PFC Election Endorsements
Preserve Fort Collins sent a questionnaire to every Council and Mayoral candidate in the 2023 election. Eric Hamrick and Patricia Babbitt both have many years of dedicated work to many of the efforts important to the supporters of Preserve Fort Collins. Based on this, and based on their answers, they are both receiving our endorsements.
We’re sure many of you have seen the recent article on Alexander Adams in the Fort Collins Coloradoan, and we want to share PFC’s thoughts on the matter.
Although Mr. Adams’ stated positions on density, land use, and conservation do align with our goals, he did not carry a petition for PFC, did not volunteer for PFC in any way, nor did he sign the petition. He has no other history of meaningful work on the issues this organization was formed to advocate for (including no meaningful work in his run up to running for council.)
To put a fine point on it, even if we put his past (as described in the Coloradoan) aside, he's not done the work to earn an endorsement or support from PFC as an organization.
This is also a good time to mention that not only are we a non-partisan organization, this is also truly a non-partisan issue. We have supporters from all across the political spectrum who have come together to advocate for livable neighborhoods and transparent governance. As an organization, it doesn't make sense for us to take partisan sides. In the last year, we've tried to maintain a narrow focus on OUR issues, and we should continue to do so. Of course, each of us individually has our own opinions about a multitude of other issues, and we've been heartened over the last year about how well we have been able to keep our coalition focused on our organizational goals and have avoided internal squabbles over national politics. Some PFC supporters also support Mr. Adams. Many others do not.
What we do know about Mr. Adams’ past is that he followed and contributed to a hateful ideology. There are reasonable questions about whether (or how far) Mr. Adams has disavowed or apologized for his past. We should not get bogged down by taking a position on his ‘redemption arc’. Our position is that we deplore his past actions, and we hope that he sincerely renounces his past extremist views and that he takes action to demonstrate a genuine commitment to moving beyond his hatefulness. What we can't do as an organization is to get sucked into the partisan politics that the YIMBYs and their supporters among elected officials will try to bait us into. We should remain focused on fighting the ill-considered actions of the city council majority.
Since Councilmember Susan Gutowsky (who has voted with us on land use) is quoted in the Coloradoan article, we would also like to highlight a statement she has made on Facebook, as well as on the article itself:
I would like to further respond to this recent article in the Coloradoan about Alexander Adams. The article did not include a very important comment I made during my interview. As a veteran educator of 34 years in the classroom, I worked with hundreds of troubled teens who were dealing with a wide range of serious issues, including drug addiction, criminality and many others. So many of these young people realized the error of their ways, extricated themselves and became respected, empathetic, and highly productive members of their communities. I knew each of these young people personally and I witnessed their transformation. I met Alexander several weeks ago, and when he told me his story, I recognized the very same experiences my former students had struggled with and successfully emerged from. I had no reason to doubt the legitimacy of his personal story and certainly felt no urgency to share his private past with the public. I accepted him for who he said he is now, and I appreciated his desire to focus his youthful energy towards serving his community. As a 2nd generation Mexican-American woman, forgiveness is a cornerstone of my culture that perhaps many do not understand. I was raised to believe that we should not place judgment on people unless we know them and have spoken to them, a value I strongly believe in and uphold to this day. Others in our community have not afforded Alexander that same opportunity before picking up their internet torches and pitchforks and making accusations without having all the facts. Alexander and his personal story provide our community the opportunity to have open and honest discussions about what it means to make serious mistakes and to grow and change. We should have the discussion as a community about whether today’s young people, who are increasingly drawn into extremist views on the internet and given the persistent availability of anything posted on the internet, are even ‘allowed’ to grow and change. If we insist on treating Alexander as a political football to kick around in order to win political points, rather than as a human being, we do a disservice to him as well as to the values of compassion and empathy ingrained in our Fort Collins community.
YIMBYs have already called publicly for a recall against Councilmember Gutowsky. It is clear to us based on her statement above that her background as an educator leads her to approach people and situations with a sense of humanity.
Eric Hamrick is running for City Council in District 2
Patricia Babbitt is running as an Official Write-in Candidate for Mayor