John Gates has always been clear about one thing: experience matters.
And the longtime Greeley Mayor knows the only one way to gain all that experience is to keep learning.
That’s why when he had the opportunity to join the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Federal Advocacy Committee for the National League of Cities, he jumped at it.
“I want to see if there are any national trends or ideas other jurisdictions have had in dealing with crime prevention or other public safety issues. Thats the reason I got involved,” Gates said. “Not because I needed one more committee, but it might be something that could benefit us here in Greeley.”
The National League of Cities is an organization comprised of city, town and village leaders from across the country that focuses on improving the quality of life for current and future constituents, according to their website.
Gates said Greeley joined the National League of Cities a couple years ago at the direction of then-new City Manager Raymond Lee.
“So far I would say it’s been beneficial,” Gates said. “ I’ve been to a couple of conferences and they talk about really pertinent issues municipalities are facing everywhere. So it’s a lot of good training.”
At one of those conferences last November in Atlanta, Gates said a board member approached him about the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee. Gates — who’s spent the past 45-plus years focusing on exactly that — seemed like a perfect fit.
The Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee is fairly self-explanatory. It focuses on issues involving crime prevention, substance abuse, municipal fire policy, disaster preparedness and relief and other issues.
Gates has spent the past 21 years serving as head of security for District 6 — a post he plans on stepping down from in June. Before that, he retired as a sergeant following a 25-year career with the Greeley Police Department.
But before applying for the committee, Gates looked to council member Johnny Olson. Olson served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee last year — a committee to which he was reappointed again this year.
“I asked Johnny (Olson) when I applied, ‘do you find this worthwhile?’” Gates said. “And he said, ‘yes, it’s not only worthwhile, but its very beneficial to our community.’”
Gates said he had almost forgotten about the application until he received an email late last month letting him know he was appointed. In March, he’ll be off to his first meeting — at the 2024 Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C.
“I’m excited to see what it’s all about,” Gates said. “I don’t know for sure, but I’m excited they selected me and I’m anxious to hit the ground running. Whatever I can do to contribute, I’ll certainly do that.”
Gates said he couldn’t be more proud of the job Greeley police are already doing. But, as with everything, there’s always room for improvement.
“I’d really like to say ‘well, we’re doing everything we can in Greeley to minimize crime,’” Gates said. “But I think it’s always wise to have the mindset that folks can always do better.
