Gary Hodges officially turned in his application for candidacy for Longmont’s Ward 3 on Thursday. He says he wants to bring a diversity of opinion to the city council.
Hodges is a senior associate scientist with the University of Colorado-Boulder in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, and working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. He has also lived in Longmont for over 25 years and served on the transportation board for seven years.
“I’ll have a voice on there (city council) that will be in contrast to many of the prevailing opinions and votes that I see,” Hodges said.
Hodges said his opinions may be contrary to those currently represented on council, however, he plans to make his voice loud enough to influence policy and open up new conversations.
“It will make city council stronger by having diverse opinions and ideas,” Hodges said.
During his last campaign, Hodges said he wanted to address transportation issues, easing travel throughout the city and to see the city become an innovator.
“What’s going to be our next NextLight? To think about that is really going to take thoughtful and innovative ideas. We want to maintain and grow a vibrant and prosperous Longmont,” Hodges said.
He would also like to support new businesses coming to Longmont by making it the easiest city to start a business in along the Front Range. At the same time, Hodges is aware of how this could impact the city’s growth.
“If we want Longmont to remain vibrant, there’s going to be growth in the city,” he said. “But one thing it cannot include is the termination and loss of conservation easements around the city, open space surrounding the city.”
During his last campaign, Hodges heard several residents discuss the lack of notifications and information from the city of Longmont about development projects. He hopes to create a more transparent flow of information to residents about the ongoings at the city, he said.
Hodges recently ran in 2022 for the Longmont City Council at-large seat vacated by Joan Peck after she won the election for mayor. Hodges ran against Sean McCoy and Mitzi Nicoletti. The race was tight, however, Sean McCoy pulled out the win with 35% of the vote.
This time Hodges will run for Ward 3 against incumbent Susie Hidalgo-Fahring and Spencer Adams.
