Commerce City at large

Jose Guardiola

Please describe your leadership style in three words:

Passionate, Committed, Ethical

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job:

I’m a Commerce City kid that grew up to serve my community. I understand where I grew up and the northern range where I live now and the different challenges both areas have but also understand that we are one Commerce City. The past four years I have had the honor to serve at Councilman At-Large and think with my passion for our city and my experience as a councilman I am the best candidate.

Please list your top three priorities if elected:

Growth, redistricting of our wards and representation on council for all the new growth and bringing more diverse restaurants and retail

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

Our comprehensive plan that is currently underway. We need residents to get involved on how we are going to shape our city for the next 20 years, from growth, parks and trails to business and transportation. We need the voice of our community to hear what type of city they want to have for the next 20 years.

Paul Solano

Data Administrator Centurylink Communications Retired

pauldsolano@gmail.com

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Express openness honestly

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

Past elected official: 2013-2018, Director with Regional Transportation District, secretary of the board, chairman of government relations committee.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

Environmental issues are impacting the health and welfare of Commerce residents. Businesses that violate pollution regulation should be held accountable.

Public safety and policing needs review to make certain the police department is accountable to the community. Homelessness and housing and certainty that resources are available to help those in need, including addressing the root cause including employment assistance, mental health and substance abuse counseling.

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

Air quality. File lawsuits against businesses that pollute, if noncompliance prevails then closing should be implemented.

Ramon Alvarado

Deputy Budget Director at the Colorado Department of Revenue/ Part-time professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver

https://ramonalvarado4cc.ga/

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Engaging Transformational Listener

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

I offer 20 + years of combined finance experience in the private and public sectors. I’ve worked for multinational corporations working on public-private partnerships. Working for the state has provided me with public policy experience. I hold a doctorate in business administration, an MS in Economics, an MS in Accounting, and an MBA.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

A top priority is to responsibly manage the city’s growth without overburdening residents with unsustainable debt levels. Another priority is to continue diversifying our businesses including small businesses in Commerce City. Another is to continue to work with the school districts, the South Adams County Fire Protection District, the South Adams County Water and Sanitation District, and the Commerce City Police Department to improve the lives of the residents.

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). ESG is an issue being embraced by many organizations and it is just a matter of time before cities will also need to embrace this initiative. The city should respond by first learning about ESG and then creating a plan and initiatives on how its meeting ESG concerns.

Shenika Carter

Small Business Owner of Carter Truck Driving Academy

www.shenikacarter4citycouncil.org

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Inclusive, Equitable and Community Focused.

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

As a community organizer, human rights activists and successful small business owner, I know what it takes to build a thriving community that is inclusive and to tackle the issues impacting our citizens.

Imagine keeping the commerce in Commerce City and being able to shop and spend within our own community. We have a city of paid livable wages with job growth and obtainable housing with breathable air.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

Economic Development, Obtainable Housing, Accessible Education

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

Growth and Development that is inclusive and culturally diverse to welcome families far and near that seek out Commerce City as the place to plant roots and raise families, open small businesses and have some of the best public neighborhood schools in the nation that are properly funded.

Commerce City Ward 1

Oscar Madera

Senior SEC Research and Reporting Specialist

omadera.us

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Lead by Example.

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

My ability to relate to our community stems from growing up in Commerce City to immigrant parents. This gave me the drive to become educated and proudly obtaining degrees from CU Boulder and Notre Dame. My financial background as well as my experience serving on City Council for the past four years has proven my dedication and skills to complete the task at hand. I am action-oriented and put my constituents first above all.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

My top three priorities if elected are to provide a pathway for financial success, in not only education but ensuring that people have high paying jobs, and are able to afford a home where they can raise their family safely. In this, being able to have the financial tools for economic mobility, safe neighborhoods to move into, and family friendly open spaces, with clean air and water to enjoy, are the way forward.

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

The issue shaping the city most over the next decade is the torrid growth and keeping this a thriving and desired community to live in. We need to scale our services like law enforcement, alternative transportation, and attracting retail and commercial business to help support our growth. Making Commerce City a city that future generations of our community can be proud to call home, like I am to be from here, is my biggest priority.

Commerce City Ward 3

Cassie Ratliff

Social Worker/Program Director

https://www.cassieforcommercecity.com/

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Collaborative, Compassionate, Authentic

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

I am qualified and the most passionate person for this role. I am not in this race to simply win. My willingness to do the hard and necessary work goes beyond the title of Councilwoman. I want to be a voice for my community and support hard working people and families as they navigate the issues that impact all of us - post-pandemic recovery, affordable housing, employment stability, air and water pollution, and equity and inclusion.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

1. Post-Pandemic Recovery - prioritizing our response to the long-term societal impacts of the pandemic and the economic implications affecting our community.

2. Affordable Housing - establishing a strategic vision focusing on ensuring affordable housing options for our neighbors, while improving our ability to recruit a diverse workforce.

3. Small Business Opportunities - encouraging support of our small business community while strengthening government investment in critical business resources.

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

The societal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come. It is critical that we focus on the physical and mental health of our neighbors and not overlook the economic implications impacting families, small businesses and government funded resources. We must be innovative in our problem solving and flexible in policies. As our community works to `build back better’, we must take advantage of the current Federal Administrations “American Job Plan”.

Rick Davis

Contract Sales representative

FaceBook-Rick Davis

Please describe your leadership style in three words

Openminded, focused, driven

Describe the skills that make you the best candidate for the job

Years of affiliation with numerous volunteer organizations in leadership positions and leadership positions within corporations I’ve worked in. I’m openminded and willing to listen to and discuss alternative suggestions/ideas. I won’t ask anyone to do anything I’m not willing to do myself.

Please list your top three priorities if elected

1. Infrastructure improvement,

2. Controlled growth in the community,

3. Helping make the city a place people want to live and recreate in.

What issue do you see shaping the city the most through the next decade and how we should respond?

Growth of the city. While it is important for the city to grow, it must be handled in a way to allow for requisite infrastructure (streets, schools, required services, law enforcement and fire and medical, etc.) to be able to keep up with the city’s growth. This will require builders to be prepared to work with the city to help ensure these services can be handled correctly.