Getting involved in politics

Lauren Simpson never intended to launch a career in politics, much less in Colorado. Growing up in a small, rural, dairy cattle town in Texas, she jokes there were “Fourteen thousand people, one hundred thousand cows.” However, her childhood instilled in her self-reliance and an ability to adapt. 

“Growing up in a really small town, there’s not a ton of services. So if something’s going to get done, you kind of have to do it yourself. And I think that that’s a really good attitude to have.” 

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baylor University and her masters degree in international relations from Catholic University in D.C, Simpson started working in international relations. Then disaster struck. 

“I was in my first job at a non-profit doing women’s international rights issues in third world countries when the Great Recession hit. And as is true of many in my generation, I lost that job because there’s no money for women’s rights issues in third world countries when the economy is collapsing on itself” she recounts. 

Simpson scrambled, trying to find a job as the economy crashed and unemployment rose drastically. 

“I wound up getting a job as the communications assistant at the Pew Charitable Trusts. And that was not international. It was not my training. I was qualified for it because of a project I had done as an intern. And so as a result, I was kind of off path and directionless,” she explains.

However, other women at the company took her under their wing, training her for a career in communications and public relations. After fully transitioning into public relations, Simpson shares how “I thought my dream of international relations was dead.” Then she and her husband, a Colorado native, moved out to Denver, where a job opened up at the Canadian consulate in Denver. 

After some time at the consulate, friends started encouraging Simpson to try her hand at politics. Initially, she was hesitant. But when in 2019 she realized she lived in an open city council district, district two (East Arvada), she decided it was worth a shot, adding, “The previous district rep was term limited. So, I was like, well, it’s an open seat. There’s no incumbent…So, I decided to run.”

She won. Four years later, the previous Arvada mayor was term-limited, and Simpson had to make the difficult decision of running for re-election or going for mayorship. After discussions with her friends and family, she decided to go for the open role. She hasn’t looked back since.

Bridging the gap and managing political polarization

As mayor, Simpson has to manage the stark political polarization that defines this time period. But as a person who has always prided herself on being able to bridge the gap, she has relished the opportunity of bringing people together.

“I have very good relationships with a lot of people where they and I disagree when we get into the ballot box, but that’s not what matters when we’re working together because our shared goals are far more important and we can focus on those when we are in political situations,” Simpson explains. 

Simpson also believes heavily in “going hard on the issues, not on each other.” She elaborates that “just because someone disagrees with you does not mean that they have a character flaw. It means that they have a different set of experiences that have led them to think in a different way.”

However, Simpson has noticed political polarization taking hold all throughout politics, which is part of the reason she ran for public office in the first place.

“I hate the political polarization that is happening across our country. I think it’s deeply unhealthy. And maybe, just maybe, I can help keep some of that out of our community. And that has been a core focus of mine, is that we build bridges with each other. We call it the Arvada way,” she explains. 

And while at the federal level political divides have never been more pronounced, she also believes that Arvada is in a good place. “I think Arvada has a very healthy political culture. That doesn’t mean I don’t see it, that sort of toxicity nipping at our heels all the time. I do, but so far it hasn’t become omnipresent here. And as long as I’m the mayor, I refuse to let it.”

However, even with her appreciation for the Arvada community, Simpson has had to manage the fear that comes with increasing political violence throughout the country.

“I’ve had some scary exchanges with people before. I’ve received some emails that were deeply unsettling before. And it’s not right to say, ‘Oh, it’s just part of it.’ You know, I reject that this should be part of it. Nobody should get threats in their job,” Simpson shares.

She continues, “When people start to engage in violence, it’s either because, A, they have a severe mental health disorder and they need help, or B they are isolated, they are lost, and they are lashing out in pure rage and fury because of their own internal pain. Both of those solutions have the same answer, and that is connection with others.”

Personal life, family, and friends

Expanding on connections with others, Simpson shares that “family and friends are critical.” She adds, “You need people who will listen to you.” 

For her, this person often is her husband; she explains, “He gets it. That’s part of his role is to just sometimes let me decompress and to talk it out. It’s really important to have those people in your life.”

Simpson also sees the importance of having people around who will be honest and frank with her, especially as a politician. “I think you need people, especially in politics, who will tell you the truth.” 

She adds, “Particularly as you move up in politics with an elected office, you move up in power, and there become fewer and fewer people willing to tell you what’s what. So, I can totally understand why some of our elected leaders at the uppermost level, why there is this perception that they’ve lost touch with reality.”

In terms of her personal life, Lauren Simpson serves as the Executive Director for The Feline Fix, an animal welfare non-profit that focuses on providing affordable neutering, vaccination, and microchipping services for cats.

She also enjoys hanging out with her cats and dog, viewing plays at The Arvada Center, and spending time with her husband and her daughter.

Additionally, Simpson is very intentional about being involved in the community she serves. 

“I love just being around being in the community. I volunteer a lot. It keeps me connected to our people. I always try to tell other officials, one of the most important things you can do in these roles is put yourself out in the community, as opposed to waiting for the community to come to you.”

Challenges facing Arvada

As mayor, Simpson has to deal with a host of problems facing Arvada, from potholes to budget shortfalls. But the biggest challenge? Infrastructure.

Simpson states, “I would say some of our biggest challenges are related to infrastructure. There is this sort of generalized public narrative that there is so much money and there is either wasteful spending or we’re putting it in the wrong places or whatnot. And that is fundamentally very challenging.”

Despite the city of Arvada having what appears to be a large budget at more than 382 million dollars, Simpson explains, “We operate the least amount of money per resident per lane mile that we are required to take care of compared to every other city in the entire metro area except Castle Rock. And so that means we have to do more with a lot less.”

Additionally, she shares how there are always competing priorities, making it difficult to make decisions where someone doesn’t lose out, especially with an aforementioned limited budget. Constituents don’t always make it easy either.

Simpson shares how, “I got an email once, and the gist began with, ‘you’re wasting all of our money on parks and other frivolous things. You need to take care of the roads, stop funding all this other stuff, stop wasting money on grass. Take care of the roads.’ And I swear to you, the last sentence of the email read ‘by the way, mow the parks more.’ 

She adds, “And that is the fundamental juxtaposition we see in a lot of things. It’s not quite usually that blatant, but it’s sort of representative across all things. ‘I want you to fund this thing. I want you to get this thing done, but not at the expense of anything else.’ ”

Cancer diagnosis

Simpson announced the shocking news that she had been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in March. Reflecting on her initial reaction after the issue was spotted during a routine screening, she explains how  “like anyone, I was understandably upset and shocked. I’m a young, healthy, active person, and I had no symptoms whatsoever.”

She adds, “Because I’d had to go in for a biopsy, I was somewhat mentally prepared for if the news was bad, but the vast majority of biopsies are found benign and I was hopeful that that would be the case.” 

After her surgery, Simpson took only three weeks before returning to city hall. She shares, “I’ll start by saying how grateful I am to the incredible doctors and nurses who took care of me. It was an 11-hour surgery to remove the cancer and conduct the reconstruction, and it was their skill and dedication that brought me through with flying colors.”

Elaborating on her recovery process, she explains, “I think taking that time to rest got me back on my feet faster. I started doing some light remote work from my recliner at home after a week and got back into City Hall after three weeks.”

Reflecting on her diagnosis and subsequent recovery, Simpson believes she now has a greater appreciation for what truly matters; namely, her family. 

She also has seen the Arvada community rally around her, sharing, “I’ve had so many cards, calls, and messages. Folks arranged meals. Seriously, my family didn’t need to cook for a month! It was such an incredible blessing throughout recovery. And it lifted my spirits in ways that I cannot fully express.”

Simpson continues to use her platform, both as a mayor and now a cancer survivor, to urge women to get tested, adding that apart from her own story, she lost two friends last year to stage four cancer, both of whom had waited to see their doctors.

She reaffirms, “I cannot impress enough the importance of not waiting. A routine test, just to check, really can save your life.”

As she focuses on staying grounded in the present, Simpson is ready and excited to continue representing Arvada, whatever the future may hold.