Several times in the past weeks, people have asked us "Who is Boulder Election Watch?"
We are a media organization. We are dedicated to educating the public through our consolidated listings of newspaper articles and election information as well as our interactive tools, including the discussion forums and this candidate weblog. The "candidate blog" gives council candidates a unique and unbiased platform to interact with the public and debate issues.
We will be endorsing candidates next Monday, Oct. 6. These endorsements are similar to those of any other news organization, such as the Daily Camera or the Rocky Mountain News. Our endorsements will be voted on by our editorial board composed of 5 average Boulder citizens and based primarily on our candidate surveys. We do not have a "litmus test" issue; the editorial board represents a diverse range of opinion and all issues will be given appropriate consideration.
At BEW, you will continue to find unique content AND a comprehensive listing of all other Boulder election resources.
UPDATE:
The members of our editorial board:
Dan Hilton
Matt Plummer
Colleen O'Brien
Katie Salsbury
Alaunde Copley-Woods
Former City Council Member Steve Pomerance sent us information about a recent survey of 300 Boulder city voters on issues including growth, housing, and transportation. Some of their findings include:
On Growth and Growth Paying Its Way: A clear majority of Boulder voters (56%) feel there should be little or no more growth in the City, while 80% say that some additional growth is OK, as long as development pays enough to maintain current levels of services, and traffic congestion and the City's water supplies don't get any worse.On Commercial and Industrial Growth:
If ever there were a time that Boulder residents should value the increased availability of jobs, it would be in today's tight economic times. Yet adding enough commercial/industrial development to accommodate 50,000 to 60,000 new jobs is overwhelmingly rejected by Boulder voters, by a 59% to 25% margin.On Affordable Housing:
Allowing 10,000 to 15,000 more housing units to be built in Boulder would result in an additional 2000 to 3000 more units of affordable housing. While this may be a laudable goal, voters oppose it by a 54% to 31% margin, even given the benefit of the increased affordable housing stock.On Increasing Density:
Adding 10,000 to 15,000 more housing units might aid mass transit and increase the feasibility of light rail. Yet as much as Boulder residents like mass transit and the concept of light rail, by a margin of 53% to 35%, voters would rather forgo further increases in density.
The full results and survey script may be found at boulderspeaksout.org.
Members of Boulder Speaks Out include:
We just got back from the 2nd PLAN-Boulder County candidate forum, held at the Boulder Public Library. For this forum, 5 of the candidates were asked to participate, Chris Maurer, Carl Grodnick, Shaun McGrath, Mark Ruzzin, and Jack Stoakes.
The forum was packed. Questions covered familiar Boulder issues such as open space, mass transit, economic growth, and affordable housing. The candidates generally responded directly to questions.
Our First Impressions:
Carl Grodnick emphasized no tax increases and making Boulder a "regional employment center". He advocated creating a base of workers living out of the city and commuting into Boulder for employment. Grodnick hopes that these workers will help increase our city's sales tax revenues. We wonder how sustainable that approach would be.
Sean McGrath had a very polished performance. He emphasized environmental issues, including water regulation and usage. He frequently mentioned his diplomatic skills gained working in the Western Governors Association and other government organizations. We would be interested in more details about his plans for water regulation and development. What specific plans does he support? He said that Planning Board procedures could be streamlined and business expenditures in that process could be reduced.
Jack Stoakes had a down-to-earth manner and came across strongly in favor of environmental and planning issues despite his business background. He opposed the Save Our Services tax on the grounds that in a stagnant economy taxes should be increased as little as possible.
Chris Maurer, a local realtor, began with criticism of Boulder's current city council. He characterized the current election as a choice between further job losses (the current council's policies) and economic recovery. He opposed the Open Space tax, but said a new approach to acquisition using property easements could increase efficiency in the department.
Mark Ruzzin praised the current council's accomplishments in the face of very difficult economic cirumstances. He touted his involvment in the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Boulder campaign finance reform initiative. He emphasized regional cooperation and regional planning.
All candidates either were opposed or "undecided" on the redistricting intiative. We doubt many candidates will publicly declare their support for this intiative.
We'll post a complete account soon.
The PLAN-Boulder County endorsements, released today (9/24/2003). PLAN-Boulder County is a non-partisan citizens' group in existence for 40+ years.
Robin Bohannan
Crystal Gray
Shaun McGrath
Mark Ruzzin
Jack Stoakes
Andy Schultheiss
UPDATE:
PLAN-Boulder County's full press release:
PLAN-Boulder County has announced its Boulder City Council and ballot issue endorsements for the 2003 mail-only ballot election. PLAN-Boulder believes that a strong majority of Boulder residents support the progressive policies of previous city councils, which has resulted in an extensive network of multi-use paths, tens of thousands of acres of open space, growth policies that have kept Boulder from sprawling into its neighbors, and a comprehensive system of buses, among other amenities.PLAN-Boulder has endorsed candidates that it believes will continue the policies that have made Boulder such a desirable place to live, work, and raise a family, and who will best represent the residents of Boulder. Those candidates are:
Robin Bohannan, who has considerable experience in community services and will bring knowledge and expertise to city council on these issues. PLAN-Boulder hopes that Robin will enable PLAN-Boulder’s policies on open space, growth, the environment and quality of life, to benefit the entire population of Boulder.
Crystal Gray, who has been active on many city groups involved in downtown redevelopment, protecting downtown residential neighborhoods, and historic preservation, and has demonstrated her ability to work with key players on land use matters. Crystal is also a strong advocate for Open Space programs.
Shaun McGrath, who has considerable experience and expertise in water resource issues, is a consensus-builder and advocate for effective governance, and promises to bring a strong environmental voice to city council.
Mark Ruzzin, the only incumbent in the race, whose votes on city council during his two years in office have shown concern for economic revitalization and maintaining community livability.
Andy Schultheiss, who has an environmental background, and is a strong advocate for transit solutions and affordable housing.
Jack Stoakes, who brings many years of civic involvement on transit, open-space, and town/gown issues, who can help Boulder gain funds and support for transit projects, and who can be an important bridge between the environmental community and business people.
PLAN-Boulder also voted on the following ballot measures:
Endorse and support City Ballot Issues 201 and 202; oppose City Ballot Question 2C; support County Ballot Issues 1A and 1C; oppose State Referendum A and State Ballot Initiative 33.
For additional information contact PLAN-Boulder County co-chairs Claire Levy at 303-494-2244 or Pat Shanks at 303-473-9979. PLAN-Boulder positions and policies can be viewed on our website.