions of
elected officials, city staff, and as the new board member of the
Longmont Housing Authority. He listens carefully and respectfully. Then
he offers fresh perspective, with innovative and well-considered ideas.
His whole career, whether as a teacher, a superintendent of schools, or
the CEO of a large educational corporation, has given him a wealth of
experience understanding complex systems, making hard choices, and
taking responsibility for those choices.
Ward 1 has some of Longmont's wealthiest residents, and it has some of
the poorest residents. They all deserve good representation. Tim Waters
is positively the man Longmont deserves.
Polly Christensen
Longmont, CO 80501
Polly Christensen is Longmont Mayor Pro Tem
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