Matthew Popkin has announced that he will be running for the Ward 2 Longmont City Council seat in this November’s election, a position he currently holds after being appointed in January to finish out former city council member Marcia Martin’s term. Popkin has been heavily involved in Longmont City Council discussions and activities in the seven months since he was appointed.
Popkin has laid out three priorities if he is elected to serve a full term: managing how and where the city grows, increasing affordability by managing costs, and preparing Longmont for a resilient future by preparing for extreme weather and investing in a modern airport, amongst other goals.
Popkin said that he has been fully committed to his appointed role and knew he had to “hit the ground running” when he stepped in last winter. For Popkin, it has been a significant time investment that he doesn’t take lightly. “This is not a casual community service role,” Popkin said. “The job has required at least 20 hours per week to do responsibly, at least coming in fresh (and I already knew many issues and processes from serving on the Planning Commission). The candidate guide says 20 to 30 hours per month. That’s just not the reality of the role beyond being a warm body.”
Among the most cited concerns and issues for the people of Longmont in the campaign for city council is affordability, housing insecurity, and maintaining the city’s character and charm while moving forward with affordable development projects. Popkin also addresses these concerns.
“The two most significant challenges facing Ward 2 are development pressures on existing neighborhoods and housing costs,” Popkin said. “Unfortunately, these two challenges often conflict, but they don’t have to if we proactively shape our growth where growth makes sense. This means reinvesting in our previously developed industrial sites. Frankly, this is what motivated me to get involved years ago and what I believe I bring to Council that no other candidate can.”
Popkin said he has a lot of work to do to help shape the future of Longmont and that it is impossible for him to help accomplish those goals in only the 10-month term he is currently finishing out. He said his career experience includes “helping cities with ambitious clean energy, sustainability infrastructure, transit, and urban renewal projects.” He believes his experience makes him uniquely qualified to continue serving Ward 2 in the City of Longmont.
“We need effective government now more than ever,” Popkin said. “We want our doctor to understand how the human body works. We want our electrician to understand how circuits work. We want our pilot to know how planes work. That’s why my unique expertise helping cities innovate has already and will continue to enhance our team of city council, city staff, and utility staff…. With four years, I believe we can fundamentally shift our growth and be a more affordable, resilient community.”
Popkin has a lengthy list of endorsements on his website including Colorado State Representative for District 11 Karen McCormick and former Colorado State Representative and Speaker of the House KC Becker.
Meg Thornbury and Theresa Simpkins have also announced their candidacies for the Ward 2 seat.
