Steven Smith has lived in southwest Glenwood Springs for 36 years and has been actively involved in shaping the city’s neighborhoods and policies. He has served on the city’s river commission and transportation commission, advocating for better care of local rivers and improved transportation options. With a background in community planning and policymaking, Smith is running for City Council to focus on transportation, housing, and environmental sustainability.

Tell the community about yourself. How long have you lived in Glenwood Springs? Have you been a part of any councils or commissions in the past?

I have lived in southwest Glenwood Springs for 36 years, long enough to watch Sopris Elementary, Park West, Cardiff Glen, and Park East emerge near our home.

I worked to influence each of those developments, advocating for safe routes to the new school, creative neighborhood design, and smart lighting — all to make new neighbors welcome and to ensure vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods.

I served on the city’s River Commission, fostering better care and appreciation for our local rivers. I now serve on the Transportation Commission, promoting new thinking about how we travel and how to do so safely and with less traffic.

Why are you running for Glenwood Springs City Council?

I have three priorities: (1) Increase and enhance transportation options, (2) help more people become homeowners, and (3) ensure every city policy and decision protects the natural environment and the climate.

City Council needs members who will think across those issue lines and can craft integrated policies and solutions that address them all. That cross-discipline approach has always been my style and my skill.

Glenwood Springs residents need to be respected and heard. I will be sure they are, by bringing civility, goodwill, and careful listening to City Council.

That is what makes me the better candidate.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Glenwood Springs, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

We must think of housing and transportation as one interwoven topic and craft integrated policies that address both in tandem.

Delivering more local transportation options and more local housing options, and planning them in a coordinated way, will be more effective than dealing with them separately.

For example, I will work to bring bus service back to southwest neighborhoods, so living there is more convenient. I will support housing policies that help the people who work here to also live here, so their transportation needs are simplified.

Done right, we can cut congestion and improve quality of life.

Housing affordability remains a major concern for residents. How do you think Glenwood Springs can best address the high cost of housing so that people who work in Glenwood Springs can also live in Glenwood Springs?

I support increased opportunities for renters to purchase a home. This builds financial security, deeper commitment to place, more engagement in schools and neighborhoods, and happier people. City policymaking also will be better if more of us have time to participate.

We should stop approving large rental housing projects.

We should convert excess rental stock into owned homes, reform state laws that unduly prefer rentals, and provide qualified loans for down payments. Housing support should prioritize local workers.

With imagination and new techniques, we can accomplish much with the housing we have, with less new development.

How would you balance economic development with preserving the character and livability of Glenwood Springs?

Glenwood Springs has an abundance of jobs and often faces a shortage of workers, especially local workers. The days of Glenwood Springs needing to recruit new businesses are long gone.

We should not approve new commercial development, let alone seek or promote it, until and unless we can make it possible for more local employees to actually live here. This approach will benefit both workers and existing local businesses.

Additional grocery shopping options will increase convenience. We should carefully consider applications if and when they appear.

Tourism is a key part of Glenwood Springs’ economy. What steps should the city take to balance tourism growth with the needs of local residents?

Much of the appeal of Glenwood Springs comes from its natural and recreational features. The same scenery, trails, rivers, hot springs, restaurants, music, and art that visitors enjoy, we enjoy.

Towns this size in less appealing settings do not have the amenities that we enjoy. Nor do those towns have the sales tax revenue that supports the reliable, modern municipal services that we enjoy here.

Charming as Glenwood Springs is, it competes with other Colorado resorts, and we need to remain competitive.

Promotion of local tourism should focus on visitors and activities that are sustainable and that continue to enhance our own experience living here.

What do you think Glenwood Springs can do to best prepare for wildfire danger?

I support active neighborhood outreach about the city’s new emergency evacuation plan to help all residents understand its details and be ready when we need to be.

The plan guides emergency services in traffic management, critical facilities, evacuation routes, and prompt public information. It is built for all potential emergencies, natural and human-caused. It outlines command structures and coordination with other response agencies.

Meanwhile, we all need to use the simple, least-cost measures that protect our community and neighborhoods from wildfire. These include smart landscaping, fire-resistant building materials, personal emergency and evacuation plans, and extra care when handling fire and flammables.