Candidate Profile: Jon Buck, Running For Littleton Mayor

LITTLETON, CO — Nine City Council candidates are running for Littleton's Nov. 2 municipal election.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Jon Buck is campaigning to become Littleton's mayor.

Age: 37

Family

Lea Buck (wife, 37), Jonathan Jr (10), Grace (8), Evelyn (6), and James (3)

Education

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Clemson University. Masters of Divinity at Denver Seminary.

Occupation

Chief Executive Officer, 4 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Littleton Transportation and Mobility Board

Campaign website: JonBuckForMayor.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I care deeply for the health, vibrancy, and future of Littleton. I have been invested in our city for over a decade and since this is such a critical time for Littleton – with unified land code implementation, major budgeting decisions in front of us that must consider the cultural and economic health of our city for generations to come, desperately-needed infrastructure investments and maintenance, among other critical issues – I decided to step up for consideration by our citizens to bring the skillset and expertise I’ve gained in my work in a time that I believe they are needed most.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The biggest difference between myself and the two other candidates is that I am not interested in trying to convince people of my political prowess, and am instead concerned of simply leading well through informed, courageous decisions.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I believe our local officials have handled responding to COVID-19 decently well, actually. Given the resources available, our local leaders and staff have responded by adjusting to new requirements well, and have for the most part done it with respect. On the Transporation Board, the staff kept all of us members informed and we were given the resources we needed to adjust to the new requirements we were facing. I would have responded quicker in some cases if possible, though I understand there are lot of factors involved.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am a huge advocate for small business, knowing personally what it takes to lead one and how critical the health of them are for our city's success. Effective collaboration is a very difficult thing to accomplish and sustain but through my decade of work in founding, leading, and championing such initiatives I have found that this effective collaborative work moves at the speed of trust; and we must rebuild that trust if we want to be effective. We need to desperately improve our infrastructure or it will become a very major problem in the near future. Tied to the solution to my last point, we must have transparent budgeting that emphasizes being responsible and wise with our resources.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm the Chief Executive Officer of HopeCycle, a local nonprofit whose mission is to foster hope and community through the opportunity of a bicycle. Leading a business requires effective budgeting and planning for present and future finances. In addition to this, leading a nonprofit business requires even further strategic planning, mission alignment, and systems management. I have led HopeCycle through the recurring needs of budgeting and payroll, governance using Robert’s Rule of Order, data tracking and effective research for measuring success, plus the long-term goals of mission alignment and vision-setting, successful business practices and revenue tracking. Littleton needs clear, strong leadership in this critical time for our city, a leadership that is based on real-world experience. As a member of the Transportation Board, I have been directly involved with understanding and strategizing for future Transportation and Infrastructure needs, preparing periodic summaries to City Council. For further qualifications, including further details of collaborative work, please visit JonBuckForMayor.com/qualifications.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Lead by listening.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

It's time for a change. Instead of continuing the old pattern of City Council members simply "waiting for their turn to be Mayor" - which is represented by the two other candidates - our citizens have said they want a change to that archaic system by passing a measure last ballot that the Mayor will now be voted for separately. Instead of just more of the same, I ask you to consider the candidate that is more concerned for Littleton's success than their own political success.