A problem is best solved at the lowest level possible. The people on the front lines of an issue are also typically the best suited to solve it, and the role of government is to make sure that these front line leaders have what they need. This is how I would want to organize the city. Things we can solve on a block, we solve on a block. Things we can solve as a city, we solve as a city. If we need help on something, we solve it with our local community of cities. And if the problem is bigger than our local area, we ask, “how can we help?”
I don't want to limit ourselves with simply trying to tackle the things that most cities struggle with. Yes, we need to manage our development responsibly, we need to preserve our environment, and we need to keep our budget in check, that's the bread and butter of local government and it must be worked on diligently and with honesty and transparency. However, I don't think there's a better city capable of tackling the larger problems of our society. I want Lafayette on the front lines. I want to see us punching above our weight. I know from talking with so many of you how much expertise and passion we have in our community and I would love to see that directed at making our world a better place.
If not us, who? If not now, when?
This is the issue I'm most passionate about, because if we don't have a planet, then we can't really solve any of the other problems, can we? We need to preserve our natural habitat and be good stewards of our land, and we need to be responsible with our resource usage. Development needs to be managed responsibly, and the needs of people can't be ignored, but I want to believe there's harmony to be found here.
Energy: Renewable energy is awesome, burning dead dinosaurs, less so. Let’s put that giant fusion reactor in the sky to work for our town, putting solar panels on our public buildings and utilizing efficient heat pumps for our heating and cooling. I know we have some of these skills already in the city. We can utilize the expertise in our local community to make sure we have a quality team of local workers and designers to setup and connect solar panels and heat pumps.
Nature: We must preserve and expand our natural habitat land around Lafayette. Some of this is our designated open spaces and parks, but it's also our yards and gardens. I’d like to partner with local individuals and groups to expand and enrich this green space, building a hybrid community for the plants, animals, and people who call Lafayette home. Current science suggest that we should update our open space and park management practices. Grasslands, for instance, thrive on natural processes like grazing, soil disturbance, and nutrient cycling (pooping). We can look at successful local examples, such as the work being done at Elk Run Farm, to implement these methods. A potential next step would be to create wildlife corridors between open spaces by encouraging residents to donate and maintain parts of their yards to help support local wildlife.
Waste Management: I don't have a firm plan on this, but I would like to look a bit closer at our recycling program here in Boulder County. Everything I've read on the subject would have me believe that plastics are mostly non-recyclable and that the plastics industry has invested heavily in making us believe that they are. I'd like to look at the recycling center in Boulder to see what's happening with all the plastic that goes through the single-stream system there. If any of you already have done this research, please reach out so I can learn.
Water: Anyone who's spoken with a longtime local farmer about water rights knows it's a critical here on the front range. We must ensure we are managing our water responsibly. This begins with educational outreach to encourage better water usage on residential and commercial landscaping, but it must also apply to how the city manages its own grass, including the our local golf course.
A quite well made documentary on YouTube by SmarterEveryDay (link here) really illustrates that small business is so much more than just our store fronts, it's our supply chain, prototyping, tooling, and, most importantly, our collective knowledge. Lafayette is fortunate to have a strong small business community, and I'll work to support the businesses we have, but I also want to explore what we can do to expand our capabilities. I want to live in a city where a local entrepreneur or an aspiring farmer or baker or chef, can take that idea to our community and we can help build them up. The burden of entry should be very low for starting a local business -- one created by and for local, everyday people -- and we need to make sure our code is supportive of this.
I got an email from a middle-schooler in Boulder asking about the election. One of his questions was about the Marshall fire and whether it could happen in Lafayette, and it reminded me that the sad truth is that it could, and we need to be ready. I've worked in disaster response in the past, I know that communication is key. We need to make sure our emergency communication is on point and that all our residents know proper evacuation routes and disaster procedures. Most importantly, we need to take care of the people we depend on for our protection. Our firefighters deserve fair pay and good equipment to keep them safe.
My ten years working with Navy Medicine, coupled with my time overseas in Japan, showed me firsthand that superior healthcare exists. There’s not much we can do to fix the American healthcare system at a city level -- and you might question why I'm raising this as a prospective City Councilor -- I ask you to hear me out. We can dramatically impact the health of our residents right here in Lafayette.
The foundation of health is exercise and nutrition, and this is within our power to influence in our community. We need to be a leader in ensuring access to healthy foods, strengthening our partnerships with local farms, and maintaining our Rec Center and exercise facilities. I propose we take this a step further by actively partnering with local gyms, fitness centers, dojos, soccer teams, etc. -- from chain facilities like Anytime Fitness down to independent garage gyms. If anyone in our community is willing to offer classes and lessons, I will welcome their help to broaden our community's access to fitness. Additionally, we need to expand our already fantastic network of bike and walking trails.
The next step is good preventative care. Simple lab tests and regular screenings are the cheapest part of healthcare, yet they can catch issues early and vastly improve outcomes, preventing far more expensive and invasive health problems down the road. While we may not establish this system alone, we can take the lead in uniting our community of neighboring cities to collaborate on implementing accessible, low-cost preventative screening programs for all residents.