Voices of Change: Councilwoman (2019, NR) Screening & Conversation

Councilwoman 2019 | NR, 57 min.

Followed by a conversation with Longmont Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin, & Longmont City Councilmember Crystal Prieto.

Join us for the inspiring story of Carmen Castillo, an immigrant Dominican in Providence, Rhode Island who wins a seat on City Council, taking her advocacy for low-income workers from the margins to city politics while balancing her day job as a hotel housekeeper.

Co-presented with the Longmont Multicultural Action Committee.

Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring is a longtime Longmont resident, public-school educator and community advocate. Elected mayor in November 2025, she became the first person of color to serve as mayor of Longmont after making history in 2019 as the first Latina elected to the Longmont City Council. Her mayoral term extends through December 2027.

Hidalgo-Fahring moved to Colorado with her family in 2004 after accepting a teaching position with St. Vrain Valley Schools. A proud mother of three, she credits her children and students with inspiring her commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive community. Her civic involvement has included volunteering with St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and Longmont Dance Theatre.

Before becoming mayor, Hidalgo-Fahring represented Ward 3 on the Longmont City Council for two terms and served as mayor pro tem. During her council tenure, she advocated for affordable and attainable housing, mental-health and crisis-response services, support for locally owned and underrepresented businesses, environmental sustainability, safer streets, and strong public institutions including Longmont’s library, museum, parks and recreation facilities. She also served as a commissioner of the Longmont Housing Authority and supported its restructuring and development of permanent supportive housing.

Hidalgo-Fahring’s leadership experience also includes serving as vice president of the St. Vrain Valley Education Association, participating on its bargaining team, and representing Northern Colorado on the Colorado Education Association’s Equity Council for Race and Culture. She has served as a delegate to both the Colorado Education Association and National Education Association representative assemblies and has worked as an organizer and advocate for public education at the local, state and national levels.

As mayor, Hidalgo-Fahring represents Longmont on the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Longmont Economic Development Partnership, Metro Mayors Caucus, Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition, and Platte River Power Authority. Her term expires in December 2027.

Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin is a longtime Longmont resident dedicated to advancing social, economic, and housing justice. Elected in 2020 as the first Latina to serve on the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners, she was reelected in 2024 to a second term extending through January 2029. Her work centers on creating opportunities for families throughout Boulder County and the Front Range.

Commissioner Loachamin represents Boulder County through several regional organizations and initiatives, including the Consortium of Cities, Mobility and Access for All, Metro Area County Commissioners, and Workforce Boulder County. Appointed by Governor Jared Polis, she also serves on the Colorado Workforce Development Council.

Before joining the Board of County Commissioners, Loachamin led a Community Foundation Boulder County initiative highlighting the essential role cultural brokers play in inclusive community decision-making. She also partnered with the City of Longmont to launch the Resiliency for All Project, which was later adopted statewide by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to help underserved communities participate in disaster recovery and resiliency planning.

A former educator and longtime housing advocate, Loachamin has helped hundreds of first-time homebuyers achieve homeownership while promoting economic stability for families. Her previous leadership roles include serving as a national trainer for the Hispanic Wealth Project and as president of the Metro Denver Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. She has also taught homebuyer education for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and served on numerous community boards, including those of Longmont United Hospital/Centura Health and High Plains Bank.

Crystal Prieto is a Longmont City Council At-Large representative, human services leader, and community advocate with more than a decade of experience working across systems to support families, strengthen programs, and build partnerships. A Latina and longtime Longmont resident, Prieto brings lived experience, deep local knowledge, and a service driven approach to public service. Elected to City Council in 2025 through a grassroots campaign, she remains grounded in the people and experiences of the community that believed in her and encouraged her to step forward and serve.

Throughout her career, Prieto has worked across the county, school district, city, nonprofit, and other human services systems. This experience has given her a broad understanding of how policies, programs, and institutions intersect in people’s lives and has allowed her to connect the dots between these systems, identify gaps, and bring people together around shared goals. Her work has included family strengthening, prevention, program development, resource navigation, and advocacy, shaping a practical and systems minded approach to addressing complex challenges.

On City Council, Prieto has focused on expanding access to affordable and attainable housing, strengthening the community safety net, and ensuring city services and programs respond to the needs of residents. She brings the experiences she has gained working directly with families and community partners into conversations about policy and the future of Longmont, with a particular interest in ensuring that residents have accessible ways to contribute to the decisions that affect their lives.

Outside of her Council role, Prieto serves as a Family Development Specialist with Emergency Family Assistance Association, where she works alongside families to navigate complex systems, overcome barriers, and pursue goals related to housing, employment, behavioral health, and family stability. She also serves as the City Council liaison to the Youth Council, Multicultural Action Committee, and Boulder County Consortium of Cities, as well as a Colorado Municipal League representative, Longmont Urban Renewal Authority Commissioner, Longmont Housing Authority Commissioner, and Strategic Education Committee Member for EFAA. Across these roles, Prieto is committed to creating pathways for emerging leaders, particularly young people, to step forward, contribute their perspectives, and see municipal government and public service as places where they can make a difference.

This program is part of our Thursday Nights @ the Museum series. Join us every Thursday from Sept. 3 until Dec. 10 for concerts, films, and free talks in the Longmont Museum’s Stewart Auditorium.

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