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Commissioner Lynn Baca
13 Plays1 month ago
We’re kicking off our brand-new podcast with an exclusive interview with Board Chair Lynn Baca! In this premiere episode, we dive into Commissioner Baca’s priorities, key initiatives, fun facts and learn more about how Adams County is making a difference for YOU.
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Transcript
Introduction and Overview
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to All In Adams, the official podcast of Adams County government, where we're all in for our residents, our employees, and our community. So whether you live here, work here, or you just want to know more about what makes Adams County a great place to be, thanks for tuning in.
00:00:20
Speaker
We're all in, Adams. Hello and
Meet Nikki Kimballton
00:00:24
Speaker
welcome to the very first podcast of All in Adams, where we are all in for you in our community, our employees, our residents.
00:00:32
Speaker
We are so excited to be here. My name is Nikki Kimbelton. I am the Director of Communications for Adams County. And our
Women's History Month with Lynn Baca
00:00:37
Speaker
very first guest making history today is the chair of our Board of County Commissioners, Lynn Baca.
00:00:43
Speaker
Great to have you. Thank you so much, Nikki. We're excited. i We are. We're making history, right? Yes, we are. Not only that, you know, one thing I wanted to bring up, um it is um Women's History Month.
00:00:54
Speaker
And you're making history along with three other colleagues ah as the four out of ah four women out of five on our board of county commissioners. That's exciting. It is exciting.
00:01:05
Speaker
So first time in history in Adams that we have four women serving um as board of county commissioners or county commissioners. And then we have Steve Odorizio as well as serving in his final term. Can't forget Steve. He's great. He's coming up on a later podcast, too, so you're going to get to
Lynn Baca's Background and Vision
00:01:21
Speaker
know him. So we're going to ask you today um some questions. serious questions, just some about your background, some about your vision for Adams County, the exciting things that are happening, um the great things that we have to offer our community. But then we're going to go to kind of a lightning round and have a little bit of fun so people can get to know you ah just a little bit better and just some fun things um that you prefer and just stuff about the county. So fantastic.
00:01:42
Speaker
Thank you for being our first official official guest. We're super excited. All right. So first question is a pretty easy one.
Baca's Inspirational Career Path
00:01:48
Speaker
Just tell us a little bit about you and your background. So my background is I grew up in Adams County.
00:01:53
Speaker
So I grew up in the county seat, which is Brighton, Colorado. I still live there, went to Brighton 27J schools, and it really was the community that shaped me. So growing up, I saw elected officials, county elected officials, city council members, ray you they're regular citizens in community. I see them at the grocery store, at restaurants. And um I actually started, one of my first jobs was here at Adams County. I started as an elections clerk.
00:02:20
Speaker
So I really got to know the elected officials and I was like, these people are just normal. They're not someone on high and they represent us. And that really inspired me. Like I can do this, but it was later, much later on in life, 30 years later where I got my inspiration. So I'm an ovarian cancer survivor and that really inspired me to run for office. So while I
From Elections Clerk to Leader
00:02:42
Speaker
was on treatment, um,
00:02:45
Speaker
extended ah treatment, chemotherapy, um I started volunteering in my community. And I became a community volunteer and I was active in the Brighton community, um served on their Parks and Rec board.
00:02:57
Speaker
And I got recognized ah by the mayor pro tem and he encouraged me to run for city council. And I've never looked back and that was like 12 years ago. And that's fantastic. And that's a ah ah ah long time to give to public service.
00:03:09
Speaker
We're happy that you do. And thanks for sharing a little bit about my next question was going to be about your passion and your inspiration. But thank you for sharing about that. One thing I want to just go back to um is, you know, that and I've heard you talk about, you know, you were an employee here at Adams County. and I think that gives you such a unique perspective to to the needs of our employees.
00:03:27
Speaker
It does. And, you know, really gives me a unique perspective to the citizen. I think more than anything is that I, as an employee, got to see and serve and our citizens. I worked in elections.
00:03:40
Speaker
I did a little bit of time um working in the motor vehicle department. And I know people say, if you're frustrated, just leave your county. And that's not it. So it really, for me, was about delivering customer service at a very young age, working as an employee, is that we are service oriented. That's been my mantra. I've been in public service now for 30 years, working for equally um county as an employee and also working in a city as an employee. So it's really that service component. And how do we serve the public? That really gets me.
00:04:12
Speaker
Yeah, and I i love that. and And it's great to see that you've continued that into your your ah career as ah and ah as an elected official yes and and a public servant. um
Preserving Adams County's Heritage
00:04:22
Speaker
What would you say are some of the things that really um inspire you and that you're passionate about that we provide to the community, that we provide to those citizens?
00:04:30
Speaker
Love this question. So my background, my grandpa was a vegetable farmer right here in Adams County. And who knew that life would come full circle. And so one of my biggest passions is open space, preservation of farmland. um We cannot save all the farmland and all the open space, but it really brings me a lot of joy that these are legacy projects that generations of Adams County residents and our kiddos will still have open space, farmland, trails, um to go out and enjoy, to recreate and you know go for a bike ride or go walk around the lake at the Adams County Regional Park.
00:05:07
Speaker
um Those are things that I'm really passionate about. And it started a you know, my, ah yeah a young, young girl with my sisters and my brother of playing at my grandpa's farm.
00:05:19
Speaker
And we would race sticks down the irrigation canals and we would go play in the crate yard and on the hay hay bales. And so i want our future residents, especially our kids to have that open space and to have space where they can play and feel safe and comfortable in.
Adams County's Growth and Development
00:05:37
Speaker
One of the questions I was going to ask you is, is there a specific story or time that you can think back to that really made that shift for you? That has made you into who you are today? Is that it? Is that the story? That is the story. really is my grandfather's story of being an immigrant from the Philippine Islands and really living the American dream of being a business owner and a landowner and a property owner.
00:06:00
Speaker
I'm raising my mom and her siblings here in Adams County and all of my cousins that we grew up in Adams County. And that really is the passion and the drive of I didn't know, you know, many decades later, i would be advocating for farmland preservation and open space and,
00:06:17
Speaker
That really started a lot of it. is And we're changing. We're one of the top five fastest growing counties in Colorado. And so we knew this once DIA, who's celebrating their 30th anniversary, um we knew that economic development and more residents would come to Adams County. So that really fit in well with my passion for farmland preservation and open space and recreation.
00:06:40
Speaker
Okay, so that segues really well into into the next question. So there are
Local Treasures of Adams County
00:06:44
Speaker
and we are the fast that we are at and growing incredibly fast. Lots of people moving to our area. We're seeing lots of development.
00:06:50
Speaker
um What are some of the things that you want to share with folks that you know that might be new to the area um as far as some of the the hidden gems, the best places to experience in Adams County? Places to experience.
00:07:01
Speaker
And, you know, that said, like, I mean, our parks, obviously, I mean, we have an amazing series of parks. um But whether it's that, whether it's restaurants, is there is there anything that you would suggest? If you could tell somebody how to spend the day, what would you tell them?
00:07:13
Speaker
Oh, so quintessential to Adams County is definitely in the summers to go to the farm stands. Oh, yeah. Yeah. They're local yeah um local farmers, local producers. So there's plenty of them in Brighton. There's two or three that I attend, go to regularly.
00:07:28
Speaker
um And then craft brewing really took off. Yeah. Here in Adams County, probably across the nation. Prost is one of one of the You know, we did an economic development um proposal along with North Glen and Prost moved out of Denver and their production is in North Glen.
00:07:44
Speaker
So there's a lots of craft brewers also in Brighton. So I think enjoy the outdoors. I think that's why people come here. And so enjoy, you know, the food and maybe a beer on the patio.
00:07:55
Speaker
um Enjoy the open space. I'm always really curious and ask, you know, people why Colorado and why Why Brighton or why Adams County? And i think it really was 2020 where people were like, you only live once and I'm moving and they moved here without a job yeah or an apartment. And so it's really fascinating to hear their stories. And I think people are attracted to Colorado and Adams County really for the open space and the beautiful weather.
00:08:20
Speaker
And I love how that answer was like really well-rounded. You're basically like, eat your vegetables, but also go have a beer. Go have a beer. Go enjoy the sunshine. But also get your vegetables. Yeah. um So another question I want to ask you, is there um any piece of advice that you've ever received that you think has really kept you on track or or initiated that track?
00:08:39
Speaker
Yeah.
Leadership and Vision for the Future
00:08:40
Speaker
Yeah, so i working in government, I was um in purchasing and I remember when I took, was voted, at nominated, and I won the election as chair ah a government association and someone pulled me aside and their advice to me was lead, follow, or get out of the way.
00:09:00
Speaker
And so you know, different times in your life, whether it's personal, professional, it's like I always try to check myself of what is my role here? I leading? um do i need to encourage others to also lead and to step up? I have a really good friend that asked me to serve in transportation. um And I really appreciate those little tidbits. um Her name is Karen of...
00:09:23
Speaker
seeing something in me that I didn't see in myself to really get into leadership um on different boards and associations in the community. Yeah, well, we're very fortunate to have you. and and Thank you. um Love it. Yeah, it's and it's also, I have to tell you, from from just being able to attend you know public hearings with you, um it's really wonderful to see the way that you connect with with not just our employees, but with but with everybody in our in our area, our residents as well.
00:09:48
Speaker
um Yeah, it's it's definitely an honor to have you here and to serve as chair. And that brings me to my last really serious question. Then we'll get into some fun ones. okay um what What is your vision or for the next four to five years for this board and and what we're bringing to Adams County?
00:10:06
Speaker
We have so much going on in Adams County and to watch it from the time I grew up till now and being part of community. We have one of the youngest counties.
00:10:16
Speaker
I think our our average age here in Adams County is like 37. So when I go out and meet with schools and I meet with students, we are going to be the workforce for Colorado. We'll come from Adams County.
00:10:28
Speaker
We have some exciting things happening in at the Colorado Air and Spaceport. We put a lot of investment there. We have an international partner that's going to come in alongside of us. It's um Altitude X. So really looking forward to suborbital travel and the research and development that goes into that.
00:10:46
Speaker
um The economic development that's going to happen on the eastern side of Adams County is really exciting to me. um And we have all of the interstates here in Adams County. Bringing everything together. When I'm out in community, I hear people, they're like, we want a Whole Foods, and why do I have a warehouse? It's because we have all the interstates. We're a logistical hub.
00:11:05
Speaker
um So all the interstates are here. all of the we have all the railroads are also in Adams County. So it really makes us um a hub for commerce. And I think you see that with Amazon and the growth of Amazon.
00:11:17
Speaker
you know, home shopping and that will continue. But I think what will really continue is we'll continue to see a lot of growth in Adams. And we're really at the cusp of influencing on how do we look at building networks differently, building relationships with business, with our schools, um with our unions. What does workforce development look like? How can we keep everyone connected and moving forward?
00:11:42
Speaker
So there's a lot going on in Adams County, and it's such an exciting time to be here. It really is an exciting time. You know, they say when you're in a downtown, it's cranes in the air. But when you're in more of you know a suburb, it's construction projects on every corner. and and And you're seeing it. I mean, it's fantastic. Everything from what the chicken and pickle to...
00:12:00
Speaker
the or yeah To the Target um distribution center. yeah I mean, yeah, it's it's really exciting to see that. We have earth movers out here. So we don't have the cranes in the air. We have earth movers. I love that.
00:12:12
Speaker
Okay. So some fun questions. All right. um So the first one, um if your life had a theme song, what would it be and why? Life had a theme song. That's a really good question.
00:12:24
Speaker
um i will survive oh comes to mind. That's good that's a good karaoke song too. think the best advice is, um you know, I think a lesson that could be taught and learned early is that you get knocked down 10 times and you get up 11.
00:12:38
Speaker
It's been, and i that's what I love about Adams County and our community is that we have a lot of grit of getting things done and and continuing no matter how many times you get knocked down.
00:12:48
Speaker
I love it. Gloria Gaynor. Yeah. Yeah. It's again, the one of the best karaoke songs you can ever take. You can really get behind it. I love it. um Okay. If you could have dinner with any historical figure or famous person, whether it's someone who is with us or, you know, came before us, who would it be and why?
00:13:05
Speaker
Oh, that's really interesting. um I'm not going to go political.
00:13:13
Speaker
I think... Still a current person. I'd like to sit down with Oprah Winfrey. you So many interviews, so much experience. And, you know, just watching her when I grew up of not just her story, but things that she's learned. um She's also can be a little controversial as of recent, but i just think what was her path and what, what would advice would she give someone that was coming up, whether it's in communications or ah do you put your best foot forward? Or she had,
00:13:44
Speaker
so many experiences being in her show with so many wonderful guests and historical figures. Her story
Personal Insights and Future Goals
00:13:52
Speaker
is a fascinating one with so many different levels and and and layers. Yeah. I love that.
00:13:58
Speaker
um Okay. So another one would um i let's see. What's one thing on your bucket list that you have not done yet?
00:14:10
Speaker
One thing on my bucket list, travel to Europe. and Okay. Okay. That's good ones That's what's on my bucket list. Run a 5K. Ooh, Foster K 5K. I know. It's coming up. It's too soon. Well, no, no, no. I have something for you. It's one of our next podcasts, just to give you guys who are listening and watching a little a little preview, we're going to do From the Couch to the Course in 30 Days.
00:14:34
Speaker
So we're going to have we're going to have a trainer come on and tell us how to go from the couch to the course in 30 days in order to train for that 5K. We're also going to have a foster family come on as well so they can talk about our wonderful program that we have at our Human Services Center um to encourage that and also to encourage participation. But we're just trying to make sure that nobody has an excuse. You know, I'll do it with you. i I'll do it with you. was saying we need to start a Team Adams County and do the...
00:14:59
Speaker
Couch to 5K. We should do the couch because I am literally couch to 5K right now. Yeah, I am. Okay. Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you want to share with with the folks who are listening and watching? No, I really appreciate this time, a new way to communicate with residents. This is the new thing. And I'm just really excited about Adams County. There's a lot of people in the room and to support a podcast. And thank you so much, Nikki.
00:15:23
Speaker
Really appreciate it. Oh, one more thing I didn't ask, yeah which I think is a great question. Are you binge watching anything right now? Or like what's what's your what's your like favorite tv show? My favorite TV show, really nerdy. So one is The Voice that I do for entertainment. Love the Voice. The other one is Finding Your Roots with, um I can't remember the gentleman's name, and it's I'm marking my age here because it's PBS. Yeah.
00:15:44
Speaker
And when my parents used to watch PBS when was young, was like, wow, they're really old. But it's a historic um journey about you know different figureheads or different i've yeah actors, actresses. Yeah.
00:15:57
Speaker
I'm probably older than you. I've seen it. Yeah. So that's just a fun entertainment, but really the voice. Do you have a favorite judge? Oh, I think Kelsey is killing it this year. yeah so if you, if you were singing and they all turned around, which team would you go on?
00:16:15
Speaker
Oh, that's a hard one. Um, I'd be between probably John and Kelsey. Yeah. Very nice. yeah Okay. John legend, right? John legend. Okay. Yeah. All right. Just making Cause the cast has changed.
00:16:26
Speaker
Okay. So great. I followed the cast for yeah over a decade. Yeah. Yeah. They've been great. Thank you so much for sharing the fun, like just the fun facts. yeah Um, and also your vision for what's in the future.
00:16:39
Speaker
We really appreciate all the work you do. Thank you so much. Please have me back. Oh, we will. Okay. We've got many more podcasts coming for you. So stay tuned. That's a wrap for this episode of All in Adams. Thank you for joining us as we explore the people, programs, and the policies that make Adams County a great place to live, work, and thrive.
00:16:59
Speaker
If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know. We're all in for bringing you the stories that matter most.
00:17:10
Speaker
Until next time, take care of each other and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X. We're all in, Adams, and we're all in for you.