Spring Break
Griggs to fight for a united FoCo
Matt Minich
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: News
Editor's note: Profiles featuring this year's other mayoral candidates, incumbent Doug Hutchinson will appear on Thursday of this week.
Aiming to right what he calls a "vacuum of leadership" in Fort Collins' city council, Tom Griggs, a Fort Collins resident since 2000, is putting himself on this April's ballot for mayor in hopes of giving all walks of city residents a voice.
Griggs, who serves as chair of the Colorado Democratic Party's Caucus for the Fourth Congressional District and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Foothills Unitarian Church, announced his intention to run last December and hopes to displace current mayor Doug Hutchinson, who is running for his third and final term.
Griggs was also running against Eric Sutherland, a local activist long outspoken in support of renewable and efficient energy practices in Fort Collins, until Sutherland announced his withdrawal from the race Tuesday.
Griggs, an associate professor in the Education and Bilingual/English Second Language programs at the University of Northern Colorado, said people in Fort Collins "aren't connecting very well" under Hutchinson's leadership.
The mayor's refusal to recognize last month's Freedom to Marry Day, a gay rights event endorsed by the city's Human Resources Commission, is evidence of that, Griggs said.
Griggs said he hopes to create forums where diverse groups can work together on issues.
Hutchinson, however, said his decision regarding Freedom to Marry Day had nothing to do with his stances on gay rights. Hutchinson said he was asked to make a proclamation -- which is generally used to celebrate birthdays of local figures and other accomplishments of the city -- in support of the day, and said that he could not do so for an event that centered on such a divisive issue.
Additionally, outreach between students and other residents of Fort Collins is important, said Griggs, who said he advocates bringing together as many voices of the community as possible.Â
Aiming to right what he calls a "vacuum of leadership" in Fort Collins' city council, Tom Griggs, a Fort Collins resident since 2000, is putting himself on this April's ballot for mayor in hopes of giving all walks of city residents a voice.
Griggs, who serves as chair of the Colorado Democratic Party's Caucus for the Fourth Congressional District and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Foothills Unitarian Church, announced his intention to run last December and hopes to displace current mayor Doug Hutchinson, who is running for his third and final term.
Griggs was also running against Eric Sutherland, a local activist long outspoken in support of renewable and efficient energy practices in Fort Collins, until Sutherland announced his withdrawal from the race Tuesday.
Griggs, an associate professor in the Education and Bilingual/English Second Language programs at the University of Northern Colorado, said people in Fort Collins "aren't connecting very well" under Hutchinson's leadership.
The mayor's refusal to recognize last month's Freedom to Marry Day, a gay rights event endorsed by the city's Human Resources Commission, is evidence of that, Griggs said.
Griggs said he hopes to create forums where diverse groups can work together on issues.
Hutchinson, however, said his decision regarding Freedom to Marry Day had nothing to do with his stances on gay rights. Hutchinson said he was asked to make a proclamation -- which is generally used to celebrate birthdays of local figures and other accomplishments of the city -- in support of the day, and said that he could not do so for an event that centered on such a divisive issue.
Additionally, outreach between students and other residents of Fort Collins is important, said Griggs, who said he advocates bringing together as many voices of the community as possible.Â
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