Candidate: Jennifer Robins
Office: Boulder City Council
Website: https://jennyforboulder.com/
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES:
Yes/No Questions – Please answer only with yes/no.
Are you a homeowner? Yes
Do you think your City should add more beds to the homeless shelter? Yes
If the City police force was fully staffed, would you advocate for adding more officers? No
Do you believe there’s a need for more housing? Yes
Do you believe the City should spend more money on homelessness services? No
Longform Questions – Please limit responses to 300 words or less.
Why do you want to be a council member?
“I became involved in city government because I was concerned about some of the things I saw happening throughout the city. We haven’t been making enough progress. The current council has not done enough in many areas including environmental matters and public safety. As a parent, I believe our city can improve opportunities for every family and youth, a vulnerable yet hopeful demographic. I know where we stand as a city, where we are lacking, and where we can do better. I want to keep Boulder a safe and thriving city for the community. People deserve safe spaces to recreate, clean air, safe transportation, and additional mental health services and support. I am excited to be part of the solutions that make Boulder all we know it can be.
I’m eager not just to be a part of solutions, but to champion them. This endeavor requires collaboration and unity, underlining the importance of Boulder’s relationships with the University of Colorado, Boulder Valley School District, Boulder County, and neighboring cities and towns. Understanding that Boulder can’t resolve every challenge alone, I am confident that through coordinated efforts and partnerships, we can collectively foster the change we aspire to see. Boulder needs a positive council that has the ability to get things done. I believe that my experience lends well to being an effective council person.”
When was the last time you paid rent, and where was that?
“Chicago 2011”
Boulder County has experienced extreme natural disasters over the last decade, including flooding and wildfire. How do you plan to address these challenges?
“Fire and flood are a serious public safety issue here in Boulder. Since the 2013 flood and the Marshal Fire and other catastrophes, our Office of Emergency Management has been working diligently to learn from the disasters that our community has already been through. Some of the steps we can take to address these real challenges include, installing additional early warning systems and public alerts that will provide residents with important information. We can develop more robust emergency evacuation plans including accessible routes and temporary shelter locations for residents during disasters. In order to make these plans effective, we need to continue to explore ways to engage the community in our existing notification infrastructure such as channel 8 and our existing web platforms and newsletters. With additional community outreach, we can further educate residents about the risks associated with flooding and wildfires, as well as the steps they can take to prepare and protect their homes.
In addition, we should leverage the existing Climate Tax to perform infrastructure upgrades, provide grants, and request additional federal funding to support residential wildfire risk intervention such as greenery management, fence replacement and roofing/siding replacement. Lastly, I will continue to work through our partnership with Xcel to underground all possible power lines throughout Boulder.”
How do you think you stand out from other candidates?
“I am a devoted community activist with a professional background in telecommunications and television production. I am passionate about maintaining Boulder’s unique character and serving its residents. I have demonstrated leadership skills through my experience serving on HOA boards, where I successfully managed budgets, property, and major contracts. In my professional experience, I have led diverse projects, ranging from wireless carrier technology upgrades to large-scale commercial productions, consistently achieving both financial and creative success. I also possess valuable experience in land use and zoning, as well as regulatory compliance, including historic preservation and landmark usage.
My involvement with numerous local organizations, including the Boulder Valley Humane Society, EFFA, Attention Homes, A Precious Child, Hometown Heroes, Share-A-Gift Toy Drive, and the Boulder County Foster Program, showcases my unwavering dedication to community service. My impact as a troop leader for two Girls Scout Troops here in Colorado, where I have worked to foster a sense of community and environmental activism for our youth, provides for a unique ability to understand and represent our youth, an underrepresented and vulnerable part of our community.”
What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
“I would ask all: If you received $2 million dollars to use for anything in the city, what would you do with it and why?”
What are your solutions for the growing population of people experiencing homelessness?
“We can’t group the unhoused into one group, there are families experiencing homelessness, individuals, seniors, veterans. Boulder does a good job of working with the portion of the unhoused community who are actively working to exit homelessness. We need to continue outreach to the individuals in the encampments to get them involved with coordinated entry and the many services that are offered in our city, while prioritizing the expansion of county funded mental health and substance abuse programs. These programs should provide mental health teams through sections of the city for better engagement and de-escalation with the ability to steer the high utilizer portion of the unhoused population to treatment and services. The county also needs to assist Boulder by creating sober supportive transitional housing facilities with on site services and permanently supportive housing. In addition, I am committed to working to increase affordable housing and streamlining city processes to allow for more affordable housing opportunities. I would like to explore the option of micro-communities, where we could move groups of people into tier 1 housing. The unhoused have communities just like you and me. If we can work with the encampments in that light, I think that the level of success would be much greater than trying to move people into individual housing and removing them from their existing personal support structure. I will lobby for a portion of the County’s Affordable Housing Extension Tax (Issue 1B) to be used for these purposes.
The unhoused are a very vulnerable part of our community. We have an obligation to help those in need. We also have an obligation to provide our community the ability to enjoy the city and feel safe, and too often that is not the reality they are experiencing. A small portion of the homeless population makes a negative impact on our community by way of overrunning public spaces and transportation, theft, trash, creek pollution, property destruction, and ongoing safety issues for city workers. Encampments are not a compassionate solution. The average life expectancy of the homeless is 42-52 years old. It is a clear fact that the homeless experience a disproportionate level of violence. The compassionate solution to homelessness is to prevent the encampments in Boulder and require the unhoused population to participate in the many services that we offer.”
What’s your plan for creating more affordable housing in Boulder?
“I support our inclusionary housing policies and commercial linkage fees. I would like to continue to leverage the cash in lieu to secure additional funding from the state and federal level.
I believe in growth, but I also believe in maintaining the existing major charter and zoning ordinances such as the blue line, green belt, and the height restriction. We need thoughtful growth. We have to do this in a way that brings people together. I support strategic zoning reform to allow for slightly higher densities and gentle infill in certain areas. These areas can include our vacant or aging business and industrial districts where we can rezone to create multi-unit housing as mixed use near transit corridors. We need to re-evaluate parking requirements where we have mass transit. We need more affordable housing for middle income earners, families, seniors, and students. Any zoning reform should be partnered with an affordable housing component.
We have to work with the existing neighborhoods to accomplish this. We should protect the existing residents and maintain single family neighborhoods where people are most passionate about character and development. Reform cannot be successful without the active engagement of our community. It is crucial to involve residents, local organizations, and stakeholders in decision-making processes.”
How will you address climate change? How do you plan to meet some of the City’s climate goals, like reducing emissions by 70% by 2030, becoming a net-zero City by 2035, and becoming a carbon-positive City by 2040?
“We need to consider the environment in every decision that the council makes. I want my kids to grow up in a healthy environment with clean water and air in a livable climate. To reach the goal of net zero emissions, I think we have to focus on a number of strategies. These include using more renewable energy and reducing demand through better urban planning.
From a land use perspective, we need to allow multifamily housing to be built along certain corridors, particularly those served by transit lines and featuring commercial and mixed-use development. We need smarter urban planning to help significantly cut down on the need for vehicles, particularly by curbing urban sprawl. Investing in urban development that’s both low in carbon emissions and resilient to climate change impacts is crucial for reducing city emissions and addressing climate change. We can require new construction to use renewable energy such as solar. We also need to maintain open space and park and wildlife corridors.
Transportation is a major contributor to energy consumption, especially in cities. In addition to urban planning, we can increase incentives for electrification of personal vehicles, work with RTD to electrify their fleet, and consider electric vehicles in the city fleet. We should work to minimize personal car use, transition buses to electric, and encourage active mobility like walking and biking or using public transit.
Currently, we use fossil fuels like natural gas and fuel oil for heating, which releases greenhouse gasses. Electric utilities are aiming to produce power with near-zero emissions, which opens up the possibility of electrifying heating systems, making them emission-free.
From a commercial perspective, we can start simple by taking measures such as painting roofs white to reflect sunlight and installing rooftop gardens or greener buildings with vertical gardens. In regard to lifestyle, animal products are very carbon intensive. Waste less, eat what is in your fridge. Agriculturally, we need to work on additional community gardens, vertical farms, and sourcing more local farms and producers.
Boulder should focus on making sure that Xcel is doing its part on meeting state mandates on both CO2 and methane emissions, particularly in regards to its local policies (reducing the leakage rate from its in-town facilities) and state policies. Our partnership relationship with Xcel should be leveraged for both in-city and system-wide emissions reductions.”
What are your goals for transportation and how will you achieve them?
“Transportation accounts for 29 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Many people in our community have to drive to work, shop, and go to school. This conversation comes back to rezoning to create housing in areas where we have mass transit and walkable mixed use neighborhoods, such as our existing commercial districts. We also need to increase the safety and usability of RTD. I think the Vision Zero program that is currently in place is a great starting point to improve the safety of our pedestrians and cyclists.
We need to increase our bike share, continue to incentivize Ebike purchases with rebates or tax credits.
RTD needs to be more reliable. I think that there should be an additional tax to help fund RTD. But I think that the City and County of Broomfield and Boulder County, which never received the commuter rail or bus rapid transit promised under the last sales tax increase, should be exempted from these proposed sales tax increases. RTD should also be working with the state for additional funding. They should also be providing additional subsidies and incentives for low income earners to ride the RTD.
Overall, we need more community engagement and education about transit and provide cost effective safe infrastructure. Boulder should work on many fronts: collaboration with and additional performance expectations of RTD, collaboration with the Boulder County consortium of cities and Northwest Corridor efforts to add regional connection options that maximize transit and micro-mobility options, and full support for transportation electrification initiatives.”
How do you plan to engage with non-English speaking constituents?
“I think there are many ways to engage our non-english speaking constituents. We should continue to provide information and communication materials in multiple languages, offer training to city employees and officials to enhance their cultural competence, and provide language access services such as interpretation and translation services during public meetings. We can appoint community liaisons who can bridge the communication gap for non-English speaking residents. Lastly, we can hold community workshops and forums on specific topics of interest for non-English speaking constituents. All of these options should provide an opportunity for engagement and feedback.”
How does diversity factor into your policy making?
“Along with considering the environment in every decision the council makes, we should also make sure we are considering diversity and equity. We need to ensure fairness and equal opportunities for all. Inclusive policies ensure that marginalized or underrepresented communities are actively involved in decision-making processes. Boulder currently has a comprehensive racial equity plan and has made great strides in shaping its policy making. I believe continuing to reach out to our underrepresented portion of our community to be sure we can listen to the voices that we can hear is paramount. In addition, we should continue working groups and staff training to refine our plans in real time.”
How will you reach residents who have different lived experiences than you?
“I approach this role with an open mind, dedication, and a commitment to ensure everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Even if our views don’t align, I believe in the power of active listening and engagement and pledge to work with everyone and find realistic routes to solutions. I’ve learned that it’s in these challenging conversations that we find progress. I come to this process from the perspective that everyone has something valuable to contribute to every conversation. Listening is so important. These are the same values I teach my kids.”
Rank your top 5 issues in priority.
- Public Safety: Municipal Court reform
- Permitting Reform: Overhaul of our existing processes and systems
- Unhomed: Steering individuals to our exisitng services and working with the county for additional mental health services
- Environment: Protecting our open space
- Housing: Regulating to create the opportunity for more affordability
