Your voice matters—especially this week

Happy new year, Preservers!

The flora on the land at 119^th and Baseline may be dormant this time of year, but there are plenty of fauna taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures.

Over the holidays, we saw ongoing signs that the coyotes are still present, leaving their calling cards along the trail for collection by humans. LBJs, or "little brown jobs,” as some birders call the many small birds that look similar at first glance, can be seen jumping around the clump of trees near the trail. The juncos are here for the winter, joining the white-crowned sparrows that like to kick up the ground looking for that special seed treat.

We’ve also been observing the two-legged fauna associated with this property. We checked with city planning staff a few days ago and they have no new updates from the potential developer of the land at 119^th and Baseline.

But we do want to alert you to something that should be on your radar this week. The Lafayette City Council is scheduled to choose a new councilperson to replace councilor JD Mangat (who resigned Dec. 2) at a special Jan. 9 meeting.

We can’t stress enough that just as in the Nov. 4 election, YOUR VOICE MATTERS for this vacancy. The city council that serves from late 2025 to late 2027 may very well vote to determine the future of the land at 119^thand Baseline.

Here’s what you need to know about who’s applied for the vacancy and when and how you can tell council who you support—or don’t support.

THE CANDIDATES

Three of the six people who applied for the council vacancy also ran in the Nov. 4 election.

Kyle Beaulieu finished fifth, with 4,038 votes and 11.02% of the total votes. (For perspective, Crystal Gallegos, who was the last of the four candidates elected, won 4,400 votes and 12.01% of the total.) Here’s Kyle’s application and resume for the council vacancy.

Michael Watson finished sixth, with 3,108 votes and 8.48% of the total. Here’s his application and resume.

Rob Glenn finished 10^th, with 1,296 votes and 3.54% of the total. Here’s his application and resume.

You can read our pre-election candidate reports about Kyle, Michael and Rob here and here. You can also see their responses to Preserve Lafayette questions about open space here and their thoughts about annexation of the properties at 119^th and Baseline here. 

The other three candidates for the council vacancy (plus their applications and resumes) include:

Nicholas Bernhard

Michael Krupey

Jeff Pistana  

THE PROCESS

At its Tuesday, Jan. 6, meeting, the six current members of city council will choose which candidates to interview for the vacancy. The city charter doesn’t require council to interview all applicants.

Then, at a special Friday, Jan. 9, city council meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m., council will conduct the applicant interviews, followed by a time for public input. After that, council members are scheduled to vote on who they want to fill the vacant seat.

THE PUBLIC INPUT—AKA THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

There are a variety of ways you can tell city council members which candidates you support or don’t support, and your reasons why.

Speak at a meeting

Jan. 6. Public input begins at 5:30 p.m., and you can speak to council in person or by phone.

To speak in person, fill out a public input form on the table in the lobby outside the council chambers, 1290 S. Public Road, and give it to the city clerk. The mayor will call your name during the public input period, and you have five minutes to address the council.

To call in, dial 877-853-5247 around 5:30 p.m. and give the meeting number: 869 1163 2580. Press *9 to raise your hand to speak and wait for the mayor to call on you.

Jan. 9. By law, the meeting agenda for the Jan. 9 candidate interviews must be posted by 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, but we should hopefully know the timing of each interview and the public input session either during the Jan. 6 council meeting or the next day. As soon as we know, we’ll send out a newsletter with the info.

Traditionally, each council candidate interview lasts about half an hour, which would mean that if all six candidates are interviewed, public input would start around 8:30 p.m. We don’t know yet whether you’ll only be able to speak in person or will also be allowed to call in. 

Call, text or email your councilors

You can contact councilors with your thoughts about the candidates any time before the Jan. 9 meeting.

Click on their names here for their phone numbers, or use this form to email them individually or together.

Submit an email for the public record

If you fill out this form before 1 p.m. on the day of either the Jan. 6 or Jan. 9 meeting, your comments will be added to the agenda packet, where both the council and the public will see them.

THE BOTTOM LINE

No matter which communication method you choose, remember that city council represents YOU. And who they choose to fill the council vacancy should also represent you and every other member of the public they serve. But they can’t do that if they don’t know what the public wants.

So PLEASE tell the council who you’d like to see appointed to the vacant seat. We only need a majority—four councilors—to vote for an open space acquisition and against annexation of the property at 119th and Baseline for development. The candidate chosen on Jan. 9 can be one of those four.

Thanks, as always, for your commitment—and your input!—to keep Lafayette’s eastern gateway a rural haven for centuries to come.

The Preserve Lafayette team