In the Boulder City Council election, in which 13 candidates are competing for five seats, Boulder Weekly endorses Suzy Ageton, Matt Appelbaum, Macon Cowles, Fenno Hoffman and Tim Plass.
Ageton, Appelbaum and Cowles are incumbents who have served the city well and who express a range of Boulder values. They each have strong experience dealing with city issues. While Cowles has taken criticism for his support of tougher regulations on house sizes, we understand the need to preserve the character of Boulder and its neighborhoods. Appelbaum brings sound judgment and institutional memory, having served three terms on council in the 1980s and 1990s. And Ageton, a voice for recreationists, has the skills and dedication to advance important goals related to renewed financial stability, good government and sustainability. We respect the desire of some citizens to gain new blood and a fresh perspective on the council, but considering the learning curve that new council members face, it is also valuable to keep incumbents who are already up to speed on most of the issues, as long as they are performing well.
We endorse Hoffman because he will bring authenticity and a fresh perspective to the council. His answers to our questions, unlike most of the other candidates responses, did not follow the most politically correct, mainstream, conformist views that public officials tend to recite. His experience as an architect and a member of the citys Downtown Design Advisory Board will be a resource to council, as well. We chose Plass because, judging from his answers to our questions and his experience as chair of the citys Landmarks Board, he has a strong command of the issues facing the city and shares our perspective on how to deal with most of them.
Boulder is lucky to have so many worthy candidates.
