Wellington Board of Trustees election: Q&A with candidate Lowrey Moyer
The Coloradoan sent all Wellington candidates questions to learn more about their priorities and why they're running for office. Below are Lowrey Moyer answers, which have been edited for AP style, length and clarity. You can find the other candidates' questionnaires and more coverage ahead of the election here.
Name: Lowrey Moyer
Race: Wellington Board of Trustees
Question: What makes you qualified to hold a town board seat in Wellington?
Answer: I am a passionate and involved member of our community with expert knowledge in equitable community building. I am a founding member and vice chair of Safe Routes to School - Wellington and a sitting planning commissioner. I connect with individuals and residents across divides and have proven myself to be an effective and trusted community organizer. I have made a commitment to represent and provide a voice for all residents.
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected and why?
A:
Building infrastructure to prepare for the future growth we will continue to see, including affordable housing, water, economic development and growth and personnel.
Rebuilding/establishing trust between the residents and the Board, the Board and staff and amongst the members of the Board to provide an environment conducive to productivity.
Establish Wellington as a priority for other local and state agencies to invest funds in infrastructure, improvements and programs to strengthen our community.
Q: What are the top three challenges facing Wellington and what would you do about them?
A:
Clearly, cost of living (not simply pertaining to water) is a huge concern. I would work to establish partnerships and look at innovative strategic planning to provide relief wherever possible.
There is currently a very negative and destructive divide between the residents of our town and board that is stifling our ability to thrive. I would work on building bridges and creating opportunities for us to come together as a community to understand one another and celebrate what makes our community great.
We need to focus forward. We need to stop looking in the rearview mirror and blaming past boards and staff for the why of where we are today, and we need to begin looking ahead and meticulously planning for the future.
Q: Wellington’s population is expected to double in the next 20 years. What should the town be doing to prepare for this growth?
A: Investing as much in infrastructure as possible, working with government agencies to gain support and funding, engaging in proactive, truly strategic forward thinking and planning, looking ahead and laying the groundwork for the next 20, 30 or 50 years.
Q: Some current Wellington trustees have said there is a lack of trust among the board that makes it difficult to govern. How would you address that?
A: So much time is wasted in a back and forth, blatant lack of trust and combative behavior. I would focus in on the issues and lead by example. The mission is to provide the town with the best governance possible, the rest is just noise. If we can appreciate each other as individuals and meet one another where we are, there is hope for compromise and progress.
Q: The water and wastewater treatment plants that will help meet the town’s future growth needs are opening later in the year. How do you see the plants affecting water rates residents are paying now and going into the future?
A: I think eventually, our water rates will stabilize. Anyone running or currently sitting on the board that says that rates will be going down, or they can make them go down by doing X, Y or Z, is being misleading. The rates will continue to increase as we work through our debt, that vote has been cast. What our plants will help us with is to prepare for the future and provide the infrastructure we need for the growth we have most recently seen and that which is inevitably coming.
Q: Other items you’d like to discuss that weren’t mentioned in the questionnaire?
A: I am not a politician. I am simply running because I cannot stand back and watch what is happening throughout our community and at our Board meetings and not do everything I can to be a part of the solution.
More about Lowrey Moyer
Occupation: Manager, nonprofit
Have you held elected office before? No
If you have a college degree, where did you attend school and what did you study? Greensboro College, Bachelor of Arts in Theatre
Length of time in town? Eight years
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Wellington Board of Trustees election: Q&A with candidate Lowrey Moyer
