Four City of FoCo councilors say goodbyes - Coloradoan
Thomas Clayton
4 Fort Collins City Council members say goodbyes
Rebecca PowellWith a new Fort Collins City Council officially forming on Jan. 13, the four outgoing members were honored for their service on Jan. 6.
- Mayor Jeni Arndt served as mayor for nearly five years over two terms.
- District 1 council member Susan Gutowsky served nearly seven years over 1½ terms.
- District 3 council member Tricia Canonico served nearly five years in her one term.
- District 5 council member Kelly Ohlson most recently served nearly five years in his most recent term, but city staff estimate he is the longest-serving elected official in modern history because he also served three other terms in 1983-1987 and 2005-2013. He was chosen by council to be mayor in 1986-87.
These council members' terms were about nine months longer than the defined term because they were serving in 2021, when voters approved a change to move elections from April to November in 2023.
During the Jan. 6 meeting, Arndt listed several notable council actions during the outgoing members' latest term:
- Asking voters to move elections to November (and after they did, turnout increased).
- Implementing ranked-choice voting.
- Revising ethics rules and the gifts policy.
- Revising chamber rules to keep public comment open while making sure the work could still get done.
- Working as the Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority to purchase the old Albertsons store.
- Gaining the trust of voters on three sales tax increases or renewals: one funding the Community Capital Improvement Program, another permanently funding natural areas, and one new sales tax funding initiatives related to climate, transportation, and parks and recreation. (Voters also passed an ask for a large increase to council pay, she noted.)
- Updating the City Charter.
Jeni Arndt
Arndt said she appreciated the public electing her, and the council trusting her, even though she's one of only three mayors elected without having been on council before. (Doug Hutchinson and Ray Martinez are the other two.)
"You are the most hardworking, committed, getting-to-page-452 type of people that I've ever met," she said, referring to the many pages of documents that council members are given prior to each meeting. "And the commitment that you have for the hard work and sometimes drudgery of what this means, night after night ... it is quite remarkable."
"I was impressed every day, and you have my full respect, and I don't think I'll have this type of work environment again," Arndt said.
Ohlson said Arndt is a force to be reckoned with, a person with good judgment and who takes seriously the importance of good governance.
"We agreed on style and substance on governance," he said, saying they didn't always agree when there were split votes on policy. "We can have our policy differences but continue to govern in a good way."
Prior to being elected mayor in 2021, Arndt was Fort Collins' House District 53 representative in the Colorado General Assembly. Prior to that, she was a teacher and lived abroad for many years after being raised in Fort Collins. She opted not to run for another term.
Susan Gutowsky
Each council member was honored with a resolution outlining their accomplishments while serving on council.
Gutowsky said she looked and hers and thought, "I did all that?"
"I must have been a baby when I started," she said, referring to her first elected role 14 years ago as a Poudre School District Board of Education member.
"It was a great run," she said, referring to the council's term together. "I not only love Fort Collins, but I'm in love with our beautiful city."
During the meeting, Gutowsky included a tribute to her husband, Wayne, who died in early December. She described him as "my best friend and my greatest supporter."
With her council term done, she said she is already looking for more things to do and joined a service organization, the Kiwanis Club.
Ross Cunniff, a former City Council member and current community activist, said he appreciated Gutowsky's advocacy for neighborhoods, regular people, the environment and good public process.
Prior to being appointed to her seat in 2019, Gutowsky served eight years on the PSD Board of Education after retiring from teaching. She was not reelected in November.
Tricia Canonico
"I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished here together," Canonico said during the Jan. 6 meeting. "We continued the work of past leaders by keeping our eyes firmly on future generations."
She cited the council's work to advance the city's climate goals by passing the 2050 tax (which, in part, funds climate initiatives), establishing a single-hauler citywide trash program, launching a food scraps composting pilot, expanding the city's trail network and working on fleet electrification.
She also cited council's work to advance housing abundance and affordability, to advance a 15-minute city and to modernize democracy through things like the Hughes Stadium civic assembly and ranked-choice voting.
Council member Melanie Potyondy said Canonico was the most well-researched member of the body. Ohlson cited Canonico's regional involvement in areas related to climate and planning.
"I think that you have just begun," Gutowsky said. "I'm going to keep my eye on you because I think you're going to be doing a lot more in this community and in the state."
Canonico won her seat in 2021 after leading community initiatives to boost restaurants and essential health care workers during the COVID pandemic, along with years of volunteering and activism. She came in second place out of seven in the November ranked-choice mayor's race.
Kelly Ohlson
Ohlson thanked the people of Fort Collins and fellow council members, both present and past, but also city employees.
"You translate community and City Council values directly into action and, without you, what we do is just words," he said, referring to the staff. "Your work makes this city of 175,000 people function, and very well at that."
"The work we do impacts tens of thousands of people every single day and for the most part we did it well," he said, talking about the 27 different people he served with in his 16-plus years as a City Council member.
More: City Council member Kelly Ohlson wraps up decades of public serviceFriends and constituents shared their appreciation for Ohlson's accessibility, fiscal responsibility, integrity, tenacity and commitment to transparency.
Ohlson is a former Larimer County public trustee, school teacher and historic building renovator. He also led efforts to create sales taxes to fund Fort Collins and Larimer County natural areas and open spaces. He opted not to run for another term, announcing his retirement.
 | Tom Clayton Communication and Media Specialist, Public Affairs |
| Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, 80522 | 2nd Floor W: (970) 498-7005 tcla...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org |