CANDIDATES for Alamosa City Council addressed their positions on homelessness, housing, downtown Alamosa, and their top goals if elected in a questionnaire distributed by AlamosaCitizen.com.
There are two competitive city council races, an at-large seat and a seat to represent Ward 2 of Alamosa.
The at-large city council race features incumbent city councilman Jan Vigil and challenger Donnie Bautista, while the Ward 2 seat has drawn in candidates Darrell Cooper, Lori Smith, and Kyle Woodward. David Broyles is the current Ward 2 city council representative. He did not seek re-election.
Ty Coleman, the current mayor, and Mike Carson, the current Ward 4 representative, are both unopposed in their bid for re-election.
Election ballots began arriving in households this week. In addition to the local city council and school board races in communities across the San Luis Valley, there are also a number of ballot issues. Check your voter registration status here. A rundown of statewide propositions in English is here. The state propositions in Spanish is here.
MAYOR
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
Yes, there are many reasons. The vibrancy of any city is their downtown. It became apparent that Alamosa needed to do something.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
I personally won’t be parking on Main Street. I have difficulty getting in and out of my vehicles. Safety needs to be addressed sooner than later. I will advocate for increased safety.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units per year. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
Certainly. I presently serve on the Alamosa Housing Authority Boars. We have waiting lists for all sizes (bedrooms) of our units.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
There may be a need for some rezoning to allow more multi family housing units. It may also become necessary to provide some incentives to contractors going forward.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
Homelessness is a critical issue. I think the City needs to work closely with La Puente on this issue. They have funding sources not available to the City.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
I’m not sure. They do need somewhere to go.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
1. Speeding up infrastructure repairs by budgeting more money for projects. 2. Providing the various departments with the resources needed to be successful; i.e.: Police Department to continue fighting drugs in our community. 3. An axiom: fix it up wear it out, make it do, or do without (take care of what we have).
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
Alamosa is a progressive city and the hub of the Valley. We, as a city, are headed in a positive direction.
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
I support the idea and vision of the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan. We just need to re-evaluate the concept of the plans on paper to reality. People trust that the city will do the right thing and change what is not working.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
The major changes needs to be made ASAP. Safety is a huge issue. If we could move the “curb” and the eating huts about 18 inches on each side. It would create more room for the drivers and the parked cars. We would add handicap parking spots and in the tighter spots, parking for “bikes”.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
I support any type of housing at this point. We are not building homes at the rate we should to meet the five year plan. We are only building about 44 houses a year and Alamosa needs about 80 per year. Affordable housing is a need in Alamosa based on the needs assessment in 2016 and the income of our residents in Alamosa. When people and families have affordable homes it can solve many other concerns for the city, as well as support the whole community.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
I am not sure of the answer, but I am sure of one thing, hire local and support small business. When money stays local the return multiplies; $5 million translates into $33 million.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
Being homeless is a run of bad luck, mental health issues and self medication to numb the pain, or keep warm. As a community we need to help them want and understand how to help themselves. We are only as strong as our weakest link.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
St. Benedict gives homeless people a place to go. The tress around the camp have two purposes, secure the camp and the view. There is always things we can do to make Alamosa a better place to live.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
As a City Council member I want to support Alamosa being a better place to live. The top three goals are all connected. We have a huge drug addiction problem in both young and old, rich and poor which generally all stem from mental health concerns or life stress. The second goal is homelessness and what we can do to support ALL of Alamosa’s community. Which brings me to the third goal, we need to support and build the Alamosa Police Department to bring the crime rate down and drug problem.
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
Alamosa Council has done a lot of great things to make Alamosa a wonderful place to live, raise a family and a place to visit. Alamosa city employees are ALL doing a great job and need credit for all their committed work.
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
I do support the Downtown Master Plan. I attended most of the meetings and public work sessions that took place in the past few years when the plan was being constructed. The entire community will benefit from a more vibrant downtown. Once the entire plan is complete, Alamosa will have that WOW factor that will attract more tourists to stop in Alamosa, and will be more inviting for the residents of Alamosa. I’m very excited to see Alamosa moving in this direction.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
As of right now, safety is major factor in the Downtown plan. The city and CDOT have agreed to widen the parking spaces and resurface main street in order to cover up the old lines which were causing confusion amongst drivers. I’m glad to see this happening. Any project of this size will always need to be fine-tuned. This is a step in the right direction. Lack of parking is also an issue in downtown, but the city is also addressing this.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
I do support more affordable housing projects. As of 2019, the median individual income for Alamosa was approximately $19,000, and $35,000 for a household. The median home cost is approximately $200,000. The median income is too low to support the purchase of an average home. So yes, we do need more affordable housing, which I support as long as they are constructed in appropriate locations and as long as local contractors and banks are used for the projects.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
Let’s continue to work with the housing coalition and local home builders to develop vacant land into housing that can be supported by the median income.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
Homelessness is a very critical issue for Alamosa. With my business, I spend a lot of time in other communities around Colorado that are similar to Alamosa I.e. Lamar, La Junta, Gunnison, Montrose, Delta, Frisco, etc. … None of these communities have the homeless issues that we have. We need to figure out what is bringing the homeless to Alamosa as opposed to these other smaller communities, and we need to ask ourselves why they are choosing to stay here? I have compassion for the people who are homeless that do not have a choice. However, the people who are leaving drug paraphernalia in public spaces, littering the corners, using the restroom in public, trespassing, and damaging personal property need to have consequences. They need to abide by the law.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
I do not support the campsite. My understanding was the campsite was to give the homeless a place to go and to keep them out of our neighborhoods and businesses. The plan isn’t working. There are more homeless sleeping in the old County Courthouse building than there are at St. Benedict.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
1. As a business owner, I want to be a voice for both the business community and the residents. I want to ensure that Council is focused on the needs of our residents and business alike.
2. I want to work with Kathy Woods on economic development. Alamosa has a need for more manufacturing and factory jobs.
3. We need to clean up our community by addressing the homeless problem. Find more funding for the police department so that they can have enough staff to make the homeless abide by the rules.
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
I feel that we are headed in a positive direction. Some of these small mountain towns like Gunnison, Pagosa Springs, Salida, Buena Vista, have all had a recent boom in their economy. I feel that Alamosa is on the cusp of this as well. Alamosa is a wonderful place to call home. Together, we can ensure that it continues to be a great place for residents and business to grow and thrive. I am committed to doing everything that I can to give back to our city to make sure that its current residents, and just as important, those who come after have the same opportunities that I have been given.
CITY COUNCIL WARD 4 CANDIDATE
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
I do support the plan. It is a good tool to move the City’s downtown into a more modern age. I have seen many downtown areas make similar changes and it creates a great environment.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
I would simply make sure that safety is addressed and citizen input is listened to and implemented if possible.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
Yes I do support them. It is a struggle for people of all incomes to find housing in Alamosa. Being able to provide more realistically affordable housing is paramount in today’s market. It is nearly impossible to find a home or apartment in Alamosa today and if you do you will pay an exorbitant amount of money for a town this size.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
I think a good way to attract developers is to incentivize them for building in your town. However I do not believe it is in the best interest of a City to get into the real estate business.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
I think as a City we are heading down a good path. We have taken steps in the last two years to help reduce the amount of homelessness and also to deter people from coming to Alamosa as a destination for such purpose. In the past there has been a stigma that this town did too much for homeless people. However we also had no laws or ordinances in place to combat such issues. Today in the City of Alamosa a person cannot camp where ever they want without recourse. Before the creation of the St. Benedict Camp there was not place for our Law Enforcement to direct people to safely camp. Now if a person is camped in front of your house in the right of way and you don’t want them there you can call the police and they can actually do something. Before they couldn’t even ask that person to move as it was their right as a human being to camp or stay in a public space. We have now created an ordinance that disallows camping in The City Limits unless you are in a designated camping area or have a permit for a special event.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
Yes.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
I have constantly worked on the goals of my constituency and will continue to do so.
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
Yes I do.
CITY COUNCIL AT-LARGE CANDIDATES
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
Yes. As I have mentioned several times, I support a new and improved downtown. Safety has been a major concern for the citizens of Alamosa. I feel with some tweaks, our citizens could get what they want in safety and our city could also receive what it needs in a vibrant downtown.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
Moving the parking barriers on each side will be a welcome change although I feel the change should have been 2 feet instead of 1 foot on each side.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
I am in favor of future housing projects. I do like the idea of the Iron Horse Development, but I would question its proximity to a school.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
I think continuing to bring housing projects to the community is a must. I think both incorporating apartment style housing as well as residential home style housing, which I would’ve preferred around the high school, is a great way to address housing needs.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
I do believe for Alamosa that homelessness has become a critical issue. When citizens have voiced concerns to me regarding needles found in baseball fields, homeless men making children feel uncomfortable at the high school, and business owners having homeless sleeping in and around their businesses on Main Street, I feel this warrants a critical status. Most of the homeless are non-violent, but I can understand how community members are not comfortable with some members of the homeless community not being Valley natives and them truly not knowing who they are. Crime and drug use is constantly on the rise and I do believe the added homeless in Alamosa has contributed to the problems. I truly feel a work program, or an incentive program for the campsite could aid in changing behavior. Most every business in the San Luis Valley is currently short staffed therefore creating a work program that could give the homeless a sense of responsibility I feel would be a positive impact for the community. Mental health and drug addiction seem to be major contributing factors to homelessness. Therefore doubling down on outreach programs would be a must. Most of the time, the homeless feel segregated from the community they are in and integrating them back in through work programs as well as incentivized community building programs would be a focus of mine.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
I do support a campsite for the homeless as they need somewhere to go. I do not support the current location of the homeless camp near the Alamosa Recreation Center. I would like to work with the community on developing a program that allows the homeless camp to contribute to the community. I am all for giving a hand, but not a handout.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
1. Decrease homeless numbers through work programs and continued affordable housing projects. Working tightly with the Alamosa Police Department to provide additional funding and helping decrease crime and drug use.
2. Alamosa City beautification. Enforce existing city ordinances on residential and commercial locations relating to weed control, trash pick-up, curb painting and any other ordinances that will make our city look attractive. Continuing the downtown project into the next phase of development, bringing some additional insight to the progression of this project, and working tightly with the community for their input. Getting as much support as I can to the Parks and Rec department. Finding a resourceful way to update our playing fields and parks throughout the town.
3. Economic growth. Attracting new businesses, embracing tourism, and focusing on strategic commercial/ residential development.
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
How can Alamosa not be heading in the right direction? It is an excellent southern Colorado destination. Alamosa has always been a great tourist hotspot and now it is turning into a great destination for people wanting a slower pace of life that a city setting cannot offer. I truly love this community and I will do everything I can to make it better.
Downtown Alamosa
Downtown Main Street was recently reconfigured to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. Two questions:
Do you support the Alamosa Downtown Master Plan? Please explain:
Yes, I 100% support the Downtown Plan. This plan, over the course of 18 months, was put together with major input from our community. The firm we hired, as well as the City, focused extensively on getting input from our constituents. Through countless out reach meetings, planning discussions where people could have used child-care as well as interpreters for Spanish Speakers we had great turnout for these meetings. On top of all that, we had the opportunity for people to fill out a survey on our website to garner ideas and thoughts from the community.
The thought process behind downtown stems from the fact in rural-Colorado, if you have a strong downtown/main street with vibrant business, pieces of art, places to socialize, etc. you create an economic anchor for your community, and that success spreads throughout the rest of your city. People told us, according to the outreach meetings and survey, that safety was the number one issue with downtown, and with that, turning the lanes from 3 to 2, was the best way to do this. We went ahead with the plans that were provided and they looked fantastic, and the idea is fantastic. The more people we can get to stop and spend their money in downtown the better for the whole city, especially if this is money is “new” from tourists who visit out area. Moving the new curbs like we did, created a bottleneck affect and that is the why did this, to SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN and make it safer, and hopefully people will stop and get a bite to eat, or get a drink, among the many other things to do in downtown.
On paper, the plans looked fantastic. After we implemented these plans, it was absolutely a shock to the system. I understand that it was hard for many people to deal with these new changes and we heard this very loud and clear. The two biggest things that I gathered from the last two months from the public was: 1. People don’t feel safe getting in and out of their cars, and 2. There isn’t enough safe, parking spots for those who are disabled.
I am proud to say that we made changes and I voiced the need for said changes during the SECOND MEETING OF AUGUST. This is a prime example of me listening to the community and making necessary changes. I feel the changes that are being done this week will address the two biggest concerns. We are moving the new curbs back toward the sidewalk, 18 inches on both sides, that is a total of 3 total feet. We are also adding disabled parking at the corners in certain parts of downtown. So we have addressed the safety issues, we still keep people from going too fast downtown, businesses are still able to utilize the outdoor space immediately outside their establishments, and as we said at our last council meeting, we will study and assess these new changes to see if things need to fixed at a later time.
What changes, if any, to the Downtown plan would you want to make as a member of the City Council?
I really want to see us get the alleyways done within the downtown. Even though this is not really a change, it is in our downtown plan and I would like to see us get to this in the very near future. Cleaning up our alleys, making them safer, and allowing shoppers to access a backdoor patio, shop, etc sounds like a great idea and this is being done across the country. We need to stick to our downtown plan and make changes where we see fit that will address the specific needs of Alamosa and our downtown merchants. Because our downtown is vibrant again, it is imperative through way-finding that we communicate to people where the parking lots are. With that, I believe that we will improve some of the city parking lots in the area by cleaning them up with new lines and moving some things around, we can add more parking spots to meet the vehicular demand.
Again, if we have a strong downtown we will have an economic anchor for the rest of the city where people have jobs and are making money. To my knowledge, almost every single storefront is full or in the process of being full and operational. A lot of credit needs to be given to our business owners in downtown, but I have heard from many merchants that because of our downtown plan and the attention and efforts given to this area, they have opened a new business, hired more people, or expanded their services. I am proud of the work our City Council has done and will continue to do in the downtown area.
Housing
The city of Alamosa recently conducted a Housing Needs Assessment that showed between 444 to 514 housing units for residents and employees are needed by 2026, or an average of about 80 to 100 units. Two questions:
Do you support more “affordable housing” projects like the current Iron Horse housing development near Alamosa High School? Why or why not?
I absolutely agree with the Iron Horse project. I take pride that our City Council team and staff use a lot of thinking and planning before we make decisions. Because our Housing Needs Assessment indicates that we are not ready for potential population boom that the rest of Colorado and mountain towns have experienced, it is imperative that the city be ready for the increase of population that will be coming in. It will take a lot of messaging and showing people that mixed housing areas around town are ok and will not lessen their property values. We can also work the Planning and Zoning Commission to help show the public that we are not prepared the boom and frankly, we do not have enough housing stock for our current population. Our current Housing Study shows that Alamosa has gaps in all types of housing from the low end all the way up to the $300,000 type homes. I think we need to change the perception of “affordable housing,” and that young professionals coming into the work force or wanting to start a life and family, are becoming the type of people who cannot find housing in Alamosa and this is not OK. We want people to start a family and career here, not go to the Front Range. A development like the Iron Horse should not be painted with a broad brush that it is “low-income;” rather an opportunity for housing for young professionals, new families, or people who have moved here who cannot find a house quite yet. One thing I do appreciate about the Iron Horse project is that it will have management on-site if any issues do occur.
What ideas would you bring forward as a member of the City Council to address the housing needs?
So we all know that the housing crunch is hitting Alamosa and that the private sector needs to quickly move to provide more housing opportunities to meet this demand. One of the best ways we can help to address our housing needs is to work with our state representatives and partners and tell them our story and the growing housing problem we have. I think we can look toward changing the narrative, that instead of “low-income housing” we are looking to create “work-force” housing, and these include new teachers, new law enforcement officers, etc. We can also work with our Planning and Zoning Commission to identify areas in town where more development can occur for the private sector to take advantage of to build more housing.
Homelessness
Do you see homelessness as a critical issue for Alamosa? If so, what additional steps would you advocate the city take to address homelessness in Alamosa?
I do see homelessness as an issue for Alamosa, and I am glad that we are doing something about it. The amount of people experiencing homelessness is an issue that every city in America is facing. There are many things that government can help with to help curb homelessness in our community and many of them involve working with our community partners like La Puente and local Churches. I would like to see a program where we offer homeless folks connections to work programs that many private entities offer within the city. Many people who are homeless are often there because they have addiction issues, mental health concerns, or have just hit a hard time. These things we can address with our community partners. If we were to help homeless folks connect with the different services offered through La Puente, Behavioral Health, and other groups we can help homelessness at the root/beginning, again these being mental health or addiction.
Do you support the city’s establishment of the St. Benedict campsite for the homeless near the Alamosa Recreation center?
I do support the creation of St. Benedict’s campsite. If we did nothing and ignored the loitering and camping problem, we would have a situation like downtown Denver or San Fransisco where people could be camping along our private properties (if permission is granted) or along public areas like parks or sidewalks. I first want to say that people experiencing homelessness are human beings, and they deserve our respect and, in my opinion, are not to be looked down upon. I am also proud that our city council changed the location of St Benedict’s from the area next to the cemetery to the current location. At the same time, we had to balance the needs and safety concerns that people were experiencing. It is not OK if a person feels unsafe walking around Cole Park or along the river. The amount of loitering around the city has gone down dramatically and we no longer have the big homeless camps. I know not all homeless folks are utilizing St Benedicts but it is a place where they can go because of our no-camping ordinances. This is a situation where we need all partners involved, it cannot just be the city. We need La Puente, our local churches, and the County all to keep working together to mitigate this issue.
Your plans
As a member of the city council what would be your top 3 goals to accomplish?
Here are my top 3 goals for the next four years, if I am blessed to be reelected:
1. Activate our river corridor. How cool would it be to create the Alamosa version of a River Walk. Pueblo and San Antonio have one, why can’t Alamosa? This will take a long time to plan and to create, but we should start to get the ball rolling on a project like this. This will take a lot of community input and we need to make sure our levee system is up to par to handle something like this.
2. Keep taking advantage and enhancing our awesome quality of life opportunities. Many of these things involve our Rec Department. We have an extensive trail system and I would like to get done a trail where you can start at the Malm trail and walk north along the river all the way to the Riparian Park on the far North Side of Alamosa. We know that people hold sacred our City Ranch, the trail systems, our multipurpose building, the rec center, our Blanca Vista fishing pond, and our dog parks. It is my plan to enhance these amenities as well as add others.
3. Continue to fight off the Opioid pandemic that has affected our Valley for so long. We have done this so far and I want to make sure that we keep doing this work. We need to look at this problem, holistically and we are doing 3 things to address this issue:
1. We are going after the Drug Manufacturers through litigation and a settlement. Alamosa, along with the County partnered up to take advantage of this settlement and we will be getting monies to help with the addiction piece. This is new money and services that will be coming into town to help fight off opioid addiction.
2. Keep supporting and promoting the LEAD program. I am proud to be one of four councilors who approached the city manager and other partners with the LEAD program after we heard about this at a CML Summer Conference. The LEAD program offers a different avenue to repeat offenders who are breaking the law to feed their addiction. It does no good to put them in jail, when as soon as they get out they will go back to a store and commit a petty theft. The store owner loses out, the offender is in trouble again and the system keeps going. The LEAD program offers the chance for offenders to get into counseling where people address their addiction, are offered better choices, a chance to get a job and try to fix this issue. This program is very successful, is a service offered in many parts of the Valley, and has become a model program for different parts of the United States. This is a prime example of how our police department, CRP, and the judicial system have stepped up and work together to offer a a different route for some people. We have a 56% recidivism rate and over the years there have been 121 people who have chosen this route.
3. We continue to support our Police Department and have instructed our Chief and his crew to go after the dealers. We all have seen how many drug stops and busts our Police have done over the last 8 months. I am proud that we have a full force as of today, that we have increased their salaries and that we continue to go after the dealers in town.
Do you think Alamosa is headed in the right direction or wrong direction? Please elaborate.
I absolutely believe that Alamosa is headed in the right direction. Over the last 8 years the amount of positive changes that have occurred in Alamosa is undeniable. I ran 8 years ago to GET THINGS DONE, and there is no doubt that over the course of these last eight years our city has done just that. The key to being a representative of people at the local level is being able to listen to people and the thoughts and concerns they may have and going to work for them. I am humbled by the support I have received over the years, and I am excited to keep serving, if given the chance. Experience matters and the choice is very clear in this election, do we keep going with the positive changes and growth of Alamosa or do we go back to being stagnant and not getting anything done.