Lamar Mayor Kirk Crespin, City Administrator Mitch Hammes share story of positivity and progress for Lamar

Lamar’s City Administrator Mitch Hammes, left, and Mayor Kirk Crespin, right

Lamar Mayor Kirk Crespin and City Administrator Mitch Hammes have a story to tell.  It’s a story about positivity, successes and long-range planning.  I recently met with the two to hear their thoughts on the city and get updated on current and future projects.  To say they are in sync about their hopes and dreams for the city’s future as well as having the same positive outlook is an understatement.  2024 saw the openings of Casa Azteca, AM Breakfast, The Tilted Tee, and the Smoky Moon Lounge.  Crespin said that 2025 started out well with several new businesses opening, including Arby’s, McClave State Bank, and Los Juniors as well as seeing the completion of the soccer field renovation at Escondido Park, and the Maggie Stanley Dog Park completion. The sudden resignation in March by then-City Administrator Rob Evans caused a temporary “hiccup” with progress, which resulted in Crespin and then-Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Tamez stepping up to serve as interim co-administrators while an extensive search began for Evans’ replacement.  As a result, Crespin said, he had the opportunity to gain more insight into how each city department operates, meeting with department heads weekly for in-depth updates.  He credits these department heads, saying he couldn’t have done it without them.  While applications were being accepted for Evans’ replacement, Crespin said that “what was key for the city was not getting ‘A’ person, but getting the RIGHT person”.  “In the end, it worked out well”, he said, adding “we didn’t have to rush – we took our time and found the right person” referencing Hammes.  Hammes was hired in September after several candidates were interviewed for the job. “It was a huge blessing finding Mitch” Crespin said.  The rapport between the two is very evident and they work well together, sharing the same visions of the future of the city as well as having similar work ethics and ways to approach new ideas.

“For me, coming to Lamar was about finding the backstory” said Hammes.  “As an outsider coming in, I had to get to know people and recognize what is right for the community – not what I’ve done somewhere else and duplicating it, but finding what is important to people here”.  Hammes has felt welcomed in Lamar since he arrived and told me about a friend of his who took a job in a small rural community after working in a large city for years.  The friend warned Hammes that it would take a long time to be accepted.  “It took him 15 years to get that that point and I felt like it took 15 minutes here” he joked.  He said he loves how friendly the people here are, saying they are “genuine, authentic people”.  Crespin said that he has worked with several city administrators over the years he has been both a council member and mayor and that “What I see in Mitch is a perfect blend of all of them.  He has qualities you can’t teach”.

Both Crespin and Hammes have similar core principles that they use when thinking about success for the city’s projects. Crespin calls his “the four pillars” that he has implemented since first becoming mayor.  The first of these pillars is good governance, focusing on strategizing and transparency.  The second is economic development – continually focusing on bringing new businesses to Lamar while supporting and helping current ones thrive.  The third is quality of life – asking himself  “do the projects improve the quality of life for those in our area”?  Last is infrastructure.  Crespin explained that all projects, current and future, depend heavily on infrastructure.  This infrastructure includes making sure utilities can support growth.  The proposed new wastewater treatment plant is a perfect example of this.  Adding more housing, particularly affordable housing, is another big goal for the city.  Having solid infrastructure already in place will open opportunities for new companies to come here, helping the city grow to what he feels would be an ideal population of 15,000.  “This shows companies interested in coming here that this is a community that is engaged” said Crespin.

Hammes relies on his mantra of what he calls “the three Ps” – People, Process, and Public Impact.  “Any decision we make or program we consider, who are the people it will benefit, what is the process, and what is the public impact of same?” said Hammes.  “If the process is too cumbersome, the public impact won’t be there.  If a decision is all about the city with no public impact, we won’t do it” he added.  He said his biggest frustration is bureaucracy, saying that after working in government for 25 years, he learned that if a community wants change, they need to call their city council member.  When a constituent calls their council person who then calls the director or city manager, “that’s when things get done” he said.  Hammes jumped right into his role following his hiring, and regularly attends gatherings and meetings throughout the city to get a feel for what is working and what isn’t.  “I don’t want to rely on having an event and waiting for people to show up.  I don’t want to sit in an office and wait for people to come in. If you’re (referring to residents) having a neighborhood watch meeting or a cul-de-sac meeting or whatever, I want to come”.  He encourages residents to call his office (719-336-1364) with any concerns, questions or suggestions. “We need to meet people where they’re at and get better at finding them” he continued.  Hammes added that when he came to Lamar, he asked himself “where is the controversy on this City Council?”  He found none, saying that this is a real, collaborative Council, something unique to a city of any size.  Crespin said he’s heard complaints that the City Council is “rubber stamped” – something he strongly disagrees with.  Due to the frequent Council work sessions and executive sessions, he said that the members are able to discuss and work out any possible disagreements well before the public meetings are held so that each one understands each issue they will be voting on thoroughly.

In 2024, after being re-elected as Mayor, Crespin met with City Council to discuss what direction they wanted Lamar to go, telling them “We’re at a precipice.  It’s up to you where we go. We can tighten our belts and become the best small rural town we can be or we can continue on our path and keep challenging ourselves for more”.  He said it surprised him when Council unanimously and immediately said they wanted to continue on the path, deciding to stay focused and positive and try to grow and take the community to the next level. When the Lamar Safeway store announced its abrupt closing in November, it was a shock to the entire community, including city officials. Crespin said his first reaction was frustration, “getting down on myself a bit”. Council member Brent Bates asked the mayor what they were going to do.  When Crespin replied that he didn’t know, Bates responded with “We’re at a precipice” which, while providing a moment of humor, was “what we needed” Crespin said, saying it brought them full circle and reminded them of Council’s goals for the City and they immediately got to work on a solution. “Within a week of hearing Safeway’s announcement, we (the City) were in negotiations with a regional grocer” said Crespin.  Due to non-disclosure agreements  (NDAs), the store’s name cannot yet be announced, but I was told that an announcement will be forthcoming in early February when the city is free of the NDAs.  “We’re very excited to be getting a bonafide grocery store” said Hammes.  He said the store will offer quality products and will include a bakery, deli and more.  Hopefully, a pharmacy will be added as well.  The company will also have a location in La Junta, occupying that recently-closed Safeway as well.  The Lamar store is scheduled to open before the La Junta location.  Crespin and Hammes are hoping that the addition of this new store will open the door to even more opportunities in 2026.

The City of Lamar’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan was recently honored with a Merit Award from the American Planning Association who said “The achievement reflects the City’s commitment to inclusive engagement, strategic visioning and actionable implementation.  What truly sets this effort apart is the spirit of the Lamar community.  Residents welcomed the planning team with open arms, and shaped a vision that reflects their hopes for the future”.  The Comprehensive Plan was the result of multiple community and staff surveys about what is important to them and what they would like to see happen within the city.  Hammes said “This plan was built by the people, for the people”. The Comprehensive Plan resulted in the formation of a Strategic Plan which will allow the city to implement the suggestions. The City is also currently in the process of hiring someone for a new position, a Public Relations Manager – someone who can be the point of contact for residents seeking answers or guidance, as many people don’t know who to call when they have questions. This person can then direct inquiries to the correct department or person, while also keeping the community informed about what the City is doing.

In spite of all the new businesses and improvements happening in the city, Crespin said he’s aware that some in the community think things move too slowly and are asking why it takes so long to get a new business like Arby’s here up and running, perhaps not aware of all the preparation, legal issues, etc. that need to be done before construction can begin.  “I know that it’s hard to say what people want to hear, which is it’s happening tomorrow” he said.  “With Arby’s, I stayed dedicated.  With the dog park, I stayed dedicated.  People need to trust that things are in motion.  We have a plan, we’re engaged and active and doing everything we can to get things done”.

Mayor Crespin is a big fan of utilitizing social media to keep residents informed. He regularly posts on his “Mayor Kirk Crespin” Facebook page, which he encourages people to follow, as it keeps residents informed about what is going on in the city.  A post he made concerning the letter he wrote to Buc-ee’s inviting them to come to Lamar resulted in a flood of comments – both positive and negative – from residents, which was his intention.  “My intention with the Buc-ee’s letter and post was to show our resilience after the announcement of the Safeway closure.  I wanted the community to know that I took the announcement seriously and that we remain committed to attracting new businesses” he said on a recent post. Crespin said he was fully aware that the likelihood of Lamar getting a Buc-ee’s was very small but said the post and letter got the attention he intended, and that the post went viral. “A front range news outlet shared one of my posts and a person made the comment ‘where in the heck is Lamar??’ and, as the mayor of Lamar, I responded with a simple ‘if you didn’t know where Lamar was before all of this, you do NOW”.  He wants people everywhere to know that Lamar truly is “Open for Business’.

By: Barbara Crimond