I am humbled and honored to have been elected as the new Mayor of
Wheat Ridge. I believe we build great communities with respect for one
another, a sense of pride in our past, and a willingness to listen for
good ideas coming from many directions. I am committed to a process of
dialogue and collaboration for the future we can build together. I want
to thank all of the citizens who cast their ballots in this election and
look forward to working in common to build that successful future for
our city.
Since some of you may not know me, I thought I’d launch my first
Mayor’s Matters with some personal background information. I was born in
Houston, Texas. My mother was a registered nurse from east Texas and my
father was an Air Force officer from Colorado. He was raised in Rifle
with family roots in the Denver area dating to the 1870s.
My early childhood was spent in Alabama, Germany, Maine, the
Washington, D.C. area, and Tehran, Iran. I was very fortunate to be part
of a close, loving family that enjoyed traveling and doing lots of
things together. My life abroad left me with two distinct life lessons -
that America is my home and a great country, and that we share a common
human bond with people around the globe. I graduated from high school
in Iran and receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
Colorado at Boulder with a major in political science.
I worked as a carpenter during college and continued after
graduation, rising through the ranks to superintendent and project
manager. I started my own construction company in 1983 building
commercial and institutional projects throughout the Front Range,
including several here in Wheat Ridge. After 45 years, I am in the
process of retiring from the construction business and look forward to
the additional free time I can dedicate to serving as your Mayor.
I moved to Wheat Ridge in 1975 with a dozen chickens, a goose and a
gander, one goat, and a dog. My wife, Mary, and I have two grown sons
who attended local public schools and still live in the area. Now that
the livestock are
gone and the boys have moved out, we share our home with two great cats
- twin brothers – who have us pretty well wrapped around their paws.
I’m an avid skier and enjoy gardening, golf, woodworking and family
life.
Several years ago we bought a distressed property a few blocks from
home and transformed it into a neighborhood restaurant, West 29th
Restaurant & Bar. The main building was an early 20th century
neighborhood grocery which we renovated, adding a commercial kitchen,
dining room, two patios and a small parking lot. The business now
provides employment for a couple of dozen employees, tax revenue for the
city, and a gathering place for neighbors.
I am looking forward to working on your behalf as the new Mayor of
Wheat Ridge.