May Albrecht

By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

May Albrecht (formerly Soricelli), a trustee on Berthoud’s town board, is seeking another term in the upcoming election. Albrecht loves Berthoud and would like to continue the current board’s work by maintaining the town’s quaintness while also managing growth.

Moving to Berthoud in 2013, Albrecht fell in love with the town. She made connections around town by writing for the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor and was disheartened by the contentious political landscape within the board at the time. This led to her desire to bring unity and peace to the board.

After being hired as a public information officer for Berthoud’s fire department, Albrecht ran for mayor. While this would ultimately not work out, the current mayor, Will Karspeck, approached her one day and suggested she run for a trustee position. This path into municipal politics worked out, and Albrecht would earn her seat in April 2020.

In addressing the issue of growth, Albrecht says that many people have moved in and developed a love for the town like she did, and so she emphasizes the desire for every development to fit the charm of Berthoud. While recognizing that there is little the board can do when it comes to different businesses coming into town and having to comply with deals made by previous boards, she says that they do have the power to enforce codes so that new developments will fit into the charm.

The biggest challenge with growth, according to Albrecht, is ensuring the town has the resources to address it. Water and infrastructure are necessary to keep pace with growth, and Albrecht says that the current town staff are up to the task.

“They’ve hired some amazing people in the last few years who are doing a great job of making sure that our resources are keeping up with growth,” Albrecht said. She also says that part of growth management is to ensure no one is harmed in the process.

Concerning locally owned businesses, Albrecht believes the board is helping but could be doing more. She would like to see more tourism in town and potentially put up string lights to “make it feel more active and alive during the evenings and weekends so people get out and enjoy what (Berthoud has) to offer.” She also believes that listening to business owners to hear their concerns is an important part of being a trustee.

There is no singular issue for Albrecht that takes priority over others, but she has criteria for importance.

“Is this going to serve other people? Is it going to preserve our history? Is it going to maintain the beauty of Berthoud? It’s just trying to take everything through that lens of like, is this going to, to make people feel (at) home and (that) it’s safe here in Berthoud?” Albrecht said.

The first two years of Albrecht’s term was not a peaceful one, she said, but the past two years have been much better. She says that the trustees respect each other and meetings have been concise and productive, something she wants to maintain.

Through Albrecht’s experiences in Berthoud, she has established connections with first responders, local businesses, nonprofits and the historical society. She feels these connections will help guide her through another term as a trustee.

As to why Albrecht feels people should give her their vote, she said, “If they feel like I’ve done a good job, then they are welcome to reelect me and I would be honored.” She adds that it is a heavy burden to hear out, represent, advocate and serve the people and that she is not doing it for herself, she is doing it for the residents of Berthoud.