Westminster council candidates focus on housing affordability, aging-in-place at candidate forum

At a Westminster Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, City Council hopefuls said housing affordability and options for older residents should be a central focus of the council’s economic and planning work.

"It is unaffordable to live in this city for many people," said Jack Johnson, a candidate and civil rights lawyer, during his opening remarks and later answers. Candidates tied housing concerns to workforce attraction and long-term fiscal health.

Candidates described several paths they said the city should pursue. Several called for partnerships with developers and nonprofit housing organizations to expand both rental and ownership opportunities. Philip Romero and others urged more town homes and smaller single-family units to give entry-level buyers a path to ownership. Jeremy (candidate) said the city should look to support developers who can build lower-cost town homes and starter houses.

"Who can buy a starter home for $500,000? It's just not practical," Jeremy said, arguing that the council must press staff and developers to produce lower-priced units.

Some candidates emphasized aging-in-place over institutional care. Karen Calabity, a repeat candidate who has recently cared for an older spouse, said she wants policies that allow seniors to remain at home: "Rather than warehousing them in assisted living or nursing homes, I think we can keep people in their homes," she said. Calabity proposed converting large single-family homes into duplexes or other shared models so older homeowners can stay in place while younger families occupy part of a house.

Several candidates highlighted the limits of what a single council member can do. Jeremy and others said councilors must rely on staff expertise and work with developers, nonprofits and regional partners to translate ideas into projects. Jack Johnson urged a reframing of how the city defines ‘‘affordable housing’’ so policy targets people entering the workforce as well as current residents.

Candidates also urged specific programs that could lower barriers to business-linked housing, such as childcare support that enables workers to accept jobs locally, and new programs to help prospective small-business owners test concepts before launching full storefronts.

The forum discussion did not produce proposals with formal council authority or funding commitments; candidates repeatedly noted that implementation would require staff work and majority votes on the council. Candidates asked voters to consider those policy priorities when selecting members of the next council.

The candidate forum was hosted by the Westminster Chamber of Commerce and moderated by Brian Head.