Yes/No Questions:
1. Are you a homeowner? No
2. If the City police force was fully staffed, would you advocate for adding more officers? Yes
3. Do you believe there’s a need for more housing in Lafayette? Yes
4. Do you believe the City should spend more money on homelessness services? Yes
General Questions (no more than 300 words):
1. Why do you want to be a council member?
I believe the character of Lafayette and the deep sense of community is a driving factor in my running for City Council. The amazing local businesses as well as the beauty surrounding the city make Lafayette such a wonderful place to live and a cause worth focusing one’s time on. I have decided to run for Lafayette city council because I love our little town but believe there are some things we can do better.
2. When was the last time you paid rent, and where was that?
I currently reside in a lovely property by Waneka lake.
3. Boulder County has experienced extreme natural disasters over the last decade, including flooding and wildfire. How do you plan to address these challenges?
I firmly believe we need to make sure our constituents are subscribed to the Boulder OEM alerts and the system is properly working. During the Marshall fire, many were not notified that Lafayette had moved into pre-evacuation. If it wasn’t for social media, I wouldn’t have known. We should consider implementing our own civic alert system for the City of Lafayette.
4. How do you think you stand out from other candidates?
I think I bring a unique set of perspectives to the City of Lafayette. Though I wasn’t born or raised here, it is my husband’s hometown, which I fell in love with and chose to raise my family here.
5. What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
Many new residents are opting for private school educations over what BVSD offers. How do you feel our local school district is doing?
6. What are your solutions for the growing population of people experiencing homelessness?
We need to make sure our homeless populations are aware of the resources available to them through the county and nonprofits like Sister Carmen. They need to know that they are not alone and with the proper supports will get back on their feet.
7. What’s your plan for creating more affordable housing in Lafayette?
Adjusting zoning laws to include smaller, affordable homes in new developments, partnering with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, and supporting vulnerable residents who are being priced out, are all options we should explore. Also, the recent Boulder County property tax assessment increased the value of homes astronomically. Despite appealing, many of my middle class neighbors won’t be able to afford the increase on their annual taxes and will be forced to move away, making Lafayette a town that is only for the wealthy. Though I am for and would like to create additional affordable housing, we need to also create a plan for addressing the strain on our schools and roads. More residents mean more people on the roads in vehicles, on bikes and on foot which means an increase to natural wear and tear on streets, highways and sidewalks.
8. How will you address climate change? How do you plan to meet Lafayette’s climate goal of 100% renewable energy by 2023 and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050?
Reaching Lafayette’s climate goals by reducing our Carbon Footprint is something I consider on both the personal and civic level. Within our home we enjoy the benefits of solar energy and drive a hybrid vehicle. When supporting our local businesses, I prioritize using those with sustainable practices who participate in the Lafayette Green Business practices initiative.
Within Lafayette, we have wonderful sustainability practices in effect already, including the zero waste and composting programs. Supporting the creation of additional solar gardens to help meet our residential and commercial output goals would certainly help, as well as creating more incentives for citizens personal transportation to be upgraded to hybrid or electric vehicles
9. What are your goals for transportation and how will you achieve them?
We need to repair the potholes on our streets and highways. Our roads are falling apart and in desperate need of repair. This is not only a hazard for vehicles but for cyclists and pedestrians as well. I’ve witnessed cyclists swerving away from potholes. I’ve witnessed vehicles nearly hitting pedestrians crossing Baseline and South Boulder Road just to avoid potholes. I reviewed the highway 287 virtual open house and was surprised to see the biggest safety issue neglected, correcting the numerous potholes. If we can make extracurricular modifications to highway 287, we can afford to make necessary repairs to our crumbling streets and make sure CDOT follows through on repairing damage to our highways.
10. How do you plan to engage non-English speaking constituents?
I studied Latin which gave me a great foundation into most of the Romance languages. Though not fluent in Spanish or Italian, I am conversational in both. I also minored in American Sign Language and taught at a school for Deaf children.
11. How does diversity factor into your policy making?
My priority belongs to supporting all of my constituents.
12. How will you reach residents who have different lived experiences than you?
I grew up in New York City which is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. My students, coworkers and fellow community members came from all sorts of varied backgrounds. I work well with everyone. I want to listen to all of my constituents and make Lafayette a better place for all.
13. Rank your top 5 issues in priority:
- Infrastructure, specifically our crumbling roads. Making sure CDOT follows through with repairs of our highways that are their responsibility and Lafayette follows through with theirs
- Population growth and schools. We need a plan in place for our schools. We need to build new schools or expand the capacity of existing schools to accommodate children moving here. We need to retain our quality teachers and related service providers and make sure they can meet the needs of students with special needs.
- Attracting new and exciting businesses to our vacant commercial spaces
- Maintaining Lafayette’s sense of character by ensuring current residents aren’t priced out.
- Improving cellular service.
