Teresa Simpkins is running for the Ward 2 Longmont City Council seat in the upcoming November municipal election. Ward 2 includes the south and southwest regions of the city and is currently represented by Councilmember Matthew Popkin, who was appointed to the seat in January.
A former city of Longmont employee, Simpkins said her campaign is focused on meeting people where they are.
“A big part of that is getting out of your own little echo chamber and getting out into groups of people who have different experiences than you, different perspectives, different concerns … and really trying to kind of understand where they’re coming from,” Simpkins said.
Simpkins has lived in Ward 2 for 12 years and thinks one of the greatest challenges facing Longmont is its future identity amid continued growth, according to her campaign website.
Simpkins supports in-fill development that balances high-density and multi-use properties with single family homes that attract young families.
“When I think about growth in terms of housing and construction, I do think we need a really healthy mix of housing stock,” Simpkins said.
She is also of the opinion that transportation and transit plans are often developed by and for young healthy people who don’t have children. Simpkins made clear that she supports people who enjoy cycling everywhere but also wants reliable transportation options for everyone, whether it be young healthy people, parents with young children or older residents with limited mobility.
“Longmont is great about trying to be creative in addressing all the different transit needs,” Simpkins said. “I just want to see us continue to do that and to make sure that we’ve got our eye on all the different options that might be available to us and not get tunnel vision around any one solution.”
As a Ward 2 resident, Simpkins is well aware of the noise complaints aimed at Vance Brand Airport. At the same time, she believes the airport plays an important role in the city, namely the revenue it generates.
“We have to consider the fact that it is a big driver for us in our very local economy,” Simpkins said of the airport. “Having said that, we always have to account for the fact that people live here, planes don’t live here. So, we need to constantly be looking at ways to … bring people together and find as much of a balance as we can.”
Supporting small, local businesses is also a core pillar of Simpkins’ campaign. She said that such establishments not only bolster the local economy but also give Longmont its unique charm and character.
“Thirty years ago, people didn’t drive to Longmont to come to dinner or go shopping, that didn’t happen,” Simpkins said. “It does now and that’s so cool to me.”
This year’s election will occur on November 4. In addition to the Ward 2 seat, two at-large seats and the mayoral seat are up for election. Meg Thornbury is also running for the Ward 2 seat.
