Conversations with Lauren Simpson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Simpson.

Hi Lauren, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My professional story started on a living room sofa in a college apartment. It was 2004 and on the other side of the world, the Ukrainian people were peacefully demonstrating by the millions for democracy in what became known as The Orange Revolution. I was a senior at Baylor University, and for weeks I watched enraptured by those events. I was at a crossroads as well.

Not one for the soul of my country, but for my direction in life. My chosen degree was in psychology, and I was too far along by then to change majors. But I had also come to realize that I do not possess the temperament required of a therapist, and so a new path needed to be decided. The events in Ukraine – watching men, women, and children stand for their rights to freedom – inspired me. And so I applied to attend graduate school seeking a degree in international relations.

Not wanting to give myself an opportunity to chicken out, I only applied to schools in Washington, DC. I was accepted to the program at Catholic University and enrolled for my masters in August 2005. Washington is an amazing city for young people hungry to learn. While obtaining my master’s, I had the opportunity to intern at the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee and then at the United Nations. These experiences served as an incredible foundation for my future career.

I was in my first job at a small non-profit working on women’s political rights issues in third-world countries when the Great Recession hit. Naturally, I lost my job as everyone else did. Thank God for bartending – that work still had job security! Amazingly, a few months later, I managed to land a new job at the Pew Charitable Trusts as an assistant in their communications department… a far cry from international relations policy, but it came with health insurance and paid the rent. I was grateful for it. There, it was the amazing woman a few years older than me who took pity and decided to teach me everything I would need to know for a career in public relations.

I grew on this career path for more than a decade, eventually marrying a native Colorado boy and following him back to his mountains. And funnily enough, it was here in Denver that my career path came full circle.

After working for a local PR and marketing firm for two years, I saw a job posting come open with the Consulate General of Canada in Denver. They were looking for someone with an international relations background who also had communications experience. The job posting was like reading my resume; it was my dream job. And in July 2015, I finally made that dream come true, accepting the role of Public Affairs Officer with the Government of Canada. In 2020, I was promoted to Senior Foreign Policy & Diplomacy Officer, a position I still serve in today.

But there was more for me out there than I ever could have expected. My husband and I knew we wanted to settle into a community and start a family. We randomly walked into a real estate agent’s office one day on a whim, and that agent, Mark, listened when we told him everything we wanted: “Have you ever heard of Olde Town Arvada?”

“No.”

“I think it is exactly what you’re looking for.”

In November 2013 Mark took us to see some houses in Arvada and out to lunch in Olde Town. We knew before entrees were served that this was our forever home. Steven and I made an offer on a house that same day, and we were under contract before midnight. We closed at Christmas time and never looked back.

Little did I know then the next adventure that awaited.

After welcoming first a dog, then a daughter, and finally a new house with a bigger yard, Steven and I got pretty involved in local politics. Having come from D.C., it felt good to be involved in some way again. We knocked on doors for local candidates and helped organize other young people in our area. I never expected to be a candidate myself, however. I always envisioned myself more as someone behind the scenes, helping others.

But after the 2016 election, it was undeniable that the toxicity of politics was becoming untenable, and others began encouraging me to step up and do more. I didn’t want to leave my job (Canada is a truly wonderful employer!), but then I learned that my local city council seat would be open.

My predecessor was term-limited, and it was a non-partisan, part-time position. I thought to myself, “I’m not going to be running for Senator or President, but maybe there is something more I can do right here at home.” Maybe in this era of toxic politics, we need fewer fighters… and more diplomats. So, I decided to run….. And then I won.

After getting over my initial shock and sense of “Oh no, what have I done!”, I found a rhythm and got to work. I decided to focus on local representation and helping people with their everyday problems. Then, something unexpected happened:

It became the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. And that’s not to diminish the other amazing roles and opportunities that I have had. Rather, it is to say that the ability to be in the thick of it, to stand up and make a difference for people in their everyday lives, and to set an example that my daughter (and all little girls) can be proud of…. it fills me with a sense of purpose.

This is why, in 2023, I am now running to be the first woman ever elected to be the Mayor of Arvada, Colorado.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anyone who ever says that politics is smooth sailing is either lying or hasn’t been around very long! There is a belief, I think, that if you’re a good person and an honest person, everyone will see that and respond accordingly. Most indeed do, but sadly not all.

I like to say that my four years in office have to count for at least eight, and I challenge anyone to have had a wilder first term than I have had.

I was elected in November 2019. In March 2020, the global pandemic shut the world down. Arvada pulled together and offered one of the best municipal responses in the region. Then, in June of that year, our city voted to adopt a new waste-hauling ordinance. Political opposition pulled articles of recall on me literally on the same day I was eligible – a full week before the waste-hauling vote.

I received anonymous threats on the issue, trying to intimidate my vote. Ultimately, I could not capitulate to threats. I had to listen to the majority of residents that spoke up in support of the ordinance. I voted in favor, and I then spent the next several weeks terrified a brick would come through my daughter’s bedroom window as misinformation and unfounded accusations were stirred up online. Ultimately, that recall failed (and quite spectacularly I might add), and the city was able to move on from that divisive episode.

Tragically, the pandemic and the attempted recall were not the worst I would experience. Over the next two years, Arvada would suffer the deaths of two heroic police officers in the line of duty. Calls that I prayed I would never receive, and that I pray I will never receive again. Those were the hardest days I have ever experienced on any job. We see our political leaders stand tall on the news, nickname them “The Comforter in Chief.” From experience I know, that is by far the hardest job any official will ever or could ever have.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think I am known for being the council member that is “there for you.” I take pride in being responsive to residents (Pro-tip: screaming does not help your cause. We’re people too!) I show up to as many events as I am able, and especially love the ones that are with our Festivals team because that’s where I get to meet and see the community. And I believe in using the platform of this position to do what I call, “active good.”

Many electeds just show up to hearings, vote, answer emails, and go home. But there is so much more you can do when you have a position of attention and (some) power. At the least, you can get others to answer your calls – and I like to use that!

When the pandemic first hit, I partnered with my local bakery (Knead the Bakery at 66th and Wadsworth; they are awesome) to use their blocked-off table space and a drop-off site for diapers and wipes in support of Hope House, a local non-profit that helps young single mothers and their babies. Then, when the Marshall Fire hit, my Council colleague Lisa Feret and I worked together to join 13 cities across 5 counties in a gift card drive. We raised close to $70,000 in those first precious days to help fire victims begin to replace immediate needs.

Last summer, I worked with Arvada non-profit Hope, Connection & Community to sponsor more than 100 local Title I kids to enjoy a back-to-school shopping spree so that they could start the school year feeling good about themselves.

And each Thanksgiving and Christmas since my election, I have organized community fundraising and holiday volunteers to pay for the delivery of hot holiday meals to every first responder working in our city on those days. If they are away from their families to serve the community, then the least the community can do is give a hot meal back to them.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I never prepare speeches. Not ever.

I am known (I am told) for being a good speaker and presenter. And yes, if I need to collect my thoughts on certain points in advance, I will of course make some bullet notes for myself. But I tried using a pre-written speech once… never again.

I don’t do very well when I am following notes. It feels unnatural and less genuine. So, I always just speak in the moment and from my heart. At public events, on videos, on the dais, and even in interviews – I simply wait for the question and then answer as honestly and authentically as I can.

People sometimes tell me they wonder what I’m going to say. My response to that is, “I guess we’ll find out together!”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurenforarvada.com
• Instagram: @laurenforarvada
• Facebook: @laurenforarvada
• Twitter: @laurenforarvada

Image Credits
James Long Photography