Tell us briefly about yourself and where you are from and why you think you're a good candidate for the position you are running for:

Originally from the Chicagoland area, I have been a resident of Erie since 2016, previously a resident of Broomfield for 7 years. I graduated from CU Boulder in 2009, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with dual concentrations in Management and Marketing. 

I am a business operations and marketing professional, with experience growing businesses from the ground up. Currently, I serve as the Sr. Manager of Customer Operations for a data analytics software company. As a solutions-driven individual, I use a holistic-view approach to identify and resolve issues that deliver results, which are both effective and efficient.

I am married to my amazing wife, Gabrielle, and am the doting father of my two husky fur-babies, Kaia and Koda.

I currently serve as both a Planning Commissioner and a Comprehensive Plan Amendment Steering Committee member for the Town.

As an individual from the business world, I believe the Town needs leaders who can create solutions that will be positive and Forward Thinking for Erie’s Future. I believe that I am a good candidate for the position of Trustee because I am committed to making Erie the thriving and sought-after place to live, work, and raise a family - the place we love to call "home"!

What are your top three priorities as a candidate?

In my opinion, the three most important issues facing Erie are all central to growth management due to our ever-growing community: Infrastructure Sustainability, Financial Accountability, and Economic Vitality.

Infrastructure Sustainability:

The Town has grown faster than ever before, moving from a population of just over 6,000 residents in 2000, to just over 18,000 in 2010, and now to a staggering population of over 30,000+ residents in 2022. From 2015 to 2020 alone, the town grew nearly 40%. Understanding the actual growth rate is important because the town had only forecasted and planned for a 15% rate in this same amount of time. Whether it be the lifespan of a roadway, or capacity of our water and sewer enterprises – these infrastructure pieces have become strained due to our Town's rapid growth.

Financial Accountability:

Due to the Town's rapid growth and the current economic situation, we have seen that specific fund accounts have been significantly reduced or depleted, compared to years past. In the 2022 Budget, the Town has admitted that they have been underrepresenting General Fund costs, instead absorbing these expenses to our Enterprise activities. Then, to make matters worse, the Town has as well admitted that they stopped issuing monthly financial reports - because they weren't able to reconcile actual costs against budgeted costs due to years of non-transparent financial methods. A priority should be placed on reducing expenses so that the Town's reserves can be increased for various upcoming needs. As well, in order to stay one-step ahead of whatever might come, we should begin to look at a long-range financial plan that looks 3 to 5 years out, adjusts based on current or projected trends, so that we can address the various items before they affect the Town.

Economic Vitality:

To date, we have relied on residential development to grow our Town's finances. This has worked for many years and has grown the Town to the point we are today. However, we must ensure that reliable and steady recurring revenues are in place for years to come to avoid any potential shortfalls. This will become crucial to maintain, as well to provide new and additional opportunities for our Town's future successes which are yet to be realized. These initiatives will help to ensure that we can meet our infrastructure and financial responsibilities, as well as to provide residents with greater employment, recreational, and every day-life needs.

What do you think are Erie's biggest challenges and successes?

Both the Town's biggest challenges and successes have been its rapid growth.

This growth has created the large portfolio of open spaces, parks, recreational activities, and other amenities that we have today. It has added much needed revenue to our Town's budget and accelerated the Town's overall net worth; provided the opportunity and means for our Town to have its own Water, Wastewater, and Storm Drainage facilities; brought us community partners and developers which will continue to be paramount to our future successes. Most importantly, it has provided the opportunity for all of our friends, family, and neighbors that currently live in Town the chance to also call Erie their "home".

However, this rapid growth has not been without its downsides. Negative consequences have occurred from this due to the lack of forethought and planning necessary to accommodate the growth. It has led to the strains on our infrastructure - to the point where our water, wastewater, storm drainage, natural gas, and road systems have either reached max capacity or max life expectancy; to our Town being almost entirely dependent on residential development to fund all of the various Town functions; to our Town being unsure of how we are going to pay for the maintenance of our roads, or the upkeep of our parks and open space areas; to a Town Hall which doesn't have the capacity for all of the Staff that has been hired over the years, the individuals who maintain our Town's services on a day-to-day basis. As well, it has in the eyes of some, turned our development partners, individuals who helped us to grow the Town that we love today, individuals who will assist us in attaining the future successes that our Town is yet to attain, into the perceived "enemy" - as though they were the reason for our problems, when in fact it was individual's at Town Hall who were the ones who decided to grow the Town and grow it quickly.

What vision do you have to bring diversity to Erie regarding businesses?

I envision the Town attaining a wide variety of businesses - ranging from large to small, service to retail, and everywhere in between. The businesses will not only provide a diverse mix of employment opportunities, retail needs, or restaurants to patron, but will be the key to Erie's future success by providing a stable and sustainable revenue source.

In order to bring these businesses to Erie, the Town must work on activating (or completing activation) of the locations which have been outlined for years on both our Town's Zoning Map and Future Land Use Zoning Map:

Nine Mile, CO-7, Town Center, I-25 Gateway, Erie Commons, Old Town, Erie Airport, County Line Road, Highway 52, Westerly, Erie Highlands

To do this, we must work with the developers, current business owners, community members, local organizations - and most importantly, the residents.

The main issue isn’t that business owners and commercial developers don't want to come to Erie – they have already been trying to do so. In fact, some businesses that were once located here, as well as some that began the process to establish their business in Erie, decided to simply move out of Town, or to start working with neighboring municipalities due to how difficult or cost-prohibitive it is to do business here.

After speaking with countless business owners and developers – both current and prospective – economic development in Erie has been restricted due to the barriers to entry that are prohibiting businesses and commercial developers from entering the Town. Besides for the already limited office or retail spaces available, these barriers include the tap fees, impact fees, infrastructure fees, permit fees, the UDC municipal codes, the amount of time that it takes, the roadblocks from Town Hall staff, parking requirements, and the list goes on and on.

To alleviate these issues and become more "business friendly", the Town must start by listening to and addressing the concerns of the Town's current or prospective business owners and development partners alike. This starts by engaging with business owners more frequently and on a regular cadence to understand what their needs or concerns are.

The Town must have open dialogue with our partners in the community - the developers. Developers are the driving force behind our Town's future economic prosperity. They work directly with small businesses and large corporations alike, in efforts to attract them to specific developments that they are working on. In some municipalities, these organizations become the Town's largest supporters and advocates, assisting the Town by working hand-in-hand with them.

As well, the Town must work to engage community members, local organizations, and the residents. These stakeholders not only have valuable insight to the issues and concerns facing the Town, but they are also the individuals who live here - the individuals who these efforts would most affect and benefit.

From the information received, our Town must then address the exact reasons which are hindering businesses and commercial development from being able to do business within the Town. This means redeveloping and instituting very specific initiatives at Town Hall to address and alleviate these barriers to entry.

Finally, the Town must work with developers to identify alternative funding mechanisms in order to pay for the infrastructure required. Instead of solely relying on developers to pay for the properties upfront and in-full, these funding mechanisms can include items such as special taxing districts, revenue bonds, or a combination of multiple mechanisms.

Tell us something that most people don't know about you:

I love technology and to nerd out on data. My favorite sports teams are the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears, and the Colorado Avalanche. I love to golf and have had the privilege of playing at some of the best-rated courses around the nation. I learned how to skate before the age of 3, played hockey for over 16 years, including at CU-Boulder when I was in college. The sport took me all over the world, but most frequently to Canada. I even played this winter in the inaugural Erie Outdoor Hockey league 

If any residents have some thoughts, ideas, or concerns regarding any topics,  I would be more than happy to speak with you to hear your opinions. Please feel free to reach out to me through my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Andrew4ErieCO/) or website (www.AndrewSawusch.com). Be sure to check out my plan to address the various items discussed above (bit.ly/Andrew4ErieBlueprint), view my full responses to the questions above (bit.ly/Andrew4ErieELIFE) - and please vote for me on April 5th!

*Just a side note to all of the items that I discuss: I am a solutions driven problem solver by nature. I wonder how things work, why they work the way they do, and how to make them better. This means seeking different, outside-the-box methods to figure out solutions to various issues. Accordingly, I am always open to learning new ideas, different ways of doing things, as well as constantly learning from others' experiences to make better decisions. When I see an issue, I view it in a holistic fashion, and then dive into specific areas to remove deficiencies and create efficiencies. If you, who are reading this, have some thoughts or ideas about any of the subjects I discuss, I would be more than happy to speak with you to hear your opinions. Please reach out to me here through my website. Listening, hearing, and understanding different perspectives is the only way that we can all grow and create positive change - by learning from others, and delivering ideas that push the needle to become Forward Thinking.