My track record so far - ERIN O'DOHERTY FOR LARAMIE CITY COUNCIL WARD 3

Serving on the City Council comes with a lot of responsibilities, in addition to the standard work of all council members, the city budget, code revisions and updates, and many other important duties, I worked hard on my campaign priorities.

Sustainability-Laramie City Council passed a resolution to reduce and eventually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. We have taken some big steps that are having an impact already. Through my work on the proposal and hearing from other leaders at the National League of Cities meetings, I’ve come to understand that municipalities are leading the way in combating climate change. Laramie shares ideas from local activists and from other towns in the Rocky Mountain region. Our successes include having four 25KW photovoltaic system and having four hybrid police vehicles. As a member of council I have worked to update our solar power regulations and Laramie has earned a solsmart designation from NREL City staff is always looking for more energy conservation measures, like the upcoming replacement of blowers at the wastewater treatment plant. We still have a long way to go, but I want to help monitor and encourage the work. There are more projects using renewable energy on the way, but the city council and staff will need to work to make sure all the pieces come together. We have added some alternative transportation options with electric scooters and are working on expanding to include smart cars and shared transit options with the University of Wyoming.

Glass recycling- Losing glass recycling was a real blow to Laramie and although the Conservation Corps came through in a pinch to provide some options it wasn’t the solution we all wanted. To pitch the idea that we make permanent large scale glass recycling possible again here, I researched how towns like Idaho Falls and Jackson are able to offer glass recycling. Those towns work with a regional operation and I contacted the company to learn more. Our city staff arranged with a firm in Denver to take our glass, so now you can drop off glass bottles and jars at the landfill for free. Our partners make them into bottles again!

Aquifer protection- After years of debate that frankly took too long, the City Council, in partnership with the County Commissioners has begun the implementation of a long term public policy approach to protecting our valuable groundwater. This required electing a council and commission that reflected the majority of the community on this issue. We will need that same commitment to see it through. Our challenge is to create a set of long term, durable, and evidence-based regulations to keep our water safe and dependable for future use. We have a great start with current proposals, but this challenge didn’t develop overnight, and it will take time to gather input from all the stakeholders and do it right. I am proud of our work so far, but I want to see it through.

Housing- I am determined to make sure that Laramie can meet our future housing needs and to do so in way that builds a strong and safe community that respects property rights, public safety, and good planning. Regulations for housing, when they are necessary, should be fair, safe, and limited. Striking the right balance will take experience and an open mind, I intend to approach the problem with this in mind at all times.

I hope you appreciate this work and you will vote for me to keep following through on my platform. I will need your support in the Primary Election on August 16th and in the General Election on November 8th.
Thank you!