Candidate: Nicole Speer
Office: Boulder Mayor
Website: https://nicoleforboulder.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? Yes
Longform Questions – Please limit responses to 300 words or less.
Why do you want to be Boulder’s first elected mayor?
“As one of the most progressive cities in Colorado, we ought to have someone leading our Council who represents the diverse interests of Boulder and is a reliable progressive champion. As a white homeowner, I claim two very privileged identities. I am also a queer woman raised by an immigrant mother without a high school education. I come from diesel mechanics and truck drivers, service members, farmers, and construction workers.
I’ve been on City Council since 2021 and it is because of my background that I have focused on making local government more transparent and accessible for workers, young people, renters, low income people, queer and trans people, students, seniors, immigrants, BIPOC folks, and people with disabilities. As we face a climate crisis, a housing and homelessness crisis, and a growing economic crisis, and more, we need more diversity to maximize our creativity and help us be better problem-solvers. It is essential to have a leader who recognizes that we are all harmed when we leave perspectives out of our policy decisions, and who has proven experience bringing diverse perspectives into local decision-making.
As an inclusive leader, I have decades of experience inspiring and teaching diverse groups of people to work together and create change. As a scientist I have a unique ability to use evidence rather than political expediency to guide my decisions. As a current City Councilmember, I have a proven commitment to our city’s values of sustainability, equity, and resilience. And as a long-time Boulder resident and mom of two high school students, I have the knowledge, relationships, and investment in our city’s future to help us navigate the challenges we are facing.
Transformational change requires transformational leadership, and that is why I am in this race.”
When was the last time you paid rent, and where was that?
“July 2009, Boulder”
Boulder County has experienced extreme natural disasters over the last decade, including flooding and wildfire. How do you plan to address these challenges?
“Last fall, voters approved a Climate Tax raising $6.5 million per year to fund city-level climate resilience efforts. Voters also approved a bonding measure allowing us to borrow against these funds so we can do more for climate action and wildfire resilience sooner.
I supported raising the revenue generated from this tax from the $5M initially proposed to the $6.5M that passed, dedicating an extra $1.5M/year to wildfire resilience. Because these funds come from regressive taxes on energy use, I also advocated for prioritizing these funds for those most at risk from climate extremes and natural disasters.
The Climate Tax will fund the following: cash assistance to homeowners, landlords and businesses for energy efficiency upgrades; microgrids and energy storage to support resilience and renewable energy development; residential and commercial building electrification, expansion of transportation electrification projects and electric vehicle charging stations; advancement of nature-based climate solutions like the Cool Boulder initiative and ecosystem regeneration; funding for a dedicated fire risk assessment team; grants to support residential wildfire risk prevention measures like vegetation management, fence reconstruction and roofing/siding replacement; strategic undergrounding of power lines; weed management and invasive species removal; and updating and implementing a revised community wildfire protection plan for open space properties.
I support a climate resilience and risk assessment for each parcel of land in the city and an equity analysis of our open space charter. Climate crisis changes will rapidly endanger entire sections of our ecosystem; we need ecological monitors focused both on ongoing restoration work and maintenance. OSMP spending should start to shift to land regeneration and maintenance, to provide resilience against desertification. Keeping carbon in our lands, and regenerating soils and trees to absorb more carbon will help reduce emissions in the coming decades.”
How do you think you stand out from other candidates?
“I am the only woman, scientist, worker, mother, union member, and member of the LGBTQ+ community running to be Boulder’s first elected Mayor. These are substantive differences that shape my character and hone my skills as a leader. Diverse leaders create more innovative and collaborative teams and find more effective solutions to challenges.
We’ve had many of the same people in positions of power in our city for decades, and have inadvertently created a city that primarily works well for people who are white, straight, cisgender, abled, wealthy, and homeowners. Unfortunately, when we are experiencing crises we all feel the impacts of narrow decision-making. Restricting development and density for the past 50-60 years, for example, pushed 60,000 Boulder workers and students to live in nearby cities, leading to an influx of cars, noise, and pollution. People’s inability to afford living in our city is not only causing pollution, it is causing staff shortages, reduced sales tax revenue, some of the highest housing prices in the country, and rising rates of homelessness.
A mentor recently taught me a word that captures the moment we are living in: “polycrisis” We have a climate crisis, an economic crisis, a housing crisis, a mental health crisis, rising authoritarianism and militarism, and more! Addressing our polycrisis will require fixing the systems that caused these crises by including and fostering diversity. These are critical times for our city, and those on the margins understand best the stakes we are facing. For decades, I have been leading organizational change by building diverse teams capable of changing the status quo. I am committed to creating a city that works for all of us, and I have the skills to get us on the right track.”
What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
“Do you see rising authoritarianism and white supremacy as threats to Boulder’s workers, residents, students, and visitors, and if so, what specific actions are you taking to combat it?”
What are your solutions for the growing population of people experiencing homelessness?
“Solving our homelessness crisis requires a commitment to science, lived experience, collaboration, and creativity.
Homelessness will continue to get worse unless we start focusing more on prevention. Our food banks and human services agencies are seeing historical levels of need, so it is no surprise homelessness increased by over 30% along the Front Range in 2022. People can’t afford rent. Science shows that small amounts of one-time emergency assistance to people who are about to become homeless can prevent homelessness for at least 2 years. If we want to stop homelessness from growing, we need to invest in prevention.
We also need to support evidence-based solutions to homelessness. Built for Zero is a proven approach to ending homelessness that is currently being applied to ending homelessness for veterans in the Denver Metro area. Thanks to the region’s Built for Zero efforts, veteran homelessness decreased by 31% last year even as homelessness increased in the Denver Metro region by ~32%. Houston has reduced homelessness by 63% in the past decade using a Built-for-Zero type of approach. This model works.
No city has ended homelessness overnight. Boulder will not reach this impossible goal either. While solutions like Built for Zero will have significant long-term impacts, we can and must do better to manage issues related to unsheltered homelessness, such as trash, public defecation, and mental health and addiction crises. Installing public bathrooms, having more frequent trash pickup, and our new mental health can mitigate some of the impacts while we work on long-term solutions.
I recently detailed this issue and solutions in a brief paper linked on my website under the section titled “Homelessness, Housing, and Affordability” (www.nicoleforboulder.com).”
What’s your plan for creating more affordable housing in Boulder?
“The time to create affordable housing in Boulder was 20-30 years ago. Our housing ecosystem was disrupted by limitations on growth, and we have not been building enough housing to meet the need. This is leading to more and more people who are unable to afford basic costs of living (e.g., food, energy) because their housing costs are so high.
This council has agreed on the need for solutions to our affordable housing crisis, and we have made some critical changes that will help limit the rise in housing costs such as changes to occupancy, zoning,land use, and incentivizing the construction of smaller units over large, expensive housing units.
It is important to understand that these changes will not create affordability in the short-term. Research shows that these types of changes will slow the pace of housing cost increases in the next 5-10 years (and slow increasing rates of homelessness), but they will not by themselves create affordability.
We must continue to work on land use and zoning changes that allow for more housing, while ensuring those changes are leading to a more sustainable and resilient city (e.g., including microgrids, urban farms, universal design standards, low-carbon materials, and absorbent landscapes in new developments).
We must increase funding for affordable housing, which we are already doing by initiating changes to our inclusionary housing program that will ensure people who are building large single-family homes are paying into our affordable housing program.
Finally, while we wait for these changes to make a difference in housing costs, we need to prioritize basic needs assistance and minimum wage increases for people who cannot wait 5-10 years for more affordable housing.”
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?
“Including carbon emissions from in-commuters, transportation is the single biggest factor in Boulder’s carbon emissions. Our city’s population increases by about 50% each workday due to people who arrive for work or school in single-occupancy vehicles. Cutting back on even 10 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per day for one in-commuter will reduce carbon emissions by 1 metric ton/year. Addressing emissions means earnestly beginning the decades-long work it will require to reshape our housing and transportation systems to reduce in-commuting and create 15-minute neighborhoods that are welcoming, walkable, bikeable, and have robust public transit. In order to reduce emissions in our residential or business sections we must work toward housing diversity and optimize our transportation system for something other than cars.
Embodied carbon is another big contributor to carbon emissions, though we haven’t measured it in the past. I supported the recent push to get embodied carbon recognized and accounted for in new building projects. Embodied carbon is the carbon that goes into the creation and transportation of building materials as well as the end-of-life emissions created when buildings are demolished and materials are removed. When we build a new energy-efficient building, we are typically not accounting for the carbon emitted to generate that building. Considering the carbon emitted during the entire life-cycle of construction projects, and any consumable goods, will help us ensure we are meeting our goals to reduce emissions.
Land degeneration is another factor that contributes to carbon emissions, and as our climate becomes hotter and drier, our land will be at risk of desertification. This would release a large amount of carbon as soils dry out and blow away. Focusing on regenerating and maintaining our soils and natural ecosystems and reducing our dependence on irrigation will also help us reduce emissions.”
What are your goals for transportation and how will you achieve them?
“My goal is for fewer people to need cars. This requires walkable neighborhoods, public transit, and safe walkways and bikeways.
We have some pretty significant changes coming that will improve public transit as well as biking and walking. All of this is being funded by regional collaborations that involve existing city, county, state, and/or federal funds. In this most recent Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) cycle, our city is receiving almost $50M in funds for projects in the city of Boulder or for regional connections.
RTD is also experimenting with expanded no-fare months and no-fare systems for people aged 19 and under. This is wonderful, too.
Improving cycling infrastructure is underway with the Core Arterial Network, and we continue to receive funds to support this important work. As we have safer arterials for bicycles, continue to offer e-bike rebates, and expand micro-mobility options (in partnership with local businesses, governmental organizations like CU, and nonprofits), we can reduce people’s need for cars.
We need to be designing pedestrian paths to universal design standards, where we aren’t just designing for abled people but are incorporating the needs of those living with disabilities, too. This means not only sidewalks that accommodate people using mobility assistive devices, but also that accommodate people with vision or hearing impairments, neurological disorders and mental illnesses. Universal design standards that line walkways with trees and water-absorbent natural landscapes will get us to where we need to be, while also allowing us to meet the goals of our Cool Boulder initiative and our equity and inclusion goals.
Some new housing developments are implementing car/ride sharing programs. This is an interesting avenue to consider incentivizing, not just for residential areas but for businesses, governmental organizations, and nonprofits (e.g., the way CU Boulder subsidizes micro mobility programs).”
How do you plan to engage with non-English speaking constituents?
“I will continue to engage non-English speaking constituents by continuing to show up in non-English speaking communities and prioritizing their concerns. The issues of concern I hear most often from non-English speaking constituents revolve around issues such as: wage theft, discrimination, lack of safety due to lack of documentation, lack of affordability, lack of spaces for community, lack of culturally competent healthcare providers, and bias and discrimination from English-speaking community members, employers, and landlords.
As our demographics shift in the coming decades, it is going to be critical to create a city that is welcoming to immigrants. We are facing a future where the majority of our population growth will come from the 65+ population. As our population ages, our city must be prepared not only to compete for a smaller pool of domestic workers, but to be a city where immigrants want to live and work. Without attention to this looming issue, our lack of accessible and affordable housing, along with our community’s struggles with racial equity, will make other cities more appealing places to live and work for many in our state’s increasingly diverse population.
To prepare for these changes, we must advocate for state and federal legislation that enables international workers to more easily live and work in our city, and to transfer their professional licenses to the United States. We must partner with local businesses, schools, colleges, and universities to fill training gaps by providing more job training opportunities for immigrants, and support programs like CU’s Immigration Legal Defense Clinic that are providing legal support to immigrants. I would like to see Boulder create an office dedicated to supporting immigrants, as Colorado’s new Office of New Americans has done.”
How does diversity factor into your policy making?
“Diversity has factored into every decision I have made as a current City Councilwoman, and diversity should impact every choice we make in terms of developing policy.
Our lack of diversity in policy makers – and policy making – is a big part of the reason we are experiencing so many crises. For centuries we have failed to recognize the importance of diversity, or explicitly tried to stifle it. We must make our decision-making processes more inclusive of renters, workers, youth, low-income households, BIPOC folks, the LGBTQ+ community, seniors, people with disabilities, women and non-binary people, and everyone whose perspectives have traditionally been excluded from policy-making.
We can do this by making Council more accessible to a broader range of people (e.g., paying a living wage, eliminating bias and discrimination), and ensuring that those who are most impacted by decisions have the biggest voice in our policy-making (e.g., by fostering relationships with advocacy groups such as the Center for People with Disabilities, and by expanding the influence of our Community Connectors-in-Residence program). We are taking steps in this direction, but it will be crucial to ensure this work continues and grows in the coming years.”
How will you reach residents who have different lived experiences than you?
“I will continue doing the work I have been doing for years: noticing whose perspectives are missing in policy-making discussions, showing up to those communities, building trust and relationships by listening to their needs, and partnering on solutions.
When people know they can count on you to not just talk about inclusion, but to act in ways that show you value their perspectives as much as you value your own, it is much easier to reach people with different lived experiences.”
Rank your top 5 issues in priority.
- 1. Raise the minimum wage (including paying council members, board, and commission members a living wage);
- 2. Understand and prepare for changing demographics to ensure our city remains vibrant and economically viable in the coming decades;
- 3. Address the climate risks we, our lands, and our ecosystems are facing by continuing and expanding programs that protect and regenerate our ecosystems, protect against wildfires and flooding, and mitigate the impacts of climate change;
- 4. Expand the development of smaller, more affordable housing by continuing to relax zoning and related regulations, incentivizing smaller homes, and bringing remodels and additions to single family homes into our inclusionary housing program to generate more funding for affordable housing;
- 5. Use evidence-based solutions to end homelessness in our community, including the provision of short and long-term supportive housing with wrap-around treatment services (mental health and addiction) and focused attention on preventing children and families from experiencing homelessness.
