Responses provided to a questionnaire from the Golden Chamber of Commerce:
Vision & Leadership
I start with the belief that leadership means listening. Our long-term vision must be shaped with the people who live, work, and invest here. I sought input from several people. Here are my thoughts—shaped by both my experiences and input from others.
Golden is a thriving community blessed with natural beauty and attractive to residents and tourists alike. To sustain tourism revenue and serve residents, Golden must have a welcoming downtown—attractive, easy to access, and with a variety of offerings.
However, our economy cannot depend solely on downtown or tourism. Currently, three areas – downtown, the Corporate Center, and South Golden Road – provide over 40% of our sales tax revenue. “Outside” spending - things purchased outside the city but with sales tax flowing in -- is 33 to 34% of our total sales tax revenue. While it is beneficial to receive those tax dollars, “Outside” is a challenge to having a thriving local economy.
We need a diverse mix of businesses throughout the city that will allow the city to be resilient through challenges, including nearby communities providing new opportunities for consumers.
Golden must balance being business-friendly, encouraging business diversity and preserving the high quality of life that makes people want to live here. Doing this will require listening and give-and-take across many stakeholders.
My vision for Golden’s economic future is practical and balanced: a Golden where prosperity and community go hand in hand towards a better future.
During my 36-year career with a major telecommunications company, I held leadership roles that required balancing operational demands, customer needs, and compliance with complex state and federal requirements.
My work ranged from software development and network operations to leading teams that managed multi-million-dollar projects. With one of my favorite bosses, we led the effort to consolidate 435 centers in 14 states into four mega-centers—streamlining operations while maintaining service quality. I led the customer service portion of a three-year project mandated by the FCC and state public utility commissions, ensuring we met strict regulatory timelines while serving millions of customers. In this role, I frequently served as the company’s witness before state commissions, the Department of Justice, and the FCC.
I spent the last portion of my career overseeing the implementation of all state and federal telecommunications and cable regulations into the company’s operations, from billing requirements to 911. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of how regulations affect businesses and the importance of balancing public interest with operational feasibility.
I know little about marketing and I have much to learn about the unique challenges facing small businesses. What I do bring is a proven ability to listen, to understand operational and regulatory complexities, and to deliver solutions in partnership with those most directly impacted.
My education—BS in Math and Computer Science, Master’s in Telecommunications Management, Project Management certificate, and an Executive MBA—rounds out this experience.
The relationship between City Council, City staff, and the Chamber of Commerce should be a true partnership—built on trust, transparency, and shared priorities. As with any relationship, this is easier said than done. The challenge is that each business is unique, shaped by its size, location, type, resources, and workforce. And, of course, the City must also consider businesses that are not Chamber members.
The City’s new Economic Development role is a real opportunity to strengthen this partnership. To succeed, we need conversations that lead to written priorities everyone can stand behind. Some guiding questions include:
- Do certain areas of town need focused attention?
- How should support for small, locally owned businesses be balanced with the needs of large national chains?
- How do we weigh business goals alongside community priorities like sustainability and livability?
Transparency is essential, but calling for it without a process will not work. That process should include: negotiating clear goals, agreeing on priorities, outlining specific actions, providing regular updates, making course corrections, and speaking up quickly when something is off track.
The Chamber has a key role in organizing business input and identifying collective priorities. This will help City Council and staff act strategically rather than react piecemeal.
Economic Development & Business Climate
Over the next four years, Golden faces both opportunities and challenges in shaping economic growth very similar to the first question asked. The most immediate is ClayWorks. Managing it well is essential. One concern—though unknown at this time —is how new commercial space there may affect downtown customer flow.
Beyond ClayWorks, Golden has limited room for development. The pending annexation along Highway 93 to the north has potential, while Pleasant View is seeing significant residential growth, including 400 units south of King Soopers and a proposed eight-story apartment at the former Glo Park site.
The key question is whether Golden can attract these new residents. That requires keeping the city accessible, welcoming, and appealing—not just for tourists, but for those living nearby.
Mobility and transportation will play a major role. Businesses along Highway 93 or West Colfax may be less affected, but those relying on customer movement between north and south Golden could feel the impact. Washington and Ford streets are the only crossings over the river and Highway 58, and both will see additional strain as ClayWorks grows. If Pleasant View residents are to choose Golden, access must be easy. Proposed changes to Ford Street risk making it harder, not easier.
Golden’s opportunity lies in making practical decisions —ensuring new development and growth strengthen, rather than overwhelm, the city.
First, workforce housing is often brought up and is a complicated issue. The City has recently purchased some houses and apartments. To the best of my knowledge, there is no specific program that would cause any of these units to be reserved for folks working in Golden. Should there be? I have read about various programs in other locations, such as “Lease to Locals” in Summit County. I do not have the answers to how to make this work in Golden when we are part of a larger metropolitan area. I would like to flesh out my thoughts in a longer conversation.
Second, ensuring the work described above is actually completed to have a strong, open relationship between the Council, the City staff including the new Economic Development position, and the Chamber. This should include fostering entrepreneurship and small business growth.
Third, infrastructure and accessibility matter. Businesses—whether new or existing—need to know that employees, customers, and suppliers can easily reach them. I lean toward not eliminating more downtown parking spaces. I would encourage folks living near but not in Golden to visit all of our business area by ensuring traffic flows smoothly into town whether from the north on 93, from I-70 and C-470 or from Denver West and Pleasant View. I support bike and pedestrian access but cars are still a primary mode of transportation.
My approach is to listen first, identify shared goals, agree on priorities and be open to compromise, and then work collaboratively to remove barriers.
Balancing tourism’s economic benefits with residents’ quality of life is a key challenge for Golden. In my understanding, most of this issue occurs in the downtown and South Golden Road areas. Using the creek and tubing as an example, I have been told that tubers overwhelm the town, discourage other visitors, do not spend much money and are a net detriment. I have also been told that tubers are not the source of most of the crowding, do spend money in businesses throughout the town and are a net benefit to the city. Other events also have supporters and skeptics regarding the net benefit.
I hope there is more data than I have currently seen to evaluate the net economic benefits and impacts to residents. If something, whether a particular special event or large numbers of tubers on weekends, is having a measurable, positive impact on business profitability, the question is how should it be managed to reduce the impact on residents. If something is having a detrimental impact on business profitability and negatively impacting quality of life, different questions need to be answered.
The City has taken steps to manage tourism, including parking guidelines that give residents two free hours, modifications along the creek, and the creation of a Special Events Board to provide guidelines for large events.
To me, this is an issue that will always be nebulous and the compromise solutions will leave many dissatisfied. It will be an incremental process to try solutions based on the best data available. I have been told there was a group that met several years ago, developed consensus recommendations, and then felt the recommendations were ignored. I would like to understand the Special Events Board output which I believe is due in the next month as well as review the recommendations that were created.
First and foremost, critical infrastructure—water, sewer, power, and roads—must be maintained and improved. Without reliable systems, businesses cannot operate efficiently, residents face disruptions, and the city cannot grow sustainably. Infrastructure is the foundation that allows economic activity to thrive.
Second, the City should regulate as lightly and carefully as possible. Regulations are essential for protecting health, safety, and livability, but overly prescriptive rules can create unnecessary burdens and unintended consequences. For example, I would not have supported the ordinance dictating what drinks could be offered on a children’s menu. Such rules distract from core objectives and make navigating city processes harder for businesses.
The goal should be clear, practical regulations focused on essential standards. Permitting, zoning, and other requirements should be predictable and straightforward and reasonable.
Public Policy & Collaboration
While I do not have direct experience working with regional, state, or federal economic development partners, I understand the importance of collaboration to bring resources and opportunities to Golden. My approach would be grounded in listening, learning what Golden has done to date and what others have done that would be applicable to Golden, and building relationships.
Prioritizing support for businesses in Golden requires careful examination of where the city’s economic growth is strongest and where it is lagging. Some areas, like the Corporate Center and Golden Road, together account for over 25% of the city’s revenue, yet both are showing negative year-over-year growth from 2024 to 2025. Meanwhile, downtown shows 17% growth, but that number is skewed by a large February uptick, likely from a single event -- Goldens in Golden. Five smaller areas are also showing declines during the same period.
Given these trends, I would prioritize examining the top three areas by revenue and growth patterns. The goal would be to identify the underlying drivers—whether a major business relocated, a temporary disruption occurred, or there is a broader decline in commercial activity.
Once we understand the causes, support can be targeted effectively, whether through infrastructure improvements, marketing and promotion, or other actions. By focusing on the areas that have the greatest economic impact and understanding what is driving changes, Golden can ensure that limited resources are applied strategically to sustain growth, stabilize revenue, and strengthen the overall business environment.
In the smaller areas, there may be fairly obvious small actions that could be taken as well.
Balancing environmental sustainability with economic growth in Golden requires a practical, thoughtful approach. As a small town, we should leverage advances in technology without being on the leading edge. Being a “fast follower” allows us to adopt proven solutions efficiently, minimizing risk while still achieving meaningful environmental impact.
Sustainability should be integrated into decisions about infrastructure, development, and business support. For example, projects that improve energy efficiency, water management, or transportation can benefit both the environment and the economy by reducing long-term costs and increasing resilience. Encouraging businesses to adopt sustainable practices—while providing guidance and incentives—can enhance Golden’s reputation as a responsible community without placing undue burdens on local companies.
At the same time, economic growth must remain a priority. We need policies that support new businesses, retain existing employers, and attract residents, while ensuring that environmental initiatives are practical, scalable, and aligned with community needs.
My approach is grounded in practicality, collaboration, and learning from proven technologies. By combining responsible environmental stewardship with careful planning, Golden can grow its economy, protect its natural resources, and maintain the quality of life that makes our community unique.