GLENWOOD SPRINGS ” He calls himself “a little bit of a mystery guy,” but as mayor, Larry Emery will now be in the spotlight.

The 44-year-old mortgage broker said that although he’s been a resident of Glenwood Springs for 15 years, many locals don’t know him very well because he kept a relatively low profile as a City Councilman during the past two years and because he’s done much of his business out of town.

Born and raised in Denver, Emery moved to Glenwood Springs to take a job with CQG, a financial information company, and eventually moved on to work at Aspen Research and, most recently, became a mortgage broker for Colorado West Mortgage Group on Grand Avenue.

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“I just left (Aspen Research) late last year and went into the mortgage business,” Emery explained. “They’re both financial positions. Basically, you’re selling financial products and services at either one.”

Emery is married to Suzanne Emery, and the couple has three kids: two teenage boys from Emery’s first marriage and a 3-year-old daughter the couple had together.

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Emery’s biggest reason for moving to Glenwood Springs, like many who now call the city home, was the incredible outdoor activities the area offers.

“That’s kind of the main thing that got me to move up here. I’m kind of a sports and outdoors person,” he said.

A long daily commute from 104th Avenue north of Denver to the Denver Tech Center in the southern part of the city also helped convince Emery to leave the front range and head for the mountains.

“I like fishing, hunting, camping, kayaking, mountain biking and I play a lot of handball now. I play a lot of golf, too,” he said.

Emery said he doesn’t want to come off as some kind of a braggart by mentioning all the sports he likes and says he enjoys so many different activities, he’s a master of none.

Take skiing, for instance:

“I’m the slow runner in my ski group. I’m skiing with a crowd that’s way over my head,” he said. “I get down the mountain pretty good, but I’m not going to be in any Warren Miller flicks.”

In another one of his favorite recreational activities, Emery said he’s had some close calls while kayaking.

“I split my head open while kayaking on the Crystal,” he said. “I had to pull a rock out of my head, so my kayaking has been curtailed since then.”

He also broke a paddle while taking on the Shoshone rapids.

“I can do some battle rolls and stuff, but I can’t do the tricks,” he said.

Fly fishing has long been a passion for Emery.

“I’ve fly fished since I was a little bitty kid,” he said. “My grandfather taught me how to fish. He’s one of those people who made his own boat, tied his own flies and built his own rods. We used to come up to Glenwood Springs and Basalt and fish on the Fryingpan, the Fork and the Colorado.”

He said the biggest fish he’s ever caught here is a 24-inch brown trout.

Emery said he had an inkling he might become mayor, but he “hadn’t preplanned on it.”

“There were some preliminary discussions ahead of time ” the possibility was discussed ” but certainly nothing was determined ahead of time,” he said.

Emery said the thought of it is still sinking in.

“I was walking down the street the other day and someone said, ‘Hey, mayor, how ya’ doin’?’ and I had to take two or three steps before I realized, ‘Hey, that’s me.’

“It’s a real good feeling knowing people have the confidence that I can do the job, so I just hope I can live up to their expectations.”

If his first full City Council meeting as mayor is any indication, Emery will run the meetings efficiently.

“We don’t need to talk just to hear ourselves speak. If someone’s made the point, we don’t need to make it over and over again,” he said.

He said he became involved in city politics out of concern over things going on in the city.

“I realized I really like Glenwood Springs, and I wanted a voice in what was happening,” he said. “I figured if it’s a place where you’re going to live out your years … you need to make decisions that are going to benefit the city as a whole.”

Contact Greg Masse: 945-8515, ext. 511

gmasse@postindependent.com