Candidate: Harrison Earl
Office: Longmont City Council, Ward 1
Website: harrisonforlongmont.com
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES:
Yes/No Questions – Please answer only with yes/no.
Are you a homeowner? Yes
Do you think your City should have a homeless shelter? Yes
If the City police force was fully staffed, would you advocate for adding more officers? No
Do you believe there’s a need for more housing? Yes
Do you believe the City should spend more money on homelessness services? Yes
General Questions – Please limit responses to 300 words or less.
Why do you want to be a council member?
I want to be a voice for everyone in Longmont, and bring common sense to a city council where it is lacking. I plan to focus on affordability, livability, and sustainability.
When was the last time you paid rent, and where was that?
Prior to moving to Longmont, I rented an apartment in Denver from 2014-2017. Our house in Longmont was our first time buying, and we couldn’t have picked a better community to move to. However, our housing affordability crisis means that it is much more challenging to do what we were able to do 6 years ago. It is essential that we bring down our housing costs so that our current residents and those moving here can afford to live, work, and play in Longmont.
When considering new developments, which is more important: density and affordability or preserving neighborhood character?
Both are important and they don’t need to be in conflict. We can add density into neighborhoods and maintain character with things like duplexes and townhomes; density doesn’t just mean apartments. We need to build more housing to make it more affordable to live in Longmont, and we can do so while keeping our neighborhoods vibrant and with their character intact.
Boulder County has experienced extreme natural disasters over the last decade, including flooding and wildfire. How do you plan to address these challenges?
We need to increase our funding for more resilient infrastructure to withstand these disasters and be ready for the next one to come. For wildfire specifically, our fire departments need to have the funding to increase staffing on high risk days so they can respond quickly to any potential threats and protect our residents.
How do you think you stand out from other candidates?
I’ve served on Longmont’s Airport Advisory Board for the last 5 years, so I know how to work with the city to get things done, effectively conduct public meetings, and get feedback from stakeholders. I’ve worked with current council members while on the board to pass policies, such as a unique sustainability resolution for the airport, and have the relationships with them to work collaboratively to best serve the city. No other candidate has this much public service experience.
What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
How does your experience prepare you to serve as an effective City Council member starting day 1 to represent the residents of Longmont?
What are your solutions for the growing population of people experiencing homelessness?
We must increase our outreach efforts to get people the help they need, including more support for mental health and addiction services. Many resources exist today that we can better connect people into. The state needs to step up with more funding, not just burden cities like Longmont, and we should aggressively lobby for regional resources that don’t just move people from city to city, but instead work collaboratively on a solution for all of the metro area. A cooperation across Boulder County to increase access to health and mental health care, addiction treatment, and provide temporary housing would be very welcome.
What’s your plan for creating more affordable housing in Longmont?
We need to revisit the city’s zoning rules and approval processes to make building housing easier and cheaper. Today it takes far too long for new construction to get approved, driving up costs. Zoning rules around auxiliary dwelling units (ADUs) also must be changed to make it easier for them to be built. It is also essential that we continue to require affordable and attainable housing in Longmont and encourage developers to exceed targets by offering new incentives.
How will you address climate change? How do you plan to meet some of the City’s climate goals?
We should accelerate the path for carbon neutral power in Longmont and increase incentives and tax rebates available for green investments like electric vehicles, electrifying homes and businesses, and installing solar. Our building codes must also be revised so that new construction is solar-ready and fully electric, but it would be prudent to phase in these requirements so as not to further increase our housing costs.
What are your goals for transportation and how will you achieve them?
Our bus network must be revisited to better serve the whole city, not just Main Street. I support the City’s vision for a microtransit system that will connect all of our neighborhoods. Pedestrian and bicycle safety are also critical and we need to invest more in protected bike lanes and crosswalks so it is safer to get around the city. We also need to invest in maintaining our roads, repairing storm damage, and making sure it is safe to drive around Longmont. While I support and will continue to push for regional rail serving Longmont, we also must get better regional transit today, with bus rapid transit connecting Longmont to Boulder along 119 and connecting Longmont to Denver along 287. If RTD can’t deliver those connections we’ve already paid for, we need to explore alternatives to RTD that better serve Longmont.
How do you plan to engage non-English speaking constituents?
My campaign materials are available in both English and Spanish today, and I pledge to be accessible to all. My wife is a native Spanish speaker and helps me better connect to Spanish speakers in Longmont and I’ll use other translation resources to engage with other communities in the City.
How does diversity factor into your policy making?
It is important that elected officials receive diverse input and perspectives when drafting policy, including from residents who have diverse values, ideas, background, and experiences. Through feedback in Council meetings and in meetings with residents, I hope to be able to incorporate diverse perspectives that makes our policies more beneficial and effective for all of us.
How will you reach residents who have different lived experiences than you?
I recognize that I only have my own life experiences to draw on, and I need to gain the perspective of others so that I can craft effective policy that works for all. My email and phone are always open for feedback, and I will hold office hours if I am elected to be accessible to the community and be able to listen to feedback consistently.
Rank your top 5 issues in priority.
Housing affordability, increased pedestrian and bike safety, enhanced community policing partnerships, reducing the tax burden on residents, and continuing the push for carbon-zero power in Longmont.
