About Joe

Who is Joe Komperda?

With recent Candidate announcements for the Longmont City Council Elections this fall, many people have asked “Who is Joe Komperda, where did he come from, why is he running for City Council and what are his qualifications?”  Perhaps I can answer some of those questions in this forum.

My full name is Joseph J. Komperda, Sr. but my friends call me Joe.  I have lived in my current home on the south side of Longmont since March 1998 after arriving in Longmont in December 1997.  I am just an “Average Joe” who, like many others in town, is making ends meet while raising a family and trying to live by the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do to you”.  I was born in Chicago in December 1956 and grew up in both the Chicago and Northern Illinois areas graduating from Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1975.  Given the historical ties between Longmont and Chicago it is somewhat ironic that I landed in Longmont.  I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering with concentrations (or a double major) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in June 1979.  I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Signal Corps and served on Active Duty in the Army for five years.

In 1984 I resigned my Army commission was re-commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve.  At that time I joined IBM as a Staff Engineer/Scientist and worked on Federal Government projects for both the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Department of Defense.  In 1985 I joined the Virginia National Guard as the Aide to the Adjutant General and the Military Aide to the Governor.  I served in the Army National Guard of Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, Florida and Delaware for the next 23 years retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in July 2007.  Concurrent with my National Guard service I worked for IBM, Loral, Lockheed Martin, SAIC and once again for IBM in various high technology positions including Systems Engineer, Information Technology Architect, Software Development Manager and Project Manager.  In all of my military and civilian positions I have had the opportunity to operate in both technical, management and leadership roles.   I have been certified by the Project Management Institute, the internationally recognized center for Project Management, as a Project Management Professional (PMP) since 2000.   I have held positions in both technical and management areas along with working in sales, marketing and business development at various times throughout my career.

After reviewing this quick “resume” you may ask why am I running for City Council and what qualifications do I bring to the City Council race?  My background plus the expertise and knowledge that I have developed over the past 30 years give me a unique set of skills that will allow me to effectively represent the people of Longmont.  As an “Average Joe” I understand the constituency that I will represent because I am just one of the “guys”.  At the same time I have the vision, insight and foresight forged through my extraordinary set of experiences that will serve the city well.

During five of the last eleven years I have served on the Board of Directors of my Homeowners Association on two different occasions interacting with the city on many issues including development of an Industrial Park near our subdivision, street construction and traffic control in and around our homes plus development of a new housing development on land that was initially designated for an Elementary School.  These years of service whetted my appetite for public service within my hometown yet my National Guard service precluded increased levels of participation.  With this being the first local election since my military retirement, I am finally in a position to expand my service to my city, especially since much of my life has been spend in the service of both the country and the state.

As an “unknown” within the political landscape of Longmont, I am not beholden to any political party, special interest group, organization or association.  As a retired military officer I often think of things in “black and white” yet I am well aware that there are many shades of gray in between.  As I evaluate the issues facing our city, I will be able to draw upon both logic and reason forged through my dual military and civilian careers while demonstrating the “human touch” developed as a leader under a diverse set of circumstances and experiences throughout my life.

It is time to demonstrate fiscal responsibility in the manner in which we run our great city.  My project management background and knowledge of the principle of the “triple constraints” indicate that if we cannot generate the revenue we need to provide the services our citizens want then we must make some hard decisions on what we must cut.  On the other hand, if we do not want to make those cuts in services, then we must find ways to generate the revenue we need.  In order to produce more revenue we need to keep dollars coming into the city via viable retail establishments, we need to attract new businesses to create additional jobs and to increase our tax base plus we need to provide an environment where existing businesses can expand and add to the revenue and employment that they already provide.

These changes will not happen “overnight” but it is time to begin the process of adjustments that will lead to change as soon as possible.  I submit that I can assist in shepherding those adjustments into lasting change that will benefit all of the inhabitants of Longmont.  As we used to say at West Point: “Cooperate and Graduate”.  It is now time to help forge a spirit of cooperation within the City Council that will allow our city to “graduate” to the shining example of efficiency and effectiveness that our citizenry wants and deserves.  I can help spearhead the efforts to effect that change.   

Hopefully these remarks provide the reader with some insight into where I came from, where I “stand” and what I represent convincing the citizens of Longmont to “GO WITH JOE”!