Heidi’s Blog: My Vision for Civic Results and Metro Mayors Caucus
Hello, everyone! I'm Heidi Williams, the new(er) President & CEO of Civic Results and Executive Director of the Metro Mayors Caucus (MMC), and I'd like to share with you my vision for Civic Results and our premier program, MMC. As you may know, MMC has been around since 1993, and Civic Results since 1997, but I’m only the third person to hold this position, which is both an honor and a significant responsibility.
When I first heard about this opportunity, I was working for Colorado's Attorney General, Phil Weiser, focusing on the opioid crisis and the distribution of settlement funds. I was part of a team managing over $450 million in settlement distributions to address the opioid crisis, a role I was passionate about. But my heart has always been in local government, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to re-engage with my roots in this field.
After spending seven years (2012-2019) on the Executive Committee and a year and a half as Chair of MMC (2014-2015), I was familiar with the organization. However, I didn’t know much about Civic Results. During my interview, I learned that they were not only looking for an Executive Director for MMC but also for a strong leader for Civic Results. This presented a unique chance to create new programs and foster innovation, which really excited me. Because of my passion for action, especially on local issues, I was all in!
Now that I'm in this role, we at Civic Results are gearing up for some significant initiatives. First, we will continue to promote the Metro Mayors Caucus and its mission to foster regional collaboration among city leaders. This has always been a central focus, and it will remain so.
We are also launching the Mayors Leadership Academy (MLA), a program designed for mayors in their first term. I wish I had this kind of support when I started as mayor! The MLA will be an 8-month program featuring workshops, expert speakers, and projects aimed at equipping new mayors with the tools they need to succeed. This program will cover a range of topics, including good governance, communication, sustainability, public safety, and many other issues specific to Colorado. I'm thrilled to be partnering with the Colorado Urban Land Institute to lead an UrbanPlan Workshop day. This will give participants hands-on experience with the development process, culminating in presentations to a mock mayor and city council. I can't wait to see the creativity that will come out of this!
Next, we're tackling Colorado's housing crisis with the Future Housing Coalition (FHC). This is a new initiative to address the pressing issue of affordable housing. We'll bring together stakeholders from around the state, including universities, private sector builders, architects, engineers, elected officials, and municipal planners, to work on a two-day workshop focused on middle housing. The outcome will be a model code and a toolkit that local governments can use to promote middle housing in their communities. This is just the beginning; in phase two, we'll launch a design competition to implement the model code and create real-life examples of middle housing to show what it can look like and how it can benefit communities.
I have many more ideas for Civic Results and MMC, like creating apprenticeship programs for young people in the public sector, promoting voter education, and developing leadership academies for other elected officials and community leaders. These are ambitious plans, but I’m excited to get started.
Of course, none of this is possible without support. We're starting our fundraising efforts, and I’d be happy to share more about how you or your organization can get involved.
Finally, I'm delighted to announce the launch of our new website and logos for Civic Results and the Metro Mayors Caucus. This website will be a valuable resource for our partners and a hub for our members to access information and connect with each other.
I'm thrilled to be part of this journey with you, and I look forward to working together to make a positive impact in Colorado. Welcome to the new Civic Results—I can't wait to see what we accomplish together!
