Lori’s Priorities

With more than 35 years in the financial industry and more than a decade as a small-business consultant, I bring practical leadership to Flagstaff City Council. My focus is a Flagstaff that is more affordable, more vibrant, and true to our mountain-community character.

The following outlines my positions on the principal issues facing Flagstaff and the record I have built as an incumbent Council member.

Housing Affordability

Housing affordability has been one of Flagstaff’s most persistent challenges for decades. It is not a single-solution problem. Supply and demand, land use and zoning, permitting time and uncertainty, construction costs, mortgage interest rates, and, most recently, fire-insurance instability all contribute to the challenge.

The city cannot solve this problem alone, but it can stop being part of the problem. I have introduced several policy changes designed to produce measurable gains in housing attainability and affordability.

Workforce housing incentives

In 2025 I proposed a Future Agenda Item Request (F.A.I.R.) to explore targeted incentive programs for workforce housing. That process identified a straightforward zoning-code update aligning the City’s existing affordable-housing incentive policy with a 150% Area Median Income (AMI) threshold.

This change will encourage builders to deliver homes priced for working families earning at or below 150% of AMI. For a family of four, that threshold is approximately $168,000. Staff is scheduled to bring this zoning-code change to Council in early 2027.

Decoupling site plans from rezoning

On February 10, 2026, one of my F.A.I.R. proposals were presented to Council: a policy change to decouple site or concept plan requirements from rezoning requests. Staff brought the item forward, and it received unanimous support. This reform reduces upfront costs and delays for developers and helps bring housing online faster. The policy change is scheduled for Council approval in October 2026.

Residential code for small multiplexes

On September 8, 2026, I sent staff a request for an amendment to the updated 2024 building-code that was going before Council on September 15th. The amendment allows triplexes and fourplexes to be built under the International Residential Code (IRC) rather than the International Building Code (IBC). The change is expected to reduce 2027 hard construction costs by 15 to 30 percent, or roughly $25,000 to $80,000 per unit. The amendment was approved unanimously.

Flagstaff’s small businesses are the heart of our community. They create jobs, strengthen our local economy, and give our town its unique character. As a City Council member with over 35 years in the financial industry and more than a decade as a small business consultant, I understand the real challenges our local businesses face every day from rising costs to burdensome regulations.

My commitment is clear: I will continue to champion Flagstaff’s local businesses with smart, practical policies that cut unnecessary bureaucracy, support sustainable growth, and maintain the fiscal responsibility that keeps our community affordable and vibrant.

Understanding the Pressures on Small Businesses

I recognize that Flagstaff’s minimum wage ordinance-rising to $18.95 per hour in 2027- has placed significant pressure on our small business community. Higher labor costs make it harder for independent restaurants, hotels, shops, and service providers to stay profitable while keeping prices reasonable for residents and visitors. Because this is a voter approved initiative tied to the Consumer Price Index, any lasting solution will require all of us. I will continue listening to local businesses and working on practical ways to stabilize the impact of these annual increases.

As a city council member dedicated to supporting our local businesses community, I will continue fighting for common-sense budget and policy decisions so that property taxes, utility rates, and other cost drivers do not compound the wage pressures already facing these businesses.  I have already demonstrated this commitment. When Council faced proposed increases in stormwater, water and sewer rates, I successfully fought for reasonable, evidence-based decisions that supported necessary infrastructure while minimizing the financial impact on our community. Rates should be the last tool, not the first. Infrastructure needs a plan: a rate hike is not a plan.  

“Standing with the brave police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel who keep our mountain community safe every day”

I am committed to the men and women of the Flagstaff Fire Department and Flagstaff Police Department. In a city surrounded by forest, exposed to significant wildfire risk, and facing growing everyday emergency demands, firefighters, 911 operators and law-enforcement officers are essential to keeping Flagstaff safe, resilient, and livable.

My record on this priority includes the following:

•   Helped lobby for state funding to build a regional wildfire training facility.

•   Fought for and helped secure grant funding for Flagstaff Police Department detective overtime on major crime cases.

•   Supported grant funding to replace two unmarked gasoline-powered vehicles with two hybrid vehicles.

•   Supported competitive pay increases for fire and law-enforcement personnel.

I will continue to stand with our first responders, so they have the resources, training, and support they need to protect the place we call home.

Flagstaff families and businesses deserve a city government that spends wisely, controls costs, and delivers essential services without overburdening taxpayers. As your City Council member, I am committed to fiscal responsibility — balancing our community’s critical needs with practical, sustainable solutions that keep Flagstaff affordable for everyone.

In 2024, city staff proposed a 166% increase in water and sewer rates over five years, plus a perpetual 5% annual hike, to address a $300 million infrastructure shortfall. That plan would have placed a heavy burden on working families and local businesses.

Using my financial expertise, I identified excessive coverage ratios and inflated reserves in the proposed rate-hike budget. That was especially concerning because residents and business owners cannot opt out of these services, they are a captured customer base. After months of deliberation the council agreed to reduce the increase to a more manageable 8.5% annually for 5 years. That change saved the community millions of dollars while still funding urgent infrastructure needs. Flagstaff needs this kind of responsible, collaborative leadership: practical solutions that protect taxpayers without sacrificing essential services

Public safety funding going forward

Flagstaff residents expect reliable, responsive police and fire services. For years, both departments have faced chronic underfunding from past budget cuts, shifting priorities, population growth, tourism, and rising call volumes. The result has been a real gap in staffing, training, equipment, and infrastructure.

As the City considers options such as sales-tax or property-tax increases to close those gaps, I believe Flagstaff should not settle for less when it comes to the safety of our homes, businesses, and streets. True fiscal responsibility means making smart choices: protecting essential services, controlling unnecessary spending, and keeping taxes and rates reasonable for the people who live and work here.