LYONS – Six candidates turned in their packets to run for the Lyons Town Board and one candidate turned in a packet to run for mayor of Lyons. There are exactly enough candidates to fill the existing seats on the board. One candidate turned in an affidavit to be a write-in candidate for the town board, so there will be a mail-in ballot election with ballots due by 7 p.m. on April 6. A write-in candidate’s name cannot appear on the ballot and only candidates who have filled out an affidavit are allowed to be write-in candidates. If a person’s name that has not filled out an affidavit is entered on the ballot that name will not be counted. Residents who want to vote at the town hall must bring their ballots from home to the town hall and turn them in there. The following candidates submitted packets to run for trustees on the Lyons Town Board and for mayor or a write-in candidate:

Candidates running for the board of trustees:

LaVern Johnson

LaVern Johnson, 80, grew up in Lyons and graduated from Lyons High School. In 1880, her great grandfather, John Reese, homesteaded the land where the high school is located today. This was before Edward Lyon came to Lyons and formed the town in 1880. Reese Street is named after Johnson’s great grandfather. LaVern was married to LaVerne Johnson in 1950. He was from Niwot and she met him at a dance in Boulder. Mr. LaVerne was on the town board from 1962 to 1964. He served again in 1982 and he served until he died in December, 1997. The Johnsons have two sons, Jerry and Ron; both live in the area.  Mrs. LaVern was appointed to the town board in 1998 when Trustee Charles Imhoff left. She was elected to the board in 2000 and again in 2002. In 2004 she was term-limited, but ran on the ballot with a proposition to end term limits. The proposition was defeated, so term limits remain and she was also defeated in that election. LaVern is the major force behind the historic preservation of Lyons. She writes grants to keep the Redstone Museum in Lyons open and works on the Historical Society.

Why run? “Well I come all the time anyway, so I thought why not run,” said Mrs. Lavern. ”I know a lot about the history of the town and I thought it might be helpful to have the background. People come in here and they don’t know the history of the town. I’ve been on the Parks and Recreation commission since 1965.”

Most important issues? “I think that marijuana is an important issue,” said Mrs. LaVern. “I want to investigate how many liquor licenses there are per capita and the same for marijuana. I would support a library district and then there would be enough money from the district to support the museum. I would like to have the LAHC (Arts and Humanities Council) do more events and different things. I like when people want to try new things and help us out. More people should try new things.”

Medical marijuana regulation? “I feel that there should be some regulation of medical marijuana,” said Mrs. LaVern. “I don’t like it near houses, but I guess it does some good for people. I know that some people have a lot of pain. I would be in favor of some zoning codes for dispensaries and growers. Boulder plans on taking in $2 million in sales tax. I would want to study it. I think we need a limit on the number of dispensaries.”

Kirk Udovich

Kirk Udovich, 49, has lived in Lyons 11 years this May. He is a software engineer for the University of Washington in Seattle but works from his home in Lyons. He is married to Chris, a schoolteacher in Longmont, and they have two children in Lyons Elementary School.

Why run? “I believe that this (serving on the board) is a steep learning curve and I think that continuity is important. Some of the other trustees chose not to run and some were term-limited, so I wanted to see some continuity continue on the board,” said Udovich. “I’ve learned a lot and it is an enlightening experience on how to run a town. I like to think that I bring a voice of reason to the board.”

Most important issues? “I still think that economic development is the most important issue facing the town. The town is trending toward getting better; economically, the whole downtown development looks wonderful. The town has grown and that’s not bad. Many people want to see it revitalized. The downtown plan is pretty much complete. I still think that the eastern corridor is an important piece to look at. It seems like an ideal place for development and it would make that area look better and bolster our revenues. There are still some unanswered questions. I would like to see the sewer plant moved. It is in a flood plain. We still have budget problems and I foresee more budget cuts. Things are improving, but it will be slow.”

Medical marijuana regulation? “I see this as a zoning issue, we have to address this in zoning,” said Udovich. “My question is how many do we need in town? I would not want to see this in a residential area. I don’t have all the answers; I don’t want to put the town in a position of liability. I would like to see it taxed, but I’m not sure that’s possible. I would hate to see the town over run with dispensaries. I do believe that there should be regulations with signage, zoning, hours of operation.”

Sandy Banta

Sandy Banta, 51, has lived in Lyons for 4.5 years. She and her husband Lloyd are both engineers from Palo Alto in Silicon Valley, Calif. Lloyd works for a company in Boulder that measures droplets in clouds and they both do property management for their apartment in Boulder. They have two children, one in high school in Longmont and one in Lyons. She and her family lived on a sailboat for seven years and traveled around the world while she home-schooled her children. She has served as an alternate on the Lyons Board of Adjustments and she is on the Parent Accountability Committee, a group that works on goals and way to achieve goals related to the C-SAP scores.

Why run? “I love the town and all the people are wonderful,” said Banta. “I want to give back and I would like to serve my community. I think the current board has done a fantastic job and it is my privilege to serve with the remaining members. Right now I have the time to put into serving on the board.”

Most important issues? “I think that it is economic sustainability to get all the revenue stream to pay for the services,” said Banta. “We need to up the sales tax revenues. Julie (Van Domelen) has done a magnificent job with the 500-foot rule (this was overturned by a vote allowing businesses to sell liquor closer to the schools). We need to look at what services we provide now and see if we can provide them cost effectively.”

Medical marijuana regulation? “There is a question about how much government should get involved in private business,” said Banta. “I think that we should adopt the same regulations as Boulder because we don’t want to become known as the marijuana town. I think that we should legalize marijuana and it should be controlled like alcohol. The whole thing is a gray area. If we had legalized marijuana then we could stop the Mexican drug lords. It also may make life safer for people in Mexico.”

Kathy Carroll

Kathy Carroll, 50, has lived in Lyons for 23 years. She and her husband Jim own Plumbing Partners. Carroll formerly worked for Spider, a winter sportswear company, where she was the director of marketing. Currently she is taking some time off but will eventually pursue working in business development and marketing. She has two daughters, a senior in high school and an eighth grader.

Why run? “There is a surprising learning curve on this job and I feel like I made an investment in this job and the people of Lyons made an investment,” said Carroll. “So this term I can be a lot more results oriented. I was surprised at the breadth of issues that come at you. We have a new comp plan and a new town administrator and I think that we are really going to move on issues this year.”

Most important issues? “I am very optimistic about the opportunity to build community and create sustainability and that’s what it is all about. I think all the challenges are solvable,” said Carroll. “We need to get our local economy stabilized. We have solutions within our grasp. We can’t run the town by continually cutting the budget, that’s not a good way to run a community. Part of what we can do is to find the trade-offs and set priorities, that’s what the board and staff can do. But we also need to have everyone realize that they are the ones that need to rally and their actions make a difference locally. Economic sustainability is very big. It is one of the big opportunities we have. We have the comp plan to shape who we are for the next decade. I like how action-oriented it is and how comprehensive it is. We need to get people involved in the vision of the comp plan, then folks will feel like they make a difference.”

Medical marijuana regulation? “I believe it is important to make medical marijuana available to people who need it on a local basis,” said Carroll. “I do not want it to characterize our town. I believe we need a medical marijuana industry in town to support our community. I don’t know what the local demand is. To implement the 1,000 foot rule for our town would be extremely hard to do.”

Kathy Jacobson

Kathy Jacobson, 63, has lived in Lyons for three years. She moved here from Seattle, is single and works as a life coach. She writes a newsletter and teaches life skills and emotional mastery. Jacobson has written four novels, which are published and has published two non-fiction books. She majored in anthropology in college and taught writing. She has also worked as a corporate trainer.  She has two grown children, a son who lives in Seattle and a daughter who lives in Lyons. She chose to move to Lyons because she loves hiking and wanted to be close to the mountains.

Why run? “I got into a conversation with Mayor Julie and Sandy Banta and I really admire Julie and what she is doing for the town,” said Jacobson. “There were not many people running. I was the first to pick up my packet. I really like this town and wanted to serve.”

Most important issues? “I think that the biggest challenge is to create sustainability in all forms, economically, environmentally, culturally and quality of life,” said Jacobson. “I believe in possibilities and that we need to be creative, open and willing and then we can find a way. There are possibilities that we have not tried yet. I want to listen to the people and see what their ideas are. I don’t have any of my ideas formed yet, I need to listen a whole lot more first. I have been looking at the new comp plan and I can see that a lot of time and effort went into this document, but the expansion of the library is not mentioned.”

Medical marijuana regulations? “Whether we can tax it or not is tricky,” said Jacobson. “I would like to tax it to generate revenue for the town. I’m not wild about raising property taxes every time we turn around. To legalize marijuana through this medical route, we could be shooting ourselves in the foot. I don’t think that the 1,000-foot rule makes any sense and kids can always get a hold of pot.”

Ed Bruder

Ed Bruder, 50, has lived in Lyons for 2.5 years. He lived in Boulder for 11 years and southern California for five years. He is single and has no kids. Bruder is the owner and operator of Colorado Care and Wellness Alternatives in the Lyons Village Central shopping center, a medical marijuana dispensary that opened the first week in January. He spent 18 years in the alternative medicine field including 12 years as a medical intuitive. He is also a professional photographer. He became interested in medical marijuana when he was injured in a car accident and found relief from the pain with medical marijuana.

Why run? “I decided to run for the town board because I was asked to run by five or six people that I really respect who thought I could be of service at this stage in the town’s evolution,” said Bruder. “I am at the stage in my life where I believe that service is important. I am glad that there will be an election although I don’t really want the town to have to spend the money.”

Most important issues? “The issues are moving the town forward with economic development, strengthening our relationship with the county and negotiating the IGA (intergovernmental agreement) with the county,” said Bruder. “The current board and two previous town administrators have created a great pallet for the town to define itself with al the Main Street projects and new businesses in town. This means that people choose to stay in Lyons for services instead of going to Boulder. The town’s financial situation is a serious matter. We need to find more income as opposed to taxing and slashing. The eastern corridor is an important issue looming over the town. My thinking about Lyons is like Lyons is an island surrounded by open space with out much space to grow. We have to be deliberate with our actions.”

Medical marijuana restrictions? “As it stands now 1/10^th of 1 percent of Colorado residents have access to medical marijuana,” said Bruder. “Regulations should center around the safety of all concerned, the integrity of the medicine and the privacy of the patient. I do believe that there needs to be some regulation on the (medical marijuana) industry. The patient’s voice has been lost in all this regulatory discussion. I think that what Denver has done and what Boulder is trying to do with obscene licensing will push the businesses into parking lots and out in the streets. Denver is charging from $5,000 to $6,000 to start a medical marijuana dispensary business and charging $5,000 every year after that. Most patients do not have health insurance. If you charged who sell crutches and wheel chairs that, you wouldn’t be able to buy them. But as for kids, I think that it is dangerous for kids to use marijuana. It is not a harmless drug for developing brains.”

Write-in candidate David Gouge

David Gouge

David Gouge, 55, is a write-in candidate for trustee for the Lyons Town Board. He has lived in Lyons for 40 years, is married to Sharon and has one son, Dave. He has owned and operated Horizon Precision Assembly Company for 21 years.

He is a member of the Lyons Fire Protection District Board of Directors, currently serving as its president and chairman. He was first appointed in 2001 and then elected in 2002 and most recently re-elected in 2006. He is also serving as construction manager.  “I oversaw the recent remodel/expansion of Lyons Station One,” said Gouge.

He is a past member of the Lyons Board of Trustees; he was elected and served from 2000 to 2002. He was defeated when he ran in 2002. While on the town board he served as liaison to the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Lyons Chamber of Commerce, Lyons Golden Gang and Lyons Planning Commission.

He is the past vice-chairman of the Board of Adjustments and past secretary/treasurer of the Lyons Aging Advisory Council. He has been the announcer and scoreboard operator for the Lyons High School basketball, football and volleyball programs for 13 years and has been a Lyons-area baseball and fast-pitch softball umpire for 30 years.

Why run? “I am seeking election to the Lyons Town Board of Trustees as a write-in candidate,” said Gouge. “I decided to run after it was determined that only six of 12 candidate petitions had been returned by last Friday’s deadline. I have always believed the voters should have a choice of candidates in any election. Anyone who decides to vote for me will have to write (print?) my name in on the ballot on the write-in candidate line and check the box along with other candidates, if any, they wish to cast votes for. Spelling will be important since the election judges must be able to easily determine who the voter intended to cast their ballot for.”

Mayor Julie Van Domelen runs unopposed

Julie Van Domelen

Julie Van Domelen, 49, is running unopposed for mayor of Lyons. She has lived in Lyons for five years, is married to Joseph Lekarczyk, new owner of the Lyons Recorder with his partner Lora Gilson. Julie and Joseph have one daughter, Maya, 8, who attends Lyons Elementary School. Van Domelen was elected mayor in April 2009 after mayor Kris Hicar resigned. She has been in office one year.

Why run? “I felt like I was just getting started after one year,” said Van Domelen. “When you make an investment in the town, getting to know people at the county and state level I think that it is important to have continuity. There are issues that I care about. We have a new comp plan that we need to move to implementation and we have daunting issues with our budget, we are not out of the woods yet. This just seems like a good fit with my skills. And knowing that we had board members who were term-limited, I think that there should be continuity.”

Most important issues? “It has been a really hard year for business in Lyons,” said Van Domelen. “And everywhere it is going to be a continuing challenge to support our businesses and that is an issue the town needs to be responsive to. I would like to find ways to continue to improve the quality of life here including ways to become sustainable, environmentally growing more of our own food, saving energy. We have a new comp plan that provides some new ideas and new direction.”

Medical marijuana regulation? “People are in an awkward in-between area,” said Van Domelen. “People in Colorado want to have access to medical marijuana and I think we should protect that right, but we need to have reasonable set of regulations to integrate that in our community. We need to look at zoning to protect the quality of life in residential areas. We should come up with a set of locally viable regulations that fit Lyons and then get on with it. We want to protect both access and quality of life. We need to work through the public process. We have to air all the opinions. I would like to see the health department regulate what is in marijuana. I have been concerned that the moratoriums all around us would put a lot of pressure on Lyons.”

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