Emily Francis - Mayoral Candidate - Dear Fort Collins - Election 2025

Emily Francis Interview Emily Francis—District 6 councilmember and twice-elected mayor pro tem—discusses housing, jobs, and inclusion in Fort Collins. She argues the City can “bend the curve” on housing costs by streamlining development review, partnering for desired outcomes, and re-examining impact/capital expansion fees. She notes a roughly $40M/year funding gap to reach the 10% affordable-housing goal and is open to discussing dedicated revenue alongside budget trade-offs. Francis links affordability to job access, calling for employer recruitment (especially green/climate tech) and fewer City barriers to opening businesses. On growth, she favors planned, resource-aware development aligned with climate goals. She also supports inclusive arts and non-alcohol nighttime options and making City facilities easier for community use. On LGBTQIA+ inclusion, she backs the Equity Office and practical partnerships, noting community concerns about City commitment. Entering Fort Collins’ first Ranked Choice Voting election, she emphasizes authenticity and pragmatic problem-solving.Notable Quotes (verbatim)“What we can do is instead of like this, we can bend it slightly. And that’s really what we’re trying to do.”“Do we want to grow smartly and do we want to grow planned or do we want to just grow and see what happens?”“In my mind, that’s changing it to being more of a partner.”“I came back for a reason, because this is my home and this is my community.”Resources / Links Candidate Website: https://emilyforfc.com/ La Familia / The Family Center: https://thefamilycenterfc.org/ Episode notes: https://dearfortcollins.com/2025/10/a-closer-look-at-fort-collins-mayoral-candidate-emily-francis/ Dear Fort Collins: https://dearfortcollins.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dearfortcollins