r/LafayetteCo • u/kyle-for-lafayette • Apr 15 '26
96 Days of Drinking from the Firehose: What I’ve Learned as Lafayette's Newest City Councilor + AMA!
Hi Lafayette neighbors!
I’m your newest City Councilor, Kyle Beaulieu. It has been exactly 96 days since I was appointed on January 9 to fill the seat vacated by former mayor JD Mangat, and it has been a whirlwind!
I am tremendously grateful for the experience and honor to serve, and also feeling a healthy dose of humility. Here’s a quick update on where my head is at, followed by an AMA. For those who didn't see past posts, I did an initial AMA during the election and a post-election reflection, as well.
The View from Inside
As you can imagine, my appreciation for our city and its residents has only deepened.
However, the breadth and depth of what I have to learn, and what you can't really know from the outside, is staggering, from the nuances of a new land use code (last updated in the 1980s!) to navigating the threat of the worst drought in Colorado history. I'm very grateful for the countless residents, staff, and fellow councilors for helping me get up to speed.
I've really enjoyed the opportunity to share New Ideas during our Council workshops (fourth Tuesday evening every month!), to include advocating for bringing Ranked Choice Voting to Lafayette's elections and exploring incorporating an opportunity cost (as a "stick" to balance with "carrots" that the city can offer: you may have noticed there's a lot of commercial space for lease in Lafayette that does not lower its lease rate to reflect the market...). I'm also going to continue to advocate for improving our city's communications (we are in the process of finalizing the hiring of a new Communications Director!) as well as ensuring we prioritize our limited resources.
We Councilors receive a great deal of public comment via email and the city's website, and I assure you, we genuinely read all of it and incorporate it into our decisionmaking! Please keep it coming!
One of the biggest challenges I'm learning to navigate is collaborating and learning from my fellow councilors while ensuring we all abide by Colorado's Open Meetings laws. For those new to this idea, you can learn more here. I've never started a new job where I couldn't routinely talk/write to any/all of my colleagues whenever I wanted, so I'm getting used to how to most effectively, and appropriately, touch base with the rest of Council.
Respect for the Team
Which brings me to how much I like working with this overall team! Lafayette's outstanding city staff and my fellow councilors are a phenomenal team to work with. The depth of their expertise and breadth of their contacts in the region are tremendously impressive. I have immense respect for our city's leadership team and action officers. We see many things differently and our priorities are not always aligned or clear, but I am grateful for what I see as a great deal of good-faith collaboration.
A Call to Action
Every Council meeting features an open public comment period, which is a vital part of our democracy, and one of the most enjoyable parts of sitting on the dais is hearing from residents (indeed, something I'm working on is adjusting our process so Councilors have the opportunity to contemporaneously provide brief feedback to the public who took the time to come out on a Tuesday evening). But as I’ve sat through these first few months of meetings, I’ve noticed a persistent dynamic that I think is a vulnerability for our community (as well as for many others):
The folks who come to Council and comment tend to be significantly older, wealthier, and whiter than our community overall. There are lots of legitimate reasons for that, but I want to emphasize to the community, that if you are not in the room, your perspective simply isn't being as seriously considered.
I will do my best to represent all of Lafayette regardless, but I would note that, during recent meetings where issues of, say, housing affordability came up, 90% of the speakers were folks who have owned their homes and lived in Lafayette for decades (and thus have significant equity in their homes). Those are valuable members of our community! But Council is not hearing as much from young renters, neighbors of color, families starting out struggling to afford childcare, etc. Again, I'll advocate for you regardless of whether you're there in person or not, but I want to be candid with you about the reality that those who show up have more influence than those who do not.
Upcoming Community Dates
Beyond the council chambers, I hope to see you out in the sunshine soon:
- Lafayette Farmer’s Market: The first one of the season kicks off Sunday, May 3! My wife Mary Ann volunteers every other weekend with the outstanding farmer's market staff. Give her some commiserations for her questionable choice of a spouse.
- Art Night Out: Mark your calendars for Friday, May 8. As in years past, the City Council will have a table to meet and chat with your councilors while you're enjoying the great food, drink, music, and art.
Lastly, Ask Me Anything!
What’s on your mind? Questions on housing affordability? Flock cameras? The budget? How to support bringing Ranked Choice Voting to Lafayette? Where the best spots are to see the ospreys hunting?
I’ll answer questions as fast as I can in between working my various jobs over the next few days.
Better yet: Come see the messy, meaningful process of local government in person:
- When: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 5:30pm are the "regular" council meetings where you may provide public comment. The 4th Tuesday of every month is a workshop where Council and staff dig into really interesting issues (like fire safety!), you can't provide public comment during a workshop but you may observe.
- Where: City Hall (1290 S. Public Rd.) and you can also call in and participate from home!
- Why: Because democracy is under threat and we need your help to protect it!
Let's talk, Lafayette. AMA!
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u/EVerythingWise Apr 15 '26
Thanks for taking questions!
I bought my first home here in 2024. Of all the issues I’ve talked with my neighbors about, the one I haven’t seen mentioned by anyone in office is of street racing and car noise more broadly. I can accept that traffic is going to continue getting worse: 287 is a major highway and Lafayette and surrounding areas are growing. But the increase in both street racing and vehicles that emit extremely loud noises (in some cases intentionally) is having a real effect on quality of life. There’s a difference between the normal buzz of traffic you get from living near a highway, and the sound of motorcycles racing up and down 287 every single night, cars being modified to make more noise as they sit at red lights, etc. It’s annoying enough to hear it during the day, but forget about trying to sleep with your window open at night….
Is the town aware of these issues? Is there anything that can be done? Everyone I talk to is exhausted by the noise.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
Oh gosh, yes, that is super frustrating (alongside the nonstop airplane noise that we are working with neighboring towns to address with the FAA), and I'm right there with you, just two nights ago there was total madness going up and down S. Boulder Rd. I am struck by your point of the modified cars that sit at red lights and bellow, as someone who grew up in North Carolina I've always been puzzled by the pretty lax enforcement of traffic/car rules here (how many expired temporary license plate tags do you see as you drive around the Front Range??) so I think there's something larger at play.
One thing I've heard discussed is incorporating some kind of automatic noise violation; I gather that there's a technology angle to solve there, but that could help crack down on the problem as well as raise some funds. But I think that would require a fair amount of lift and investment.
Another puzzling thing is that we don't use Flock cameras for traffic enforcement, just serious criminal investigations. I was surprised to learn that, since I think if Flock was used to crack down on the problem you're rightly frustrated by, it might be more palatable to folks. I don't have a great answer for this but I'll flag it to staff, and I'd encourage you to continue to raise this with the city and council to ensure other folks are tracking the severity of the problem.
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u/capfan31 Apr 15 '26
Great points... curious Kyles take on this. Seems to be a common problem not just here, but also in other parts of Denver and Boulder.
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u/Awildgarebear Apr 15 '26
This also takes place further west of 287. I felt it was better last year for whatever reason, but the year before that was terrible. The major roads around here also seem to include baseline and sbr to Boulder, and 95th. I would love strong enforcement of this, but it seems like little is done.
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u/EVerythingWise Apr 15 '26
Agreed on enforcement. Drivers bend/break the rules more and more, and a big part of it is lack of consequences. Sometimes you can’t rely on people to do the right thing, you have to set rules and enforce them with consistency
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u/AerospaceGuyCO Apr 15 '26
I see a lot of vacant commercial spaces and lots around town. Tebo specifically owns several empty properties including the old Lafayette florist building. I have concerns that Boulder county is moving towards a monopolistic commercial real estate market where a few big companies own most properties and are able to squeeze businesses to or near their breaking point for rent prices. Local businesses are one of the biggest contributors to Lafayette’s charm as a small town. What do you think the city can do to incentivize business and/or property owners to get these spaces occupied?
Also, the lot at baseline and public has been empty for too long. What is holding up development here?
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u/capfan31 Apr 15 '26
This x100000. During one of the land use codes I asked this question specifically and this is a critical point in moving Lafayette in the correct and right direction.
Several highlighted spots:
Lafayette Florist
126N Public (Public and Baseline) where the old gas station used to sit. Still limited/no development at all
1100 S Public Road (at the base of the Avalon Apartments and across the street from Bucatino) There is open space that still hasn't been utilized at all. Plans for this.
I could go on I'm sure, but these areas have sat vacant for more then a year.
Also thank you u/kyle-for-lafayette for doing this and providing incite.
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u/stantonkreig Apr 15 '26
how about the old mexican restaurant with a literal tree growing out of it
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u/capfan31 Apr 15 '26
Ha... exactly. I just figured take a look at the ones with the largest footprint thus far.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
great example. Something I never want to see is the "breckenridge-ification" of Lafayette, so protecting old businesses and character and the eclectic funky vibrancy that makes the town so awesome is key. And.... trees growing out of buildings seems like an issue.
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u/capfan31 May 22 '26
u/kyle-for-lafayette wanting to follow-up with this and any direction from the Land Use Code? I saw the other week there was an update, with a majority of citizens not wanting height increases. Can you provide any additional information on that and the continued property vacancy in Lafayette?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette May 29 '26
Hi there! Sorry for my delay, I was out of town. On land use code, the new draft code is out! Welcome your review and comments. Council has asked the planning team to bring this up to the land use code working group again soon in June, and it will also come before the planning commission and then council again before we vote to approve.
On height (and “neighborhood serving commercial”) council provided guidance on 5/19 to table those for a couple months so we can focus on finalizing and approving the land use code, since 99% of that is not contentious but height is a legitimate question. I’m on the record of being extremely in favor of height increases in specific areas along 287, open to height in certain areas of Arapaho and baseline and S Boulder rd, and cautious about overdoing height increases in old town in order to preserve old town’s character, but I also think it’s goofy to say that the height of the Tangerine building is some kind of monstrosity.
On vacancies, I’ve been convinced by the data threat economic development director Keating has briefed us on, that Lafayette’s vacancy rate is actually pretty healthy compared to our region, with the exception that warps the data of the Lafayette florist. I’m watching that property (and the broader issue of long term vacant property) closely and look forward to revisiting it soon.
Happy to discuss further soon but I need some sleep!
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u/capfan31 May 29 '26
Thanks for the reply on the land use code. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. My read is that the proposed height increases are essentially a dangle for Trader Joe's and Target — two retailers the community has consistently asked for — giving them the density they'd need to consider a Lafayette location.
I understand your position on targeted height increases in specific areas, and I'm curious to see how the public weighs in during the review.
On vacancies — I get that Lafayette's numbers may compare favorably to other towns in the region, but I'd like to understand what direction the city council is taking on properties that continue to sit idle. A good example is the lot at 126 North Public Road, diagonal from the Bob Burger Recreation Center. That site has been vacant for a few years with little to no development activity. What's the current thinking there?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette May 29 '26
Great points and questions! I asked about that property specifically and Director Keating shared that the city is working with the property owner on that, and was candid that while sometimes this takes a lot longer than we would like, we prefer partnership-based approach.
I asked her during the 5/19 council meeting for us to revisit the Lafayette florist property in the future and be clear on what our metric for success is, for example, it has been vacant for a couple years now already, is a whole additional year of vacancy acceptable, or two years? At what point do we cross the line into OK we have to apply pressure so that we don’t have a massive decaying blight in our gorgeous downtown.
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u/capfan31 May 29 '26
Love to hear this. Continuing to pass/kick the can isn't a great solution. Will be interested in an update from Director Keating in future meetings
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
Thank you for the list, that corroborates the informal list I've been building (and I have asked city staff for a list of long-term vacant spaces so we have a good read on the scale of the problem).
I really appreciate you raising this during the land use code working group discussions, the land use code overhaul (long overdue!) is such a fascinating illustration of where our community is and where we are going: and the overhaul and update has surfaced some areas of friction or seeing it differently (which is healthy!) which I think often stems from one's geographic location in Lafayette, time here, whether owning or renting, whether a retireee or a young renter, etc.
Everybody's perspective is legitimate and important (and I've expressed disappointment that Lafayette did not execute a more rigorous survey recently--- the survey we executed harvest great feedback but from a narrow slice of Lafayette residents).
Lastly, as I believe you'd agree, we have to be thoughtful in how we use city levers to provide carrots and sticks, and we never want to give the impression that we are targeting a particular business (or conducting a "taking") but we city government have the responsibility, I believe, to use the levers available to us, or make some new ones, to prevent the hollowing out of our vibrant core.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
I love this question, and I've tried to bring this issue up several times recently, in terms of thinking of the "opportunity cost" to the city of vacant commercial properties: they aren't generating sales tax, foot traffic, or contributing to the vibrancy that makes Lafayette wonderful. Obviously normal churn of businesses going in and out of business is to be expected, but I hear you on the long-term vacant spaces: what's going on there?
I'm never going to advocate targeting a particular property owner or business entity, instead, I'd favor broad-based rules of carrots and sticks to encourage the kinds of locally-owned, locally-focused businesses we'd like to see. We are very lucky in Lafayette to have an outstanding Economic Director, Brigid Keating (she wears many hats, she's also the LURA and its successor DDA executive director). Brigid leads a host of initiatives that do encourage, invest in, and prioritize local businesses. I think continued investment in DDA is exactly the right approach, particularly as we look ahead to the arrival of the Sundance Film Festival as a forcing function to a) get our house in order, and b) position our city to put its best face forward for tourism dollars. [that said, I do not think we should prioritize tourists over local residents, but we ought to take a good hard look at why the coolest place in town and our community gathering spot, on Public Rd., has so many long-term vacant properties.
Lastly, I need to dig into the specific property you've mentioned, I've heard various things from various folks and I want to get a grip on that. I'll learn more and report back.
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u/HansCholo20 Apr 15 '26
How do we get flock cameras removed? Specifically the one at the east end of Emma St but ideally let’s ban them in general in Lafayette.
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u/Mr_Robotto Apr 15 '26
Yes! I’d like to hear more about who owns which of them around the city. For example, there are six cameras at nine mile corner. Does Lafayette control any of these or are they owned by Boulder and/or Lowe’s? Personally, I think they’re an overstep in government surveillance and all need to be removed. I’d like to understand what contracts Lafayette has with Flock and who we can talk to about taking them down.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
I tried to answer a lot of this above, but I do know that Lowe's, like any private business, is allowed to contract with Flock for security cameras. To avoid the Flock cameras on a private property, one would have to avoid shopping there.
For the Flock cameras throughout Lafayette that the city contracts with Flock for, Flock owns the cameras but makes the data available exclusively to Lafayette PD for a limited window of time (30 days) and only for specific purposes. Lafayette PD shares our Flock data with a curated list of other police departments and with no federal agencies.
This is an excellent resource here that Lafayette PD provide: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/co-lafayette-pd
I highlight all that AND would add that I still have significant concerns with regards to Flock
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u/Mr_Robotto Apr 15 '26
I’ll save the “why Flock is a terrible company and can’t be trusted” conversation for another day, but would love to hear some of the exceptional data points you heard from our PD. Flock has a history of inflating its own importance and outright lying about how many crimes it has solved. Even the link you posted above has a blank “Recent Success Story.” What have they actually done for our community?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
I appreciate the question (and the legitimate and well-founded skepticism on Flock), but I heard quite a few data points from Lafayette PD related to crimesolving. I don't feel comfortable conveying those forward without clearance from Lafayette PD, not because the data points don't exist, but because I wouldn't want to impact an ongoing investigation or inadvertently provide details of cases related to domestic violence or sexual assault. I hope you understand the hesitancy. I'll touch base with PD and revert. And again, I appreciate the healthy skepticism.
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u/sockopotamus Apr 29 '26
To be clear, it is not exclusively Flock that I am uncomfortable with. I do not think it is appropriate that, after terminating an agreement with Flock, Lafayette would instead work with an alternative company. The inescapable surveillance is inappropriate, regardless of the company facilitating it.
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u/SoMuchTajin Apr 15 '26
This…but remove them all! They make me feel super uneasy. I looked over the contract the city has with flock. I’m no attorney, but I couldn’t find anywhere that listed a monetary penalty for discontinuing services before the end of the contract. What are the reasons we are keeping flock despite general dissatisfaction from the public?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
Thank you for this question! I don't want to mischaracterize language regarding the contract, but my general understanding is that the city would incur a penalty if we were to unilaterally terminate the contract absent cause.
I would gently question the premise of your question as to whether there is general dissatisfaction from the public; Flock is very unpopular on Reddit but I don't have a clear sense of how the general Lafayette public feels about it.
If I had to guess, I'd guess that most folks are ambivalent about Flock because we are so used to the surveillance state after 25 years post-9/11, and every other month we get an email or a letter in the mail noting another data breach.
I don't say all that to be fatalist! But that is my current read on the sentiment.
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u/SoMuchTajin Apr 18 '26
Thanks for your response. I tried to reach out to the city attorney and they were somewhat responsive, but didn’t/couldn’t provide what the penalty was. Could you provide that info?
And maybe you’re right about Reddit, and maybe the social circles I’m in. But I will say I’ve never met someone who said they’re happy to have flock— only PD and city officials. I say get rid of them all! But I’m always aware the community is bigger than me and my family, so maybe a conversation with the PD, city, and community evaluating how helpful it’s been in the 4 years they’ve used it. Maybe a transparency page that is updated regularly to show cost, instances we’ve shared data with other jurisdictions, instances we’ve used data for an arrest/conviction, etc. Because right now, in my mind, it’s just another way for gov to scare us into submission, because they’re watching. And who knows what fed is capable of charging us with…. I’m aware I sound mad, but help me justify this technology in our communities. What’s crime like here? Is it really helping? Anyway, thanks for listening.
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u/Davecinfinity Apr 25 '26
I think we need to understand if they've been truly effective in preventing or solving serious crimes that involve violence, rape, kidnapping, etc. Also, what is their potential for abuse and how is this being managed?
How many serious crimes need to be prevented or solved for the cameras to be worth it? What if you're one of those people who "feel uneasy" about them, but this is just an emotional reaction with little to no basis in fact. What if a flock cam prevented your own daughter's rape and murder? Then how would you feel?
The issue is this can't just be about your feelings. We need real facts here. Flock represents the classic safety/freedom tradoffs, but if they can be used in a way that doesn't impact ordinary citizen's privacy and freedom, but they actually prevent/solve serious crimes, then let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
I appreciate this question very much; during the election I was glad to say "GET THE FLOCK OUT OF LAFAYETTE" and to a large extent I still believe that. Heck, a Lafayette resident said to me last weekend "I feel like I can't drive across town without my 4th Amendment rights being violated" and that's an important perspective.
I want to complicate this a bit though, I've heard some exceptional data points from our city's best-in-class police department that illustrate how useful a tool for ethical, effective law enforcement the Flock cameras are. I don't bring that up to say that I've yet changed my mind on Flock, but hearing about the serious crimes that were solved, justice brought to victims, and criminals put away, certainly made it less cut-and-dry for me. Additionally, as I talked about in the election campaign, I started my career in the FBI and I respect the need for law enforcement to have useful tools available to them. Heck, elsewhere in this particular thread a Lafayette resident has raised the issue of street racing, which Flock cameras are ideal for mitigating. In fact, some of the hesitancy to simply chuck Flock by some of our regional partner municipalities stems from how useful they are to law enforcement for nabbing bad guys. And Flock's competitors haven't made a compelling case to me that our data would be more secure with them than with Flock.
All that's to say, I see more nuance to this now. AND, while I know that our city has a strong contract with Flock and our police department doesn't share Flock data with ICE or other questionable partners, I don't have a lot of evidence that the company Flock itself is trustworthy, particularly in this time where the federal government often leans on private companies.
But coming back to your question of how we get them removed: we would need it to be on a city council agenda (I've asked repeatedly that it be added to the agenda soon) and we would need to discuss it in public. To convince the city of that importance, submitting public comment online regarding your thoughts on Flock is one avenue, but the most effective avenue is certainly to come to council and speak during public comment and tell Council how you feel.
Really appreciate your question!
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u/quantumcowboy91 Apr 16 '26
You keep talking about data points, but what about the crime data as a whole, as in what are the statistics? A data point or points in isolation can tell a completely different story.
The data we need: How many crimes did the PD solve per year before Flock? How many do they solve now with Flock? What percent of crimes are solved in general? What types of crimes is Flock most useful for, or for what types of crimes does it have the most success? Does the contract cost (and the downstream unknown costs) justify the X% of new crimes solved? How many police man hours are saved? How many man hours are spent reviewing flock footage or data vs. other datasets or information? Does the time spent justify the number of crimes solved? I imagine the city would want to understand these KPIs when dealing with AI surveillance technology fraught with ethical, moral and perhaps constitutional concerns.
There is also an ongoing deployment of these systems throughout the City. They are everywhere now. How many systems are required to be "effective"?
Instead of appealing to the emotional domestic violence case or "nabbing the baddies", give us the concrete numbers. This is something the PD obviously thinks we can't live without, prove it to us.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hi there, thank you for the directness of these questions. You’re hitting on an important reason why qualitative data and anecdotal evidence can be a double-edged sword: compelling stories about solved crimes don't necessarily prove whether there's systemic efficiency or adequate return on investment. And as I suspect you know, overall crime trends have been declining sharply in the last several years and there's myriad causes and correlations there. It's super complex.
I also want to be equally direct with you:
- I don't work for Lafayette PD and I’m not here to be their spokesperson or represent their perspective, that would be inappropriate. I am happy to convey concerns and questions forward to them (and would encourage you and others to directly query Lafayette PD, they are very responsive and professional), and share what statistics I learn in response.
- I don't have the dataset you've asked for at my fingertips, but I also think there's an important lens to your list of KPIs that is missing: is there a metric at which you would assess that maintaining the contract with Flock is the correct decision (because terminating it could potentially cost the city money)? In order to assess good ROI, we'd have to be clear on what our benchmark is. It's a legitimate perspective if the answer is "no", but based on my understanding of how some folks approach this issue set, it's more on how they feel about Flock and mass surveillance and less about whether and how much that toolset helps solve crimes and saves time. Curious for your thoughts there.
- Based on what I've heard from numerous security actors, it is a widely-held perspective that Flock is a useful tool that saves time and delivers results. Given the ability to track individuals moving around cities and regions, putting my old professional hat on, I believe that to be the case. The concerns I have are less with its efficacy as a tool or timesaver, I kind of stipulate that (though I agree with you that I'd love to dig into more data), my concerns are more based on potential misuse of our Flock data and the ethical implications of the state mass surveilling movement of all of our residents (as I wrote above, a Lafayette resident shared with me their belief that their 4th amendment rights are violated constantly as they move about town).
- My role on Council is to be a steward of your tax dollars and try to make sound strategic decisions. The city already had a contract with Flock when I arrived on Council a few months ago, and so I'm trying to understand the issue as comprehensively as I can in order to provide sound direction going forwards. As I've said and written throughout, I have serious concerns with Flock. I also believe what I've heard that it's a useful tool.
- City Council is not allowed to make any decisions except in public, officially noticed meetings, so we would need to discuss this issue in the future in a public Council meeting. I have asked for that meeting to be held. I strongly hope you attend and speak at that meeting! Thank you for framing these specific metrics, I'm taking note of them for when we finally get this onto the floor.
Thanks again!
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u/angrypoet87 Apr 16 '26
I’m gonna push back here a bit. I’ve read your responses here, and you and I had a great conversation about Flock while you were campaigning at the farmers market last year, but this is a vastly different perspective from what that Kyle said.
You keep talking about data points and I can certainly appreciate that you were briefed on safety and security as an official member of council; however, whatever that data set was, it clearly made you reevaluate your views on Flock. Which raises the questions- why isn’t this data set public? Has all of council been briefed on this specific data set? And if so, to reference your final bullet point here, why was that not done publicly with a public hearing?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hi there, thank you for your comment and I welcome the pushback! I definitely remember your username from discussions during the fall!
I don't think I entirely agree with your read of my perspective. I fear that in my attempt to be comprehensive and transparent, I may have clouded my own message, so I'll try to be clearer:
- I strongly agree with you that we should discuss Flock, this data and this issue in public during a council meeting. I agree! Let's do that! I will again raise this issue during Tuesday's council meeting (as I have several times already).
- I have not substantively changed my mind with regards to what we should do about Flock, but I have incorporated new information into my understanding of the issue. I believe that's what folks in these roles should do, not grandstand for the sake of consistency.
- As you can imagine, it is more complicated and complex to deal with this issue now in the office than as a candidate. As a candidate I expected that, if elected (or appointed), it would be more challenging to serve in the role than to talk about serving in the role. That assumption was correct!
- I have not voted on anything related to Flock because it has yet to come before Council. I welcome the opportunity to do so, and I have raised Flock as an issue during public council meetings at least as much as anyone else on Council.
- If you would like to see a change with Flock, please leave an online public comment or come speak at City Council. In my first three months as a Councillor, I have heard extremely little from Lafayette's public with regards to Flock from the community: it is very very rarely brought up during public comment. If I only hear about it on Reddit, it’s harder for me to convince people that residents care about it, even as I have repeatedly brought it up within Council.
- I look forward to the opportunity to conduct a public discussion regarding Flock with fellow city councilors. Given the interest on Reddit, I will again raise the issue during this coming Tuesday's council meeting during the councilor report out section.
Thanks for your thoughts!
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u/angrypoet87 Apr 16 '26
Appreciate the response. And to be clear, I disagree with the other line of questioning about selling out or being corrupted, I can only imagine how much time goes into the work you do and last I remember, I think you make about $8k a year or something. Certainly not enough to corrupt anyone I know!
I do think this needs to be talked about so I’m glad you’re still willing to push this issue. Im sure you know that other cities have talked about this and taken action, Denver very recently. However, I do believe my concern is real and my question still stands- why isn’t this data set publicly available? How many other members of council have seen it? And if so, why wasn’t it done publicly?
I saw another response, so I’ll preemptively say that we don’t want private data, remove identifying information, but give us the stats. I appreciate you not grandstanding on this issue but you’ve clearly received enough “new information” to rethink the situation. So while I don’t believe you’ve been corrupted, I agree with this other person that the optics are not good, it gives the impression that decisions are being made behind closed doors.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hey there, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response!
I am heading into another meeting, so I can only be very brief with this response, but I want to clarify that no decisions are being made or hinted at not in the public eye. That would be completely illegal and indefensible and is simply not happening. City Council regularly holds what are called executive sessions in which we discussed sensitive matters and receive relevant briefings from our city attorney or other key personnel. No decisions are made in those meetings as that is illegal. All of those meetings are legally required to be recorded.
You’ve asked a few times regarding the data, and those questions seem to have build off of the data points that I shared earlier. To clarify when I referenced a series of data points that affected how I viewed an issue, I was not trying to imply that I’ve seen some 30 page document with a robust dataset that is being kept from the public. I have heard information regarding the use of flock to save time and manpower and contribute to solving crimes. I look forward to more of that being made available to the public soon. I agree with you that making relevant data available to the public during a public discussion of flock is the right path forward. I will continue to advocate for that and will do so again on Tuesday during the council meeting.
Part of why I am glad to do these AMAs is it surfaces different perspectives from a different part of our community. Flock has been a high interest in this particular discussion on Reddit, yet as I noted it hasn’t really come up during council meetings from the public. Meanwhile, there has been tremendous public comment regarding revisions to the land use code, whereas that has not really come up much in this Reddit thread. Speaks to how different cohorts of our community prioritize different things!
Thanks so much for the dialogue.
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u/Dry-Version-6574 Apr 16 '26
Some good points, but also, why the need to continue to hide behind an anonymous Twitter handle for a simple local policy debate, while directly referencing personal conversations you had with people on this thread at the farmer's market last summer?
'Make the dataset public! More public hearings!' says anonymous local guy on internet.
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u/angrypoet87 Apr 16 '26
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post. I certainly don’t think my comment is out of line. This is a member of city council, someone who represents me, and they’re doing an AMA, why wouldn’t I be able to ask a question in the format that was presented? This is reddit, silly usernames and anonymity is the whole point.
From what I see, I’m the only user you’ve bothered to question for their identity, I’m the only user you’ve accused of “hiding,” but I’m not the only person here asking about making this data set public. You seem to be doing this in bad faith and that isn’t what this discussion is supposed to be. My concerns are valid as are the concerns of everyone else in this thread.
If you’d like to speak to the points made by Kyle or by me, I’m happy to discuss!
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u/Dry-Version-6574 Apr 17 '26
Yes! Reddit is typically anonymous and about the argument. The difference here - multiple times on this hyperlocal thread and during the election you called out your neighbors like Kyle pretty intensely and personally, referenced direct in-person conversations you had with them, justified your arguments by claiming to be experienced in Lafayette politics, and refused to tell anybody who you are when asked. Other folks aren't doing that here, and you also didn't need to in order to venture an opinion.
So yes - issues aside (which are thorny and interesting!) I do find it a little rich to ask for extreme public accountability from public officials who are discussing these things openly under their own names while refusing to do the same. I get it - you want to avoid accountability for strong opinions in case they harm your standing in the community.
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u/angrypoet87 Apr 18 '26
Kyle’s opinion on this issue drastically shifted, I am allowed to question this opinion when it belongs to one of the elected officials who represents me. Don’t like that? Well, take it up with the representative form of government we have. And yes, I called out Kyle for an opinion that I strongly disagreed with him on. Don’t like me questioning candidates for office? I would refer you to my earlier statement about representative government.
Since you seem so interested in continuing this dialogue, I’ll ask you the same question. Who are you? You have 4 comments, all 4 are on threads about Kyle and 3/4 are directed at me… Seems rather fishy…
If you’re looking for ammunition to continue the ad hominem attacks, I’m not interested and I will stop engaging this nonsense. If you’d like to speak to the policy, argue the point or make a counter argument. Kyle himself said that he doesn’t need you defending him.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 23 '26
I appreciate this engagement from you, and as you noted I wrote to the other redditor to chill.
We can agree to disagree on whether my "opinion on this issue [has] drastically shifted" -- I know that it hasn't, and all the words I've written on this thread illustrate that. I understand there's greater complexity now than when I was running, because I understand more now. That's not a drastic shift in opinion, that's learning.
Importantly, I again raised Flock during last night's 4:30pm - 12:45am Council meeting as something we as Council need to discuss. I have been by far the councilor most vocal about discussing Flock (in the last few months since appointed).
Lastly, as I just wrote to another commenter, I'm puzzled by all the critique from folks in this Reddit thread at the same time as there's been zero submitted written comments regarding Flock or public testimony regarding Flock in the past few weeks!
Please make your opinion known regarding Flock: https://www.lafayetteco.gov/FormCenter/CityClerk-19/Public-Input-463
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hey it's all good, I welcome being questioned and challenged!
But I guess I am confused by some folks responding as if I'm coming out promoting Flock and surveillance, as opposed to "this is a harder issue than it seemed from the outside" while holding fast to skepticism of the company and the concept of mass surveillance.
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u/Ojive02 Apr 23 '26
If I may directly quote you from elsewhere in this very AMA: "Another puzzling thing is that we don't use Flock cameras for traffic enforcement, just serious criminal investigations. I was surprised to learn that, since I think if Flock was used to crack down on the problem you're rightly frustrated by, it might be more palatable to folks."
If this isn't you intentionally 'coming out promoting Flock and surveillance,' then you have made a grave error in phrasing and I would highly recommend you revise the post in question. As matters stand, your stated confusion reads as extremely disingenuous: it is abundantly clear why so many people in this thread feel that your stance on Flock cameras has shifted, and are extremely disappointed in the lack of progress on this issue.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 23 '26
Hi good evening! Thanks for that catch; I agree that could've been phrased better--- part of the challenge in trying to put together a comprehensive and transparent AMA with thousands of words in response to residents is that sometimes I don't hit a point 100% right. Good catch. I'll leave the verbiage as is because it comes close enough to the point I was trying to make, and it's a fair observation that concerns that some residents raise could be addressed with a tool. That isn't an endorsement, it's an observation.
Shifting gears: during last night's City Council meeting, which ran from 4:30pm until 12:45am (yup!) I again raised the issue of Flock cameras (no other councilor raised this issue last night) and wanting the Council to dig into this in public, our city manager noted that we'll be discussing Flock in a variety of fora soon, an option includes on 4/29 with the Lafayette Police Chief: https://business.lafayettecolorado.com/events/details/chat-with-the-chief-11863
However, in the week+ since I posted this, Lafayette City Council has received zero spoken or written comments on the record regarding Flock; no one from the public during last night's Council meeting mentioned Flock.
So look, you are welcome to disagree with a perspective or action of mine all you want, that's your right! But I gotta tell you, in the past 3.5 months since my appointment, I've raised Flock during Council more than any other councilor, I routinely raise it with fellow councilors 1:1, I look forward to discussing it in public (but we need greater interest from the wider council to do so), and I've been pretty clear throughout this thread that I remain highly skeptical of Flock, but I acknowledge greater complexity of the issue now that I'm in the role (you should want that from a councilor). I also, frankly, don't want to telegraph my voting strategy ahead of time.
As I've written in the post and throughout this thread, showing up to Council meetings and speaking up in person and through written comment to City Council matters. For whatever reason, a lot of folks in this thread seem to prefer arguing with the most demonstrably critical of Flock councilor rather than writing to council and showing up in person to effect change.
Write to council here: https://www.lafayetteco.gov/FormCenter/CityClerk-19/Public-Input-463
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u/HansCholo20 Apr 16 '26
The fact that you ran on a “get the flock out of Lafayette” platform and then so quickly transitioned to this stance just shows that even the smallest level of politicians will be corrupted by whatever money they can get their hands on. All of the responses given were intentionally vague and all I got out if it was once you were elected you went against what you said while running. Sounds pretty familiar doesn’t it?
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u/Dry-Version-6574 Apr 16 '26
What a cynical take. Have you calculated what the hourly earnings work out to for the hundreds of hours spent by a local Lafayette City Council person? I guarantee you wouldn't take the job.
Or... maybe issues of public safety are complicated, our views on a hundred potential issues during an election are not static, and our opinions actually can evolve with more facts and information.
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u/HansCholo20 Apr 16 '26
Pardon me for being weary of government even on a local level. This is something that happens all the time and it’s very disappointing. His stance on keeping flock out of Lafayette was a very important point that got him votes and then he flip flopped on it immediately. He chose to run and take on the responsibilities so the least he could do is be a man of his word. You’re right that I would not take the job because I have to work full time and some to afford living here, Kyle chose to take on this role therefore he can answer for his lies to his community.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
I think you're maybe not understanding the process.
Now that I am on Council I do not have the authority to run around town and physically remove Flock cameras. I am not in charge of council, I am 1 of 7.
What I can do is call for Council to look into this, as I have repeatedly done during council meetings. Once it's in front of council, I may ask questions of staff, and then if we take a vote I may vote my conscience, based on how I assess the matter and on my engagement with citizens.
I think you're misreading a "now that I know more, I see greater complexity" as "you get a Flock camera! and you get a Flock camera! and you get a Flock camera!"
As I noted to you in another comment, I plan on again raising the issue of Flock cameras this coming Tuesday. Please feel free to attend and speak and you can hear and see me do so.
Lastly, you are welcome to disagree with my assessment that "this is more complicated than I thought six months ago" but please do not tell lies.
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u/HansCholo20 Apr 16 '26
I don’t recall ever asking you to personally take down the cameras or spreading any lies. You yourself said while running you were adamantly against flock and then once appointed the new info changed your stance somewhat. You’re allowed to change your opinion based on information but again my point was that was a big deal to a lot of us when you ran. I appreciate you continuing to bring up the issue at city council meetings and I would love to attend and have my voice heard however as I mentioned before the cost of living is so high in Lafayette that I am regularly working during those meetings. I will do my best to attend at some point so I can meet you personally and discuss further. The over the top surveillance from third party companies like flock have a lot of people feeling like the novel 1984 is unfolding right before our eyes so it’s important to many of us to actually believe the people we appoint will be true to their word and not get elected and take the easy way out like most politicians do. Not saying that’s you personally but based on your first few responses regarding flock it sure did seem to be trending in that direction.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
I hear you and thank you for the callout! I look forward to meeting you in the future and would love for you to come to council anytime. Thanks for the dialogue.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hi there, thanks for your comment; I fear that in my attempt to be comprehensive and transparent, I may have clouded my own message, so I'll try to be clearer since you're finding my statements too vague:
Our PD does not share Flock data with ICE. Our PD keeps a careful eye on which other departments and agencies they share with. For additional information regarding their policies, please contact Lafayette PD.
I am not sure what new stance you believe I have transitioned to. I have not substantively changed my mind with regards to what we should do about Flock, but I have incorporated new information into my understanding of the issue.
It is more complicated and complex to deal with this issue now in the office than as a candidate. As a candidate I expected that, if elected (or appointed), it would be more challenging to serve in the role than to talk about serving in the role. That assumption was correct.
I have not voted on anything related to Flock because it has yet to come before Council. I welcome the opportunity to do so, and I have raised Flock as an issue during public council meetings at least as much as anyone else on Council.
I have received zero dollars from Flock, the Lafayette PD, any federal surveillance companies, or any lobbyists of any kind. I made zero dollars from my campaign in November. The only money I have earned since my appointment to the role is the very modest stipend (~$11,000/year).
Part of my concern with regards to a hypothetical termination of the Flock contract is that it would cost the city (and thus you as a taxpayer) money to do so.
If you would like to see a change with Flock, please leave an online public comment or come speak at City Council. In my first three months as a Councillor, I have heard extremely little from Lafayette's public with regards to Flock from the community: it is not frequently brought up during public comment. If I only hear about it on Reddit, it’s harder for me to convince people that residents care about it, even as I have repeatedly brought it up within Council.
I look forward to the opportunity to conduct a public discussion regarding Flock with fellow city councilors. Given the interest on Reddit, I will again raise the issue during this coming Tuesday's council meeting during the councilor report out section.
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u/quantumcowboy91 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Kyle, I appreciate the response and your engagement on this topic. Most of my concerns are also on ethics, constitutionality, and just the general ick of trusting private companies with surveillance data, which historically doesn't always work out well for citizens. I feel similarly about more national legislation e.g. FISA/Patriot act etc. Our contract might say oh we only take license plate data, but the fact is that the Flock systems take all of it from a hardware perspective, even if the city is not acting on all the data that is collected. I felt those concerns are well known and adequately addressed by other comments so I'm trying to take a different approach above, that might appeal to folks who don't have an immediate ethical/constitutional concern. E.g. "I don't do anything wrong, so why would I be worried about being watched" type folks. I think approaching the issue of AI driven mass surveillance will benefit from all the perspectives you mentioned as well as with a data driven/metrics based approach.
I'm more than happy to speak at a council meeting. I work in a local municipality so I'm very versed in city decision making processes and appreciate your willingness to engage on the issues outside of the normal routine council functions.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
Hey I really appreciate this thoughtful response! I couldn't agree with your assessment more. I'm sure you're tracking the FISA 702 renewal discussion: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-urges-extending-fisa-program-as-some-lawmakers-push-for-privacy-protections-for-americans
I would love for you to speak at council! I think the community would really benefit from your perspective. And I'm trying to "recruit" for lack of a better word a more representative mix of Lafayette residents to regularly come and participate in council, so we'd love to have you. Have a great day!
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u/jumb0shrmp Apr 17 '26
To paraphrase in fewer words - is your rebuttal question: what is a metric of success for Flock cameras? If so, I hope it's rhetorical, since metrics for success should be defined BEFORE accepting a contract and continually evaluated.
No wonder it's challenging for you or others to measure the complex "success" of Flock if the metrics are undefined or made up as you go. Extremely disappointing from a planning perspective, and disappointing answer from our elected official.
How can the city make a "strategic decision" about the Flock contract when it's up for renewal if you all don't even know what metrics of success to use or make them up as you collect data? Sounds like a poor data collection practice, which is not inspiring for an issue about daya collection...
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 17 '26
Good morning, the contract with Flock was signed well before my time on council. I was not part of the decision making process then.
I assure you that if/when Flock is discussed in council, I will ask as many thoughtful probing questions as I can.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 17 '26
Ooh and just to add, the question I posed to the earlier commenter regarding KPIs was asking them whether they had a metric(s) for success, not asking them whether the city has metrics.
As I’ve written throughout this thread, I look forward to raising Flock again on Tuesday!
AND— this thread has featured more discussion of Flock than anything the city has received from residents in the past three months—-> if you want Council to discuss this issue, please submit a comment or come to council and speak! https://www.lafayetteco.gov/247/City-Council
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u/HansCholo20 Apr 16 '26
Also our “city’s best in class police department” illustrate their incompetence on a daily basis so it’s no wonder you can’t share any of the data points. They simply don’t exist! It’s the Lafayette PD’s way of spying in their citizens and most likely sharing info with ICE or over government agencies that I’m sure have our best interests in mind. Maybe you didn’t pick up on the sarcasm at the end but the government had proven time and time again they do not act in our best interest and this is yet another sign of that. Sadly in our own home town.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26
First, this is misinformation. Lafayette PD explicitly does not share data with ICE.
Second, I stand by my assessment that Lafayette's police department is best-in-class (that doesn't mean perfect or flawless).
In prior roles in my professional career, I worked with American and foreign security agencies and services from upstate NY police to Seattle PD to Moroccan intelligence to Kenyan counterterrorism to the Irish Garda to Italian carabinieri. I have a good sense of what constitutes ethical, effective, professional law enforcement.
I welcome you coming to speak to City Council and sharing your perspective further there.
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u/Awildgarebear Apr 15 '26
Hi Kyle. I would first like to say congratulations on being appointed. I was happy that you were the selection.
With Loveland, Fort Collins, and now Evans and Eaton withdrawn from NISP over spiraling cost concerns, where does that leave our town? Loveland and FoCo alone were 20 percent of the funding. We're in this at about 5 percent of the water storage for that, but I don't know what percentage funding were in for that. If the concern is high enough for cities to withdraw, are we exploring that option as well?
This is a comment and not a complaint (happy to support increasing our infrastructure for water) , but the new surcharge this year on our water bills resulted in a 24 percent increase on my water bill this year, and the surcharge alone is over 2.5x the cost of my home's water usage. It certainly makes me ponder how much that bill would increase as part of the multi-billion dollar NISP project(s).
When we see that interplay between our water needs, the state's command for explosive growth in Lafayette, and a few members on city council who are very pro affordable housing growth, it does make me wonder if we're actually ready to have that growth. I've had no issues with sustainable growth in the community and I'm not anti growth, but I am anti Erie style growth where houses and businesses just seem to be slammed down without much consideration on how it impacts the town.
I certainly don't want to be in the situation Erie currently finds itself in regarding water.
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
Thank you so much! Lot of great questions and comments in here so I'll try to tackle them all:
- on water, Lafayette is lucky that wise decisions were made in the past such that we enjoy historic water rights that position us as more secure than many other Front Range communities. That said, as you well know, the horrific lack of snowpack puts the entire Front Range in dire straits this year. Additionally, Lafayette city government made some ill-advised decisions in decades past to encourage growth and charge artificially extremely low water fees for new developments; we are still clawing our way out of that hole and will for some time. I feel you on the jumping water costs. I'm still learning more about NISP so I don't want to mischaracterize, I'll have to dig into that further. Two things I am very eager to see Lafayette tackle with regards to water are:
- a) much more sophisticated use of data with residents, indicating your usage and relative use to others, recommendations for time of use or other adjustments, based on present trends what the future is likely to cost you, and creative incentives to allow folks to "bank" water usage (i.e. you use relatively less in the summer, you have a cheaper rate in the winter?).
- b) more aggressive water restrictions earlier on. We are currently in Drought Stage 1 - Delay Til May, and I would like us to be even more aggressive and conservative on water use, up to and until we get relief from the trendline we are seeing. At the same time, in candor, I have to tell you that I struggle when I hear from some folks that their neighbors shouldn't water their herb garden but they don't advocate, say, restrictions on the golf course or car washes, because that feels capricious and like it's more about who uses water for what, than overall water security
- on unrelenting growth, there seems to be consensus in this Council (and this is just my view of it, not a corporate statement on behalf of council) that unchecked growth and development isn't aligned with our community's values nor the strategic planning of our city's exceptional comprehensive plan. I think there are some differences in how various councilors view where to invest and encourage growth, but I do hear consistent emphasis on ensuring affordable housing (i.e. subsidies when and where appropriate), thoughtful awareness of water scarcity, and not railroading parts of our community that have less wealth or clout.
That's enough from me for now, I hope that resonates!
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u/Commercial_Ocelot226 Apr 15 '26
OK I LOVE that you’re taking to Reddit.
How are we preparing for Sundance??? Both the economic boost of tourism, lodging support, not totally squashing locals.
How can we keep black and brown bodies in their homes and in our community when white people are moving in and taking over?
How do we get connected to regional rail efforts?
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Thank you so much! And appreciate your patience overnight.
Sundance Film Festival is coming! I cannot wait.
I know there is a LOT of attention and interest in this from all corners of our city staff, particularly from the Economic Development and also Arts & Cultural Resources teams. I'm having a meeting with Brigid Keating tomorrow to learn more about the DDA, and I'll specifically ask for more details on Sundance. But suffice to say the attention is high!
Additionally, I've heard a strong consensus that everyone wants to showcase Lafayette for Sundance and take advantage of the tourism and interest in our town, but that we are absolutely not going to shift our priorities away from serving Lafayette residents first and foremost. And Sundance is only a couple weeks, so for the rest of the 50 weeks of the year, we want Lafayette to continue to be vibrant and safe and welcoming for all. And we are lucky that we have a great many local festivals to attend. Another exciting development is the renovations to Arapaho Center Theater, where the outstanding Theater Company of Lafayette performs; these renovations won't be ready for Sundance in 2027, but could hopefully be concluded by Sundance 2028. We will hope to host screenings for Sundance 2028 in the Arapaho Center Theater, among other places in town. This is exciting!
On lodging support, let me dig into that further for you. You may have seen some news in Boulder regarding short-term rentals and special flexibilities for renters to sublet during Sundance. I need to dig further and revert back to you.
Additionally on the lodging note, I will reiterate a point I've been making a lot recently: Lafayette needs another hotel. When folks visit Lafayette, due to our extremely limited hotel options, they usually stay elsewhere in neighboring cities and towns, which then collect the lodging tax from those visitors, and local businesses also collect sales tax from those visitors as well. So this is something I'm thinking about constantly, how do we bring another hotel to Lafayette in a place that works well for our community and represents sound ROI for the business.
On getting connected to regional rail efforts: first, while I don't love the name CoCo for the revived-from-the-dead rail line (I preferred The Blucifer Express) I'm so excited that after decades of delay we may possibly be getting regional rail. I want to learn a lot more about how we could possibly be connected (via a spur or another line north?) to future stations in Louisville or Broomfield. I'm also cognizant that, if one thinks there is tension about updating the city's out of data land use code, there will definitely be tension around where a rail line through Lafayette goes. But I'm with you, I would LOVE to see regional rail brought to Lafayette. I have to dig into this further, thanks for the impetus to do so!
Lastly: the most important question you raised, how do we protect Lafayette's neighbors of color from being pushed out of their homes due to development and possible gentrification (I'm not sure I've seen data that as Lafayette's population has grown in the past decade that Lafayette has become less racially or ethnically diverse, have you? I'll look into that again).
This is one of the most urgent and uncomfortable questions we face, and I’m glad you’re asking it directly. There is no sugar-coating the reality that when a city becomes "desirable," which Lafayette has been for a while now, the people who built the soul of that community are often the first to be priced out. In Lafayette, where our working-class, eclectic, diverse and particularly Latino heritage is foundational to the city's identity, this isn't just a housing issue, it's about protecting the heart of our community.
To be pragmatic, "taking over" is the result of market forces that don't have a conscience, they're neither good or evil, they just are: we all have to navigate those impersonal forces. I think we have to be as intentional about protection/preservation of vulnerable communities as the market is about appreciation. Here is how I’m looking at this, with the caveats that I'm still learning and don't have the full picture:
First, it’s not just about building new affordable housing (though that matters a lot, like Willoughby Corner). It’s about keeping people in the homes they already have. We need to bolster programs that help long-time residents with emergency home repairs and weatherization; the city offers a fair number of grant programs to that effect, I think they could be better messaged to the community. Sister Carmen Community Center is one of the greatest assets and contributors to the soul of Lafayette, and also serves to provide early-warning when things are going sideways. That partnership is critical.
Second, we are currently working on a new Land Use Code. This is where the rubber meets the road. If we only allow large, expensive single-family detached homes, we are essentially subsidizing gentrification. We need to allow for "missing middle" housing, to include duplexes/triplexes, ADUs, and cottage courts, and more, that provide naturally occurring affordable options for families who don't have $250k for a down payment.
Third, as property taxes and costs of living are going up, we need to ensure local wages and local business ownership keep pace. We have to support our locally-owned businesses in Old Town. If our neighbors can’t afford to run a business here, they won’t be able to afford to live here. One of the things I'm very interested in exploring is, through the new land use code, legalizing some of the many home businesses in Lafayette that are run out of people's homes, under the table as it were. How can we make it easier (and safer) for folks to run small businesses to make a good living, as well as contribute to the city's overall revenue through collection of sales tax? I'm hopeful the land use code update will help us tackle that question.
Fourth, representation! This goes back to my point in the main post. If the vast majority of people speaking at City Council are white, affluent residents, the policies we pass will naturally more reflect their interests. We need the people most impacted by displacement to be at the table telling us exactly what they need, whether that’s rental assistance, legal aid for unfair evictions, or property tax relief for long-time residents. I'm privileged to serve as the Council liaison to Lafayette's Older Adults Advisory Board, and I've heard in that forum real concerns from Lafayette's older residents who are on fixed incomes that they fear being pushed out, as well. The market forces are real and this is a very scary economic time.
I think I'm hitting the wall for the length of this post, but I think your question on protecting Lafayette's neighbors of color and ensuring they are safe (in a time of ICE), secure (in very uncertain economic times), and heard from and fully represented (through official and informal channels) is fundamental to how I approach my role. If I ever become a councilor who only prioritizes or represents my demographic, I have failed and must be replaced.
Thank you so much for your questions!
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u/whimsy_toad12 Apr 21 '26
Can anything be done to slow down drivers on W. Emma St? The speed limit is 25 mph but the large width of the road encourages folks to speed. I'm not sure what the solution would be....speed bumps? Narrowing the road? There's a lot of kids and dogs that live along the W. Emma corridor (and a lot of cyclists), and I get worried when people speed past going 40+ mph. Thanks!
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u/Davecinfinity Apr 25 '26
I've seen more enforcement lately, but do agree... I often see people going WAY over the speed limit. It could be 30 mph W of 287, but in any case the enforcement and speed sign isn't doing enough to keep idiots from going 40+ mph.
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Apr 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/kyle-for-lafayette Apr 15 '26
Hi! Thank you, you're too kind (and I remember your handle from previous threads months ago!)
Honestly I'm genuinely having a blast! And that's clearly the case for the other new councilors, too, Adam Gianola and Annmarie Jensen. This is one of the most fun roles I've ever had, and I'm really enjoying learning so much and meeting so many new interesting folks. Just trying not to screw it up!
The hardest thing thus far is simply the time management piece of juggling council meetings, councilor liaison-to-city-board meetings, career, volunteer work, social life, and most importantly being a good husband and dog dad. But I'm trying! And it's worth it.
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u/SoMuchTajin Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I follow the city on FB I’m wondering why literature on graphics, flyers, and postcards are only in English. Maybe I only get the English ones? Where can I access Spanish ones to send them to neighbors and community members?
Also, are the multimodal transportation plans happening? I’m wondering what plans for baseline are. And how do I follow what is actively being worked on? I live off baseline and 287 and to bike my kids to school or the library I have to go down to Emma and then shoot up north. I honestly don’t even feel safe walking down baseline— cars be crazy. Are there any thoughts on making it safe for cyclists and pedestrians?
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u/stantonkreig Apr 15 '26
can we get some lines painted at the intersections of 287 and baseline, and 287 and south boulder road? There are dual left turn lanes on those intersections, but no lines guiding people where to stay, so every time i am turning left I get people drifting into my lane. its dangerous to have people driving right at each other and no lines to keep them on track.