Nine people were picked this week to power Thornton’s Environmental Sustainability Task Force, which will meet at least monthly throughout the year to review the city’s plans and policies related to the environment.
The task force will provide feedback to staff and the city council and advise the city as it pieces together an Environmental Sustainability Master Plan. The task force’s recommendations may also be included in the city’s 2026 budget and its life could be extended past 2025, Mayor Jan Kulmann said last week.
The city developed a sustainability plan in the past.
“But the missing piece was community input into that plan,” Kulmann said. “This group will help us do that.”
Council members quizzed about 16 citizen applicants for slots on the task force at their Jan. 7 meeting. Those picked will represent Thornton’s four wards. The council will make the appointments official on Jan. 28.
Applicants included stay-at-home moms, scientists, environmental auditors and others with environmental sustainability backgrounds.
Aracely Navarro, who was tentatively selected to help represent Ward 1, said in her application that her education was in environmental science and health and that she has nonprofit experience working with communities that have endured environmental harm.
She also told the council that as a woman of color she wanted to give a voice to unrepresented communities on environmental matters.
“I really want to make some impactful change in where I am living,” Navarro told the council.
Those changes can be both small and large including improving access to electric vehicles and starting a city composting program, Navarro said. “I think the city of Thornton has some of the ultimate power to make changes for environmental sustainability,” she said.
The potential appointees are:
- Tracy Crespin, Ward 1
- Aracely Navarro, Ward 1
- Vivian McVey, Ward 2
- Todd Battistelli, Ward 2
- Peter Duong, Ward 3
- Barbara Wilson, Ward 3
- Stacy Lambright, Ward 4
- Andrea Wombacher, Ward 4
- Miranda Swanstrom, at-large
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