ELECTION 2015 Q&A WITH THE CANDIDATES

SCENE MAGAZINE WANTED IT’S READERS AND MEMBERS OF THE FORT COLLINS
COMMUNITY TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES RUNNING
FOR THE FOLLOWING SEATS:

MAYOR – WARD LUTHI & WADE O. TROXELL
COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 2 – RAY MARTINEZ & NANCY TELLEZ
COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 4 – ERIC KRONWALL & KRISTIN STEPHENS
COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 6 – GERRY HORAK & CARL WANGSVICK

These people want to represent our
community and will hold the key to
whether we progress as a city or
stagnate. As an open-minded and
progressive City, we would hope to elect
people with those same ideals and
values, so we asked them all the
following questions:

1. What is your position on
medical and recreational
marijuana?
2. Historically what has your
position been on same sex
marriage? Has this changed
recently at all?
3. Fort Collins is going through a
Renaissance: the stadium, Old
Town Square, Woodward
Governor, Foothills Mall
renovation, River District, Music
District by Bohemian Foundation
will all be completed during your
tenure if elected. How will this
affect the way you run your
campaign and if elected, the progression
you would like to
see while in office?

WARD LUTHI
“Thank you for the opportunity to share my views
on some of the issues important to voters these
days.
1. I support upholding the will of the voters.
Medical and recreational marijuana should be
appropriately regulated so that they may be safely
used by eligible adults.
2. I have always supported the rights of same-sex
people to love and marry each other.
3. We need to make sure that rampant growth
does not destroy the Fort Collins that we all know
and love. We must protect our environment, our
neighborhoods, and our quality of life. And we
should always make sure that growth pays for its
own impacts.”

WADE TROXELL
1. “Medical and recreational marijuana are both
allowed in the City of Fort Collins with the
passage of Initiative 301 and Amendment 64 by
the voters in Fort Collins. I respect Fort Collins’
voters and stand in support of ordinances passed
by the Fort Collins City Council.
2. Historically I have never taken a position on
same sex marriage, one way or the other. I don’t
have any bumper stickers on my car either way.
3. These projects are all part of a vibrant Fort
Collins that we enjoy today. Fort Collins is on the
cusp of our Golden Era, as you suggest a
Renaissance. As Mayor, I will provide the leadership
for a vibrant Fort Collins looking forward to the
future for all of Fort Collins’ citizens.”
MARTINEZ
“I believe there has to be balance in our community
with our economy, environment, and quality of
life. Me being raised in an orphanage and adopted
helps me understand respect all segments of our
community. The three most values I learned in the
orphanage was to accept people for who they are
regardless of their background or beliefs, to share
what you have, and to not stereotype. My decisions
have always been based on these values. I think it
is more important to have a genuine dialogue vs.
debate. Debate only looks for differences, while
dialogue looks for solutions. When voters have
voted on anything I disagree on, I accept that as the
voice of the community. Sometimes we have give
more guidance to how and why certain laws are
passed through regulations so as to protect others
as well; most people understand that. For example,
medicinal use of marijuana is very acceptable and
always has been for me. Recreational needs more
guidance, which is occurring today at the state and
local levels; that works for me.”

NANCY TELLEZ
1. “I have supported legalization, knowing that
marijuana has been available to our young people
for some time, and with the expectation that with
legalization will come careful regulation. I
think we’re still working toward completely
effective regulation.
2. I have always supported equal rights. I support
people’s right to make decisions about how
they conduct their personal lives so long as their
conduct does not negatively affect the lives of
others. I support same sex marriage.

3. These are plans that have already been
developed and most are underway. If elected, my
role will be to learn the details of these projects, and
carefully monitor the adherence to approved
plans and accommodation of citizens’ interests.”

ERIC KRONWALL, CDPE, CRS, GRI
1. “One of the highlights of running for office is
engaging with my neighbors in my District. I have
knocked on hundreds of doors and asked, ‘What do
you think is the number one issue facing
Fort Collins.’ I have not been surprised to hear
concerns about the on-campus stadium and
about growth (some fear “Boulderization” while
others think we should not allow growth or
change of any kind.) On the other hand, I did not
expect to hear as many comments as I have
about legalized marijuana. Many people are deeply
concerned that recreational marijuana is
bad for our city and state. The People have spoken
on this issue. So, I believe you should be able to
use freely in your own home. On the other hand I
acknowledge that there is merit to the concerns of
those who may not share this belief. If you smoke,
please do not drive. And please keep your stash
away from the kids. Balanced regulation is needed.
We need to protect the safety of our community
but must not overly burden cultivators, retail
establishments, and those who use in their own
homes. If we are able to strike a good balance,
it will be rare when marijuana is sold under the
table or used outside of one’s own home. I believe
City Council has adopted appropriate regulations
regarding the sale and use of marijuana. However,
legalized marijuana is new territory. I expect it will
be necessary to make course adjustments as users,
sellers, and legal authorities adapt to this new
situation.
2. As I drive down the cul-de-sac my clients and I
see Playskool toys and mini-basketball hoops
in driveways. Through open garage doors we see
bikes—lots of them of all sizes. I am a REALTOR and
my clients want to buy. This location is perfect and
I have worked hard to uncover a house that is not
yet on the market. To top it off they can afford this
home, a small miracle. Julia is in the front passenger
seat. Behind her in the back seat is her wife, Emma.
Their two sons are at home with a babysitter. As
Julia looks around what might become her
neighborhood she says in a whisper, “I hope these
people like gay people.” My heart goes out
to Julia and Emma. I sense in them a longing to
be part of a community. I want for them to have
what we all want: to belong. One of the things I
love about Fort Collins is our sense of community.
It starts with identity but goes far beyond that.
We do stuff together and we do stuff for each
other. Volunteerism and charitable giving is high.
It is part of who we are. Also engrained in Fort
Collins is a “Live and Let Live” approach to others.
When I moved to Fort Collins in 1987 it was what
struck me the most about our City. A psychologist
acquaintance told me once that if you have buttons
to push there will be someone to push them. Part of
healthy living and part of “Live and Let Live” means
appropriately keeping my buttons out of the way of
others and taking appropriate precautions to avoid
bumping into the buttons of others. Too
often it seems that gay activists and those who
describe themselves as opposed to the gay
agenda run around daring others to push their
buttons. And, they are button-pushers and seem
to take great delight in this. I wish they would
recognize how damaging and hurtful this is.
Months later Julia and I are sitting on the brown
leather couch at Cuppy’s Coffee. She smiles
as she tells me about the fun she and her family had
last weekend at a neighborhood party. I
feel deeply satisfied. Julia is experiencing transition.
Not only has she recently moved, she has
quit her job and returned to graduate school. She is
studying the Bible. I am unable to
reconcile her deep faith and what I understand the
Bible says about homosexuality. I do not ask her
about this discrepancy. With a quiet earnest voice
Julia tells me about the work that
Jesus is doing in her heart and that is enough for me.
(This story and the people in it are real. I
have changed names and details to protect
identities.)
3. As we encounter changes in our city, I want to
stay true to our vision for a world-class community.
That is why I am running for City Council. Honestly,
when I first began to seriously consider running I
felt very nervous. I knew that if I ran I would want
to “just” speak my heart. No politico recommends
this. The stereotype is to do some polling, hold a
focus group, and say what you think the voters want
to hear. Bleck! But as I considered what was in the
heart of the people of Fort Collins I was reassured
and encouraged. I think the people who are deeply
committed to Fort Collins share something—a
common set of beliefs. I share those beliefs. We
value community and beauty and economics in
proper perspective, to name a few. (This is just
a partial list and I would love to talk with anyone
who wants to hear more about my thoughts
concerning our shared beliefs.) Our vision for a
world class community includes quality
neighborhoods, protecting our natural heritage, and
sustaining a healthy economy. Our city government
has worked hard to make this vision a reality by
developing City Plan. City Plan is impressive. Its
heft grabbed my attention. It is nothing if not
comprehensive. In addition I am impressed with the
many activity lists contained in it. Specific actions
that will lead us to our vision are detailed. Finally, I
am impressed with the long span of time and large
number and variety of people who have participated
in its development. Truly, City Plan is the outcome
of a city-wide effort to express our community
vision. Some have said we are at a crossroads. To
me that sounds like a desire to turn our City on to
a new path. I feel we are already headed in a good
direction. As we encounter the changes in our city, I
want to stay true to our vision and to City Plan. That
is why I am running for City Council. I am optimistic
about our future and I am excited to serve. Thank
you.”

KRISTIN STEPHENS
1. “In 2012, the people of Colorado voted to make
recreational marijuana legal and since then,
several other states have followed suit. As a parent,
my biggest concern is that drugs and
alcohol stay out of the hands of our children.
Because Colorado has acted to strictly regulate
both the recreational and medical marijuana
businesses in our state and because our local
business owners have been responsible, I am in
favor of keeping medical and recreational
marijuana legal in our community. In conjunction
with this, I also want to make sure that people
in our community who struggle with drug and
alcohol addictions are able to find and access the
help they need.
2. While this is more of a state issue than a city
issue, I have always been in favor of same sex
marriage. I am delighted that many of my friends
who have waited for years to get married are
now able to do so.
3. It is a great time to live in Fort Collins. We are
truly undergoing a Renaissance and in several
years, our community will look and feel much
different than it currently does. Since my district
borders Midtown, I am particularly happy that the
Midtown area is being revitalized. That being
said, I am concerned about the stadium’s impact in
our community. While I won’t be on City
Council when the Intergovernmental Agreement
with CSU is announced, I urge city leaders to
make sure that Fort Collins is watching out for both
the taxpayers and the neighborhoods that
will be affected by the stadium. We also need to
make sure that the city’s bike, pedestrian and
roadway infrastructure and our bus system can keep
up with all of the proposed changes that
are on the horizon. I support strong arts and
recreation programming in our city, but I want to
make sure that all of our citizens can get to and
from all of these new venues safely and
efficiently.”

GERRY HORAK
1. “I support both as provided by ordinances in
Fort Collins.
2. I believe same sex marriage is a settled issue in
the USA. I have supported it for a long time.
3. I was humbled and honored to be elected
the District 6 representative to City Council in
2011. I have worked to make Fort Collins a better
community by engaging and actively listening to the
citizens and community stakeholders as well as
working cooperatively and collaboratively with
other jurisdictions in the region. A better
community is a place where folks can and want
to live, work, recreate and raise their children and
grandchildren. My campaign reflects that
engagement with citizens and community
stakeholders as well as actively listening to their
concerns and issues. If reelected I will continue that
work.”

CARL WANGSVICK
1. “Legal and regulated.
2. Legal and guaranteed, no change since college.
3. Have to say, it’s an exciting time to live in Fort
Collins!”

Based off the answers received, we hope this
gives some insight as to which candidates will truly
be the right fit for us as a City. Think and research
before casting your vote this April 7!

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