Deb DeBoutez is running for Greeley City Council’s Ward II seat. Here’s where she stands on the issues.

By Kelly Ragan

Deb DeBoutez is running for the Ward II seat on Greeley City Council.

At a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, Greeley mayoral and city council candidates answered questions from the league and from audience members regarding where they stood on various issues, what their plans would be if elected, and more. 

Some of the major topics included housing, transportation, water, diversity, and communication. Candidates were also asked about three ballot measures, 2F (also known as Keep Greeley Moving), and 2G and 2H (also known as the water ballot measures). 

The NoCo Optimist included candidates’ opening and closing statements, answers (with minimal edits for clarity and brevity) as well as the questions asked for context. The NoCo Optimist’s goal here is to give you an idea of who a candidate is and where they stand on issues that matter to you.

Opening statement

I've lived in Greeley for 27 years. I came here to finish my college degree at the University of Northern Colorado, and my kids and I settled here and moved my folks to grow old here.

I've volunteered and worked at many nonprofits in town and took a job in Denver and commuted for nine years. That commute became untenable. I was spending too much time in the car, not with my family, so I was lucky to get a job with the City of Greeley as their neighborhood program specialist. I worked for 13 years directly with residents in this community to help them improve their neighborhoods and livability.

I was the community mediator, community organizer, I helped with the neighbor labor program and managed the farmers market.

I retired in March to run for city council and represent Ward II.

Question: As the city of Greeley continues to experience increasing population growth and diversity, this growth has impacted a number of areas such as housing transportation and water to name a few. What ideas or strategies do you have to address future issues impacted by this growth?

I've been very concerned about the explosive growth I'm seeing in Greeley. I think we need to grow smartly. We can do that by focusing on building infill and not sprawling westward, and creating buffers and open spaces, and preserving our green spaces between our communities in northern Colorado that are also growing.

I think we need to improve our existing infrastructure, and we need to make sure that all our neighborhoods are connected to one another and it's easy for pedestrians and cyclists to safely be on our roads between our neighborhoods.

I think growing smartly is having a mix of housing, commercial and industrial within our communities. All that involves very careful, strategic, deliberate planning.

Question: Do you think the city is effectively communicating with the community about its activities and needs? If yes, how are they doing that? If not, what needs to be improved?

I worked for 13 years in various departments in the city, and we've come a long way. We're really embracing social media with Twitter and Facebook. I think the hybrid model of city council meetings being in-person, but you can also attend via Zoom is a great boon.

There are many ways to communicate. To better communicate, we need to involve, consult, ask questions and empower our residents to want to engage with city government. Our local government is the closest government our residents have, and they have the most powers to affect positive change right here at this level.

Question: The University of Northern Colorado is part of Ward II. It also affects the rest of the city. How would you work to engage students so they might want to stay in Greeley after they graduate?

I did this as a job as a neighborhood program specialist. We worked very hard to engage UNC students, we gave them tours of the entire city, we tried to partner them with businesses, then have mentorships or internships, we tried to help them find jobs in the community. I think that we need to do more to support our future entrepreneurs, and those are the students at the business schools and the other schools of UNC.

I was one of those students, and I decided to stay in Greeley because it's decent. We've got the Colorado lifestyle, we have great park systems and open spaces, and it's affordable. I think that we just need to continue to strengthen the programs that we have in place now, and really be open to UNC students’ suggestions as well.

Question: How would you use your skillset while on council, for example reading contracts, advocating for public safety officers, reading scientific data, and/or your personal experience with water issues?

I'm an effective listener, and I'm a collaborative problem solver. I want to help the community. The City of Greeley has over 900 employees in 13 departments and a $500 million annual budget. It's very complex, it takes a lot of time, and a lot of work, and energy to dig deep into the details, and that's the role of city council. I retired in March to run for the Ward II seat because I want to affect positive change more broadly.

So, I think being a very good listener and a problem solver is the skillset that I can bring to council.

Question: What is the most important issue to you in the ward you are running to represent?

I wish to represent Ward II, and I think getting more investment and attention to Ward II is my priority. It's the old part of Greeley, it's east of 23rd avenue and south of 16th Street. We've got North Colorado Medical Center on one corner, we've got the university and the six neighborhoods that surround it in the middle, and then we've got the Greeley mall on the south side.

This this is a wonderful part of Greeley, I've lived there for 27 years by choice, but we need to concentrate on the infrastructure in that community. I'm talking about the aging urban forest and the conditions of our streets, having more businesses and boutiques, and entrepreneurs working there, having more affordable housing and density in housing. That's what I hope to focus on as a representative of Ward II.

Question: What is your position on the Keep Greeley Moving ballot issue? What are your positions regarding the home rule charter changes on water decisions?

The Keep Greeley Moving tax initiative was passed by the voters four years ago, and this is just an extension of it. I’ve seen evidence in north and east Greeley of that work and the improvements, and it was badly needed. We need to continue it.

As far as the charter amendments 2G and 2H, I’m very much opposed to them. Greeley has this long history, and we are regional and national leaders with our water management of conservation, acquisition, storage and infrastructure. We have a water board that's been around since 1958 has kept us in the leadership role in water, certainly in Colorado and in the western states. I don't think that we should ask the voters to make management decisions when we have such a capable and competent water board and city council.

Closing statement

I am running for Ward II because I want us to grow smartly, and now's the time to be deliberate about that.

I want us to relieve traffic and preserve our beautiful green space in our mountain vistas that we have. I think that we need to continue and invest more in Ward II and in our infrastructure, which includes storm water, roads, and broadband access.

I think we need to make sure that people can feel safe in their community walking and biking. We need to stop the blight that is happening in Ward II and refocus our attention to that area. Finally I think we need to continue to support our local employers and businesses and grow our future entrepreneurs.