Mayor Strom State of the City Speech
This is a transcript of Mayor Wendi Strom's 2026 State of the City speech.
Thank you, Tom! I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally host my first State of the City event and bring this valued tradition back! I want to start by thanking everyone for coming. Whether you are in this room or watching online, you are here because you understand the importance of staying informed and being involved in our city.
The proceeds from our generous sponsor donations for today’s event will benefit three valuable nonprofits in our community, the Action Center, Alameda Connects, and the 40 West Arts District. Not only does this event serve as a way to get you the “skinny” about the goings on in Lakewood, but it’s also a way to support some of our community partners who work day in and day out to make Lakewood better.
Please consider donating to these three organizations. Whether it’s $5 or more, any dollar you can contribute stays right here in Lakewood. You’ll find a QR code in today’s program that goes straight to a donation page.
So, why are we here today? The last State of the City in Lakewood was in 2018, and it was hosted by Mayor Adam Paul. While it took us a while to get here today, since elected, I’ve felt it was time to bring back this treasured tradition, with a change in format that would make it easier for you all to join us. These events are an important way to increase transparency, highlight accomplishments, share our challenges, and connect with you, our valuable community members. It’s important for you to hear directly from me, and I hope today’s event will leave everyone here walking away with renewed understanding and maybe even some excitement about some of the things going on in your local government.
What a great year to bring back the State of the City tradition. Not only is it the 250th anniversary of our country, but it’s also Colorado’s 150th anniversary and Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park’s 50th anniversary. You’ll see these milestones celebrated throughout the year in multiple community programs.
I take the job of being your mayor very seriously, and in this role, I bring a strong sense of passion and commitment to our home city. When I moved to Lakewood 20 years ago, like many of you, I chose to live here because of the proximity to the parks, mountains, and downtown, as well as the great Jeffco Public Schools. But since then, I’ve found Lakewood to be so much more – incredible people, great shopping, wonderful local restaurants, a thriving arts scene, business opportunities, top-notch health care facilities, and an overall profound sense of community.
I could not ask for a better place to live and serve.
Someone recently asked me why I wanted to be mayor. Honestly, it was because we all deserve good people and thoughtful leadership. I served two years on City Council prior to running for mayor, and we had such great work in progress that I wanted to see that work through and build upon it. So here we are.
This job, while challenging, is rewarding beyond measure. It feeds my soul. There is nothing like the feeling of waking up the day after an important, impactful decision is made at a council meeting, one that I know hands down will positively impact lives – like addressing safety on our streets or implementing our new homeless Navigation Center.
While we know we will never all agree, we all benefit when we work collectively for the betterment of our city. That’s why the theme for today’s State of the City speech is Together We Thrive.
I will focus on the incredible progress that happens when City Council, staff, our residents, businesses, and volunteers come together. Have we arrived or do we have more work to do? BOTH. Two things can be true.
Lakewood is seen as a model by other cities for a variety of reasons. But we still have much to do to continue to serve and support our community members.
Today I’ll talk about the accomplishments achieved, challenges we have faced and will continue to face, as well as the City Council’s priorities for the coming year. And I’ll cap off the speech with an exciting announcement about how you can join the effort to serve and support our community.
Let’s start with last year’s accomplishments and how they relate to the City Council’s goals for the year, which are shown here on the screen.
While the City Council sets the strategy and vision, City Manager Kathy Hodgson leads our incredible city staff to carry out that vision through the city’s day-to-day operations. I’ll highlight the progress that has been made for each of City Council’s strategic, visionary goals through the work of city staff, starting with Trust and Accountability in Government.
Community engagement opportunities are a key component of trust and accountability. One of the biggest accomplishments staff made this past year was launching the redesigned city website with a secure .gov domain, improving usability, credibility, and cybersecurity.
I personally love the new search functionality on the website. You can type in the topic you are looking for, and it will take you right to the applicable page. We have had extremely positive feedback from residents, and I hope it provides a useful tool for community engagement. Check out the website magnets available in the lobby to get updated information.
Another community engagement tool is the Request Lakewood system, a one-stop customer service hub for residents to tell us about potholes, streetlight outages, homeless encampments, code enforcement – you name it! These requests are ultimately routed to the applicable staff member and tracked for timely responses, creating a more efficient process and a better customer service experience for you.
Did you know that Lakewood staff processed 14,300 service requests through the system in 2025? That’s an 18 percent increase from 2024. And gone are the days that you need to wait for office hours to report a problem. As residents, we can now submit our requests all day, every day.
I had a resident call my office in February to express his appreciation for staff and the Request Lakewood system. He reported potholes on 13th Avenue, and he was amazed at the incredible turnaround time of 2 days for getting that fixed. From the City Manager’s Office to Public Works, thank you to all the staff who made that happen.
The Lakewood Police Department’s new Transparency Portal is officially live. This online tool gives our community access to clear, easy-to-understand information about police operations, including data on calls for service and crime statistics.
Transparency builds understanding, and ultimately understanding builds trust. And this portal is an important step in continuing that work together.
The next 2025 City Council goal was Affordable Housing, which is extremely challenging, yet arguably one of the most important goals the City Council and staff faced and continue to face. The development agreement for The Bend Urban Renewal Area was approved last year, advancing redevelopment and affordable housing opportunities along West Sixth Avenue and Union Boulevard. The development with 2,000 new residential units will include approximately 200 legally defined affordable units, and 100,000 square feet of retail space, along with public plazas and open space. The project will help address the housing deficit while furthering economic growth.
The city also worked with Jeffco Public Schools and the Action Center on a long-term solution to add resources for our people in need. The city purchased Emory Elementary School and the surrounding property and then sold the former school site to the Action Center, while keeping the surrounding 7.2 acres.
The Action Center is now working to transform the former Emory Elementary School into a vibrant, family-friendly community campus that provides a suite of services. This one-stop hub is crucial to the City Council’s vision of supporting hard-working families at a time of unprecedented financial challenges.
The City Council also voted to purchase the Action Center’s current facility on West 14th Avenue, making a strategic investment in a site that can support future affordable and transitional housing. The site is currently being leased back to the Action Center while renovations are happening at Emory.
Today, I also have a great update about the Emory site. The Action Center has now shared that the Emory Center will be renamed to the Daylight Collective. Last year, the Action Center served nearly 61,000 families in need, and it will soon be able to serve even more families with the new larger space of Daylight Collective.
Council also worked diligently to find ways to increase housing that’s more affordable for first-time homebuyers, teachers, firefighters, and our crucial frontline workers, like those in our doctors’ offices and the restaurants we love.
In last week’s special election 35,574 people cast their vote to voice their opinion on the updated zoning code passed by the City Council late last year. Just over 22,000 or 62% of the votes we received communicated the message that this code was not a solution that those community members wanted to see move forward. With that, our zoning rules from 2012 will remain in place.
This election was one that invoked a lot of emotion for many across our community. For those of you watching that have concerns about housing affordability, know that the Council’s commitment to coming up with solutions has not wavered. And for those who are watching who have worked hard and are already in a home you can afford today, protecting your ability to stay there for as long as you want to, and preserving that unique character in the neighborhood that you love is also important.
Housing, and affordability, will continue to be a priority for City Council for the foreseeable future because if we don’t have housing for frontline workers, our community will suffer. A continuing shortage of attainably priced homes will make it more and more difficult to keep and attract new businesses to Lakewood. Our schools will continue to struggle with enrollment and possible closures as young families aren’t able to live or raise a family here. This is not what we want for Lakewood. I hear it from you regularly: We want a vibrant, economically prosperous community.
Bottom line: Our job, as your Council, and even for city staff, is to both meet the needs of our residents today, while also planning for the residents’ needs of the future.
Now let’s talk about homelessness. I know this topic is at the forefront of many people’s minds, and residents see the growing number of individuals who are unhoused as home prices rise. I will tell you that there is no easy answer, and cities across the nation are facing a similar reality.
In Jefferson County, homelessness increased 27 percent between 2024 and 2025, which was the highest rate of increase of homelessness in the metro area. In fact, on any given night more than 1,100 residents are experiencing homelessness across Jefferson County. This makes the Navigation Center here in Lakewood more important than ever.
Lakewood recently partnered with Volunteers of America Colorado on what we call the “Nav Center,” it is now open and running with a new 24/7/365 model. This is huge! The center provides comprehensive, housing-focused support to help individuals transition out of homelessness. The facility will serve 100 individuals at a time. I heard it best described as a starting point, not a finish line, but either way, it’s a critical step.
In addition to the Nav Center, the city has dedicated other resources to address homelessness. The Community Action Team, known as the CAT Team, and homeless navigators work together to address homelessness with valuable resources. The navigators have been able to move over 100 residents into shelters and housing since their work began just a few short years ago.
One particularly touching success grew from a simple traffic stop about expired license plates. Police Agent Lisa Davis changed the course of one family’s life by connecting them with one of our housing navigators when she learned that the family had been living in motels for nine years and simply didn’t have the money to pay their car registration. As Agent Davis said, she sees her role as steering residents on a good path instead of simply putting them further behind. Her work to connect them to the housing navigator resulted in the family moving into an apartment for the first time since their teenage daughter was a child.
The next goal City Council prioritized was Public Safety, Transportation, and Infrastructure. An improved public safety response is an important component of this goal, and I’m extremely impressed with what the Police Department has accomplished in this area. Here are a few statistics to highlight public safety improvements:
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In response to community concerns, the Lakewood Police Department conducted an annual enforcement initiative again this year called Registration Roundup. This year, 899 citations were issued and several arrests were made related to vehicle registration violations.
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The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority-Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force now has a first-of-its kind camera capable of capturing latent fingerprints, DNA and body fluids from recovered stolen vehicles, which will aid in solving auto theft cases. The auto theft task force is managed by the Lakewood Police Department, but it works to prevent auto theft throughout the metro area.
One of the best safety-related achievements I’ve heard this past year resulted in saving a life at one of our recreation centers. Lifeguards Ian, TJ, Claire, and Gabrielle were awarded the West Metro Citizen Award for lifesaving actions at Carmody Recreation Center. In July, a lap swimmer lost consciousness in the water and was pulled out by another swimmer and Lakewood staff. The staff provided CPR and administered an AED, which gave a lifesaving shock that restarted the swimmer’s heart. Let’s give a round of applause to these guards!
When it comes to building a safer, stronger future, the West Colfax Transportation Safety Project and the North Dry Gulch Improvement Project are doing just that. As the largest infrastructure investment in Lakewood history, these projects are making it safer to drive, walk or ride a bus on West Colfax Avenue and removing the floodplain from 150 properties along the corridor.
The council also committed to a more robust capital improvement budget, specifically for streetlights and safety improvements, to make our transportation network a complete system that serves every user. That means more work has been done with traffic calming measures such as reducing the speed limit on residential streets to 20 mph and updating the city’s Bicycle Plan.
Our world continues to change, and that’s why making our community more sustainable and resilient has been a City Council priority. Here are some of the great projects that have come from this priority:
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Who’s been to the Charles Whitlock Recreation Center in the last few months? The electricity for the building is now 100 percent solar powered! This is thanks to a project that installed solar panels on the rooftop and parking canopies. This system will lower the city’s operating costs, reduce environmental impacts and protect patrons’ vehicles during storms.
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All in all, the numbers from 2025 are impressive: Our sustainability programs saved over 800,000 gallons of water, diverted 86,400 pounds of yard waste, and launched 86 free home energy audits.
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The city’s dedicated Community Resources team hosted several sustainability-related events including the city’s annual tree sale, mulch giveaway, Arbor Day, leaf recycling, and Christmas tree recycling.
And the final City Council goal for 2025 was a Thriving Economy. I know that seems very broad, but several initiatives related to it:
I’ve just shared some exciting accomplishments to celebrate. Now, let’s talk about some of the challenges.
1. Homelessness continues to be a challenge, but we are continuing to take important steps. While we are offering more resources to combat homelessness than ever before, we know Lakewood residents are frustrated with homeless encampments moving from one location to another. We are continuing to explore a variety of additional solutions we hope to have in place soon along with prioritizing funding for transitional and affordable housing.
2. One of the city’s biggest challenges, however, is an issue that cities across our state face. Our primary way of paying for the services important to our residents is sales taxes paid by our shoppers. The money from shoppers in recent years has NOT kept up with increasing costs such as gas for police cars, asphalt to pave city streets, insurance to protect the city’s recreation centers, or salaries to pay staff to do those jobs every single day.
In strong economic times, the city has a little easier time keeping up with increasing costs to provide services. But as economic uncertainty continues to grow, it’s getting tougher. The sales tax collected from shoppers is flat and is projected to remain flat in the coming years. Shoppers are shopping less, but just like you’re finding at home, costs for city services are going up.
This challenge isn’t about government growth; this is about how we as a community pay for the services our residents expect and ask for. This is about your community and the kind of city you want to live in. Staff and City Council have started exploring ways to address this continuing financial imbalance.
3. And that leads me to another difficult challenge – disinformation. While social media can be a great way for people to communicate, these platforms are not always a sound way to understand what is really going on in your community. People don’t always take the time to verify the truthfulness of what they see, hear or read, or they fail to understand that many postings skew facts to support a specific opinion. If only running a city were as easy as a blog or social media post makes it out to be!
My ask of you: Don’t believe everything you read on social media or through a Google search! A little research can go a long way. Pro tip: follow the city’s official social media channels and the website for accurate information or reach out to your City Councilors. Communicating facts is just one of the reasons I wanted to bring back this State of the City tradition.
And now to 2026: Your City Council held its annual planning session in February and set several priorities as shown here on the screen.
Where are we on these priorities?
1. Charter Update: The City Charter is Lakewood’s foundation that guides the daily operation of the city. First approved in 1983, the City Charter needs regular updates to keep it current with the city’s changing needs. With over 20 years since its last update and after delaying this conversation last year to give the City Council and the community more time to work on the zoning code, our City Council is now eager to finally pick up this topic to assess potential needed updates and to make sure it’s compliant with our current needs and laws.
2. Homelessness: While opening the Navigation Center is a significant step in addressing homelessness, council will continue the discussion on related impacts, including increased police calls, the rise in encampments and the growing demand for cleanups in parks and public areas. We will also begin planning for the long-term use of the Action Center property on 14th Avenue.
3. For efforts with the local economy and local businesses, the investments we’re making in the infrastructure on West Colfax will ultimately bolster businesses by making it safer to visit them and protect their properties from flooding. This will also help reduce barriers for new businesses to move into and invest in the area. City staff also launched the Open Rewards program to support businesses in that corridor by offering shoppers a 5 percent reward for shopping locally.
4. To address our financial challenges, the City Council will be exploring revenue options to pay for city services and looking at the intended uses for any new revenue. The Budget and Audit Board, which includes both Lakewood residents and City Council members, has begun the work and will discuss it at length, including engaging with residents on how best to move forward.
And finally about waste. We often receive complaints about the volume of trash trucks going up and down neighborhood streets throughout the week, and this year it’s a priority to look at ways to update the city’s licensing of trash companies to address this. Updating the licensing will also ensure residents have free curbside recycling, particularly of plastic, which is a new state law requirement.
To help you follow the progress on all these priorities, we are also working on an improved tracking tool for City Council’s goals on our website.
To our city employees who will help implement the City Council’s vision for these 2026 priorities, thank you. And to our residents that bring forward thoughts, concerns and suggestions on how we all can do better, thank you.
I started this speech by saying that Together We Thrive.
What really does that mean?
Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do in Lakewood. In 2025, more than 1,000 volunteers contributed 38,000 hours — valued at $1.53 million — volunteering for everything from cultural performances and youth sports coaches to the Police Department and victim advocates.
April is National Volunteer Month. It provides an opportunity not only to get activated in giving time to our community partners but is also a time to recognize and celebrate the individuals who generously give their time, skills, and compassion to strengthen and improve our community around us.
If you have volunteered to support a city event or program, raise your hand.
If you have volunteered at your local school or church, raise your hand and keep it up.
How about those who have volunteered with any other local nonprofit? Raise your hand and keep it up.
And raise your hand if you’ve volunteered in any other capacity this past year. Let’s give a huge round of applause for these remarkable people!
This brings me to an exciting announcement and a challenge I raise to you, the creation of Team Love Lakewood. Team Love Lakewood will be a network of residents who care deeply about our city and are ready to step up when it matters most so that together we truly can thrive.
I am leading this volunteer initiative designed to expand engagement opportunities and bring residents together in support of neighbors. Team Love Lakewood will serve as a centralized, opt-in volunteer network where residents can sign up to receive notifications about upcoming volunteer opportunities, city initiatives, and community events. It is designed to help encourage volunteering in the community through city-led efforts, activities led by council members, events organized by local community groups, and more.
Team Love Lakewood will complement and expand upon the existing Love Lakewood Day organized by the local nonprofit Serve Spot. Serve Spot plans this amazing day of volunteer projects in Lakewood in the fall each year.
I recently heard a great story about Love Lakewood Day. Deane Elementary School was listed as a project site for Love Lakewood Day, but with the event less than two weeks away, the school was still waiting for volunteers to sign up. Fortunately, Colorado Christian Church members jumped at the opportunity to serve, showing up in greater than expected numbers. Just a few hours later, the school grounds were significantly cleaner and more beautiful, resulting in students really feeling love from the community. Thank you to everyone for coming together to help these students.
Stories like this are exactly why I am launching Team Love Lakewood. I’m asking residents to subscribe to the Team Love Lakewood e-newsletter to receive periodic emails about opportunities on how you too can participate. Scan the QR code on the screen or stop by the table in the lobby to sign up and pick up some fun giveaway items! And one of your first opportunities will be Earth Day volunteer events coming up on April 25. I hope you will all sign up and come together for Lakewood!
And finally, before I close, today would not be complete without taking a moment to honor City Manager Kathy Hodgson. For those who haven’t heard, Ms. Hodgson recently announced her retirement after 46 years of service to the City of Lakewood. She will be retiring later this summer.
Although we will formally recognize Kathy this summer, I want to take a moment today to honor her truly remarkable contributions to our city.
Kathy’s journey with Lakewood began as a lifeguard at Morse Park, where she literally watched over her community. While her role evolved from the pool to City Hall, her mission never changed: to protect, support, and guide the community forward.
When Kathy was hired as city manager, female city managers were still rare. Today, Colorado ranks first in the nation for women in municipal leadership. Kathy is also now the longest-serving city manager in our state, and in 2025 she was awarded City Manager of the Year by the Colorado City and County Management Association.
Please join me in a round of applause and help me recognize the career and service of this remarkable woman. Kathy, please stand and be recognized.
To help us close this presentation and demonstrate our theme, please enjoy this brief closing video.
Thank all of you for being here. It is truly an honor to serve as your mayor. That concludes todays speech, I’d love to connect with you all for refreshments in the lobby!