Ethan Augreen wants Longmont to get more serious about climate action if he’s elected to represent the eastern ward of the city.
From New Jersey, Augreen has been in Colorado for 10 years with most of those spent in Longmont. He's now in the running for the Ward I seat on Longmont City Council.
“One of the main reasons I decided to run is because I have concerns about the city’s lack of a strategic plan to actually make the transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030, which is one of the most aggressive goals in the country,” Augreen said.
He said that he raised these concerns with the city but wasn’t happy with the response, so he decided to run for council to bring the issue to the forefront. However, Augreen said his “final straw” was when non-residents were told they could no longer speak in the first round of public comment at city council meetings.
“I think that’s a grave mistake on so many levels. It’s unconstitutional. It’s exclusionary,” Augreen said. “It’s close-minded, and it’s a public safety issue when people who may not live in Longmont but work in Longmont, own property in Longmont, shop in Longmont are prohibited from speaking and bringing their issues to the forefront.”
Non-residents are still invited to be heard during the second round of public comment at city council meetings, though that comes at the end of the meeting typically late into the evening.
Augreen earned his master’s degree in environmental leadership at Naropa University in Boulder, served in the Americorps and considers himself a sustainability expert.
He added that while he wants to prioritize climate action, he’s also not a fan of extreme measures that would take away people’s freedom of travel, security and safety in the name of sustainability.
“I want to address those concerns with a real, comprehensive, wealth-building plan to achieve this transition in a way that does not harm people,” Augreen said.
Ward I is currently held by Councilmember Tim Waters, who announced this month that he would not be running for reelection. Harrison Earl also announced his candidacy for Ward I.
Three other seats are up for election on city council this November — mayor, council member at large and Ward III. No one has been listed for the mayoral position yet, but incumbent Councilmembers Sean McCoy and Susie Hidalgo-Fahring have filed to run for their respective seats.
Candidates will not be considered certified candidates until they have completed the nomination process, which includes collecting enough signatures during the petition process in August.
