Spring Break
District 5 city election to see candidates of all ages
Matt Minich
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: News
Editor's note: Coverage for city Districts 1 and 3 will appear on Thursday and Friday this week.
Theodore Gates will barely be old enough to drink alcohol legally by the time city Election Day in Fort Collins rolls around this April 7.
But as the only student running for elected office this year, Gates, a 20-year-old history major from Gunnison, says his platform is what students need this year and will help him hold his own as he runs against two much older -- and more experienced -- opponents for the city council seat in District 5.
Gates aims to represent the non-permanent Fort Collins population in the district, which covers the area west of College Avenue and south of Prospect Street.
The student demographic -- a huge proportion of the total population in the CSU region -- has been pushed out of local politics in the past, Gates said.
"I want to provide a seat at the table for everybody," Gates said. The seat he's running for would allow him to vote to change and implement city ordinances, set city policy direction and help hire and supervise the positions of city manager, city judge and city attorney.
While Gates said he anticipates that his opponents will target his youth as a sticking point in his candidacy, he said he hopes voters will look at his stance on the issues plaguing Fort Collins rather than on his age.
One such issue is the three-unrelated housing ordinance, commonly called U+2, which mandates that no more than three non-family residents can live in the same property without special zoning permission.
Gates, who said the ordinance has unfairly targeted students and does not solve the noise problems that it was intended to solve, said he would plan a large restructuring of the regulation.
Gates hopes to displace Kelly Ohlson, the current incumbent chair for Fort Collins City Council and mayor pro tem in District 5.
Gates said that while he respects Ohlson's many years of community service, he also feels the councilman has an out-of-touch view of the district.
Theodore Gates will barely be old enough to drink alcohol legally by the time city Election Day in Fort Collins rolls around this April 7.
But as the only student running for elected office this year, Gates, a 20-year-old history major from Gunnison, says his platform is what students need this year and will help him hold his own as he runs against two much older -- and more experienced -- opponents for the city council seat in District 5.
Gates aims to represent the non-permanent Fort Collins population in the district, which covers the area west of College Avenue and south of Prospect Street.
The student demographic -- a huge proportion of the total population in the CSU region -- has been pushed out of local politics in the past, Gates said.
"I want to provide a seat at the table for everybody," Gates said. The seat he's running for would allow him to vote to change and implement city ordinances, set city policy direction and help hire and supervise the positions of city manager, city judge and city attorney.
While Gates said he anticipates that his opponents will target his youth as a sticking point in his candidacy, he said he hopes voters will look at his stance on the issues plaguing Fort Collins rather than on his age.
One such issue is the three-unrelated housing ordinance, commonly called U+2, which mandates that no more than three non-family residents can live in the same property without special zoning permission.
Gates, who said the ordinance has unfairly targeted students and does not solve the noise problems that it was intended to solve, said he would plan a large restructuring of the regulation.
Gates hopes to displace Kelly Ohlson, the current incumbent chair for Fort Collins City Council and mayor pro tem in District 5.
Gates said that while he respects Ohlson's many years of community service, he also feels the councilman has an out-of-touch view of the district.
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