A new political committee has formed in Littleton.
Formed by former city councilmember Amy Conklin, Littleton Grows Together has a vision to keep Littleton a forward-looking community. It intends to accomplish this by supporting affordable housing, transportation improvements and prioritizing the environment and community building, Conklin said.
“Littleton Grows Together is committed to ensuring that competent, passionate, qualified people get elected to serve on Littleton’s City Council,” Conklin said. “The candidates the committee supports will understand the broader issues impacting our community and want to forge a path forward into the future; respecting the past without being confined by it.”
Conklin served as a Littleton councilmember from 2003 to 2007, after she served on the city’s Planning Commission from 1992 to 2000. She was a founder of the Littleton Leadership Academy and is now is co-chair of the Littleton Community Retreat, which is a nonprofit that holds educational events for residents to learn about the city and the issues it faces. She recently helped draft Littleton’s Environmental Action Plan while serving as a member of the Environmental Stewardship Board. Conklin also has owned a water consulting company for 17 years.
While Conklin is the face of the committee, she works closely with the other volunteer members to run the group.
The 2025 Littleton City Council election has already kicked off with Mayor Kyle Schlachter and councilmember Pat Driscoll already announcing their run for mayor and two individuals running for District 3, Amanda Henderson and Curtis Samuelson..
Conklin said she is particularly concerned about Rooted in Littleton’s petition that she said would make Littleton more exclusionary and negatively impact the city’s economic viability.
“The intent and wording of the petition seems problematic for our community as city council discusses in its May 27 study session,” Conklin said. “The intent also conflicts with all of the work this council and previous councils have done on developing housing policies that have been incorporated in our Comprehensive Plan after lengthy community engagement.”
Conklin said since Littleton’s birth in 1890, the town has gone through numerous shifts that were once resisted, but met the evolving needs of the community.
“Littleton has met the challenges of a changing world and thrived because of sound, forward-thinking leadership through the years. Littleton Grows Together supports candidates who are open-minded, who build wide community support through proper engagement with all who live here, and not primarily funded by small, specialized interest groups with a hidden funded agenda,” Conklin said.
Some notable changes that Littleton made that Conklin highlighted was the then-controversial addition of the Regional Transportation District’s light rail in the city in 2000. Conklin said she recalled people who argued that no one would use it, but it turned out to be an asset for locals.
She also noted that another positive change was when Littleton signed a service agreement with Denver Water after the flood in 1965, and when the city built its own museum and library in 1965 and 1970 respectively, something she said took strong, brave visionary leaders to complete.
Littleton Grows Together hasn’t yet announced any endorsements for this upcoming election as its members are interviewing Littleton City Council candidates.
When it comes to deciding which candidates the committee will endorse, Conklin said the committee will inquire about the candidates’ vision for the city and policy, including their understanding of the regulations the city faces and how the council operates.
“We’ll also want to know if they have what it takes to receive and process feedback from the diversity of people that make up Littleton,” she said.
Conklin said. “Because we live in a representative democracy, where we elect people to learn about the complicated issues in our community, rather than voting on every issue directly, I think it’s important to ensure that thoughtful candidates capable of understanding our complex times are supported.”