Greeley candidates at a League of Women Voters forum described a range of strategies to address rapid population growth and the associated demands on housing, transportation, water and flood infrastructure.

Why it matters: Candidates said Greeley is shifting from a small town to a city and must plan now for housing diversity, improved streets and drainage, and transit options that reduce dependence on cars.

Key proposals and concerns included senior housing, homeownership pathways, local construction jobs and flood mitigation. At‑large candidate Ryan Roth said he would prioritize housing for seniors moving to Greeley “according to our state demographer” and work with city staff to expand affordable options so older residents can live near family. “One of the things that I would like to tackle first is the housing opportunities that our city either provides now or will need to provide in the future,” Roth said.

Ward candidate Rochelle Taber described a home‑ownership approach that emphasizes tiny homes and other entry options rather than focusing on rental programs: “When I talk about affordable housing, I'm not talking about section 8. I'm not talking about renting. I have a plan … getting people into their own homes, buying homes that can afford it from tiny homes to concrete homes.”

Several candidates raised infrastructure and flooding as immediate priorities. Mayoral candidate Tiffany Simmons said repeated storms expose failing drainage systems and crumbling streets: “We have streets and sidewalks that are crumbling. We have streets and businesses that flood with each big rain,” she said, and proposed expanding co‑responder and Housing First programs to address correlated social needs.

Ward 3 candidate Johnny Olsen and other council candidates stressed that water and transportation planning must keep pace with growth. Olsen noted the city’s water position as an asset but said housing and mobility will be the harder tasks; in a later exchange a candidate referenced a city projection that Greeley could be short roughly 16,000 homes by 2045 if growth continues as expected.

Opposing views on water sufficiency surfaced in public remarks. Citizen Kenneth Gallard (a forum participant) warned that Colorado River supplies are low and said the region should not assume indefinite water availability.

Context and tradeoffs: Candidates generally agreed on the need to manage growth deliberately but differed on mechanisms: incentivizing local construction and business (to capture jobs and tax revenue), creating pathways to homeownership, and prioritizing infrastructure maintenance versus new large projects.

Ending: The forum underscored that housing diversity, stormwater and streets are front‑line concerns for voters; candidates framed different short‑term and multi‑decade approaches ahead of the Nov. 4 election.