Broomfield Mayor Pro Tem Guyleen Castriotta, whose current term ends this November, has announced that she’s running for mayor.
Castriotta said she wants to continue the strides Mayor Pat Quinn and city council have made over the past 14 month of navigating through the pandemic. As Pro Tem, she’s worked alongside Quinn and she said she “absolutely knows what it takes” to be mayor.
“I want to continue on this path to celebrate our community’s resilience and reemergence from this public health crisis and provide the continued, steadfast leadership of Mayor Quinn and city leadership,” Castriotta said Monday. “I feel very equipped for a seamless transition. And the community needs stability for the next phase of opening up.”
As mayor, Castriotta wants to address inclusive housing, sustainability, economic vitality and public health and safety.
She said her eyes were opened to the state of housing in Broomfield after a housing needs assessment showed a “stunning gap in attainable workforce housing” in the city and county. With housing prices continually increasing, she said she wants to ensure there are viable housing options for everyone and that people who work in Broomfield can live there as well. She noted the council passed the inclusionary housing ordinance last year, which requires developers of residential units to make a cash in-lieu payment, a land-in-lieu contribution or to include affordable units in their projects.
She wants to make sure residents feel safe and are safe, whether in their homes or in town. She cited her work in helping pass Broomfield’s 2,000-foot setbacks and exclusionary zoning that prohibits oil and gas activity near homes, schools and recreation areas, as well as her advocacy in increasing Broomfield’s police force.
As part of her economic vitality priority, Castriotta “wants to continue to focus on strategic development and redevelopment opportunities, such as Baseline, Broomfield Town Square, Flatirons Marketplace and 120th reinvestment,” her campaign website states.
Castriotta said she wants to find attainable ways for Broomfield to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divert waste from landfills.
She stressed that the issues she wants to fix are in direct response to residents’ concerns, and described herself as a get-it-done kind of person.
“I’ve shown up. I’ve been responsible. I’ve been inclusive. I believe that’s the way to get things done,” she said. “To listen and take action. I would advocate for anyone that I felt was not getting a fair deal or a good response.”
According to her website, Castriotta is endorsed by Mayor Quinn and seven of Broomfield’s nine councilmembers, as well as various local and state officials including U.S. Rep Joe Neguse.
If she is not elected as mayor, she said she isn’t sure what’s next, but she is sure she will continue to be a public servant.
For additional information, visit guyleen4mayor.com.