Larry Welshon: Edgewater City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Larry Welshon, candidate for Edgewater City Council

We asked each candidate for Edgewater City Council five questions to help community members get to know the candidates and their views.

Here are the answers sent by Larry Welshon:

Your Occupation:

Teacher/administrator at Alpine Valley School in Wheat Ridge.

What do you love about Edgewater?

I love that it’s a small town and that I’ve known some of my neighbors a long time. I also love that citizens are able to regularly watch our civic processes at work, from boards and commissions to the City Council. The prospect of having ice cream within walking distance is also very appealing.

What do you view as the role of the Edgewater City Council?

As a group, the City Council’s role first and foremost is to consider legislation to meet the community’s public safety needs and other specific duties as described in the Charter and code. On an individual level, council members should serve to help their fellow citizens understand how the city government works. Councilmen should have a very good understanding of our Charter and the municipal code so that when a citizen comes to them with a concern they can be helpful to that person and answer their questions.

Which of Edgewater’s recent legislative actions is your least favorite? Which is your favorite?

My least favorite was the passage of the ordinance banning the sale of tobacco to those under 21. Council argued, correctly, that the purpose of this ban was to protect youth. However, they couldn’t muster the will to also make possession and consumption by those youth illegal, which would be the principled thing to do. When pressed, the argument that carried the day was this: “We shouldn’t punish the addicts, we should just control the companies that sell tobacco.” This is ridiculous. If your desire is to protect the youth, make sure the law is consistent with other age-restricted prohibitions. Creating loopholes is not good legislative practice.

My favorite legislative action is the adoption of the Mobility Plan. The council had a good process that listened to people’s specific concerns about areas of the city that are unsafe. The proposed plan is very good and well within the proper scope of government.

What role can Edgewater City Council play in supporting current small businesses and attracting new ones?

When the Council considers laws that affect small businesses they should ask these questions: 1) Does the regulation maintain a level playing field? 2) Does the regulation benefit specific players within an industry at the expense of their competition? and 3) Would individuals be unreasonably constrained? If we have a fair system and follow the due process of law, we’ll have more businesses wanting to be here than we can accommodate — then let the market decide.

Why should Edgewater residents vote for you?

I would not say that anyone “should” vote for me because it is presumptuous and serves to deny individual autonomy. I’d hope that, after careful thought, people vote for me because my ideas resonate with them. I’m an independent voice, not bound to the cult of council conformity. After living here for nearly 30 years and attending council regularly the last six years, I believe I’m finally ready to step onto the other side of the dais.

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.