Putting Community Before Politics
Andrew Sawusch • October 21, 2026
Since the very first time I ran for Board of Trustees, before it was a "Council", I told myself that I would never accept personal endorsements. To this day, I have kept true to this promise.
Running for local office means keeping the focus right where it belongs: on our community. As I campaign for Town of Erie Council District 1, I’d like to share a core principle that guides how I approach local leadership.
Because this is a non-partisan election, I choose not to seek or accept individual endorsements, nor do I co-host campaign events with candidates running for state, county, or national office.
For me, local government works best when it stays genuinely focused on local needs. Endorsements and candidate pairings often bring outside partisan politics into a non-partisan space. The challenges and opportunities we face in Erie aren't red or blue, Democrat or Republican — they are local matters that touch every resident, regardless of political background. Whether we are discussing infrastructure, thoughtful growth, or community safety, these are shared priorities for all of us.
This is a standard I have held myself to throughout my time in local public service. In my past campaigns for Council and Trustee, I never sought or accepted individual endorsements, and I remain committed to that same approach today. I believe every candidate should stand on their own merits, character, and vision for our town rather than relying on anyone else's platform.
My commitment is to listen, serve with an open mind, and represent every single person in District 1.
I hope to earn your support through transparent leadership and a genuine dedication to Erie’s future.
Share
The Town owned Page Property is currently moving through the steps of being rezoned as Reserved Open Space. Because half of the property was originally purchased using ARPA Federal grant funds, $3.35 million from our TNACC 4.0 mill levy tax funds will be used to repay the General Fund. Should TNACC property tax be used to fund Affordable Housing (future development, future residents), or to support critical or required Town needs and services (current residents)? With the Town currently experiencing significant budgetary issues and funding constraints, personally, the choice is clear: we should use the funds for general town services that help current residents – not affordable housing, which serves future development and future residents.
Traditional political campaigns are full of broad platforms, general stances, and lofty promises, but they rarely tell how things will actually get fixed. This bridges that gap by offering concrete, immediate solutions rather than just vague goals. I break down 10 practical, actionable policy shifts into single-focus topics. Each highlights one specific, manageable change that can be tackled right away to build momentum in the first 100 days.
An interview with Andrew Sawusch - candidate for Town of Erie Town Council District 1, current Town of Erie Planning Commission Chair, former Town of Erie Council Member - for YellowScene Magazine (Salem Goodman). Interview conducted on September 14, 2026.
Public Comment provided at the August 25, 2026 Town of Erie Council Meeting Ordinance 31-206: An Ordinance of the Town Council of the Town of Erie Repealing Ordinance No. 028-2026 Authorizing the Sale of Minerals to 7N, LLC, Accepting the Conveyance of Real Property from 7N, LLC, and Approving Agreements with 7N, LLC, SM Energy Company, and Extraction Oil and Gas, Inc.
The Town's Finance team has indicated that we will be exhausting our Capital Improvement Fund by 2028. When this occurs, we will not even have enough money to fund such things as our street maintenance needs. In response, Staff has recommended the priority of sustaining this CIF fund, which to do so includes a 10% cut across all departments. As well, they are recommending a new fee be added to our utility bills - a dedicated "Transportation Maintenance Fee" - in order to ensure we have adequate funding for street maintenance in the future. All of this is currently being done to answer one question: How do we pay for our capital needs? Personally, I believe this is the single most important issue facing the Town. It has the potential to affect our everyday life as residents, impacting us in ways both big and small. A concerted effort must be made to stabilize our budget in order to avoid a cascading affect that detrimentally affects all Town services.
Projected to be depleted by 2027, Erie's finance team forecasts the Town's Capital Fund to only have $2.5million available for capital projects (after $4million Street Maintenance) from 2027 through 2029 — due to overspending caused by operational and capital expenses exceeding the growth of revenues
While some call it an "Affordable Housing" issue, in reality the root of the problem is a lack of housing diversity. During the Town's massive growth over the years, a lack of available inventory and the national housing market have created a housing affordability issue as the Town's makeup has comprised almost entirely of single family homes. The best way to resolve this issue is to work with our stakeholders in the community - our development partners - to address the cause, not the symptoms of the issue.
Erie has quickly moved from "the best kept secret" to "the gem of North Metro Denver", becoming a destination that others want to call home. In order to set our Town up for the best chances for success, a plan must be created that provides us with an ability to manage our current and future growth.
The blueprint below is designed to do just that, providing an understanding of where we are now (our "Current Position"), where we are going (our "Upcoming Needs"), and where we want to be (our "Future Growth"). It starts with assessing what's needed at this moment, preparing for what's needed later, and then having a vision to plan for the future.
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"!
I have recently been asked my stance on the Town's current face coverings order. This is an issue which by now, I am sure we have all formed our own personal opinions on. Since 2020, it has affected our daily lives and has been a “hot topic” locally, nationally, and world-wide. It has created division between families, friends, neighbors, communities, and nations alike – and likewise, Erie too has also seen its fair-share of division surrounding the subject. Personally, I abide by the orders issued by a county’s Public Health Agency, as their respective agency has final-say on the specific orders currently in place within their respective boundaries. As well, I abide by the requests and policies of a business which may not be under a mask mandate, but request that patrons within their establishment wear one. However, as I will go into further, the current Town of Erie Face Covering order is in actuality an overreach of legal authority applied to the Weld County side - due to Erie not having its own Public Health Agency, and due to Public Health order which was referenced in the Town's order being from the Boulder County Health Department. The decision made by the Board of Trustees and Town Administrator to administer this upon those in Weld County has not only hurt our businesses, but it has as well placed our Erie Police Department in a situation which they have no option but to enforce the order. The Erie Face Coverings Mandate Erie is uniquely situated in a location where we are split between two counties, with each county having differing views when it comes to various topics – and COVID has been no different. Statutorily, CRS §31-15-103 notes that the Town has the power to issue ordinances “which are necessary and proper to provide for the safety, preserve the health” of the Town’s residents. As well, we are statutorily provided with the authority to create our own Board of Health, as described in CRS §31-15-201 (1) (c), as well additionally in CRS §25-1-507 which notes: