BONUS EPSIODE - #2 Hot Nugs Conversation with Adam Eggleston For Mayor of the City of Fort Collins

Adam Eggleston is a candidate for Fort Collins Mayor, and joined me for the second of our Hot Nugs Conversations - a collaboration between LoCo Think Tank, Matador Mexican Grill, Old Town Spice Shop, and The LoCo Experience Podcast.  

Please visit www.adamegglestonformayor.com to learn more about his platform, and make sure to vote by or before November 4, 2025!

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by: Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

Follow us to see what we're up to:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Transcript

Speaker: 1:01

Welcome back to the Loco Experience Podcast. My guest today is Adam Eggleston. For mayor, as his t-shirt says, I am. Thank you for having me. That's a, that's a pretty solid T-shirt. Did you make more than one?

Speaker 2: 1:13

Uh, I have, I have four or five different designs I've made and, uh, but all

Speaker: 1:17

solos you don't have like a crew of like volunteers, they'll get a t-shirt for Oh yeah. So Minions, I

Speaker 2: 1:22

have this shirt and one other shirt that if anyone donates$25 or more to my campaign Oh. And requests a shirt, I will get a shirt to'em. Oh, nice. Typically within about two days. Okay. Uh, can do a whole bunch of different colors and so I, I do have a whole bunch of, uh, volunteers and friends. Do you have a

Speaker: 1:37

screen printing business in your garage or something?

Speaker 2: 1:39

Uh, no. I found a, like a single print, like on demand print. It's a little bit pricier than like, right. What would be, so you're paying

Speaker: 1:47

like$26 for these$25 donations?

Speaker 2: 1:50

No, I'm paying like 22.

Speaker: 1:53

But they might get other donors may get, get other donors, you know, they start movement that way. Right.

Speaker 2: 1:57

Yeah. And I always, uh, like the worst part about. I, I suck at asking for money and whatnot and yeah. I'm just doing it.'cause you're like, Hey, buy a cool T-shirt. Yeah. And'cause I, and I'm really enjoying designing new t-shirts. I just designed two more yesterday. Sweet. So when I have downtime from the campaign, which isn't often, uh, I'm playing on Canva and designing new shirts and stuff of that

Speaker: 2:19

nature. You're building new skills. Yeah. As you run for mayor. Trying to and have you, what's the, what's the new designs? Can I ask?

Speaker 2: 2:25

Uh, yeah. So I have a kind of a rustic, um, black and white design with four Collins with horse tooth in the background.

Speaker: 2:32

Okay.

Speaker 2: 2:32

Uh, more classic. More classic for Collins, Colorado. Uh, and then I have a really nice, this is

Speaker: 2:37

your Comic-Con shirt here. This is my

Speaker 2: 2:38

Comic-Con. I wear this shirt when I door knock. Sure.'cause if they see a fat man walking up to a door wearing their shirt, they're like, you're not a normal canvasser. Right. And we should probably check to make sure you're okay.

Speaker: 2:50

Right. Is this like person being like held without their permission or something like that here? Like,

Speaker 2: 2:55

why is this guy like walking? He doesn't seem like he, does he need some food? Yeah, food or, I do get, I and I, I'm running exercise if like, people are seeing me out in the, the neighborhood like, hey, if you see me check to make sure I have sunscreen on and I'm doing okay, I'm not used to exercise and my head burns really easily and I've had people stop me. They're like, you got sunscreen on? I was like, yeah. I was like, thanks mask. It is for Collins, looking out for Fort Collins. And so it's a, it's a really fun way to play on, um, you know, the door knocking and, and being professional and having the suit and tie on. Yeah, the right forms and appropriate times. Pro, pro times. But, you know, tonight I figured eating hot sauces, having fun time talking about, you know, just creative stuff. Uh, it's a good place for to rock the, uh, ComicCon uh, the slight, um, overweight superhero. Um,

Speaker: 3:50

he's looking good. Thank you. He's looking good. Well, and I hope you're prepared for me to take my shirt off tonight'cause we're doing a selection of much hotter sauces than we did in the Shirley Peel interview because she advised us ahead of time that she was a Antis Spice girl and she did the whole run, including a couple pretty bird ones. So. And I was sweaty. Like that was one of the last things she said to me in the interview was, my God, I can't believe how sweaty you are. So I,

Speaker 2: 4:20

I completely anticipate, I didn't know shirts would be coming off. Um, your shirt may come off. Mine won't. Okay. Uh, if I do that, I'm not

Speaker: 4:28

sure if my shirt will come off. I would

Speaker 2: 4:30

lose instantly. Um. There'd be zero effort on me running for rest of the campaign. Uh, and I kind of figured this hot sauces might be a little bit hotter, um, just just with my friendship and my knowledge. Yeah. So, so

Speaker: 4:45

yeah. Credit with due, um, this was a little bit your idea, so, yeah. Um, and we've excluded you from all the planning and stuff since the idea was. Seated with Sean and Paul, so exactly.

Speaker 2: 4:57

This was a, I was sitting at crazy Carl's and I was like, Hey, I just got done watching a hot Ones episode, and I was like, this would be fun to do real, get real questions and answers from candidates. And I knew, uh, a lot of the, my peer candidates would probably be down for it. And I've known Sean forever. And so, uh, met him at Carl crazy. Carls was like, Hey. What about this? He's like, I'm in. Yeah. And then, and then I like messaged Paul. I was like, Hey Paul, do you wanna do this? He's like, I'm in. And then, uh, Sean turned me onto to you and he's like, I was like, Kurt, would you be in on this and you're in? And so it turned into just like a random Yeah. I was like, I'll have a

Speaker: 5:31

coffee about it. I don't know if I'm in or not. But, and

Speaker 2: 5:33

then, uh, and then it was like, oh, this is a thing now. Now by the way, we're still

Speaker: 5:36

looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of producing this episode. Adam offered to pay us back later, especially if he gets elected Mayor. Or if I lose, I think if I lose, if I teasing that sounds ethically policy anyway. I don't know. We're doing it of our own free will and volition without sponsors and without any expectation of hookups. Although it would be nice if parking remained free. So,

Speaker 2: 6:00

you know, I think that's maybe. Uh, a conversation we can have, and I do agree with that.

Speaker: 6:06

So let's, uh, before we get too far into a normal loco experience episode, we've got a format today. Okay. And that format includes dipping a nugget into this first sauce, which is gonna be pretty modest, giving some tasting notes. And then once you're done chewing, oh, we need some napkins in here. Oh, um, would somebody be so kind as to bring us some napkins. Um, and then once we have offered tasting notes, then we shall, uh, ask you the first question. I like it. And by we, I mean me. Okay. I'm not trying to use like a plural.

Speaker 2: 6:40

I mean, I could ask you questions as well. I know if that would Well, to some

Speaker: 6:42

extent the community is asking you questions. Thanks, Eva. Thank you. Um, and because a couple of these questions were community sourced and, uh, so it is a we,

Speaker 2: 6:55

so I, I like it, like, I, like I've uh, said before, there's not a question I won't answer. Um, there may be, uh, I may not have the answers to the questions. Sure. But at least I will tip to answering question,

Speaker: 7:07

at least what you think anyway. Yeah, I dig it. So let's do the first, let's do the first nug. Perfect. So this is, oh, and actually as we go, if you, you can reach'em. So would you mind telling the audience what this one is? This is the Matador barbecue sauce.

Speaker 2: 7:24

Yeah. So Matador, barbecue sauce, um, just kind of,

Speaker: 7:27

they're straight up barbecue.

Speaker 2: 7:28

Yeah. Just kind of you're running the mail. Oh. And

Speaker: 7:31

Shirley and I decided if you switch it around, you can double dip, but you have to go to the non bitten end.

Speaker 2: 7:36

No, that makes sense.

Speaker: 7:39

cause neither of us wanted to like, not be able to double dip, but, you know, germs and all that.

Speaker 3: 7:44

Hmm.

Speaker 2: 7:50

Nice. Sweet. Mm-hmm. Good flavor. Nice on the tang, but not too, too tgy. Yeah. So just a good traditional, you wanna thin anybody? Yeah. Just a good traditional B or barbecue sauce. This is good. And I could rock this a lot.

Speaker: 8:04

It seems to me like it would be especially good, like I'm thinking about like kind of burned on the edges on some chicken thighs on the grill and that kind of thing where it's been maybe drizzled a couple times. Mm-hmm. Even before you serve it.

Speaker 2: 8:17

Oh yeah.

Speaker: 8:18

You

Speaker 2: 8:18

put, you throw this on, uh, a good like Brent Ends or, um, park Belly would be really good.

Speaker: 8:24

So the first question from James Merkley, one of our co-collaborators here as well, story Path Creative, what's your fondest story to share about the people or the community of Fort Collins?

Speaker 2: 8:39

You

Speaker: 8:39

know, I've had

Speaker 2: 8:40

a, a really fun and interesting career in life where I've lived here my whole life and there's been several times where I have seen the community come out to support me. Um, through different challenges, um, um, uh, medical issues, some car accidents and Oh, really? And I've really seen the, um, it's always been the community feel. Um, every time I've, I've gone out and one of my favorite parts about Fort Collins is no matter where I've gone, I, I run into people, you know, where I go and everyone's, everyone's very friendly. Um, I haven't, I don't know if there's been less, there's probably less than five interactions I've had in my entire life in Fort Collins, which has been pretty much my entire life Yeah. Without, are negative. Hmm. Um, and then I've also, in my, um, current position, um, as a community advocate, um, um, helping out those throughout the community is, I really have seen the interaction that our community members give to each other wherein someone's at their worst or they're struggling with a challenge or the just have gone through a traumatic experience. I, I've seen time and time again where our community members come out to support each other with no idea or concern about, um, like, uh, payment back or service back the next almost. And I've been in Yeah, think

Speaker: 10:05

about like even like the Save the Lyric campaign. Yeah. Way back when it, it's, you know, before the new lyric location was established and stuff. Right? Oh yeah. And, and or things like that.

Speaker 2: 10:16

And like going out to, and being a part of all these nonprofits where no one ever asks about what's your political background? No one ever asks about your social economic style, uh, or, or background. Our community really seems to come out to help each other when it's needed and when it's warranted. And so for me, the cumulation just living here and seeing the absolute positivity that a community has for each other is Absolutely, yeah. Um, like just immense and grateful. Um, even whenever you see the one outliers that's. Tries to start or cause issues. Sure, sure. The amount of people come out to kind of stop that is quite impressive and just endearing.

Speaker: 10:57

Yeah. I I think that's probably one of the, when you and I had that coffee to talk about this the first time was just kind of a both of our notions of like the localization of your attention mm-hmm. And of your efforts.

Speaker 2: 11:11

Yeah. It's, you know, the, I've always been hyper-focused on Fort Collins and, but it's easy to be, um, because of how many great individuals and people there are, uh, is easy to be focused on, uh, hyper-local and even with, with community members, I, I work with and, and talk with, and I've served on 1516. Meeting, uh, task force committee groups. Oh, wow. Uh, I'm kind of addicted to meetings. I may be that, uh, I've been told that's why I'm running for mayor. Oh my.'cause I'm addicted to meetings. Shoot. We know, and I absolutely love, uh, being meetings, but being there and seeing the diverse opinions and positions and everything that goes on. But even when we are disagreeing, we do it respectfully. Yeah. And truth be told, I have, I've had more, um, challenging debates and arguments over where we're gonna get drinks, uh, or like which brewery we're gonna go to than anything important. I don't know what that says about me or the community, but, uh, we'll have, uh, intense debates. But then the hardest part of the after art we debate and argue a parti, uh, position is are we gonna go to odells? Are we gonna go to Max Line? Well, or I have a question. Yes. Why would you go to Max Line over Rod's I like so the owners of Max Line are two amazing friends. That's one of the big reasons, and you're not.

Speaker: 12:37

Old

Speaker 2: 12:37

town. Yeah. Which is another good reason not old town. And so, and uh, I got stung on this question in 2018 when I ran, um, I was asked, uh, the question was we were at Prot and the question was, uh, what's the best beer in town? Oh, I gave this very long diatribe answer. I was like, based on the season. So like, sad pandas delicious. Why has the, um, you try to make everybody happy and not just everyone happy? I just like beer. Uh, I always say that Fort Collins shaped my mind, but also my body, uh, with a beer scene. And more the

Speaker: 13:10

beers than the bikes.

Speaker 2: 13:11

Exactly. Uh, I like, I think biking sounds fun in principle, but I also like beer more than biking. Um, and so yeah, it's just been fun. And so I gave this long diatribe answer and Julie, who I, who was my, uh, peer candidate, she had the best answer I've ever heard. She's like, whatever beer is in front of me. Yeah, I was like, oh, that's the right answer. My

Speaker: 13:30

favorite beer is free beer. That was her follow up. And after that odells IPA is kind of my next favorite. Odell

Speaker 2: 13:35

IPA is probably the best beer.

Speaker: 13:37

I think we're ready for the honey sauce. Ava, are you ready to bring it for us? Thank you.

Speaker 2: 13:44

So honey habanero sauce from Matador. Mm-hmm. Uh, anytime, uh, any things that Paul makes, even as that says, honey, I know there's gonna be heat.

Speaker: 13:55

There's a little heat, but usually things that say habanero are actually more hot than this one. That's fair. Um, so I think it's a very pleasant You, you, you won't, yeah. You won't be, you won't be sweating from this one. I think I might be baby. We were at, uh, high Hops the other day and they have a honey habanero. Beer actually, uh, in a can only habanero honey. Uh, H-U-N-N-Y is how they spell it.'cause they do a lot of weird stuff there. Um, but you would probably like that too, because it's beer. It's beer.

Speaker 2: 14:43

This is really nice. It has a nice subtle heat, kind of the back of the throat. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But the honey help and I think the honey helps coat that. So it kind of goes down as you feel the heat going down. I agree. And so, good flavor, good. Easy thing. This would be nice on a hot wing. This would be a great entry. Like hot sauce for like kids.

Speaker: 15:03

Oh

Speaker 2: 15:03

yeah.

Speaker: 15:03

Where it's, yeah, it's a hot sauce, but you're gonna love it'cause it's so full of honey that you can't help but love it. Yeah. Your brain's already been trained to love it. Your

Speaker 2: 15:11

brain's been trained to live. I actually just saw, um, I saw a thing that a natural cure for, um, like if you have coughs at night, instead of taking like ny quilt, do like a small spoon of honey and that does. Has a thing. It's like taking eye quilt.

Speaker: 15:25

Hmm. Interesting. Yeah. My grandpa did that. Um, but he put whiskey in it that would also help. And hot water, he called it a hot toddie. Um, but that was a children's cough remedy from my mom's dad. I mean, those old remedies, uh, I always say our parents, what it was a, it wasn't a ton of ton of booze. Maybe a tablespoon of booze or something. Right. But that would help keep everyone asleep, especially when, when you're three and you haven't had booze before that, that would help. The second question is from Paul. Okay. Owner of Matador. Um, what is your plan to help support small businesses to start and grow in Fort Collins?

Speaker 2: 16:04

So, uh, I recently closed, I I was a small business owner. Okay. Um, I owned, uh, Oaked Coffee Co. And I recently closed it, uh, on June 30th. Um, just due to. Commodity commodity prices and tariffs and whatnot. Okay. Um, so being a small business owner, seeing on how many permitting and hoops you had to go through. Yeah. Yeah. I understand. Like even to

Speaker: 16:26

have a micro business virtually Yeah.

Speaker 2: 16:28

Micro business and how many different regulations I had to go through just for just roasting coffee. I didn't ha I didn't have a, um, patrons. I was a wholesale coffee company and there was a lot of steps I had to go through and some things I know the city can't control. We can't control commodity prices, we can't control, um, outside influences, but we can control the permitting time and, and fee structure in order to make it easier to start businesses so there's less downtime. Yeah. And then going forward. I wanted to see if we can explore some type of way to stabilize rent.'cause I know that's one of the hardest things for small businesses.

Speaker: 17:04

Okay.

Speaker 2: 17:05

Uh, and as, uh, the rent increases in some cases are 25, 30, 40% every two years, where if you're a small business or a local business, you're not being able to budget for a 40% increase in rent every two, two years. And so what ends up happening is you're making a fine weight or income, or you're making Right, right. You're existing, you're doing okay for a while, but then all of a sudden you're having to raise expense prices by another, you know, 30% to match the 40% increase in, in rent. So,

Speaker: 17:38

so why do you think the rent increased that much? And, and what would you do to stabilize, quote unquote the rent?

Speaker 2: 17:44

So, part of, so we need to work with a county assessor. Um, I think there's, they, I think over the last, um. Five or eight years through the pandemic, we've really seen like, uh, values went up so much. Like fake values? Yeah. Fake news. Fake, fake or just a, a uh, inappropriate increase in value proposition Yeah. Or property values. Yeah.

Speaker: 18:08

To a point

Speaker 2: 18:09

where like a lot of, they can't

Speaker: 18:10

pay the property taxes almost unless they increase their rent.

Speaker 2: 18:13

Correct. Or they're not even that, where the value of the property isn't even what this being assessed for.

Speaker: 18:18

Yeah. Yeah. And so if you're, I experienced that I sent the city a appraisal on my residential property for 530,000 after they raised my tax assessor's value to 6 95. Wow.'cause I was trying to build a carriage house. I was like, here's my As is valuation. From last month and they were like, sorry, I can't hear you. We need your money.

Speaker 2: 18:39

Yeah.

Speaker: 18:39

Bye.

Speaker 2: 18:40

And as a former realtor, like I would do, um, protests for all of my clients and anyone who asked, uh, and at some point we're seeing property values residentials go up 30, 40, 50% year over year. But we've seen that consistently with commercial. Yeah. Even though that the market's starting to stabilize and kind of correct a little bit. Yeah. So we're not seeing those values come down. So we're still seeing the property values go up 40% where if your property, or at least the

Speaker: 19:05

cost of occupancy.

Speaker 2: 19:06

Yeah. And so now the business owners that may not have the collateral to buy the$5 million building are having to be subject to those rent increases. Um, okay.

Speaker: 19:17

So, so what would like. But don't those property owners need to get that level of rent to stay solvent? Or like would you have the city subsidize rent or something? That seems almost worse.

Speaker 2: 19:30

So we can't subsidize rent. And what we, we can do is work with the county assessor to stabilize rent increases. So in like Or valuation increases? Yeah, valuation increases. That would be something I would

Speaker: 19:41

agree with is that like property values shouldn't be able to go up 10 times. Or the rate of inflation. Yeah. Right.'cause inflation was supposed to be three or four or 5%. Yeah. Or even maybe more than double inflation. Like they can't jack that fast,

Speaker 2: 19:58

so they have to have a better, because that

Speaker: 19:59

creates kind of an inflationary

Speaker 2: 20:01

Yeah.

Speaker: 20:01

Like turbine almost. Where now the rent's higher. So I gotta charge more for my food than I'm selling to my customers. And now that everybody's paying more.

Speaker 2: 20:10

And the smaller businesses have a harder time keeping up with that cost increase. Like if you're Starbucks because you're getting your coffee at 10 cents a pound,'cause you own the PR land where it's grown, the ships that it's shipped on. Yeah. The, the trucks you own, everything you can offer, you can find ways to stabilize that price increase. Um, if you're a small business owner, you may not be able to handle that rent going from 5,000 a month to 7,000 a month. Um, because now you're asking, uh, your customers to pay, well,

Speaker: 20:42

maybe, maybe not. I would argue that like Starbucks left old town, partly because the rent was too high compared to the traffic allowed, you know, the parking.

Speaker 2: 20:50

And so, so like in Old Town as a good example, I would think we should maybe convert Old Town into like an opportunity zone where we work the county assessor just not to increase the assessed value. Now the property values can go up. So if you're a property owner and you wanna sell it for 10 million, but stabilize it for, so they

Speaker: 21:05

almost get a subsidized. Property tax situation because we want old time to continue to exist as a retail environment

Speaker 2: 21:13

exist and to provide stability. So rather than every two, maybe another way to thinking about it, maybe instead of every, the property values increase every two years or be, they are only increased every five years. So at least that gives a five year bandwidth. Where, but then it would've to

Speaker: 21:28

increase more if Mr. Market's got a hand in it.

Speaker 2: 21:30

If Mr. Market does have a hand. But right now we're seeing such, I think our property values needs to correct

Speaker: 21:36

it's fake news. Yeah. Yeah.'cause it's actually the property values aren't as high as they've been assessed. So maybe. And so people are trying to get the rent that they can use to cover all those things. So we stabilize

Speaker 2: 21:45

it for the next five years. At least give some. And so I'm

Speaker: 21:48

wary of the hand of government, I just gotta say, but we have to move on'cause we have to do these shows pretty quickly.

Speaker 2: 21:52

And I completely understand that. And I, I guess my question is, I have ideas, but

Speaker: 21:57

I need to, let's explore with people exactly. Alright, we can do that. Cool. Next nug. Oh, sorry, Ava, I should have called for the next sauce. This is actually a rub.

Speaker 3: 22:06

Oh,

Speaker: 22:08

so this is, this was

Speaker 2: 22:10

Buffalo hot wing rub from a old town py shop.

Speaker: 22:12

Yeah. This was Shirley's favorite

Speaker 2: 22:14

Oh.

Speaker: 22:14

Actually from the last episode.

Speaker 2: 22:16

Very nice.

Speaker: 22:17

So, um, yeah, I, I'm excited to, like, I actually prefer dry rub wings than over, over sauced wings and I could see rubbing some wings down with some olive oil and then rub this stuff in real nice and just hit it in the air fryer.

Speaker 3: 22:40

Mm.

Speaker: 22:43

For me, um, because I do like the dry rubs a little bit more. Yeah. What do you think?

Speaker 2: 22:49

It's actually a really nice flavor. They're getting good backend feet heat on the backend of the throat. A good initial

Speaker: 22:58

tongue feel as well. Tastes very like authentic buffalo to me. It's like Frank's. Mm-hmm. It kind of tastes like Frank's.

Speaker 2: 23:08

Very, very delicious. I've been, actually, Sean has a, uh, coyote Pass, which is a, uh, pretty spicy, uh, rub. And I've been doing dry rubs with wings with that. Okay. I'm, its spicier than that. That has a good flavor and it continues to build, so it's still building. Um, and I think it's a, because it's a powder, right? It's kind of sticking around the, the top. Yeah.

Speaker: 23:30

That powder would really like stick on some stuff too. Um, so whatever you wanna make kind of Buffalo e it would be good.

Speaker 2: 23:37

That'd be, I think Grant good in, uh, ground chalk to do burgers. Mm. To do like a pepper jack. Oh yeah. With like a, that'd be fun. Nice. Uh, like buffalo burger or touch touch. I like it. YouTube. Yeah. Put a, a little blue cheese on there. Yeah. Pepper jack. Blue cheese. I like

Speaker: 23:53

it. Uh, this is, uh, this question's from Mayor Emeritus when I say that. What, what do you think? I mean,

Speaker 2: 24:00

uh, well, so Mayor Emeritus is a previous, uh, uh, uh, one of our previous mayors. The Mayor Emeritus Mayor. Mayor. The Mayor. So that's the pre the mayor previous to Jenny Arn, which would be Mayor Troxel. Yes.

Speaker: 24:12

That's what I call

Speaker 2: 24:13

him. Anyway. I just call him Wade.

Speaker: 24:16

Well, too, um, his question you've already heard,'cause it came from a thing, but he wanted to repeat it in this Live Forever digital forum. Perfect. Fort Collins has been described as the Choice City of Colorado and is known for beers, bikes, and bands. Yes. And more. What's your vision for the evolving brand of Fort Collins? Uh, in 30 years from now, what could or should Fort Collins be known for? So

Speaker 2: 24:45

I still see us being known as the beer, um, bands and bikes. Um, our platinum rated status as being a biking community isn't going away.

Speaker: 24:55

Right. Uh, we're, we got, we got a flat town with lots of trails. We have invested a ton in it.

Speaker 2: 25:00

It's people and it brings people here and it's amazing. Um, and so, and beer will probably go through a cycle change again. Um, so, uh, maybe we'll be a cider and beer or maybe a a I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back.

Speaker: 25:15

Yeah. Because like seltzers took over the world and now it's still but boring. Like it's about as exciting as seltzer waters, right? A hundred

Speaker 2: 25:23

percent. And I think we hit when we hit like 30 breweries, uh, right turn of, um, last decade. I, I think 30 was maybe too many. I think hovering around that 25. Sure. Yeah. 25 is fine. 30 is too much. Okay. Uh, but, uh, so I, I still see us being there and with, and with, um, the support and the kind of the, uh, increase of, uh, music awareness from um, um, pat Stryker and Sure. The Wash Washingtons

Speaker: 25:50

Bohemians and Washington Bo found.

Speaker 2: 25:52

I don't think that's going away. Unlikely

Speaker: 25:54

music won't be a big part. No. Okay. So what B should we add? Is there a b we can add to that? So business,

Speaker 2: 26:00

I think,

Speaker: 26:00

oh, I think to really, it'd be nice to re add that.'cause the business community is kind of like, I started local think tank when kind of the number of like startups and excitement and stuff was almost at its peak. Yeah. And it's waned.

Speaker 2: 26:13

It's waned. And I think we have a lot of ability to bring in more businesses. Okay. Um, both local and, uh, homegrown. But also, uh, and I talked about this last week is, uh, we need to become an innovation hub for clean energy. Uh, especially we have this brown cloud say over Fort Collins. Sure. Because of the inversion. Like, we sit on a bowl and everything goes over us.

Speaker 3: 26:34

Yep.

Speaker 2: 26:34

So let's attract a whole lot of innovative companies to test out air scrubber, to test out ways to clean. Um. The air. Okay. We, we already try to be a, a green carbon neutral city. Yeah. Yeah. So let's, and we have a lot of space, not just locally, within Fort Collins. We're kind of landlocked space wise, but we have a lot of prairies. We have a lot of, um, surrounding areas that we could really use to really develop new technology. Hmm. And so we went through that computer tech bubble in the two thousands, I think, not to do a bubble, but I think we should go back to attracting some clean energy. Mm-hmm. Some clean tech. And so in 20 years, I mean,

Speaker: 27:12

energy is money. It is in, in my view, like there like. Oil or electricity of any sort is more like money than money's like money because you can't just print it. You gotta get it from somewhere.

Speaker 2: 27:23

I think whoever invents or conserv

Speaker: 27:25

it right, conserv

Speaker 2: 27:27

it. Whoever invents the mass energy storage capacity. So like, um, the solid state batteries, but for mega tons of megawatts. Yeah. Yeah. Will be the next Rockefeller. They'll be the next or the next. Yeah. I would

Speaker: 27:41

say that's if they can protect it.

Speaker 2: 27:43

If they can protect it. Right. And so if we can attract those businesses here and we will create jobs or create, and a lot of these tech businesses are all about providing housing for their employees. So then we can actually do public partner, private, uh, uh, partnerships to build employee semis, onsite

Speaker: 28:02

housing or semi kinds of things. Site housing,

Speaker 2: 28:04

um, employee, employer subsidized housing is what it's been. Sure. I've heard. Interesting. S Park has done this a little bit with some of their communities. Interesting. So other communities have done this and it's been successful'cause it adds housing. Um, and it adds jobs and it adds. So I think, um, it's not b but I think like, uh, we really need to become an A innovative, better energy. Yeah. Better energy test. That's the b. For you better energy. So my,

Speaker: 28:29

uh, actually my, my very first invention in my brain, it hasn't happened yet. Okay. But it was a, it was actually a solid state, uh, electrical storage thing. Nice. Um, what I wanted to build was, you know, basically the, you know, the old tops, we would spin it Yeah. And go forever. And especially the ones with the, with the wide disk perpetual motion, like, like the wide disk and then the pointy thing. And it would just go a long time. Right. Yeah. I wanted to do that, but have it be like a mile wide and heavy as shit. And then put a big antenna up and every time a thunderstorm goes across North Dakota and there's lightning. That lightning goes into the antenna and the antenna like makes the disc spin a little faster

Speaker 2: 29:11

and provides that turbine. Yeah. And it sits turbine

Speaker: 29:13

it, it sits on a, and it sits on like a superconductor elevated magnetic thing. So there's almost no friction loss. And

Speaker 2: 29:20

then it, and

Speaker: 29:21

it just gets going faster and faster every time lightning strikes, it just goes faster and faster. And then you just draw it down And um, as you go, and aside from the fact that if it came off of its spinner, it would like wreck dozens of counties. That's true. If you put it something, I think

Speaker 2: 29:39

if you position in the right spot in North Dakota Right. It would probably be fine. Even, it would be fine. It would wreck dozens of individuals homes.

Speaker: 29:47

Right. If it went for like a hundred mile tour across the state. Yeah. But anyway, that was the, like the major failing. But I think that Kinetic, are you familiar with kinetic core in Loveland? Yeah. Like that kind of actually storing things. Kinetically in the world we have now might actually be. Useful because we can capture solar and actually use it when you need it.

Speaker 2: 30:08

Correct. Yeah. Because that's

Speaker: 30:09

the big thing, right?

Speaker 2: 30:10

Exactly. That's the, that's why like raw high power plant needs to still exist. Not coal power one. We're closing that down, right? Right. For three years. But the solar and the wind's good unless it's, uh, cold nine in the middle of December. Right. And there's no wind and there's no solar. But you need that base load power. You need a ton. So, and this was years ago, Woodward Governor did like a study, um, that if the power goes down and they like. They have a hiccup in their supply chain, like their manufacturing chain.

Speaker 3: 30:37

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 30:38

Just like a co, like a second or two. It will put all their parts off by like a 10th of a degree till it resets. Oh shit. And that could cost'em like$20 million,

Speaker: 30:46

right?

Speaker 2: 30:47

Yeah. It's something Yeah. It's

Speaker: 30:48

important that the power doesn't go down.

Speaker 2: 30:49

Correct.

Speaker: 30:50

Um, I mean it's why you can't have any advanced industries in South Africa right now.

Speaker 2: 30:54

Correct.

Speaker: 30:54

Their power isn't developed enough. You could never make a cinema conductor there.

Speaker 2: 30:58

And so we have pretty clean and pretty, uh, and we're already, I think close to 80% renewable power. Oh really? Yeah. We're really close. I think 76 or 78%. Uh, and interesting. But,

Speaker: 31:11

but actual, proper storage is really where you need to be because, because even though you're up to 75, 70 6% clean power, they're paying a double ass butt load. No, forgive my language. Yeah. To have the insurance of having a ton of coal and or uh, uh, natural gas. Yeah. Ready to go. Correct. Even though they don't burn it, they try not to burn it, try hard not to burn it. But they gotta pay a ton to have it ready to go.

Speaker 2: 31:36

A hundred percent. And that's why they're going with the new, um, uh, turbines that as a planning commissioner for county. They can wrap up really quick. I approved. Yeah, they can wrap up in minutes. And so if the load increases, turn'em on. If they're not, if can have power failures. Correct. Yep. Gotta have power.

Speaker: 31:54

Cool. Um, so yeah,

Speaker 2: 31:55

I'm all

Speaker: 31:55

in. All right, next, uh, next flavor please. Good anticipation. Ava, you like we're running behind? You gotta speed it up a little bit.

Speaker 2: 32:04

Oh yeah. You can shut me off whenever I, I'll talk forever.

Speaker: 32:07

I know you will. That's okay. That's part of my job.

Speaker 2: 32:10

Uh, so this ones then we're gonna take

Speaker: 32:11

a break after this one, by the way. Oh, sweet. We do a mid, mid, mid round break.

Speaker 2: 32:15

Uh, this is, uh, I get some milk for the back part. This brew house sauces. It's by Old Town Spice Shop and it's Rebel Uprising. So it's an, uh, a Salvador heat spark with, uh, this one. I love it. Chicken chilies.

Speaker: 32:26

I already can tell you I love it. I love it. I could, I could drink it. Um, I can't because I'm going to have a tough night just the way it is with what's ahead of us. But I love this sauce even without trying it. There you go. Hmm. It makes me want to sign up for the, for the South.

Speaker 3: 32:55

Okay.

Speaker 2: 32:57

You know, I, it actually carries a little bit of a early sweet note.

Speaker: 33:01

Hmm. Yeah, it does. And I think that's part of what I love about it, is it, like, it introduces itself so nicely. It's, it's not hot. Mm-hmm. But it's like, you can probably, I'm, I'm starting to beat up just a little bit. It's hot.

Speaker 2: 33:20

It is hot. Like it's a good, there's a good tongue feel. Yeah, you get all the way through the tongue and then the back of the throat. Um, probably I, I'm hearing my voice change, um, as I'm eating it. Um,

Speaker: 33:32

you know when you get, when you used to get, yeah, it never happens anymore, but occasionally back maybe five or eight years ago, you Yeah. More than five.'cause that was COVID Nation. Yeah. But you used to get hot wings when they're just like drenched in sauce. You go to Buffalo Wild Wings or something, and they're just like covered with sauce When they come out to you and whatever that sauce on those wings, you'd be like, oh, thank you for. Blessing me with that extra,

Speaker 2: 33:57

a nice extra crispy wing. Totally. With that, which is, that would be a perfect

Speaker: 34:03

Yep. Yeah. Wing and not Buffalo Wild Wings.'cause we're talking local maybe, uh, locals or gyms or Memphis. Or Memphis. Who knows? Yeah.

Speaker 2: 34:11

Uh,

Speaker: 34:11

Moses, uh, what's the one on Lame Wingstop? Um, wing Shack? No, not Wingstop. Wing Shack. Yeah. That's like, I think they might have passed Jim's wing as kind of my preferred wing joint.

Speaker 2: 34:25

I think they, we uh, we just had a debate, a couple of friends where we're gonna probably have both of'em'cause we're looking at which had the better Dining and Special. Mm-hmm. They're both within a penny. Yeah. Um, and the hot garlic, uh, hot sauce from Wing Check and is not local Fort Collins, but local Greeley starting in Greeley Close enough. Um, it

Speaker: 34:42

is Northern Colorado is close enough to local for me.

Speaker 2: 34:45

Will I give Greeley something sooner or later? They've got a lot. They've been

Speaker: 34:49

taking all of the businesses that are economic development office.

Speaker 2: 34:53

Greeley attracts

Speaker: 34:54

to the northern Colorado.

Speaker 2: 34:55

Greeley's now a very, um, big competitor. Yeah. Um, in the regional stage. Totally. 20 years ago, as you know, like you talk to most people like Greeley. No, that's so far away. We'll never go there. Now Greeley is a, is a, Martin is going to Greeley. Martin's going, Greeley. Martin might be going to Greeley. We'll see. We'll see what the voters, uh, decide. Yeah. We better not get into that

Speaker: 35:14

because that's squirrel. Chase will be too long.

Speaker 2: 35:17

Yeah. We'll be talking in a couple hours and someone will get a cease and desist letter. Question number four.

Speaker: 35:23

Uh, this is from our other. Friend Sean Godby from Old Town Spice Shop. Yes. The proposal for paid on street parking in Fort Collins aims to address revenue and parking turnover. How do you plan to balance the city's need for revenue and parking management with concerns of business owners and customers regarding accessibility and affordability? So I,

Speaker 2: 35:47

uh, I served on the parking advisory board Okay. When the city had one. So I served on that for five years. Uh, and we were talking about trying to do a paid parking pilot program, maybe on Pine. Okay. Um, and we were also talking about moving the hours from 10, from eight to four to 10 to six.

Speaker: 36:04

Okay.

Speaker 2: 36:06

Both were talking about those well over a decade ago. Right. And they couldn't even get the money, um, uh, the$80,000 to replace all the signs to go from a eight to four to 10 to six.

Speaker: 36:17

Oh, interesting. And'cause, well in pines, like the sneaky spot where you can get parking.

Speaker 2: 36:21

Get parking and that. Like,

Speaker: 36:22

why do I pay for it there? Yeah, I'll just go to the parking garage. Sorry. So,

Speaker 2: 36:25

no, no. But we were looking at different pilot areas to do that and we couldn't figure out how to actually implement it back then. And that's when we didn't have a pandemic that we went through. That's when we weren't, we weren't already in a budget shortfall. Right. And that's not, um, before the old town businesses are gonna be struggling with a year long. All these property taxes, property taxes, rent, s increases, and, and college will be part of insurance increases shutdown for a year. And so I, and college will be shut down for a year. Parts it, oh, if they were

Speaker: 36:52

gonna try to charge for it there or

Speaker 2: 36:54

no, they're having to replace, uh. Water main or uh, high down college. When is that happening? I think sometime in the next year. Oh wow. Um, through maybe 20, 26. Oh dang. But it's gonna be, there's gonna be, um, disruption for like a year. Yeah. So

Speaker: 37:07

they'll divert a bunch of traffic up. Mason, I guess around Mason will go

Speaker 2: 37:10

one lane on both sides. Yeah. It's really hard'cause it's a state road, right? Or state highway. Gotta keep it open. And then a city, so you have cdot, you got the city, you got the county. It's a mess. Um, interesting. And so, and Darren Berry, when I was on the parking advisory board, he's like, the reason I've been city manager for so long is'cause I never touch parking. And because no matter what you do, you're gonna piss off everyone. And I somewhat agree with that. Now, if we were looking at doing this because of, um, we're, so what's the problem right now? Problem is, is parking and the tar and the, the whole code enforcement department Yeah. Yeah. Is, um, what's this called? An enterprise fund, meaning they. Only can use the fund they collect to pay for the services, for the parking services. And so if they're not collecting enough fund and they, oh, they

Speaker: 37:59

don't collect enough parking tickets to even pay for their services.

Speaker 2: 38:02

And so they've been backfilling it with the general fund because we're in a, a rev, uh, budget

Speaker: 38:08

deficit. Well, and they shouldn't if they no, if they can't send people out looking for parking tickets to make enough money to pay their own job, they shouldn't enforce it then.

Speaker 2: 38:18

And we were looking at that turnover timeframe because get some

Speaker: 38:20

drones or something. I don't know. We were looking, uh, I was part of the, it always annoys me when I, I see those parking people coming around and putting a little chalk thing'cause it's just so annoying. Yeah. Well

Speaker 2: 38:31

and so we were looking at doing, um, and we, the company just lied to the city. So the city won a lawsuit. I think this last year when I was on the park advisory board. Um, we had a company come in and put these little sensors, pucks in each things. And the idea was, if you're like driving down there with ways or Google Maps, it would tell you which parking spot that was open. And it would update life every two minutes. So like as you're driving down the old town, it'd be like, here's a parking, parking park. Oh, so

Speaker: 38:56

you can have extra special information and get it. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 38:58

And then it would also, but the parking

Speaker: 39:00

garages are never full.

Speaker 2: 39:01

Correct. And that's why the, I encourage and I, I support moving from that eight to four to the 10 to six, that two hour parking window.

Speaker: 39:11

Okay.

Speaker 2: 39:11

Because the, as you know, in Old Town, yep. 8, 9, 10 o'clock most mornings. Yeah. Even seven Sundays, you, you can find parking anywhere. Yeah,

Speaker: 39:19

totally.

Speaker 2: 39:20

Um, but the employees get there. A lot of employees get there at four. Right. And park in front of the, um, restaurant or business. Right. And then they don't move the car for the rest of the night. Yep. We moved it till 6:00 PM and force it till 6:00 PM then it would force those employees to park in the parking garage.

Speaker: 39:38

Right.

Speaker 2: 39:39

And that would open up that turnover.

Speaker: 39:41

And even if you have a low. Price on the parking garage, at least it's revenue for all those open spaces. Correct.

Speaker 2: 39:47

It's revenue. And then, um, work with the, the business owners, and I think they already do this. I think it's like even

Speaker: 39:52

discounted passes for employees and stuff like that. Yeah. It's like 20, I think right now it's 20 bucks month. Yeah. That would be the best. Like one of the things that a, I had an old boss, uh, in banking that was kind of a jerk, but he told me one good thing at least, maybe a few, which was never take up your customer's valuable parking space. No. When you're going to go visit them. And the same thing for your employees.

Speaker 2: 40:16

Yeah.

Speaker: 40:17

Like if you're an old town employee listening to this and you try to park on the street, you should probably not do that. No. Let that come for the people who are paying and go park in the parking garage and figure it out with your boss, how to keep that space open for. Retail,

Speaker 2: 40:30

the parking garages are retail customers. All, all well lit. And I would also, so part of it, I would do, uh, I would, so instead of doing paid parking, I would try the 10, 10 to six thing.

Speaker 3: 40:40

Yep.

Speaker 2: 40:40

To update that whole, um, signage. It's about 75, 80,000. It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than implementing paid parking. Sure. And look at that for two or three years if we're not seeing what the. Um, what do you need to do and, and antenna goal? Then we can then the, the real problem right

Speaker: 40:57

now is they don't make enough money enforcing parking to pay for parking. No enforcement.

Speaker 2: 41:02

Um, and it's just, it's,

Speaker: 41:04

sorry, I, I'm just, I don't wanna dwell there.

Speaker 2: 41:06

It's, it's so hard and I, I agree. Like, and I, I'm French with, um, the, the parking manager and, and the, the code enforce manager. Sure. Like they're great, but a lot of it, they didn't want to have people work that 10 to six. They wanted them eight to four'cause they didn't wanna put tension again into overtime or have someone not sure be at a worth all six. But if you're any a job you have about all factors though. Yeah. You just get used to working that 10 to six. Sure. Or you hire people knowing perfectly well, hey, this is a parking enforcement officer, the hours are 9 45 to six 15.

Speaker: 41:37

Well, and they probably could have different hours for different people. Correct. Or Correct. Yeah. Or

Speaker 2: 41:40

part-time or whatnot. Right.

Speaker: 41:41

Totally.

Speaker 2: 41:42

And so I think we should go that route, see what we can do. I think we'd increase the generation of funds.'cause it would push more people to the parking garages. Right,

Speaker: 41:50

right, right. Um, because they're, what they're, are they more than half full?

Speaker 2: 41:54

No. The, the parking garages are Right. And there's like two days a year. That would be my

Speaker: 41:57

opinion is we totally should not charge for on street parking. Yeah. Unless the parking garages are actually full.

Speaker 2: 42:03

Yeah. Correct. Uh, and there is a mechanism or close to full, there is a mechanism. And then we

Speaker: 42:09

should build more parking garages.

Speaker 2: 42:10

Correct. Like the one, um, behind the Tony's where it's gonna be that half, um, affordable housing. Mm-hmm. Like 28 units and then uh, two and a half or three story parking garage. Right. Um, that would've been more parking than currently there and provide housing. Right. But the city and all the wisdom said, let's do another study for a year. Even though we've done, I've been on so many task force study groups. Group You love

Speaker: 42:34

committees though.

Speaker 2: 42:34

I do, but after like 10 years of like studying the same thing, you're like, just do it.

Speaker: 42:39

I had an old boss that, uh. It said, uh, uh, he groaned and groaned and gave birth to a gnat. Yeah. Sometimes it seems like what the city is doing with the parking problem,

Speaker 2: 42:51

we do amazing planning. Right. We just don't implement the plans. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so I do think, um, I, I'm not supportive of going to the pay parking now. I think it's just a revenue to, to try to get revenue. Totally. Uh, and that's your only goal. And it would probably hurt business. It would hurt business. It would hurt business Also. What it would do, it would my business alienate the locals. If your tour is, you don't know, it's not pay market from today. Tomorrow. Like if you're here, you're great. Whatever. But there's 175. We should have a

Speaker: 43:17

locals pass.

Speaker 2: 43:18

That may not be

Speaker: 43:20

Yeah. But I think of, it's so hard they would have like three more jobs. Yeah. To administer the locals pass program. Exactly. It would be more, it'd be worse. Too

Speaker 2: 43:28

complicated. Yep. For the, the cost. Yeah. Announced benefits. Yep. Let's not alienate old town from the locals. Let's work to modify our behavior so people aren't parking on the street. Yeah. That worked well.

Speaker: 43:40

Even an education program from a lot of the employers downtown that we're covering your garage parking.

Speaker 2: 43:45

Yeah.

Speaker: 43:46

Boom.

Speaker 2: 43:47

Done. Uh, I think, uh, the owner, I, um, Steve, uh, I think it's Steve,

Speaker: 43:52

Steve Taylor, probably from Austin's and

Speaker 2: 43:54

no, uh, sios. Oh, that's Ty. Ty. Yeah. So he, I think he does pay for his employees to park in parking garage. Oh, cool. And I don't think he can even get half his employees because he said that at a city council. Right. They don't

Speaker: 44:06

want to, they just wanna grab a spot. Yeah. He's all like, because they're parking when it's actually pretty easy to park

Speaker 2: 44:12

at four. At 3 45. Yeah.

Speaker: 44:14

Right in front of persimmon.

Speaker 2: 44:15

Yep.

Speaker: 44:16

You know, and so Robbie's like, come on man. Can't you leave my spot available? Oh, I love persimmon. They have a coffee, like, uh, that's, that's

Speaker 2: 44:26

eclectic place in town that they, they have like this cold brew coffee soda. I like their little vinegar. Soda things. Yes.

Speaker: 44:34

Uh, what do they call'em? Snatches or no, snuffs? No, I don't. I don't, I forget.

Speaker 2: 44:40

I drink. I don't know what I just, they're like sugary vinegar thing. Yeah. I just point out the menu. I'll take that.

Speaker: 44:46

We need to take a break. Awesome. Let's do it. And we're back.

Speaker 2: 45:38

Awesome. And, uh, it looks like we're on the, uh, home stretch or the second half, which we have

Speaker: 45:42

second half. I don't know if it's home stretch. It seems like the devastating stretch to me.

Speaker 2: 45:47

Well, it seems like when all the hot sauces get fun and Sean and Paul just sit back and giggle, um, yeah. They know what they're doing. The people

Speaker: 45:55

I've had, I've had most of these. I haven't had the last one, which. Paul doesn't bottle'cause it's too hot. Nobody will buy it. Uh, is it aloft? Yes, it's aloft.

Speaker 2: 46:06

Oh, okay. Whenever I asked that to him earlier, he just grinned. And I was like, it's not olof is it? Is it aloft? Uh, I heard

Speaker: 46:14

aloft like, oh, aloft. Like the, like a big Norwegian that's gonna slice your head off with an axe or something.

Speaker 2: 46:19

Uh, it's the, the snow character from uh, frozen.

Speaker: 46:23

Oh really? Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. And it's, um, stupid.

Speaker 2: 46:28

Yes. Yes it is. Seems likely to be stupid. Um,

Speaker: 46:30

I'm drinking milk already to pre prepare myself.

Speaker 2: 46:33

Now that I know it's Olaf. Uh, can we get pep? No biz. No, we don't have

Speaker: 46:38

that here.

Speaker 2: 46:39

So we're gonna start. But you can have some milk. We're gonna start easier with just matador's the red.

Speaker: 46:43

Yeah. This is just a nice kind of classic. I have more information than you.'cause I was almost Shirley already.

Speaker 3: 46:55

Mm.

Speaker: 46:57

But to me, this is just like a. Kind of a traditional

Speaker 3: 47:02

mm-hmm.

Speaker: 47:04

Tomato forward red

Speaker 2: 47:06

sauce, very traditional. You know, this would blend really, really well with, um, just a good marinara for like a spicy bowl and eggs. Yeah.

Speaker: 47:16

Yeah. Or even just a red chili. Mm. Honestly, you want, you want to move up from silver to gold on your chili contest. Maybe just put a quarter bottle of that in there, or a few drips on the top

Speaker 2: 47:32

because it has a good, it's this whole, um, mouth feel good, tomato feel. Um, I feel a little vinegar in it. Yep. Which is good. Yep. Um, more oil or a vinegar based. So it's a good, and I, I like vinegar based, um, hot sauces a lot'cause they don't linger as much.

Speaker: 47:56

Right. Um, so yeah. So they eventually dissipate.

Speaker 2: 47:58

Yeah. The cap station doesn't, hold on.

Speaker: 48:01

I got a haircut since my last episode with, with Shirley. I was psychedelic and so I could do like Mohawk and stuff, but I don't have the hair for it now. Now I'm to you're Yeah. I'm sweating up already. You're seen the beads a little bit. You're gonna see it run down my face.

Speaker 2: 48:17

So have you had Olaf?

Speaker: 48:19

No.

Speaker 2: 48:20

Oh, okay.

Speaker: 48:20

No. And I, I've those other two, what are they? Yeah. Slate. Jack Slays revenge is the one before that. I have had that, that was rough. Yeah. Yeah. Those are, those are good.

Speaker 2: 48:33

They're rough.

Speaker: 48:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 48:35

The, yeah, but

Speaker: 48:37

they're nothing like Olaf. No. That's the last dab. And you're gonna take more than I do, regardless of what we take. Yeah. Uh,

Speaker 2: 48:44

you know, things I'll do to be, become mayor. I'm best fair

Speaker: 48:48

social hot topic.

Speaker 2: 48:50

Yeah.

Speaker: 48:51

So we asked for, I, uh, I reached out and just kind of asked for what people were especially interested in. And, uh, homelessness was kind of one of the most recurring phrases there. How would you rate the city of Fort Collins on its homelessness initiatives in recent decades?'cause it's been a couple of 20 years. More plus or minus.

Speaker 3: 49:12

Yeah.

Speaker: 49:13

And what changes would you recommend to the program going forward to make it better?

Speaker 2: 49:18

I think we've done a lot of positives. Um, okay. One, one aspect that I think we've done well is the community engagement through our unhoused population.

Speaker 3: 49:26

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:27

In particular Fort Collins PD Hope, um, department, um, or Hope Group, which is, uh, homeless outreach, uh, and prevention and prevention education. And they do a really good job of, um, uh, integrating and, and communicating with, um, those are unhoused and homeless. Mm-hmm. To really determine kind of what's the core root of, of the, what's causing that. And it's quite interesting where. Um, I think we've done a really, a much better job over the last decade or so of identifying those who are chronically homeless.

Speaker 3: 50:03

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 50:03

That are here year round. Um, and there's about 400 ish, um, individuals, um, and compared it to about the transients that come and go as weather or as as, um, the wind blows. The wind

Speaker: 50:15

blows them. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 50:16

And so Well, and

Speaker: 50:17

there's also a third population probably that's like. Moms with a couple of kids that need help for a little while or very much whatever. Right.

Speaker 2: 50:26

I, I've had, I've had friends and people that's, that gets laid off. I've had connections with where, uh, I had a gentleman that he lived in his car for a year because he was in a well paying job, lost a job, but refused to, um, lapse on his, uh, uh, childcare, or not childcare, uh, child support. Right. Right. So he couldn't afford both rent and Yep. Um, child, child support. So he just chose to live in his car.

Speaker: 50:48

Yeah. His child support was X from when he made more money. Correct.

Speaker 2: 50:51

And couldn't

Speaker: 50:51

change it now, even though he still has a job.

Speaker 2: 50:54

Yeah. And so there's, and so those, those temporary homeless, that's

Speaker: 50:58

kinda the difference between the unhoused and the homeless. Yeah. Homeless is almost more of a long-term, um, kind of element. And unhoused is Yeah. Chronic. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 51:09

And, and unhoused. And so depends on who you're talking to. Um. Some individuals do get the, it's that worse. So overall, sorry to interrupt you. No, no, you're good. You're good. But you're kind of wordy sometimes. I do, I do. So overall, the,

Speaker: 51:21

the grade for Fort Collins currently over the last, say, 10 years, just

Speaker 2: 51:26

b, B minus. Okay. Um, we, and

Speaker: 51:28

what we doing wanna change,

Speaker 2: 51:29

so I think we need to do a better job of, um, identifying still the root causes and have better system to help. Right Now there's, there's gaps. So, so, so, make it easy. So if you're, if you're going completely, if you're homeless and you're struggling with addiction or mental health or PTSD or you're a vet, we have systems kind of start you down the process to get housed or get treatment to have to better yourself as you choose.

Speaker: 51:58

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 51:59

The challenge is, is most of them,

Speaker: 52:01

you gotta do it alone.

Speaker 2: 52:01

Do it alone. And we have a great service that can start helping you here, but there's too big of a gap. Uh, to go to the next service where you may be weeks or months because of, um, capacity for our nonprofits and our programs and systems. Um, just sometimes navigating the system is as clear as mud. Okay. So we need to have a better holistic approach. Okay. So one thing I've, I've proposed for our nonprofits and homeless individuals, um, would be almost the city, have a couple, uh, nonprofit navigators or system navigators. Mm. Mm-hmm. Because it's so hard to navigate, especially if you are struggling with addiction, you are sure you don't have stable housing. Um, and so we can do, we can help'em navigate from point A to point B.

Speaker: 52:51

Right.

Speaker 2: 52:51

Um, and they have to take that step, but we can show'em how to take that step.

Speaker: 52:56

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 52:57

Also, our city, uh, and our leaders are so, they want everything to be perfect, especially with our housing. So they, they, they don't give. We make it just as hard to build affordable housing that can be transitional housing than we do normal market rate housing. Now, I'm not saying we should build shanties

Speaker: 53:17

Right. But at

Speaker 2: 53:18

some point, those that are homeless and unhoused, they don't need to

Speaker: 53:20

be R 38. Correct. Especially not in this mild climate. They

Speaker 2: 53:24

don't need it to be ev electric ready. They just need a, a roof over their head. Yeah. And four walls that they can call home and have some stability. So that's where we can really gain and those are things that we can do. Like we can't change some outside. Um, sure. Influences. Um, we made a big progress on long view, um, mental health system. Sure. And I think as we expand that campus, we'll provide more acute and nuanced treatment and support mechanisms. Um, but that we're, we're struggling on funding from the, everything's funding related. Right. Right. So we can just make it as a stop gap. Have a couple navigators, maybe see if it doesn't

Speaker: 54:04

take a lot of funding to have some navigators. Correct. And you might have better outcomes for better outcomes. Each of these

Speaker 2: 54:09

people, uh, a little bit better. And, and also increase that the budget for the Hope team. So we do have that better community feel. So you do see the interactions between the community service, police services, and our homeless population. That's not negative. It's a positive influence. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: 54:24

Dig it. You ready, Eva? We're ready for the next sauce. I know we're running a little bit behind. No, it's fine. It's okay. Not your fault. It's my fault. No, it's my fault. Well, I know you're wordy, but it's still my fault. I'm a host. What is this one? Oh, sorry. So room two, uh, 17. This might have been the final one last time. Oh really? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Hmm. It's so delicious. And so, oh, painful. Not painful.

Speaker 2: 54:59

No, this is.

Speaker: 55:00

But it's gonna come and Oh yeah. Kick you in the back of the Well, it really comes in. Yeah. Comes in so late. Hmm.

Speaker 2: 55:09

Like, oh, this is, we, this is easy. And then you back your throat, you're like, no, I can't believe

Speaker: 55:13

I'm dipping so much sauce on these. That's, that's Sean and Paul. It's, you're really to blame. Like, I know that I'm gonna be up at four o'clock this morning on the toilet, not having any fun. I know that I'm gonna be sweatier than a dog here, but I go back and I dip it. Double dip it. Oh

Speaker 2: 55:36

yeah. You don't have to follow me.

Speaker: 55:38

I know. But

Speaker 2: 55:38

I

Speaker: 55:38

have to. It's so

Speaker 2: 55:39

good. You know that one, that one's really good.'cause it starts forward. I, it's a little thicker too, so it lingers.

Speaker 3: 55:47

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 55:48

So, yeah, it's fine. I mean, my face, I won't sweat, but I'm guessing my head's gonna turn as red as you're getting a little red. Yeah, that feels

Speaker: 55:56

it. But you won't sweat, huh? I might sweat. We'll see when the, when the final turns come around. Oh, you just see

Speaker 2: 56:02

me

Speaker: 56:03

crying, it'll be fine. So this is, uh, the, the random question grab bag. Um, because I only put out seven questions to you guys, but we got eight sauces. I like it. Uh, last time. So we do this with our local experience guests. They answer all three. Okay? But I'm just gonna ask you all three questions and have you do a, a question, uh, answer to one of them. Pick one. Yep. The hardest one if you want to.

Speaker 2: 56:32

I got 2 25 and 28,

Speaker: 56:36

2 25, 28 will go in numerical order. One of the most popular, uh, questions to be asked actually is number. I can take those. Okay. 2 25, 28. Got em. Number two, would you rather fight one horse size duck or 100 ducks size horses?

Speaker 2: 57:02

Uh, a hundred. No, one horse-sized duck. Really? Yeah.

Speaker: 57:06

Okay.

Speaker 2: 57:07

I think if I can get around them, do a choke hold on that one, that'd be fine. But those a hundred,

Speaker: 57:12

I'm kind of in the same place.

Speaker 2: 57:14

They could just pile on. I don't

Speaker: 57:15

know. I don't know. I go back and forth. I can't. Yeah. Um, and you don't have to answer every question, but you get extra points if you do so.

Speaker 2: 57:21

Oh, awesome. I like points.

Speaker: 57:23

Um, 25. What's one thing on your bucket list that you're determined to accomplish besides becoming mayor of Fort Collins?

Speaker 2: 57:31

Um, one thing I've always had a dream to do is jump in and out of a perfectly good airplane.

Speaker: 57:36

Oh, I like it. So

Speaker 2: 57:38

I have to get to a certain way and, um, I'm on the process to do so. Okay. If I do get to, uh, the weight, then you're probably like

Speaker: 57:45

halfway there. After losing 30 pounds on this campaign tour, so far I'm getting pretty

Speaker 2: 57:48

close.

Speaker: 57:49

I got another about 30 pounds to go. Nice. And then I will jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I like it. That's on my bucket list. Hopefully a shoot opens a celebration of becoming mayor. Perhaps you're like,

Speaker 2: 58:00

yay, you voted for me. I'm making good decisions.

Speaker: 58:03

And do you have to get, do you have enough life insurance now?

Speaker 2: 58:07

Uh, no, but that's a good, I should probably it first. You

Speaker: 58:09

should do it. Yeah. Because they like charge you more after you do that kind of shit. Probably a little bit. They're like, it's on the questionnaire. I remember years ago I was planning to get back into motorcycling, but I hadn't yet. Okay. I was like, I should probably buy some life insurance now. Smart. Anyway. Number 28, what's your proudest achievement in business?

Speaker 2: 58:30

You know, I think, um, pre pandemic, I, this, uh, started a not-for-profit called the Draft Solutions. Okay. And we would hold quarterly events to promote other non-profits. Okay. And, um, we, you're suffering a little bit from this though, aren't you? I'm I Amm. Me too. It, it hitting me a little bit more than I thought I would. So, me too. Um, I'm getting that drunk punch, uh Right. I'm kind of stupid right now. But, so the job solutions was really fun where we, um, I was able to build it from just, we would have five or six people come to a cover events, uh, and we'd hold up breweries and raise money, awareness and volunteerism for other nonprofits. Hmm. And pre pandemic, right before the pandemic stopped and we couldn't meet, uh, we got to where we were having 60, 70 people come to the breweries and ums. Raise, you know, not thousands, but actually sometimes thousands of dollars for these nonprofits. Oh, that's so cool. Uh, and it was really fun to see the organic growth of it. Yeah. Um, and it's called, what? It's called the Draft solution.

Speaker: 59:35

Draft Solution. So you just kind of go to different breweries, Uhhuh invite people to come learn about the podcast of the month club.

Speaker 2: 59:40

Yeah. Kind of. And so we would be like, uh, well not

Speaker: 59:43

the podcast, but the non-profit of the month Yeah. Is what I meant.

Speaker 2: 59:45

Buy in, uh, crossroads Safe House. Sure. And we would do a, the breweries would do a dollar,$2 a beer. Yeah. Uh, and people come drink and learn about the things. And then also we saw a big increase in volunteerism Yeah. For these, uh, non-profits. So not only do they get money, but they got volunteers, which at some point Yeah. It's more

Speaker: 1:00:03

with

Speaker 2: 1:00:03

it.

Speaker: 1:00:04

Do you mind if somebody else restarts that after? Not at all.

Speaker 2: 1:00:07

Um, I, I think it's

Speaker: 1:00:08

a, and it seems like a good idea, like useful for everybody, like the breweries win. Yeah. I, and look at think Tank. We, we say, uh, we look for the win-win, win-win. But we'll settle for the win, win win if necessary. And it, to me, it seems like a great win for the nonprofits, for people, for the community, for the brewery.

Speaker 2: 1:00:26

And it was super low hanging fruit when it comes to like organizing. Um, okay. I try, I, at one point I was doing it monthly and monthly just got too hard.

Speaker: 1:00:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:00:35

Uh, but doing it quarterly advertising minimum,

Speaker: 1:00:39

allow traction to build, put posters in posters, the brewery posters that's coming to, but also the next two breweries and the last two breweries.'cause they're happy to hang posters for you.

Speaker 2: 1:00:48

And it, you know, the brewery scene here is they will promote other events and so Totally. So that was a really fun, like, business wise, like even like my coffee company, even though I just closed it, I closed it po on a positive note. I wasn't losing money, I just, the commodity price and it just didn't make sense. Yeah. I didn't wanna lose money. Yeah.

Speaker: 1:01:04

A bunch of money. But

Speaker 2: 1:01:06

I think if the pandemic didn't happen and we weren't shut down for 18 months, two years and then I started the coffee business and everything just got, uh, kind of yeah. Change in life-wise. Uh, I think it's a great. And I got the, uh, a, like the logos and Yeah. Jeff Solutions kind of like a double positive, like draft for beer solution Sure. Is a beer. And find solutions and solutions. Yeah.

Speaker: 1:01:29

Huh. Yeah, it was really well. And solutions. So they were actually meeting together as nonprofit leaders too, or what's the solutions part? So a lot of the time,

Speaker 2: 1:01:36

so the solution was kinda just a double take on beer. Okay. Like draft. And then So beer is a solution, is a chemical solution.

Speaker: 1:01:43

That's a, oh, I guess it is. I was thinking about, uh, a old Homer Simpson quote, um, ah, beer. The cause of, and solution to all of life's little problems,

Speaker 2: 1:01:56

you know, but the, we would have the non-profit, uh, executive directors. Yeah. Yeah. And staff coming back. Well, that's what I was kind of thinking

Speaker: 1:02:03

is maybe this should be, if you would organize it local, think tank could potentially be a part of it. And we could actually do like a freethink. Session. Yeah. With nonprofit leaders.'cause it's, I've always kind of been open to nonprofit leaders being in a think tank chapter, but they never have any money. Right. Yeah. And stuff. But if, if you could do something as a, as a regular service and allow them to connect and process together what's going on in their industry, it might be useful. So, and I think it's, it will work. Ping me after this.

Speaker 2: 1:02:35

I will. A hundred percent. Because I think we can actually do see that increase in that connective tissue Right. Between the two. Well, and if you're

Speaker: 1:02:42

getting them new volunteers Yeah. Potentially. Or all these other things. And just, unfortunately, nonprofits are some of the least abundance minded people because they're always running short of budget. Yes. You know, and so. It's hard for them sometimes to share with each other about, oh, this big donor, Ralph. Yeah. Oh, which big donor, Ralph. Yeah. Um, what's his

Speaker 2: 1:03:04

number exactly? Can, can, can I call Ralph? Can I?

Speaker: 1:03:09

But if you get the right environment of trust Yeah. Going on, you can, you can navigate that.

Speaker 2: 1:03:15

You know, it's a great deal of respect between the nonprofits and Totally. And I a hundred percent. And just seeing that, how much work? Ton of respect,

Speaker: 1:03:22

but a little bit of fear. More fear than there should be. A hundred percent. Well, because it, it's not ue right

Speaker 2: 1:03:26

now. Their fundings are being cut. That's right. Right. Totally.

Speaker: 1:03:30

And they probably deserved it'cause there was probably too much non-local funding going on in the nonprofit community here, because that means it's not local control anymore. Well, somebody's got'em doing stuff, you know.

Speaker 2: 1:03:41

Well, it's not just that like, uh, they take, you know, there's books of like grants you have to apply for sure. But even I'm like, my position, um, I can't really talk about, um, just. Conflict of interests. Okay. Uh, but I'm grant funded. Okay. At the federal level. Yeah. Yeah. So, and that's on shake ground. Right. Right. I don't

Speaker: 1:03:59

doubt it. And so, but that's, that's not a place to build a foundation. No. And so like I hear, like both of my brother-in-laws were government employees that were liable to being cut or whatever by trims to the different things and stuff. And that's it is what it is. Yeah. But when a necessary position of a local sheriff's department. Is grant funded to the point where it would be bad for the community if it went away, then the federal government has no business being there.

Speaker 2: 1:04:33

No. Um, my opinion, we, and we'll, like probably local funding is key. And fortunately we have amazing donors here locally.

Speaker: 1:04:40

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:04:40

And it's all the small businesses. And I've talked about this in my campaign.

Speaker: 1:04:43

That's why it's so crucial. We keep the small business community healthy

Speaker 2: 1:04:46

and Hydro Busch may give 5,000 for a sponsorship, but New Belgium will give 5,000 or 10,000 or to four different

Speaker: 1:04:53

organizations, four different

Speaker 2: 1:04:53

organizations. Or Maxine may not be able to give 5,000, but they'll give beer. Right. They'll give advertising and they'll give Oh yeah. Or, or yeah. Or

Speaker: 1:05:01

uh, uh, set pan you mentioned earlier. Yeah. Like those guys give beer to everybody.

Speaker 2: 1:05:06

Yeah.

Speaker: 1:05:06

They don't donate much money to anybody, but they give beer to everybody

Speaker 2: 1:05:09

and so they do. And that's what Tim and Carol, sorry guys, Tim and Carol are. Just sweethearts.

Speaker: 1:05:15

They totally are. Um, we need to move on. Yep. It's Sauce seven. This one is the Slade's Revenge. Yes. You've had it before.

Speaker 2: 1:05:25

Uh, I have. It's hot. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know. I've had it before too. And so next week you have two of these back to back, right? It's

Speaker: 1:05:34

true.

Speaker 2: 1:05:34

Okay. So how's you, how are you gonna do that?

Speaker: 1:05:36

I don't know what I'm gonna do, honestly. Like, it's gonna be stupid. Um, I gotta stop dipping them so deep.

Speaker 2: 1:05:44

I didn't get outta there. You know, problem with this one is, it's a lot milder up front. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Speaker: 1:05:55

It's a pussycat on the kiss. Uhhuh. I can't believe I'm doing it. It's,

Speaker 2: 1:06:00

it's so easy. You're like, oh, I'll go in for another one. Mm-hmm. And it's easy. And then you're like, mm-hmm. No, that was a mistake.

Speaker: 1:06:06

Yeah. Wait, you. Those two are like kissing cousins a little bit.

Speaker 2: 1:06:11

They are. And I think this one's actually a little bit easier than the two, uh, 17. Two 17, I think. Yeah. Um, because I think the two 17 is a thicker

Speaker: 1:06:20

Yep.

Speaker 2: 1:06:21

And it clings on the, it clings on, yep. Well, this is a little bit, um, more, um, less viscous. Yep. Yep. And it can, it goes down a lot easier.

Speaker: 1:06:29

Yeah. I would say that's true. We almost switch, switch the order. Yeah. This one's, I mean, I'm, I'm dripping.

Speaker 2: 1:06:35

Oh, I, and I'm feeling it. I, I'm sweaty now. I believe too. A

Speaker: 1:06:38

little bit. Your cheeks are just a little bit. Got a glow. Just a rosy, rosy

Speaker 2: 1:06:42

glow.

Speaker: 1:06:43

So, uh, the community hot topic is our seventh question. Only one more to go after this. Perfect. The last dab. How can the city of Fort Collins maintain financial strength in light of declining sales tax collection trends? What mix of cost cutting and revenue enhancement strategies? Do you envision as being the most important to maintain fiscal health?

Speaker 2: 1:07:05

So I've talked about this a couple times, uh, on the campaign is, uh, so Citi used American Rescue plan funding from the pandemic to fund some long-term positions and departments, uh, programs. Why, um, just'cause they, it fit into the narrative at that point. Yes. And I don't know if it wasn't foresight or they thought that there would always be a building revenue stream. Um, and so, but there's not, so we need to look at any program. If it's American Rescue Plan funding or any other funding mechanism that is short term funded, meaning there's a sunset to it, we need to look at those programs. And if they're not self-sustainable or achieving the necessary community good at a large scale, they need to be changed, reduced. Is that like, or elimination that a big number of people? Uh, I, I don't know if it has actually that many. Staff members, um, okay. It could be in the dozen or okay. Or a dozen, but it's, that's still a lot

Speaker: 1:08:00

of money at a hundred grand per, you know?

Speaker 2: 1:08:02

Correct. And, and I don't like if we can repurpose some of those individuals to other open positions so we don't have to hire new and we can maintain, we don't have to. Right. If they're good

Speaker: 1:08:11

employees, we don't have to coefficient. That's fine. There's ways

Speaker 2: 1:08:13

to, there's ways that we can,

Speaker: 1:08:14

so that's your first step almost, is like, yeah, do

Speaker 2: 1:08:16

an audit.

Speaker: 1:08:17

If your job was funded by short term stuff, sorry. But that short term stuff is gone. We gotta

Speaker 2: 1:08:24

look at way other ways to either fund it now, if it's was funded by short term funding, but it's doing a great deal of community good. Where you can justify it through either social benefit mechanisms.

Speaker: 1:08:37

Okay. But the city's broke. Yeah. Like, so let's, let's kind of zoom in on that. Like we're gonna gonna be all masey pansy about who gets to keep their job, who not correct. So, so like, we need to spend less money and make more money.

Speaker 2: 1:08:48

And you know, one of the best thing that Darren thought about doing and just has gone away is a stop doing list.

Speaker: 1:08:54

Oh, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:55

You know, Darren, before he left as city manager, he, he, he's developed a stop doing list, right. Where if it's not working, stop doing it. You know, one of the best things that, um, went away with that is the median, the, the four, uh, the medians. Yeah. At one point was costing$3 million of media, the upkeep with all the foliage and the trees.

Speaker: 1:09:16

Okay.

Speaker 2: 1:09:16

So we said, oh, if we put some nice iron railing in and do decorat design, there's no maintenance. We don't have to upkeep it. Let's continue to look at things like that. Yeah. Things that we don't have to continue to upkeep. Yeah. Uh, and so we need to do an audit to figure out where we're spending, we're spending too much money on pet projects. How much

Speaker: 1:09:33

should we spend on the audit?

Speaker 2: 1:09:35

Um, I mean, unfortunately any audit's gonna cost six figures. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, it's, it's, it's part of it. Yeah. Um, it's almost like doing, if you're in a private business, if I wanted to go up to the next stage on the roast coffee roasting business and to make more money. I would have to invest in a new roaster. So there is money, sunken money into figuring out where to cut money, unfortunately. Um, but we need to start because we're our budget's 900 and. 38 million. Okay. 10 years ago was 540 million. Wow. Five 50. So we're almost double Right. In 10 years. Right. And our population's only increased by 6.7% or 7.2%.

Speaker: 1:10:13

Right. Wow.

Speaker 2: 1:10:14

So we're asking our citizens well, and

Speaker: 1:10:16

inflation supposedly has been two to 5% during that time

Speaker 2: 1:10:19

mostly. And so we can't keep asking our citizens to keep paying more on taxes.

Speaker: 1:10:24

No.

Speaker 2: 1:10:24

So, uh, another project that I would like to see the city was gungho and the current, um, council was gungho on rental license insurers and registration, but they miscalculated the cost of that by$8 million based on my proforma. I did.

Speaker: 1:10:40

What's that now?

Speaker 2: 1:10:41

So they thought they could do a rental, re, or licensure program, like short

Speaker: 1:10:45

term rentals and stuff? No,

Speaker 2: 1:10:46

like every rental in Fort Collins had be licensed. Oh, right, right, right. They could, they thought they could do an inspection on each of those rentals for$49 an inspection,

Speaker 3: 1:10:55

spending 10

Speaker 2: 1:10:56

years as a realtor. As a realtor of the year. Right. Yeah. That. And I, so I went through and I reached out to other cities that had licensure programs and they're all spending three to 4 million or three, three to 400 per inspection. Right. Plus they're all running a deficit of millions of dollars. Right. On the program. So even

Speaker: 1:11:13

having that,

Speaker 2: 1:11:14

yeah. And when I kept asking, well, what's the benefit? They're like, let's health and safety. No, that's not as,

Speaker: 1:11:20

but the market will figure that out. Yeah. Like for the most part, if there's a slumlord, the market will be like, Hey, this guy's a slum Lord. So

Speaker 2: 1:11:27

now we have registration that's,

Speaker: 1:11:29

so how many staff in Fort Collins are associated with rental registration Three program?

Speaker 2: 1:11:36

3.25 I think. Just for the inspections? Yeah, just for the, the whole program right now. Oh, that's the whole program. So I was able to stop the licensure program. Just Okay. I gave, I gave, whenever I was on that task force, I was able to get'em to not do the license, just a registration. But that program's not self sustainable.

Speaker: 1:11:54

Right.

Speaker 2: 1:11:55

It's not paying for it. It's hard to

Speaker: 1:11:56

say if the benefit's even there. Yeah. Right. We might. Pay for way more cost than the benefit to the community of Fort Collins is

Speaker 2: 1:12:04

correct. Uh, so they have all these policies and laws and regulations that's been passed that cost money to enforce but doesn't do anything. Right. The fire pit ban in people's backyards where you can't have a fire pit. Yeah.

Speaker: 1:12:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:12:18

That's another unenforceable

Speaker: 1:12:20

after 10. Or you can't do it more at all Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:12:22

After 10. Right. And then it had to be 15 feet from a, a fence and if your short term rentals not at all. And all these regulations. Right, right. And even the police said, yeah, we're not gonna enforce that, um, because it's unenforceable. Um, and they can't. So they, we have programs and things that just. They don't work. Right. Also, we need to stop. Uh, I wanna see us completely get rid of the two year. I want to still stick on a biannual budget, but get rid of the budget for outcomes. We spend millions of dollars on the budget for outcome process. It takes so long to develop

Speaker: 1:12:57

quota to like try to score how the outcomes were of all these various spending things. So

Speaker 2: 1:13:01

our staff at the city designate, it's like an exercise

Speaker: 1:13:04

and exercise.

Speaker 2: 1:13:04

Yeah. They do amazing job building these plans, but then they spend the next year putting together these buzzer proposals that takes'em six months and hundreds, if not thousands of man hours. Sure. That's, if we cut that and making a more simplified two year budget cycle, like 95% of other cities. But we

Speaker: 1:13:21

still wanna track outcomes though, right? We do, but not on the front end of making,

Speaker 2: 1:13:26

not on the front end and not in the way that. We're, we're spending, we're probably spending, I, I'm estimating tens of thousands of hours that's wasted in employee time. That's

Speaker: 1:13:37

a lot. Wow. That's

Speaker 2: 1:13:37

ton at, let's say 30 bucks an hour on average, 40 bucks an hour on average,

Speaker: 1:13:42

whatever that is a we're about or 5 million millions of dollars. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And

Speaker 2: 1:13:45

then on the revenue side, we need to get businesses to stay here. Right. We need to track businesses. We can't let another Sentara leave and go down 11. We can't let Walmart and another Costco and we

Speaker: 1:13:58

can't let Old Town suffer. No. If Old Town would turn city of Fort Collins would be really hosed.

Speaker 2: 1:14:06

Hosed. And there's things that we could do that imp improve our revenue. New belgium's, our biggest tourist draw. Yeah. With well over a hundred to 150,000 people. Okay. That comes to New Belgium. Yep. Yep. That corridor along Linden, we can improve that corridors and make it a mixed use and amplify that tourism thing and see that tourism dollars come in. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so we need to track. This goes back to the green energy thing. It's attract businesses that will spend money and people. Yeah.

Speaker: 1:14:31

And they don't need big footprints.

Speaker 2: 1:14:33

No. And then we also need to big offices make it easier, uh, to live here too. Uh, our, we're losing tax revenue'cause people are living because they can't afford here. Yeah. As a realtor, I sold more, they moved to Eden. Yeah. I sold more properties in Greeley and severance than I did in Fort Collins.'cause no one could afford Fort Collins. Yep. So now they're spending all their tax revenue in severance in Windsor. Right. Seeing those cities. Well,

Speaker: 1:14:55

I talked about that. Surely when you order online from Amazon or something. Yes. The, the local community still gets those dollars. But if you're ordering online from severance,

Speaker 3: 1:15:06

no.

Speaker: 1:15:06

Then they get it. They get it. And most people spend, you know, and if they were driving to Fort College to buy it instead, then they would've got it there.

Speaker 2: 1:15:13

And 80 people spend about 80, 85% of all the money within two miles where they live. Right. That's in ca that's including housing.

Speaker: 1:15:20

Wow.

Speaker 2: 1:15:20

So they spend. Almost all their money. They don't spend it where they work, they spend it where they live. Yeah. As we need more people to be able to afford to live in Fort Collins and not commute to also those, that commuting timeframe and negatively impacts our budget.'cause it costs more to maintain the roads. Sure. It costs more for traffic policing. It costs more for insurance for, uh, paramedics. It also, uh, puts more negative, uh, air quality carbon stuff's going on. So it's like a triple negative to how people not live here. So we need to. And so, uh, it goes with like building condos, building housing, different housing things, attracting new businesses. What do you think about BlackRock owning all the houses? I, so I'm pushing an, an initiative and narrative to, um, build more for sale condos strictly for owner occupied.

Speaker: 1:16:10

Mm. Okay.

Speaker 2: 1:16:10

Um, there's a ratio and we're close to it. Like if you get over 50% of your population rents in your own city. Um, you start seeing a, a decline in home values community. Just interaction. Yeah. Just actual investment in

Speaker: 1:16:23

being here.

Speaker 2: 1:16:24

Yeah.'cause you're not permanently here. Yeah. And we're at like 49%. Wow. Which is, we're hired'cause of the college. That's, that's normal. Yeah. Um, but we really need increase ownership,

Speaker: 1:16:34

but so many more. Like there was hardly any families with two kids that rented a house when I was, you know, in my early thirties for example and stuff, everybody found a way to buy something. They bought a crappy little town home or whatever. But now that a lot of'em can't, you know,

Speaker 2: 1:16:51

and we were, you know, in our thirties, uh, and twenties, um. Before the building Defects law came about in 2008, we saw about an 80 20 build. 80% single family is 20% condos for sale condos and attached units, which is healthy. Since 2008 we saw, we've seen a 97 3%, 97% single family homes built in the state, 3% attached. And if you saw from like, let's say 2012 to 2020, all the attached units were those million dollar row housing. Right. Because what would happen? Oh wow. I had

Speaker: 1:17:26

no idea that we had just completely stopped building condos

Speaker 2: 1:17:30

and the reason of it. So they just

Speaker: 1:17:30

built apartments instead.'cause the liability is too high to build a condo

Speaker 2: 1:17:33

because liability insurance in 2008, on average about$500 a unit. By 20 20 12, it was over 30,000. Wow. And because the, there was over 70, 75% of all condom projects with no litigation. Wow. There's a pro down in Denver that. The litigation increased their, uh, the cost of the project by a billion dollars. Oh my God. And so that's crazy. If you're insurance company Yeah. You're not gonna build it. Yeah. If you're a developer, you're not gonna build it. And so that

Speaker: 1:18:04

Right. That any capital source for that is like by,

Speaker 2: 1:18:08

so the vacuum was filled by, um,

Speaker: 1:18:12

apartments. Yeah. One of these. No, but, okay. Thank you though. Oh God, that looks so scary. Uh, I just, for the record,

Speaker 2: 1:18:22

wanna say, Paul, I dislike you.

Speaker: 1:18:26

I just touched a little bit and licked it off my hand.

Speaker 2: 1:18:29

So the first time I had this sauce, I was at, oh my God. I was at like, literally, it was like a spec size amount. Keep going. I, I was at Paul's place, Matador Matador, and I, and I gave it just the back of a spoon. And I put the spoon down. I stood up, walked next door to Coldstone Creamery, bought some ice cream, bottom ice cream. I stuck, just stuck my tongue in it.

Speaker: 1:18:55

I don't doubt it. Um, I'm, I'm gonna just do the tiniest, you have to do extra this, I'll do extra because you're, you're a, you're a man. I'm, I'm a wimp.

Speaker 2: 1:19:05

No, I'm just not smart. When people ask like, why I'm running for office, I was like, I have a head injury.

Speaker: 1:19:10

I didn't dab that. I'm gonna get rid of some of this on this other guy. Oh, that's get off of there. That's a lot right

Speaker 3: 1:19:15

there.

Speaker: 1:19:24

I noticed you didn't double dip though.

Speaker 2: 1:19:26

No, but I got a healthy amount. You did.

Speaker: 1:19:33

So this one's called you, you called it O Loft. I, I heard O Loft. That may right. But. Would you know the heritage?

Speaker 2: 1:19:40

No, I just know that comes from Paul and

Speaker: 1:19:45

Oh, and some kinda a show or something.

Speaker 2: 1:19:47

I thought it was right.

Speaker: 1:19:49

Well, I, I think of Olaf as like a big Viking dude that will cut my head off with a big sword.

Speaker 2: 1:19:54

I thought it was a play on the Olaf, the from Frozen. Oh, yeah,

Speaker: 1:19:58

yeah, yeah. You mentioned that. I thought it was that, but I'm not sure. Oh, that's what, uh, that's what Ava said. She confirmed it. Oh. Uh, so it's, I don't know what frozen, I mean, I've seen Frozen, but I don't, I'm, I'm not good at that game. I know lots of other stuff, but not movie scenes. No worries. Um, I'm dripping pretty good.

Speaker 2: 1:20:13

It is hot. It builds,

Speaker: 1:20:15

um, nobody should request this or order it or God forbid jar it. It just keeps, um, just keeps going. But it's, it's actually not, it's good flavor. It really is like, it has a nice, it almost reminds me of a little bit of. Like molasses or something like kind of Cajun sweet. Yeah. Going on on the back end. Like maybe some of that dark color is just a little dab of molasses to keep you from dying or something. I don't know.

Speaker 2: 1:20:50

It builds on the back gland.

Speaker: 1:20:51

Yeah. Yeah. Like it's

Speaker 2: 1:20:52

back here.

Speaker: 1:20:53

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 1:20:54

Every time I breathe out it gets hotter.

Speaker: 1:20:58

Yes. That is true. Um, the last question is the loco experience. Okay. And that is the craziest experience of your lifetime. Okay. That you're willing to share with our listeners. Uh, you get extra points if it's, you know, near death or anything super crazy. But it is death, death, death, death. I was just looking at the scar on the side of your head. It isn't that is it? It is. Is it related to that? Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:21:22

Um,

Speaker: 1:21:23

sorry, I didn't notice that before, just now.

Speaker 2: 1:21:26

No, it's, it's a running joke. I use, uh, that the reason I'm running for office is'cause I have brain injury. And I was like, what's your excuse? Um, it's just, uh, being in politics is always fun. Um, but uh, when I was 19, uh, back in oh three, I, uh, was dumb, decided to sit on the back of a car. Okay. Um, but he was driving, girlfriend was on the back, uh, the trunk of the car with me.

Speaker: 1:21:52

Oh, so you're just sitting and face him backwards and

Speaker 2: 1:21:54

Yeah. Go and go play basketball over at Linton. And, uh, buddy thought it'd be fun to goose it. Oh shit. And we hit, her and I both flew off, and I don't remember any of this. Uh, I caught her and she was fine. She ended up having like a scratch. Uh, but I landed on my head. You're both

Speaker: 1:22:12

falling off the back and you're like,

Speaker 2: 1:22:14

yeah. And so I, uh, I ended up spending a couple days in a coma. Oh, wow. Um, I, from what I've been told, uh, on the operating table, had issues, um, I had family driving from. Like issues,

Speaker: 1:22:29

like you're

Speaker 2: 1:22:30

probably not gonna make it kind of thing. And stuff was going down. My family, my family thought I was gonna make it. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and so this is probably why I'm always so optimistically positive is I didn't, I didn't realize it by how many people came out. Like in high school, I wasn't, I thought I was kind of popular. Okay. I did theater, not popular. I was known. Yeah. I was a theater. People knew that I was a goofball.

Speaker: 1:22:54

Yeah. Uh, I mean, you literally had me cracking up before we started this podcast. Like you could be a standup comic if you chose to.

Speaker 2: 1:23:00

I was, uh, I did. I was Axus Swayze in the, uh, a Chippendales routine. So I was in my underwear like three times in my singing in high school. Was your physique similar? No, I, I, I, I was Chris Harley a hundred percent even back then. Okay. Uh, but so, but how many people came out to the hospital? And it was weird for me'cause I woke up a couple days later with no memory of what happened. Wow. And. Um, so for me, I was like, I'm fine. You know? And you're, you're 40 something now or something? Yeah, 41. Okay. So this was 20 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and so community came out, family drove up from Mississippi. They flew in. They thought they, they didn't think I was gonna make it. Yeah. Um, and surprisingly, I woke up, first thing I said when I woke up was like, well, I'm in the hospital. Uh, and I asked my dad for a frosty. And then I remember my mother telling to my dad, go get him. A mother from Frosty. Um, now he asked for a frosty go, him. A frosty, frosty. Um, and so after that, just, uh, and I was super fortunate because they had me do some rehab classes, um, things.

Speaker: 1:24:10

Sure.

Speaker 2: 1:24:11

Talking around people was like, serious. But you

Speaker: 1:24:12

were like. You were like probably a smart kid that turned into kind of not a very smart kid for a while probably, would you My guess? Kind of,

Speaker 2: 1:24:19

yeah. I was actually, I wasn't that best in school actually,

Speaker: 1:24:23

but because you fucked around too much and you were, Chris Farley ended up Yeah. And writing comedy.

Speaker 2: 1:24:28

And I actually found that I became more, found my, my systems and my base after that a lot better. Oh, interesting. I became, I, I could never read it. Right. Uh, but I could understand for some reason that like I could read a policy and understand it and so now like my focus became a lot better. Hmm. Uh, and that's probably what shaped me being so policy driven now. Yeah. Is will you gimme a book, like a novel, a

Speaker: 1:24:59

Stephen King novel or something dumb.

Speaker 2: 1:25:01

I'm just three Speech to Win. I'm like, I don't, I didn't get it. Yeah. Yeah. You gave me a 2,500 page report from the EIS about the Glade Reservoir. I'll read through it all and I'll understand 80% of it. Wow. I don't know why. And so, uh, I so got outta the hospital and I I was so stubborn as a thir 19-year-old kid. I was like, I'm fine. I'll just go back to college. I'll be fine. Yeah. Funny. Uh, front range. Put me on, uh, academic probation.'cause I failed those three classes I was taking that summer whenever I had my head injury.'cause I was in a coma. Weird. Um, so, but it couldn't, like my, I couldn't focus right afterwards. And so, so that was the most impactful Well, yeah. Part I was going through a career, probably in the restaurant business. Okay. Afterwards I got into sales, um, and I was really determined. I had a speech impediment before. My head injury. Okay. It was made significantly worse, or not significantly. I thought I heard a

Speaker: 1:25:58

snippet of it earlier, just like a little, little tiny snip of it.

Speaker 2: 1:26:02

So I have to focus a little bit more when I speak. Yeah. Um huh. And just to make sure, and I, it was from the hot sauce really, I think that activated

Speaker 3: 1:26:10

hot sauce.

Speaker 2: 1:26:11

Well, and I, in my head, I, I think I can say these larger words and I know what they mean, but then I try to say'em and it comes out as gobbly goop.

Speaker: 1:26:20

So like, man, you are incredibly well-spoken for somebody that's like overcome, uh, yeah. Like a brain injury basically. Right? Like that's what you're telling me. Kind of rehab from it, all that. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:26:33

So yeah. Very, very, um, very effective. Uh, and I was lucky I was in rehabs with people that, that had huge physical challenges. Sure, sure. And it's taught me a lot of humility, a lot of humble, um, nature Yeah. Realized on how community connected we are. So, uh, that price started me on the path for the non-profits and helping out the community. And so that was the most impactful find

Speaker: 1:26:54

for sure. So a hundred percent. Yeah. Well, uh, thanks for sharing that story. And, uh, we were talking about how in some ways you're kind of the, uh. Kind of sneaky ranked choice voting potential here. Like you might not be too many people's first choice, but you might be a lot of people's second choice. Yeah. And maybe especially after this shot. So, so, and I was kind, you're not as known as some of the other candidates.

Speaker 2: 1:27:18

Not as known. Um, you know, and I was part of the group that got us ranked choice voting. I Oh, you were, I advocate for this. Uh, a lot of people know me'cause they help get rid of u plus two. Oh, good. Thank you. And then I, I've helped

Speaker: 1:27:30

write, I thought that was dumb since the first time I heard about it a

Speaker 2: 1:27:32

hundred percent. So I got that passed. And so, uh, I'm, I'm, I'm known in like the policy side. The staff, city staff knows me. They know me. A couple people know me at the state. I've, uh, helped get a couple bills passed at the state. But this is weird. I've always been behind the scene on the policy side. Yeah, yeah. Um, and now being kind of out in the front. Yeah. Yeah. Um, getting that name, repetition. But most people I can talk to, I can talk about any subject for anything. And. Dig it. It's really fun.

Speaker: 1:27:59

Well, I've enjoyed our time together. You look like you're, are you one of those guys that gets hiccups sometimes when they have hot sauce? Uh, I haven't before, but Olaf is, you're thinking about getting some hiccups brewing here. Olaf has, uh,

Speaker 2: 1:28:10

thanks Paul. Thanks

Speaker: 1:28:11

Paul. Well, Adam, I sure appreciated the time. Thanks for being my guest and local experience.

Speaker 2: 1:28:17

Great. Thanks for hosting so much and good luck in the election. Thank you so much. This has been a blast. Thank you so much.

Speaker: 1:28:22

Good speed. Thanks.