Heart of Broomfield: ‘She gets things done.’ Tessier honored as Walter P. Spader award winner
- Sydney McDonald
- Apr 6, 2023
- 3 min read
If only one thing comes across from this story, this year’s Heart of Broomfield Walter P. Spader award winner Sharon Tessier said it should be that she couldn’t do the work she does without the Broomfield community.
“My intention behind being the winner this year is to come across as someone who collaborates, motivates and partners with others because I couldn’t do any of this alone,” Tessier said.
The Walter P. Spader award is a lifetime achievement honor for a proven community leader who has “made Broomfield a better place,” so it’s fitting that you might know of Tessier for many different reasons.
As someone who grew up in a hardworking family without much financial stability, Tessier said her passion for helping others succeed came from “knowing what it’s like to hustle.”
“From a very young age, I just knew that I loved working with people and seeing them thrive,” Tessier said. “I know what it’s like to hustle and do what you can to live your best life.”
Tessier turned her life experiences and passions for helping into a successful stint on the Broomfield City Council from 2013-2021.
Her interest in running for city council began shortly after she and her husband moved to Broomfield and qualified for a housing repair program that allowed them to afford some much-needed repairs on their new home.
“I emailed the council at the time to let them know how great the program was and got a few responses,” Tessier said. “I realized at that moment that there was no one on the council that represented me and my family.”
Coined as the person who “gets things done,” by colleague and minister at The Refuge Marrton Dormish, Tessier made it her point to do as much for housing equity in Broomfield during her time on council. Her passions for equitable housing on council led her to her current position as the Housing Programs Manager for the City and County of Broomfield.
“It’s really come full circle,” Tessier said. “I’m now in charge of the home repair program that my husband and I used when we moved here.”
Tessier said her goal in this position is to create good policy that can help build a strong community in Broomfield.
“We are only as strong as our most vulnerable neighbors,” Tessier said. “Most people are only one to two checks away from housing insecurity. This is a huge deal, and I believe that the residents of Broomfield want to understand this issue and participate in the resolution.”
Dormish wrote in his nomination of Tessier that she embodies the best of Broomfield.
“Curiosity, a desire to hear all sides of an issue, the willingness to sift through all those different sides, passion for our most vulnerable neighbors, stick-to-it-iveness,” Dormish wrote. “Both in her work as a city councilperson and as the housing program manager at FISH, Sharon has lived and breathed the ideals of service, selflessness, humor, faithfulness and vision.”
Sticking to her statement that she couldn’t do it alone, Tessier said nothing she has accomplished could have been done without her husband and children, as well as the support she has received from the city and organizations in the community she has been constantly working with, like Broomfield FISH, The Refuge and many more.
Tessier said she was honored to find out that the Executive Director of FISH Dayna Scott was one of the many who nominated her for this position.
“Simply put, Sharon changes the trajectory of lives.” Scott wrote in her nomination. “She spreads hope and joy by helping low-income residents find their strengths and improve their circumstances. It’s not simply offering resources and support — she believes in people and helps them believe in themselves, too. People who were living on the street or in their van now have a roof over their heads because of Sharon. The difference she has made is incredible to witness.”
Being honored for the work she loves to do, which “doesn’t really feel like work,” feels weird, but it has shown Tessier how other people in the community see her and the work she and her teams have accomplished.
“It’s weird to be an award winner for doing what I love and what is a part of who I am as a person,” Tessier said. “To know how other people see me in the community is really beautiful. It’s very humbling to say the least.”
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