My Priorities:

    • Continue to be a strong partner with our housing authority– Boulder Housing Partners–as well as Habitat for Humanity and other non profits to provide housing for residents earning up to 80% of AMI (Average Median Income).  We can achieve our goal of making 15% of all housing permanently affordable by 2035!

    • Prioritize in-fill development and make it easier to build duplexes, triplexes and ADU’s on single family lots.

    • Support modest residential in-fill within industrial areas, minimizing any displacement of local businesses.

    • Protect and support our manufactured housing (“mobile home”) communities, including conversion to resident ownership.

    • Continue to study the possibility of development in the portion of the Area III Planning Reserve that adjoins the city.

    • Support the city’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Services (EPRAS).

    • Increased investment in wildfire mitigation to reduce risk (and potentially lower home insurance rates).

    • Increase Boulder’s deciduous tree canopy to help keep us cool.

    • The two priorities above may appear to be in conflict, ie more trees = more fuel for fires.  But they’re not if we do it right.  The type of trees and where we put them are key considerations.  Focus on deciduous trees that do well in drought conditions.

    • The updated Climate Action Plan offers an exciting array of strategies around climate mitigation, equity and resilience.  Since electricity is our biggest source of emissions, decarbonizing our power grid deserves continued focus, engagement with and pressure on Xcel Energy.

    • Support clearly defined community engagement.  Sometimes it’s informational.  Sometimes it’s gathering input to help craft policy.  Other times it’s to get feedback on specific proposals.  Engagement will always be a top priority for me but I want to be clear each time about what we’re asking for from our community when we do it.

    • Continue to improve efforts to make the city budget accessible and understandable for residents.

    • Clear communication.  With any project or program, we need clear communication to residents before, during and after decisions are made.

    • If the $400 million deferred maintenance bond proposal before voters this November is approved, we will need on-going, clear public communication on progress, costs and challenges that emerge.  The BVSD’s Citizen Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) is a good model for maintaining transparency, accountability and public trust.

    • Burying powerlines.  While this infrastructure is owned by Xcel Energy, the city has an important role to play in this critical aspect of reducing power shutoffs and wildfire risk.  Good progress has been made but there is more work to do, including on South Broadway to the city limits and beyond.

    • Water & sewer, streets & paths, parks & rec centers -these are fundamental to our quality of life.  It takes dedicated funding to stay on top maintenance, rather than only using what’s left over after funding all our other priorities.

    • Prioritize distributing proceeds from the city’s dedicated arts & culture tax directly to artists, venues and nonprofits.

    • Look for sensible, safe ways to support Boulder’s economy at all times of day, including in the hours when nightlife is the main attraction.