A Plan For Boulder

All candidates should have the same pressing issues at the front of their platform:

Environmental protections and fire resilience;

Affordable housing;

Homelessness and the mental health crisis ;

Safeguarding our people and businesses from the economic and political instability reflecting from the Federal government;

How these issues are addressed, the way we listen to our peoples voices, and the concessions we are willing to make are what will qualify a good city council representative

Environmental Protections and Fire Resiliance

  • The city needs to help people to modify their homes, not force them. In the long run I believe this will save the homeowners money, the city will get what it needs, and creates avenues for better relationships between builders and the Planning and Zoning board

  • The changes made to the Boulder building code have taken quite a bit of research, and much progress has been made. Still, these regulations will be useless if the bureaucracy of the permitting progress prohibits homeowners from updating their homes to make them more fire resilient. I believe that excessive fees and regulations don't encourage adherence to code, they are incentives to avoid professional consultation.

  • We need to monitor and update our water resources and infrastructure (for reasons not just related to fire). Beyond that, the best ways to put out fires is to prevent them. This goes beyond building code and open space policy, but also education and community preparedness. This involves inter agency coordination and cooperation that is vital to the strength of our city.

Affordable

Housing

  • While we do have provisions within Title 9 of the boulder municipal code that should allow for inclusive housing, what we have seen in nearly every neighborhood in boulder is that when developers come in they will build luxury condos. The cash in lieu exemptions essentially provide a relatively small tax, and while it provides income for our affordable housing fund we will never get our city back. The city needs to take a firm stance against development that has exclusively resale in mind, or we will loose the charm of our neighboorhoods, and what little diversity we are holding onto in this city.

  • The city has allowed for small businesses, and housing units to be knocked to the ground, with the only replacements being condos. We are facing a critical point with our trailer parks, as well as community gathering places being threatened by mindless development. While a city must always be under construction to stay beautiful, it can not be at the cost of peoples existing homes, or the destruction of small business. Even when development is necessary, serious and long term plans need to be made not just for future residents, but also for the tenants that are currently there.

  • Despite the fact that half of the city of Boulder rents, we have limited protections to help them in shifting economic tides. We have to prioritize these community members if we want to preserve the integrity of our city.

Homelessness and the Mental Health Crisis

  • When we face complicated problems, we need to understand the root causes, and not just address the symptoms. When I volunteered with bridge house I learned that a majority of the unhoused in Boulder have either fallen on hard times or are struggling with addiction and mental health. With a minority that simply are choosing to live on the streets. We need to prioritize local and regional efforts to provide better and more accessible facilities for those struggling with addiction or mental illness.

  • Saving up for a car, a security deposit, and a few months rent is a steep uphill battle for an unhoused person. We have city programs and independent non profits that address this, but there is more we can be doing. We must continue to help the non profits such as Bridge House or Building Home, but also create more solutions for people who want to help themselves. There are dense, short term living solutions that can help people living month to month. This would mean allowing boarding houses, shared kitchen units, or hostels where people can eat and clean in order to better stabilize their lives in these difficult times.

Safeguarding against Federal challanges

  • As we face times of economic uncertainty, we need to reevaluate our budget, and our priorities. We have to recognize that bloated civil projects is where a large portion of our budget is going, and start divestment so that we have appropriate funds to allocate where it matters

  • It is of the utmost importance that we protect our citizens, regardless of immigration status, from federal forces such as ICE. This means providing adequate forum and support for information on rights, but also ensuring that our local law enforcement does not participate in deputization or cooperation with federal forces.