Values You Believe In

 Josh and his wife Heather have been coming to Ouray since 1998.  They became weekend residents in 2008 and moved to Ouray full time in 2014.  They currently have three businesses based in Ouray, a child in our amazing school, and volunteer in various community organizations and committees. Josh wants to maintain the character, qualities, and lifestyle that make Ouray the place we all fell in love with and want to be part of.

 Josh will listen to you, support your ideas, fight for the needs of our community, and earn your respect. Josh is a faithful husband, loving father, and successful businessman that truly cares about keeping Ouray's culture, history, and character while moving the community towards stability and sustainability.

 Josh is someone that looks beyond the immediate the solution or difficulty and seeks alternatives that allow more flexibility for the future. His background entails finding creative solutions for challenging situations while working within regulatory framework to achieve unique experiences. Josh looks forward to offering his knowledge and experience to assist with Ouray’s future direction and growth, and to help develop a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant community for the city’s residents and visitors to enjoy.  
 

Experienced: 

30 years of experience in the architecture and planning profession, working within government and regulatory frameworks to complete projects involving multiple parties while using creative solutions to bring projects to fruition. Participated on planning commission and the steering committee for the community plan.

Knowledgeable: 

Have experience as a home owner, a second home owner, a landlord, a current tenant, and owner/operator of a short-term rental. Familiar with local codes and regulations pertaining to development, architecture, and planning. Own and operate three local businesses between my wife and I. We have a child in our local school system. I have past exposure and involvement with various chamber of commerce on the front range and western slope. 

Dedicated:

Out of 3+ years participation on development of the community plan I only missed one meeting. Never missed one meeting while serving 2 years on the planning commission. I came prepared to all meetings I participated in with both committees.

Concerned:

My family has been coming to Ouray since 1998. All places and communities change over time but we need to preserve the aspects of the community and character all of us came here for while improving in our new areas of growth.

Involved:

Have contributed my time to the community plan and planning commission, assist with PATT organization functions at the school.

Ethical:

While I am not a member of the American Institute of Architects I do follow their code of ethics and conduct. I also adhered to the code of ethics related to appraisers while preforming the duties of a registered appraiser. Above all I operate on my own code of ethics which is, “if you have to question if it’s ethical, don’t do it.”

· Broaden tourism to include all of what Ouray has to offer, it is time to promote more than outdoor only focused activities and cater to people here for the weekend getaway or lifestyle experience. 

· Better support and representation for our businesses that are not outdoor tourism based. A dedicated chamber of commerce, business incubator, coordinated support with Region 10 and various foundations to assist our business community when needed.

  · Find ways to fund additional city staff positions so current staff isn’t overloaded and include grant and funding research as part of their job duties. 

· Make our efforts to address housing multi-dimensional, transportation should be explored, and a housing authority position should be established. We also need to make attempts to work more closely with surrounding communities and our county commissioners to address the situation. We cannot rely solely on building our way out of the current situation.

· Better notification and access for public meetings and hearings. Access to meeting agendas and recordings need to be easily accessible through the city’s website. No double standards when it comes to letting our residents speak. More considerate treatment of those who come to speak at council meeting or take time to email our council members.

· Bring our participation in the Main Streets program up to speed so the city is able to obtain access to a broader range of grants and funding while improving the overall experience of our city.

· Obtain an official creative district designation, this will add another level and dimension to our tourism and local culture that is lacking.

· Infrastructure beyond water and sewer needs to be pursued. Sidewalks and crosswalks need to be improved to function better and provide more opportunities to enhance the main street experience, along with connecting our parks and trail systems to encourage the pedestrian qualities of our city. We also need to explore opportunities to better utilize available space in our alleys or adjacent to buildings. 

· Make greater efforts to implement the ideas and build upon the principles of the new community plan, this is what will help Ouray maintain the quality and character of what all of us are here to experience.

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