New city of Boulder code enforcement officer Chris Mosher prefers a different job title.
According to Mosher, his part-time role isn’t to enforce so much as it is to educate. That’s what the former Bend, Oregon resident wants to prioritize.
It’s a different position for Mosher, who spent the last 14 years with the city of Bend’s water department, but he’s ready to switch gears, both in terms of career and community.
“I found myself not fulfilled in Bend,” he said. “My lovely wife Sara and two boys, Andrew and Wyatt, also were ready for a change. Both my wife and I have been in management for a number of years and have found ourselves a little too stressed out.”
This isn’t to say the job he has now won’t have its own level of stress, but Mosher is ready to take it on. Most importantly, he’s ready to lend an ear.
“What I’ve found interacting with people here is that, be it complainant or offender, they just need to be listened to,” he said, “and – the way I look at – I’m the resource for them.”
Mosher said he firmly believes a majority of the people in the community who want their issues resolved just don’t know the right way to go about it, and he’s here to facilitate.
“This position, in my eyes, is all about engagement,” he said. “That’s what it takes to be successful, and if I have to be a mediator in a situation to make this happen, I’m happy to do so.”
According to Mayor Rusty Giulio, Mosher’s approach seems to be working.
“[Mosher] really goes about it in the right way,” Giulio said during the Nov. 3 Boulder Transition Advisory Committee. “He’s been out on the job and has actually started to clean some things up on a couple residences. He got some cars moved across from the [Montana Highway Patrol]. That was probably a priority to start there since they are always driving by.”
Mosher said he’s pleased to already have some results, but he certainly doesn’t take full credit, as he said the team around him – Giulio, Public Works Director Dennis Wortman, City Clerk Ellen Harne and accounting assistant Rose Perna – are instrumental in such efforts. Working with this crew, he said, has been a pleasure.
So far, Mosher said he’s been blown away by the kindness and generosity of community members. This won’t always be the case, Mosher understands, but he will always do his part to be respectful and will try to work together with others to improve upon situations creating tension.
“For me that’s what it’s about,” he said. “I’m here to partner with the community. I’m here to build relationships, I’m here to mend relationships. Also, I’m not here to change things. I’m here to improve upon what already exists.”
As far as goals are concerned, Mosher said it’s absolutely critical people in the community feel heard.
“That’s my number one goal,” he said. “I want to make sure I contact every person who has submitted a formal complaint. I want people to know I hear their concerns and I am working on them.”
Another priority for Mosher – and one Giulio mentioned he’s already had success with – is the beautification ordinance.
“As a property owner, you shouldn’t have to look at your neighbors’ garbage or junk cars,” he said. “I want to help people in these situations and hope to work together with the community on finding solutions.”
Ultimately, however, when it comes to goals, what comes first for Mosher is identifying the needs of the community.
“Eighty percent of my job right now seems to involve dog nuisances,” he said. “Solving the barking dog issue is ongoing. Unfortunately, living in city limits, dogs bark, but a continuation from four in the morning until 10 a.m. is unacceptable. That’s where I step in.”
Mosher said he’s already had some visits with community members on this front and, so far, 100 % of those he’s talked to have owned up to the issue and “are doing their best to fix it.”
When it comes to the dog issue, Mosher said he’s not afraid to respond to needs that go beyond his job description.
“I went and chased a dog down the other day that I was scared was going to get hit on the highway,” he said. “Luckily he had a tag and I was able to be productive and get him back to his owner.”
As far as Mosher is concerned, such an action is just one example of what it means to be a public servant, and that’s how he sees himself, which is another reason he wants to change his title.
“A code enforcement officer sounds pretty aggressive to me, and I want to soften that up,” he said.
Harne agrees it’s a good idea to change the image of the role.
“We hired for the position to be more community-coordinated and try to think outside the box,” she said. “We need to enforce, yes, but we need to go about it in creative and realistic ways.”
Mosher’s title change is actually an agenda item at the Nov. 21 City Council meeting. The proposed title is “community improvement coordinator.”
“I like this because I’m not an enforcer; I’m here as a friend, as a resource and not just to follow the law of the letter,” Mosher said. “I want to resolve issues before it has to go down the path of being vetted to the council. And, sure, there will be people who will push back pretty hard, and that’s OK.”
All in all, however, Mosher said he’s encouraged by his first month in the position and is excited to take it as it comes.
“This is a marathon, for sure, but as long as the community here supports whoever is in this role in a positive fashion, success will follow.”
