Who should you vote for? (part 1)
- vicky2745
- Oct 19
- 11 min read
Welcome to the Preserve Lafayette Voters’ guide!
This year, there are 10 candidates running for four seats on the Lafayette City Council.
While Preserve Lafayette is not endorsing candidates, we do want to give you info that can hopefully help you figure out who most reflects your values.
We combed through the candidate websites, watched all three candidate forums, checked out media reports, did some Googling, asked city staff for clarification on a few candidate claims and dived deep into our city-watching memories (and Karen’s extensive city files!) to compile the following voters’ guide for each candidate.
We focused on the factual data for each candidate, and corrected any statements we found that were false or misleading. There’s also a universal issue we want to flag: Many of the candidates use terms like “responsible growth,” “streamlining the process” and “community character,” but provide no details on their plans or what these phrases mean to them.
You can read about the first five candidates (in alphabetical order) below. The second five candidate profiles will be posted tomorrow.
LUKE ARRINGTON
How long lived in Lafayette
12 years
City elected or volunteer experience
Member of the Lafayette Open Space Advisory Board for eight years. Currently vice chair.
Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority commissioner for seven years. Led LURA’s COVID-19 business support grant committee.
Day job
Property and asset management for W.W. Reynolds Companies, a commercial real estate development, leasing and property management firm. According to Lafayette Planning and Building Director Steven Williams, in 2020, W.W. Reynolds gained city approval to develop the Indian Peaks Marketplace, but the company hasn’t pursued it.
Position on Lafayette ballot issue 2C
Support
Priorities
His website states: “As your candidate for city council, I am dedicated to serving the greater Lafayette community, bringing fresh ideas, transparency, and commitment to our town's progress.” There are no specifics on how he would do this.
Other notes
In response to a question about affordable housing at the chamber of commerce forum, Arrington said he wants more types of housing beyond single-family homes, including ADUs, mobile homes, apartments and condos. “I’m not afraid of density in the right places. It gives choices to people; it gives you places to move up from,” he said.
In response to the Daily Camera question: “As Lafayette grows and changes, how would you balance preserving community character with making room for new residents and businesses?” he said: “This was an important consideration for our downtown and Old Town areas because this character can’t be manufactured. People see through that, so our eclectic nature is a core part of our local identity.”
In response to the Camera question: “What role should Lafayette play in regional partnerships on issues such as housing, transportation and environmental sustainability?” he said: “A collaborative effort among multiple cities and Boulder County is the most likely to yield results.”
When introducing himself during the LYAC forum, he said he’s anecdotally known as “the house with the most Christmas lights; I go like Christmas Vacation style, so like 15,000 lights. We also do a big Easter egg hunt at the Chicken Park in Silver Creek.”
KYLE BEAULIEU
How long lived in Lafayette
4 years
City elected or volunteer experience
None listed
Day job
Nearly two decades of U.S. national security and foreign policy experience through the FBI, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department. Currently a national security and foreign policy consultant.
Position on Lafayette ballot issue 2C
Oppose
Priorities
From his website:
Responsible growth and affordable housing. Includes creating substantially more affordable housing options to address out-of-control housing costs, through zoning reform and enabling more varieties of housing.
Fast and safe transportation. Includes investment in safe, well-maintained roads and intersections, expansion of reliable public transit, drastically increasing the number of protected bike lanes and electric charging stations, and figuring out how to “protect children riding extremely fast e-bikes around town.” As a long-term goal, he wants to connect Lafayette to Bus Rapid Transit and eventually a regional commuter rail network.
Preservation of natural spaces and balancing growth. “Perhaps most importantly, I want us to be sure that we protect and preserve Lafayette’s gorgeous parks and open spaces and preserves for generations to come. That doesn’t mean we don’t continue to grow Lafayette and offer new residents and businesses the opportunity to build and thrive, but it does mean we don’t deprive future generations of the natural wonders we are so fortunate to enjoy.”
He intends to accomplish this through targeted zoning reform, more pocket parks, vacant lot development, small business grants to continue to enliven South Public Road and policies to encourage a variety of housing options.
Support of small and local businesses. He wants to “expand our small business grant and incubator programs” and promote Public Road as a hub for the community.
He also says local business owners complain of red tape, permitting delays and skyrocketing costs, and notes that “streamlining processes while ensuring labor protections and good wages is a major focus for me.”
Navigating national uncertainty. “Tariffs, looming cuts in Medicare/Medicaid, escalating political violence, and other disruptions from the federal government affect our wallets, our rights, and our city. Navigating this requires local governments to work more creatively, collaboratively, and effectively than ever before.”
A welcoming community. “From public art to public festivals, our community’s emphasis on the beauty of our diversity, on our rich coal-mining and immigrant and civil rights heritage, to integrating nearly 10,000 new residents in the past decade; our city thrives because of its diversity and inclusivity.” (Note: data show Lafayette’s population only increased by 3,607 people from 2013 to 2023.)
Strengthening our democracy. Includes switching Lafayette’s municipal elections to even-numbered years “to ensure robust voter turnout and cost savings,” adopting ranked-choice voting “to ensure every vote counts and broader candidate participation” and expanding the number of ballot drop boxes “to improve convenience for voters.”
“Future-proofing” Lafayette. Includes “continuing to invest in planning for if another Marshall Fire-type event hits our region, and ensure we have plans in place with neighboring cities and the County for what to do if FEMA decides to withhold funding.” He also wants the city to plan ahead to support residents “who may lose their healthcare when the Medicare/Medicaid cuts arrive.” And he wants to “plan robustly so that our infrastructure is poised to take advantage of being next door to the [Sundance] festival’s new home.”
Other notes
At the LYAB forum, he referred to the town’s founder, Mary Miller, as Molly Miller. He also said Lafayette has “kind of whitewashed a lot of our history.”
JOSH BERYL
No website. Instagram: @joshberyl4citycouncil; Facebook: Josh Beryl for Lafayette City Council
How long lived in Lafayette
3 years
City elected or volunteer experience
None listed
Day job
His Instagram page says: “Josh Beryl was a high school teacher in the front range for 15 years who is now looking to make a difference outside the classroom.”
Position on Lafayette ballot issue 2C
Oppose
Priorities
From his Instagram and Facebook pages: “Josh will fight to protect vulnerable members of our community and make Lafayette a safe place for its residents. Josh has been a proud union member and will support workers' quality of life over corporate, big business, and land developer interests. Josh will work for laws to keep our kids safe and maintain Lafayette as a great place to live.”
He told the Daily Camera: “Lafayette must act reasonably and constitutionally by protecting personal information of those who live in our city so everyone can send their kids to school safely and securely, work and pay taxes. Furthermore the city must act responsibly with other privileged information and contracts with private companies that collect such information including surveillance data that must not be used to circumvent the rights guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
At the LYAB forum, he pointed out that the city uses Flock license plate readers, “and while they’re not supposed to be using that for immigration enforcement, it is shared with other law enforcement entities around the state who can use it as they see fit according to their policies, regardless of what our policies are. I would love to see those out of our city. Denver got rid of them, so it’s not like it’s a preposterous thing to do.”
Other notes
In response to a chamber of commerce forum question about increasing the minimum wage in Lafayette, he replied: “To me, a living wage is the most crucial thing. People who are working 40 hours a week, even if it’s at a job that other people might look down their noses at, should be able to put food on their table, should be able to pay their rent or mortgage and live a reasonable quality of life here in our city.”
He told the Daily Camera: “One way to maintain the community that we love in Lafayette is to defer to small business, independent entrepreneurs and local revenue over corporate interests and big business.”
CRYSTAL GALLEGOS
How long lived in Lafayette
10 years
City elected or volunteer experience
Elected to city council in 2023
Day job
Former schoolteacher in New York City. Currently a substitute teacher for the Boulder Valley School District and Adams 12 Five Star Schools.
Position on Lafayette ballot issue 2C
Support
Priorities
From her website:
Responsible growth. “Before approving any project, we must ensure that our infrastructure is prepared to support it; whether that means assessing the capacity of our roads for increased vehicle and bicycle traffic, confirming we have adequate water and other critical resources, or considering the impact on our schools. Protecting our open space is also a vital part of maintaining the character and quality of life that make Lafayette so special.”
Supporting small businesses and attracting new business. This includes a partnership between the city’s economic development department, the Downtown Development Authority and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to bring new businesses into vacant spaces in Lafayette’s main corridors and improve community vitality.
Maintaining community character. “Lafayette has a rich history, rooted in our mining heritage, that continues to shape who we are today. As our city grows and evolves, it is important to honor that history while embracing innovation and progress.”
Ensuring affordability for current residents. “By pursuing thoughtful housing policies and balancing growth with affordability, we can protect the diversity and inclusivity that make our city strong.”
Other notes
Under the “first term highlights” tab on her website, there’s a list of “key projects and milestones.” This includes attending several openings and ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects she wasn’t involved in or voted for as a city councilor. She doesn’t list any legislation or initiatives she introduced or helped enact during her two years on council, other than that she “welcomed a successful” farmer’s market. (Note: While the new city-sponsored market did debut during Gallegos’ term, Economic Development Director Brigid Keating told us council didn’t vote on it. There was a staff presentation and council discussion about the market at council’s Sept. 3, 2024 meeting. Gallegos didn’t speak during that discussion.)
At the chamber of commerce forum, she said she’s not in favor of increasing the minimum wage in Lafayette. She noted that many Lafayette businesses already pay more than the state’s minimum wage. She said she’s talked to small business owners who are afraid to sign their lease to stay in the city another year because they don’t know if they can afford to pay their employees. She said she doesn’t want to lose Lafayette’s small businesses to other cities, adding: “I don’t want Lafayette to turn into a city where only Walmart and McDonald’s can afford to survive.”
In an Aug. 27 interview with CBS News, she said the current pay rate at BVSD is prompting her to look for jobs elsewhere. "I am someone who has a master's degree in education, which I am still paying for, and I have the opportunity to go work for McDonald's in Boulder for more than I would make as a sub,” she said.
ADAM GIANOLA
How long lived in Lafayette
19 years
City elected or volunteer experience
Former chair of the Lafayette Waste Reduction Advisory Committee
Current member of the Lafayette Sustainability and Resilience Advisory Board (SRAB)
Community advisory committee member for the city’s 2021 comprehensive plan
Community sustainability working group member for the city’s 2021 sustainability plan
Member of the SRAB team that worked on the city’s 2024 climate action plan
Current member of the city’s land use code working group
Current member of the board of directors for Kaleidoscope, a Lafayette-based arts nonprofit
Day job
Has a PhD in chemistry and worked as a patent attorney for 11 years. Currently the head of legal at Ten-Nine Technologies, a battery materials start-up company.
Position on Lafayette ballot issue 2C
Support
Priorities
From his website:
Sustainability and climate resiliency. Has worked for the last decade on responses to climate change in the community. “As a City Councilor, I will continue to advocate for sustainability in City decisions and encourage efforts to develop a long-term strategy for resilient climate adaptation.”
Development. “I will advocate for thoughtful, common-sense, and sustainable development that aligns with a community vision for the City. With sustainability in mind, emphasis on infill and adaptive reuse is desirable.”
Open space. “Open Space is an important part of what makes Lafayette special and I am excited to champion protection of Open Space in our community. I will advocate for expansion of the City's Open Space portfolio to help provide a buffer against overdevelopment, to preserve wildlife habitat, and to enable equitable access to natural spaces.”
Small and local businesses. Supports Lafayette small business programs such as Small Business Capital Grants, Opportunity Zones and the Green Business Program.
Transportation and mobility. Supports the strategies and recommendations in the city's 2023 Multimodal Transportation Plan and 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan to improve traffic, safety and access throughout Lafayette. He notes that many of these proposed projects will be costly, and he plans to advocate for innovative funding solutions. He also wants to expand car-free transportation options.
Affordability. Wants to expand city, county and state community-assistance programs like the Water Bill Assistance Program, Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption, Low-Income Energy Assistance Program and the Climate Equity Fund. Also wants to strengthen city support for the Sister Carmen Community Center.
Regarding affordable housing, “I will strive to understand how the City can help address this complex issue and look for creative ways to incentivize developers to provide housing that is truly affordable while preserving the character of our City.”
Regarding workers’ wages, “I support increasing the minimum wage in our region towards a living wage and will collaborate with regional partners to advocate for moving wages up for those working in these essential jobs.”
Fiscal responsibility. “My goal is for the City is to manage our taxpayer dollars responsibly and in a way that primarily benefits Lafayette residents first and small and local businesses second.” This includes working to enhance the city’s cybersecurity to prevent a repeat of the costly 2020 cyberattack, and using his attorney experience to help the city avoid unnecessary and expensive lawsuits.
Other notes
In response to a question at the LYAB forum about affordability in Lafayette, including affordable housing, he said: “I don’t know that building more houses solves the problem because the houses being built, they’re more than the [Lafayette average of] $700,000. They’re more than a million dollars. I just don’t see that we can build our way out of this. This is a complex problem, and we need to use all of the tools that we have,” including zoning code protections.
In response to the Daily Camera question: “What role should Lafayette play in regional partnerships on issues such as housing, transportation and environmental sustainability?” he said: “Lafayette has also been steadily adding to the existing housing stock, and several new developments are under construction, have been approved, or appear close to approval (e.g., Sundar, 40 North, Silo); together, these new developments represent over 1500 additional housing units in Lafayette (an increase of over 10% to the total Lafayette housing stock). While transportation remains a challenge for communities in the area, Lafayette’s 2023 Multimodal Transportation Plan provides a good framework for addressing transportation issues, though regional support is needed.”