Increasingly in Colorado, policy-making is happening at the local level under “local control.” City councils, county commissioners, mayors, and professional staff hold power over major issues like affordable housing, labor requirements, products and services regulation, economic development, water and energy policy, and transportation development and investment. Like any other job, holding elected office requires an understanding of impacted parties and functions in one’s role. L3’s mission is to strengthen Colorado’s communities by recruiting, training, and supporting pragmatic and solutions-oriented civic leaders.

Leveraging Local Leaders (L3 - 501 c3) seeks to identify, recruit, and train a diverse and promising group of citizen leaders in Colorado’s communities to run for office or otherwise engage meaningfully in local politics giving them the tools to be successful servants and their constituents effective policy-makers. We provide expert training and mentorship on how to run for office, while educating on top public policy issues to ensure citizens are prepared to run and govern well.

This six-month program meets one day per month from January through June, in which students learn how to run a local campaign while also learning about major public policy issues and governance processes from the most accomplished experts in the state. To date, L3 has trained 38 people in four cohorts between 2021 and 2024. Numerous graduates are in the pipeline to run for office, with five having been elected and four having led successful citizen initiatives.