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Recently, LIFT's Board of Directors undertook a thorough Longmont City Council candidate interview process.

Our goal was to learn more about each candidate, particularly concerning areas of interest to LIFT, and then share what we have learned. All 11 candidates were invited to attend a series of 20-minute interviews. Ten accepted. All candidates were informed that LIFT would not be providing any endorsements. A list of the candidate questions is provided. Summaries of each candidate appear below. An incumbent will generally have greater knowledge of the issues but that does not guarantee a stronger candidate. Opinions of the board (referenced in the summaries as "LIFT") contained in the candidate summaries are based upon how well their answers reflected LIFT's philosophy including advocating for policies, conditions and leadership that create and support a healthy economic environment. The summaries do not imply endorsement.

Candidates for Mayor

With the economic challenges facing Longmont, we need a strong leader as Mayor. The budget shortfall, mall redevelopment, downtown revitalization, and need to create and retain more jobs in Longmont will require clear direction and a decisive decision maker.

Although Bryan Baum lacks City Council experience, he has taken leadership roles with community organizations and non-profit groups. He believes these experiences will allow him to build coalitions on Council. He has a pro-business stance and is a strong advocate for property rights and public-private partnerships. LIFT has concerns about his lack of understanding of tax-increment financing and his ideas relative to privatizing City services.

Roger Lange has City Council experience and as Mayor had the difficult task of leading a divided Council over the last two years. He understands the issues facing Longmont and is supportive of business organizations such as the Longmont Area Economic Council (LAEC) and the Chamber. In LIFT's opinion he has not exercised leadership or control over City Council meetings.

LIFT interviewed Jeff Thompson but he has since withdrawn from the mayoral race.

Candidates for Ward II

Katie Witt supports a strong business community, public-private partnerships and less government intervention. Witt vigorously opposes continuing the Firestone annexation lawsuit. She is a strong supporter of open government and advocates putting the City's budget online. She supports a public-private partnership to redevelop the mall. She has been actively engaged in meeting with businesses and business organizations and believes the best way to support business is for government to get out of the way. She is willing to listen and build consensus. She provides practical experience and a new perspective on Longmont's issues.

Having served on Council for the past four years, Karen Benker has had the opportunity to influence policies affecting the community. She states support for the mall redevelopment, but voted in favor of stalling forward progress. Her position on the mall redevelopment is inconsistent with experts at the Chamber's Economic Summit who stated that the redevelopment must be flexible to meet the changing market needs and financial requirements. She advocated using City staff time and City funds to create a new business incubator to compete against rather than work with the current incubator, LEN (Longmont Entrepreneurial Network). For a majority of her professional life she has had the responsibility for managing government funded budgets. LIFT's concern is that it appears her focus is on increasing fees to balance the budget while continually supporting high-dollar outside studies and consultants.

Candidates for At- Large (two openings)

Of all the candidates LIFT interviewed, Alex Sammoury best articulated the pro-business values that LIFT supports. He is the only candidate that has experience creating jobs and recruiting businesses to Longmont. Longmont needs someone who understands why a business would choose Longmont and how the decisions made on Tuesday night will affect the small business owner. He has practical experience with budgets. Sammoury uses his expertise to collaborate with individuals and organizations at the local and state level to benefit the entire community. He supports the mall redevelopment and believes the project needs to be a collaborative effort between the City and Panatonni, the developer.

Gabe Santos has supported pro-business positions over the last year and a half including funding for LAEC, the mall redevelopment, and fiscal responsibility. Santos has taken a leadership role in tackling the difficult budget issues advocating for cutting expenses rather than raising fees. He actively sought to have a public discussion on the Firestone annexation lawsuit. He understands tax increment financing and was disappointed in the delay caused by the urban renewal study. He supports a public-private partnership to facilitate the mall redevelopment. Over the last two years, Santos has often been a lone voice in advocating for pro-business positions.

Bill VanDusen believes the current Council is on the right track. He believes they have been asking the right questions and not just rubber-stamping staff recommendations. At the Chamber's Economic Summit it was the opinion of the experts that mall redevelopment requires flexibility with both the design and phasing. In contrast, VanDusen believes the mall project needs to have a definitive timeline and design for each phase. LIFT had concerns about his lack of knowledge on tax increment financing as a tool for redevelopment. VanDusen wants to mandate green energy and strengthen current initiatives with more stringent enforcement measures. While supportive of green energy initiatives, LIFT believes that stringent mandates may make Longmont less competitive for business recruitment and retention.

Kaye Fissinger appears to distrust businesses commenting that we cannot allow business to define our community. During interviews, she stated that if businesses were allowed to design on their own, we would have a "hodge-podge community." LIFT is concerned that she does not appear to have an understanding of the development process nor the rights of business owners to develop a property consistent with current development codes. She wants to build a new industrial campus for renewable energy companies. LIFT is concerned that while she advocates for a new campus, she does not speak to the 1.5 million square feet of vacancy that currently exists in Longmont. She is a strong supporter of continuing the lawsuit against the Firestone annexation.

LIFT Candidate Questions

During the interviews each candidate was given an opportunity to provide a brief statement and then asked a series of questions as time allowed.

General:

What is your experience in private business?
In your opinion what is the most significant accomplishment of the current City Council?

Economy:

Should the City have a role in economic development and promoting a healthy business community? If yes, why. If not, why not.
The current published commercial vacancy rate in Longmont is 14.5%. What areas of town are the most affected?
What methods would you undertake to support or create jobs?
Should the City use incentives in attracting or maintaining businesses in the community?
What is your position on tax increment financing to help develop or redevelop commercial property?

Budget:

Faced with the current budget shortfall, what is your philosophy on addressing this shortfall? In the short term- 6 months? Over the long-term?
How would you explain the difference between taxes and fees?
Are you satisfied with the level of services provided by the City?

Final:

Why are you the best candidate for this position?
What would you like to see the City Council accomplish in the next two years?