Louisa Andersen is running for city council’s Ward II seat. Here’s where she stands on the issues.

By Kelly Ragan

Louisa Andersen is running for the Ward II seat on 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'm stepping forward to run for city council Ward II because I have a heart for Greeley. I've been a resident of Greeley in Ward II for more than 50 years. Our family has business owners, and I'm also an educator. I'm familiar with Ward II’s unique challenges, residents and business interests. I believe that Ward II deserves investment to preserve its charm and history of the southeast quadrant of Greeley, from the gem of Glenmere to the revitalization of Balsam Park, which is currently taking place. I look forward to representing Ward II’s diverse interests and residents.

The qualifications that I have include serving on the city’s planning commission for the last five years. I am currently on the art commission as well. Our family business is now in its third generation of recycling and self-service auto parts on both entryways of Greeley.

My husband and I raised three children in Ward II. They grew up riding their bikes up and down the hills around the university and all the way out to Highway 85.

I hope that I will be able to collaborate creatively for common sense solutions to the Greeley's challenges, and I hope to improve the prosperity especially of the residents of Greeley in 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?

The Imagine Greeley plan, adopted in 2018, that used a variety of inputs to create a vision for the city of Greeley, has been instrumental in helping guide the city with that sustainable growth model going forward in the future. During my five years on the planning commission, one of the most significant things that we worked on was revamping the development code. Within that code, I saw a lot of opportunity to make some tweaks and some changes to pull some weeds to help streamline the code to make it easier for business to navigate their way through the shoals of the planning department, as well as to provide a number of different opportunities, especially for micro housing and mixed housing and multi-use zoning, that I hope I can affect with that code change.

I hope that I can encourage the planners and city department heads to use both codes to drive sustainable growth.

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’ve had to learn along with the rest of us how to transition from meeting in person to meeting over Zoom and having to deal with the difficulties of that.

I think that the city has had trouble with navigating the change, especially with the Tribune as being less of an option to spread the word with publicizing the agendas. However, I recommend that everyone go to greelygov.com. There's a portal there where you can get push notifications to find out about all the different boards. The agendas are posted there.

I'm very pleased with the move that has been made with that, and I've also noticed that there is a great effort that is being made to translate to Spanish, but it's more than Spanish that we have in Ward II. As I've been knocking on doors, I've run into Farsi, and I've run into some other things that are not as available to me as a Spanish speaker.

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?

With UNC literally across the street from where I live, I'm frequently involved with UNC. I went to UNC, my daughters have attended UNC as well.

The development of the 16th Street District and the Creative District have also encouraged UNC students to feel welcome in Greeley. They encourage the development of downtown to be more interactive and social, especially with the addition of the bus service to downtown and back and forth has really helped UNC become more integrated into the community.

I frequent a number of activities at UNC. When I’m elected to city council, I hope that I can interact with the students there in that manner and represent them by asking them and listening to them whenever I have those opportunities.

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 love language, so speaking to people is not a problem. I love interacting with people, I like meeting new people, and I love hearing ideas. Our family business is a business that makes recycling and conservation a way of life. Because of the nature of our business, we interact with people from all classes, and in all walks of life, and people who speak all languages.

My particular skillset is one of patience and of interest in a variety of things.

The time that I've had on planning commission has really opened my eyes as to how things work. With a family business, I know how to work it from the other end. I'd like to interact with businesses to make their lives easier here in the city with what I know.

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

As I visited Ward II and walked around, knocking on an awful lot of doors, the issue that my constituents seem most interested in is safety.

There's been some significant growth of some homeless encampments directly across the street, frequently in the yards of people who live in Ward II.

The ability for the residents for them to have a water and irrigation system that they can actually properly use. The aging urban forest is another thing that's quite critical. I don't know if you've driven down 24th Street lately, but please don't.

Another thing is encouraging the business mix and the infill to develop the multi-use zoning. I think will really benefit Ward II so we can have housing for all types, at all attainable levels – not just rentals, not just apartments – but housing for small families, so everyone can have their piece of green.

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?

I asked for Keep Greeley Moving and that that sales tax increase. I have seen definitely the work that has been done. I just would like to encourage the city to direct their works toward the eastern part of the city of Greeley. I hope to be able to represent those in Ward II a little bit more stridently for encouraging the projects as they're developed to point toward the southeast quadrant of Greeley.

As for the charter amendments, it's hard enough to get people to vote at all. Having them vote on something as arcane and esoteric as water law – there are libraries built about water law, and in Colorado it's crazy, so I would not support the charters.

Closing statement

I have a heart for Greeley. I have a heart for Ward II. I'm looking forward to representing the residents and businesses and interests of Ward II.

I support a sensible code for affordable living, so that I can work creatively to in make the code requirements that will entice the various different builders to build a variety of housing solutions and to encourage affordability. I'd like to streamline the process through planning to encourage business to want to develop in Ward II.

I'd like the budget priorities to include public open space including buffer zones and green spaces.

I'd like to fund and maintain the existing infrastructure that we have besides buying more I’m also especially interested in common sense growth and water conservation. Water is the single most important resource that Greeley has, and I would like us to continue with the Life After Lawn program and encourage some of those things to crop up in Ward II.