(Susie will be sworn in as Longmont City Council Ward 3 Representative on Monday, November 11, 7:30pm, City Council Chambers, 4th & Kimbark, just south of the Library and downstairs.)

I ran to represent you & the real-world, everyday concerns of Longmont’s Ward 3 residents.

•  safe, healthy, and thriving neighborhoods.

•  a small business champion.

•  advocating for equity & inclusivity in our community.

As your Ward 3 City Council representative, I will advocate for solutions that positively impact our quality of life.

My experience as an educator means that my passion embodies an urgency for what’s at stake: 

•  Our children

•  Our future

This is the engine that fuels my ability to pragmatically address the serious issues of our community, whether it is housing affordability, our schools, the health and safety of our community, sustainable energy, and our overall livelihood and well-being.

Building a stronger Longmont by putting community first

My mission is to ensure families and our most vulnerable residents have a voice when decisions impacting our schools and community are being made.

As a full time public employee, and a St Vrain Valley educator for 15 years, I strongly believe that our working class must be adequately represented on city council.

With my husband Adam, I co-owned our plumbing business from 1998-2003. As many young families will understand, for us, this was during the “break” when my 2 younger children were babies. At the time, I was not happy with the options for infant care. So I stepped out of teaching to run a licensed home daycare, owned and operated by me. It was high quality, and soon became happily filled to capacity — with a wait list! I also ran dispatch/scheduling for Adam, running orders and pick-up at the supply house (sometimes known as a Daycare Field Trip!), and managed billing and budgeting. Though hectic, this experience provided me an essential insight — one that many families in Longmont can relate to — of running a small business while raising a family and understanding what support systems small businesses need to be successful.  

I believe coalitions proactively strengthen communities and provide support for those that need it. I serve on the 7 member Colorado Education Association (CEA) Equity Council for Race and Culture. We have written resolutions, directed local associations statewide on policies in regard to equitable representation among union leaders, and continue to guide the CEA Board of Directors on objectives, policies, and practices that the state needs to take related to racial equity and civil rights. I personally oversee all local associations north of us along the I-25 corridor to the Wyoming border and all districts east of us to the Kansas/Nebraska border. I am overseeing equity issues among thousands of members, and I have developed and nurtured a vital skill set to advocate good and effective policy that helps everyone move forward.

Here are just a few of my volunteer efforts: I’ve presented Know Your Rights training. I’m a trained DACA clinician and ran DACA clinics, translated and helped applicants fill out their citizenship forms. Because we need to de-stigmatize mental health and connect valuable resources to families, for 2 years I organized the Mental Health Resource nights. I’ve done community volunteering for Pride, Cinco de Mayo, EV Fair, Art Walk, Christmas Parade, trash clean up with Sustainable Resilient Longmont, food drives, and flood clean up. Volunteered with Colorado Friendship to get resources to those who needed it during the flood recovery efforts, volunteered babysitting while parents got their paperwork processed for assistance after the flood (at the old mall), and offered translation services when needed. Over the years I’ve changed my level of volunteerism to that of creating, organizing and executing in order to serve the community.

CRITICAL ISSUES TO ADDRESS IN LONGMONT
Housing Affordability: Wages continue to lag far behind the cost of living in Colorado. That’s why it’s critical that we come up with effective solutions so that residents stay in Longmont and thrive — with home ownership being an attainable goal.

Small Business: We’ll develop innovative strategies for folks that want to start a business in Longmont to stay in business.

Our Environment: Longmont will lead in addressing our climate crisis with a critical and thoughful approach to development (using the Smart Growth SES tool), supporting SB 181 at the local level, preservation of the riparian areas along the St Vrain river corridor, ensuring resources for Longmont’s Sustainability Plan, and holding the city accountable in taking the necessary steps to reach the 2030 goal of 100% renewable energy.

Inclusivity/Equity: My passion for human and civil rights has played an essential role in shaping who I am. I understand the roots of bias and how to promote conversation and connection.

I will listen. And we will come up with solutions together.

‘Coffee with a Cop’ Event

Legislative Liason for the Colorado Education Association

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