City of Boulder Council Candidates
Vote for no more than five (5)
Names appear as they do on the example ballot. Endorsements appear in bold.
Mary Young
John Gerstle
Matthew Appelbaum
Kevin Hotaling
Macon Cowles
Jonathan Dings
Ed Byrne
Micah Parkin
Greatful Fred Smith
Andrew Shoemaker
Sam Weaver
Boulder Weekly has been endorsing council candidates for decades, and it is not an exaggeration to say that this is one of the best, most capable collections of council candidates to ever come along.
Each candidate, through his or her worldview, talents and experiences, has something of value to offer the citizens of Boulder. That said, there are no perfect candidates.
We are endorsing the five candidates who we believe have the best grasp on the many problems facing Boulder residents today.
This is important to note because of those in the race bring great expertise in only certain areas.
As a group, nearly every candidate is dedicated to the city’s progressive environmental ideals. Some in the field are truly experts and leaders within the environmental community. But in 2013, that’s not enough.
Likewise, every candidate stated their commitment to full transparency in local government. But not every candidate believes that such transparency should include full disclosure of all of their business partners, including those in limited liability corporations (LLCs) as a prerequisite to being on council, even though this is clearly the intent of the city charter’s disclosure provision that was written to prevent both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, which can be just as destructive to government as the real thing. We understand that not everyone wants their business dealings made public and that is perfectly fine, but if a person feels that way, they should refrain from running for city council.
Boulder is facing many issues, from municipalization to how to help the homeless, from drinking restrictions on the Hill to how to regulate and tax marijuana. We face a public transportation problem that can only be solved by regional cooperation, and we must decide if affordable housing should still be a goal for Boulder or if affordable housing is now, realistically, in east county. We have flood issues and height recreational marijuana that are on the issues and density issues and the list goes on and on.
With all this in mind and much more, Boulder Weekly is
endorsing the five candidates for council that we believe will bring
the best ideas and problem-solving skills to city government.
View all of Boulder Weekly’s endorsements here.
