Tell us a little bit about your personal and/or professional background and why it makes you a good fit for the commission (I.e., how long have you lived in Superior? Do you work there?, etc.).
I’m a 25-year resident of Superior currently living in the north Rock Creek neighborhood near Superior Elementary. I’m married to Leslie, and we have two teenage sons: Colin and Nick. Professionally, I am the Owner and Employing Broker of Folsom and Company Real Estate. Founded in 1993, we are a small, family-owned brokerage helping people buy and sell homes in the Boulder Valley region and beyond. During my 25 years living in Superior, I’ve been honored to serve as a Planning Commissioner for 6 years and 8 years as Mayor. These experiences provided significant insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by our local government.
Why do you want to serve on the commission?
During my 8 years serving as Mayor of Superior, I leaned about the advantages of the home rule and advocated for its adoption. I’m pleased that our current Board of Trustees has moved this idea forward as Home Rule is long overdue for the Town of Superior. Adopting our own home rule charter will allow Superior to make decisions locally that are in the best interests of our residents. I look forward to working with my fellow residents on the Home Rule Commission reviewing and drafting the best home rule charter for our town.
Why do you think a home rule charter is right for Superior?
Developing a home rule charter is the normal course that most cities and towns follow as they grow in terms of population and size. While home rule has been discussed at many different points in the past, our town board has determined that now is the time. Home rule is about establishing the best structure for the town government, so it’s best equipped to handle issues now and into the future to ensure that decisions are in the best interest of town residents.
What do you think is the biggest pro of a home rule charter? What is the biggest con?
While serving as mayor, I had the opportunity to interact with other mayors from around the Denver metro area on a regular basis. During these meetings I was able to learn about home rule and its advantages. One component that really resonated with me was the issue of sales tax collection. When municipalities are small, they typically don’t have the staff and infrastructure to collect sales tax from their local retailers, so they depend on the state government to collect their tax. However, as cities grow, the amount of sales tax generated from local businesses also grows and municipalities typically desire greater control over their revenue collection process. Superior is fortunate to have over 70% of the town’s revenue coming from sales tax. As long as Superior remains as a statutory form of government, the state will continue collecting our sales tax which delays the flow of revenue back to the town and severely limits the towns’ ability to audit retailers to ensure accuracy. Other cities and towns that have switched to home rule have seen an immediate increase in revenues, hundreds of thousands of dollars when sales taxes are collected by the municipality versus by the state. Another complicating factor is the zip code that we share with our neighbor Louisville. How much of Superior’s revenue has been going to Louisville because of that auto-populate feature that we often have to manually change to Superior with our online purchases? Who knows but I’m hopeful that home rule could help resolve potential revenue leakage once and for all.
The biggest con is doing nothing and not adopting a home rule charter.
What should be included in the charter? What should be left out?
Superior’s charter should be the best of the best charters that have been developed and adopted by other cities and towns. Leave out things that could lead to unintended consequences or create a sense of unfairness.
What are some of the values and priorities you think the charter should reflect?
Superior’s charter should reflect the values and priorities of Superior residents. I look forward to hearing from residents and incorporating their feedback into the charter.
The Town website says that a possible disadvantage of a home rule charter is the “possibility of a restrictive Charter that could make completing Town business more difficult.” How will you aim to mitigate that disadvantage?
There are certainly ways that a bad charter could be created but the whole purpose of the charter commission working on this process for months is to make sure we don’t create something with unintended consequences.
What do you hope to learn from community members that will inform how you draft the charter?
I look forward to the process of engaging with residents and hearing what is important and incorporating those concerns in the drafting process.
What is another home rule charter in Colorado you like and why?
The town of Erie’s home rule charter is the most recently drafted and will be voted on by their residents later this year. Since it’s one of the newest, I think it deserves a close look since they are also a neighbor community to Superior. To date over 100 municipalities across the state have adopted home rule charters. With each additional charter that is drafted, communities like Superior can take best practices and adjust for lessons learned to create the best possible outcome for our residents.
