Mayoral candidate Ward Luthi visited campus Wednesday to express his support for the Yearby-King ASCSU presidential campaign.
Luthi said he supports the team because of their willingness to fight for issues they are passionate about.
“They stood up strongly against the stadium,” Luthi said. “Leaders have to stand strong even in the face of seemingly massive opposition.”
He encouraged the student population to follow their example, especially in regards to the stadium.
“I don’t think it’s a done deal,” Luthi said. “The job of the University should be to promote education, not football. I’m all for the Rams as a football team, but if you look at the cost of the stadium, it’s projected to be $451 million. … I’d like to see this go to everybody on campus, not just for six football games a year.”
Additionally, he said he supports Yearby’s green emphasis.
“Sustainability is one of the most important things we can do,” Luthi said. “I appreciate that they do that.”
Yearby said he reached out to Luthi after hearing his positions at the Coloradoan-CTV sponsored debate. He and King have campaigned for Luthi in Fort Collins neighborhoods.
“I saw that he was against U+2, and that’s something I wanted to tackle, so I reached out to him,” Yearby said. “We brought him out today so that he could talk to students, see what’s going on and support us.”
Luthi said it is important for students to vote, something he says Yearby is also passionate about.
“A lot of people (in Fort Collins) are comfortable, so they don’t get involved in the political process,” Luthi said. “One of our basic freedoms is to vote, to be involved. If we choose to knowingly not pay attention or be involved, then I don’t think it’s a democracy anymore. I think (Kwon and Clayton) are standing up strong, so I support them.”
According to Luthi’s website, Luthi will attempt to stop the stadium, regulate fracking, preserve the “integrity of the Poudre,” support an underpass system, develop affordable housing and create a municipal broadband network for Fort Collins.
Collegian Diversity Beat Reporter Hannah Ditzenberger can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter at @h_ditzenberger.
