A District 3 seat on Fort Collins City council, which represents the southeast part of the city, is up for grabs in the 2025 Fort Collins regular election Nov. 4. Instead of running for a second four-year term, current District 3 representative Tricia Canonico has opted to run for mayor. Canonico has represented District 3 since April 2021.

Three candidates have entered the race to take Canonico’s spot: Josh Fudge, Lance Smith and Steve Yurash.

Josh Fudge

For 10 years, Fudge has been the director of performance, budget and strategy for Larimer County. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Poudre River Public Library District, he volunteered at the Food Bank for Larimer County and he has worked with Habitat for Humanity. Fudge received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has a masters in public administration from George Mason University.

This election marks his first time running for office.

“What got me into the race initially was the city’s budget issues,” Fudge said. “Being the budget nerd at heart that I am professionally, it sounded like an interesting opportunity. I felt like I’d be in a good spot to help make those good decisions.”

According to his website, Fudge’s goals are to increase affordability, make the government more efficient and encourage sustainable economic growth.

Fudge said he believes that all three of these issues are related, and he also wants to work to support local businesses. Fudge said he wants to make the city better partners with local businesses and housing developers.

“I’m really committed to being responsive as a city councilmember,” Fudge said. “If you have an issue with the city, policywise, I can’t promise we can meet everybody’s needs, but I want to hear. … I’m here to help, I’m here to listen and I just hope that I can earn the votes of the constituents in the 3rd District.” 

As a candidate, Fudge said he differs from Yurash because he has experience working in government. Compared to Smith, Fudge said that while though the two have similar backgrounds in finance, he brings a broader perspective.

Fudge has been endorsed by Canonico, among others, which can be found on his website. He is also taking donations to support his campaign.

Lance Smith

This election is Smith’s first time running for office. Smith spent 12 years as a finance director for Fort Collins Utilities and has lived in Fort Collins for 15 years.

“I’m running for a couple of reasons,” Smith said. “I was working for the community as finance director until two years ago, and I really valued the sense of purpose that came with kind of serving my community. … I think based on the experience I gained as an employee, I think I have something to add to city council.”

Smith said there is a misalignment between council and the community. Key issues for Smith’s campaign include the city’s budget, environmental stewardship, housing density and affordability and mass transit, according to his website.

Smith says that the city’s budget is the immediate issue that needs to be addressed, then housing.

To help the housing shortage in Fort Collins, Smith said he wants to explore alternative forms of housing, like tiny homes. He also said he believes in streamlining the permitting process and partnering with land developers.

Compared to his opponents, Smith said he believes that his experience working with the city for 13 years is a strength Fudge and Yurash lack.

“I think I have a good understanding of how things get implemented and how things function within the city,” Smith said.

Smith is not accepting endorsements or donations.

Steve Yurash

Yurash ran with the Colorado Center Party for the Colorado House of Representatives District 52 seat in 2024, earning 36.7% of the vote. This is his first time running for Fort Collins City Council.

Yurash retired in 2021 after a 38 years in the computer chip industry, 23 of which with Intel Corp. Yurash has also volunteered with Larimer County Board of Health for nine years and served three years on the Fort Collins Electric Board. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from San Jose State University.

Yurash said he is running for the District 3 seat to represent the people in his district who signed petitions to stop the Land Use Code.

Yurash said his career in private industry makes him different from Fudge and Smith, who have both been government employees. He added that through his volunteer work, he has gained experience with how government works.

“On city council, we need at least one voice from someone who’s served in private industry,” Yurash said. “I think the people want and deserve a representative that will serve the needs and wants of the residents and not the needs and wants of the government.”

Yurash listed the issues he hopes to address on his website, including open space preservation, electric rates, local control of land use, fiscal responsibility, transportation and infrastructure and supporting local businesses.

Yurash said the most important issue to him is housing density. He also expressed concerns with water availability and the need to keep electric rates down.

Among others, Yurash has been endorsed by former Fort Collins Mayor Ray Martinez and Diggs Brown, who formerly represented District 3 in Fort Collins City Council. Yurash is accepting donations toward his campaign.