Leh will provide leadership to handle challenges

Vote for leaders who look at issues holistically

Systemic solutions are needed for our most challenging problems.

Passing ordinances or voting for candidates with a “tough on crime” focus will not help our business community or make our city safer. Californians passed a “Three Strikes” law in 1994 which led to the disproportionate imprisonment of people of color, overcrowded prisons, and excessive spending on building and maintaining prisons which came at the expense of education, health care, infrastructure and social services. We can and must do better. Robust solutions are created when we bring together people with diverse, divergent and lived perspectives who have a goal of looking beneath the obvious symptoms and understanding deeper problems. Having invested people at the table is necessary for good governance and policymaking.

Representation is fundamental to addressing ableism, antiscience policies, economic disparity, gender inequality, racism and other forms of bias and discrimination. Compassionate, curious people are key to making forward progress.

With that in mind, I am voting for the following candidates who have lived their lives as educators, engineers, environmentalists, policymakers and social justice advocates. All have shown that they look at issues holistically and invite differing views — even as they passionately express their own views at times. You can read about these candidates (and the others) in the Boulder Beat, Boulder Reporting Lab, Boulder Weekly and of course the Daily Camera.

When Boulder City Council convenes after this election, I hope to see Taishya Adams, Silas Atkins, AG Neyer and Ryan Schuchard with seats at the table and Nicole Speer or Aaron Brockett as mayor.

— Arthur Figel, Boulder

As an 11-year Louisville resident who has served on city advisory and neighborhood

HOA boards, I have worked with many members of the City Council and the community including the three mayoral candidates. They are all passionate about their city, but Chris Leh stands out because he has the experience and collaborative approach to steer Louisville toward a better future. In particular, he is an enthusiastic advocate of the city’s open space system.

Since joining the City Council about ten years ago, Chris has been an advocate for the open space and trails program that includes 1,874 acres of solely or jointly owned open space and 32 miles of trails. He has consistently pushed for open space maintenance to be a top priority and this is particularly important now as the city continues wildfire mitigation efforts after the Marshall Fire. In addition, he was a key part of the City Council’s approval of the joint purchase of the Mayhoffer property east of Old Town Louisville in 2017.

Chris is also a strong supporter of improving the city’s trail network and facilitated the construction of the Highway 42 underpass near Steel Ranch. Underpasses are important to providing trail connectivity and he envisions a future where an underpass can be constructed at Main St. and S. Boulder Rd. to provide a safe, multimodal entrance to Old Town.

Lastly, Chris is a strong backer of the city’s ballot issue 2C regarding the city’s open space and parks sales tax. I ask you to vote for Chris Leh for Louisville mayor as he will provide strong leadership to handle the city’s challenges and to give city residents the peace of mind that open space will continue to be an important part of what makes Louisville such a desirable place to live and work.

— David Blankinship,

Louisville

Investing in the arts is economic multiplier

I urge you to vote “yes” on

2A. Adding to the reasons already given: 1) 2A represents no new taxes, it’s just an extension. 2) Investing in the arts creates an economic multiplier effect in ancillary event funding that would increase money available (not take it away) for the City to spend on other essential services. 3) Scientifically-based research demonstrates the social, health and educational benefits of the arts.

Additionally: The arts ignite personal transformation and social change to help people of all ages, heritages and walks of life to do things they might not otherwise have the inspiration, courage, energy or endurance to do. Locally, Natural Highs incorporates the arts in its substance abuse prevention program offering teens healthy alternatives to drugs and alcohol. El Centro Amistad incorporates the arts in its programs that promote equity in health, education and quality of life for the Latinx community. Luna Cultura combines art, science and culture, developing skills, leadership and healing from an intergenerational approach of cultural identity and good living. Arts therapists are helping survivors of the Marshall Fire get through their PTSD. Ecoarts Connections bring the arts together with science, social justice, Indigenous and other ways of knowing to inspire people to live more sustainably — environmentally, economically, socially, culturally and personally — including youth, moms and families living in mobile home parks who have come here to lead a better life. Motus Theatre brings together people with widely different backgrounds — the police, immigrants, prisoners, LGBT community members and others — to co-experience issues of race, class, marginalization and more — and together to find solutions for our time, locally and nationally. For a 1.5-minute video from the World Cities Cultures Forum, why you should vote “yes” on 2A, and 90 seconds of upliftment watch youtu.be/gyspkakez9g.

— Marda Kirn, Boulder

We already have a great mayor in Aaron Brockett

I am voting for Aaron Brockett for mayor. I like his compassionate, nuanced, yet realistic, approach to the serious concerns of our citizenry. No one likes seeing encampments, no matter what your politics are. Aaron has been leading on this issue. Encampment removal is necessary to provide all citizenry with access to our parks and public spaces, but Aaron’s support for the CARE program provides a compassionate, nonpolice response to some emergencies, in an effort to reduce criminalization for this vulnerable population. Aaron has worked aggressively to provide more housing, including 672 new units since 2019. Reduced parking requirements will also provide more space for housing. Streamlining ADU development, at its best, will provide housing, as will increasing occupancy limits. In addition, newcomers bring new blood and ideas to our wonderful community. Boulder needs more housing, for everyone. On the economics side, small businesses were supported during the pandemic with COVID funds, and, for improved transportation, an initial grant has been awarded to provide fast transit on East Arapahoe. Aaron knows our streets from the perspective of being a pedestrian and a cyclist, as well as a driver and user of public transit. He has been a staunch supporter of policies to improve safety for everyone. He understands nuance and compromise, and he has effective working relationships with individuals and government officials, including an endorsement from Governor Polis, 13 State Legislators, 21 Boulder officials, 10 mayors, numerous board and Council members and candidates. I am not looking for a new leader. We already have a great one in Aaron Brockett.

— Jenny Devaud, Boulder

Chavez will be the perfect role model for students

I am writing this letter in support of Jorge Chavez. He is running for BVSD board member in District G in Boulder County.

I’m writing in hopes of sharing with the community what makes Jorge so special. As you might know, there are four vacancies to be filled. Jorge is not only a Hispanic but also a bilingual candidate. The board thrives with diversity and it’s important to have someone representing the Hispanic community as this is the second largest demographic population in the district.

Jorge is a professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado in Denver. He cares for ALL students.

The board needs members who will bring knowledge, balance, diversity, equity, inclusion and INSPIRATION. Jorge will do just that!

We, students and parents who came from another country, need the inspiration, motivation and knowledge that Jorge has. Someone who has gone through the same hoops as immigrants and benefited from public education.

The Latino Community has the lowest rate in thriving for a higher education.

Jorge will be the perfect role model to guide students, he will be able to connect in a way no other candidate could.

We (parents) know Jorge, we trust him, we respect him, we feel heard. Jorge is able to connect with families quickly and I’m positive he will be a great addition to the board.

I’m thankful to have met Jorge through the Latino Parent Advisory Council a couple of years ago and I’m happy to see his excitement, dedication and humbleness in serving the community.

I can’t wait to see him as our new Board Member for BVSD District G.

Vamos Jorge! So proud of you!

— Claudia Gonzalez, Lafayette

There are higher priority needs than the arts

Proposition 2A asks Boulder voters if we wish to double funding for the arts through a long-term, dedicated tax. The arts are great! We need them. I’m an artist and, of course, would appreciate more money going in this direction.

But wait, we have said we face a “climate emergency” and our transportation system emits big volumes of carbon. We have a massive shortage of affordable housing that has led to large volumes of homeless people. If the ballot asked you to rank public spending — art, energy, housing, transportation, crime, education, fire prevention — would you vote to give arts a top priority? The problem with initiatives like this one is that it does not put our spending in context. Do we really want to dedicate a fixed fund for 20 years to anything? What if our needs change? Better to leave it to elected officials to manage and balance money. They must balance needs and think about everything at once. I will vote “no” on 2A because I think our other needs have higher priority and because the fixed allocation of tax dollars reduces spending flexibility.

— Gary Sprung, Boulder

Lewis is a kind, caring, hard-working, goofball

I love Boulder. It’s been my home and community for my whole life and has made my success and service possible. I bought my first house, this year, after many years of living in affordable housing. It taught me to care for our precious environment and the importance of living a healthy, athletic life (thank you, Columbine Mile Marathon). I’m incredibly grateful for having grown up here with a loving family, lifelong friendships, and for my amazing teachers and mentors in BVSD. But it’s got some problems, too.

There are some wonderful candidates for this year’s City Council election. But there’s only one candidate who is more interested in community, in listening to experts and those affected and bringing opposing sides together to actually help (whether homelessness, safety, climate crisis, or our lack of affordability) than in belonging to one “side’ or another. That’s my best friend, Waylon Lewis. But I’m not voting for Waylon merely because he’s a dear friend. I’m supporting him because he cares deeply about making our beloved community a better place for everyone. He cares about animals, and our planet, riding his bike 365 days a year. He’s fun, but serious. He loves supporting the arts, equity, and local institutions like Nude Foods, Arts Parts, Resource, Trident, and the Farmers Market. He loves service, learning, and finding his way through complex issues to ethical, helpful solutions. He’s been a valuable asset to Boulder for all of his adult life, and I know that on the Council, he’ll be able to take his visions for our town to the next level. I’m excited for Boulder to get to Waylon, a kind, caring, hard-working, goofball.

— Ryan Van Duzer, Boulder

The upside-down world of the ‘Boulder Progressives’

I’m a lifelong Democrat who advocates for progressive policies and goals. If you support government intervention to create a more just, more equitable society, you, too, are a progressive. But are you a “Boulder Progressive” (BP)? That’s a different question.

In the upside-down world of Boulder politics, the BPS — who have the City Council majority and include two mayoral aspirants, Aaron Brockett and Nicole Speer — have taken positions that seem aligned with free-market libertarians, such as ending our right to plan for housing. They have failed to create policies to increase permanently affordable housing by raising funds through higher cash-in-lieu payments and commercial linkage fees, policies known to create more housing for the lowest-income residents and people with disabilities.

Their policies leave the unhoused vulnerable. They seem to lack compassion for those affected by rising crime rates and unsafe public spaces.

Finally, the BPS have repeatedly, and without foundation, attacked Chief Maris Herold and her department. Probably the nation’s most progressive police chief, she has won awards for community collaboration and problem-solving projects to reduce crime and improve services for at-risk populations. Why are the BPS so intent on attacking her and her senior staff?

As a progressive, I will not vote to give the BPS a continued majority on the City Council and the mayoralty. I have seen our quality of life, both for those housed and unhoused, decline because of their control in the past two years. It is time for new leadership. Vote for Bob Yates for mayor and Terri Brncic, Tina Marquis, Jenny Robins, and Tara Winer for City Council.

— Kathleen J. Hancock, Boulder

Waylon Lewis has the local wisdom Boulder needs

I think we are all tired of the roller coaster that’s been the past few years. COVID, wars, climate change stress, political divisiveness, drug use, a mental health crisis, homelessness, migration, displacement, income loss and general global chaos. The world is sped up, the rate of change fast …even in Boulder.

We are in new times with new challenges. Many of those are heart-wrenching. But, we need to step into the future and meet our new challenges with creativity, positivity, heart and courage. We need spiritual intelligence, not just technical or business savvy.

Good governance is a critical part of protecting this legacy.

City Council and Election season is here and we need to make tough choices. Who is right?

We need real information, truth, fearlessness, and strength balanced by compassion. We need someone to weed through the noise and chaos with calm and make tough decisions, take bold moves, and take action. We need local wisdom.

As a community, we are unified by our common distress but also by our common goals and dreams. We need dialog that focuses our energy and resources.

That’s why I want to recommend that you vote for Waylon Lewis for City Council.

Like me, he’s a native but he is more. He is a blend of spiritual leadership, business experience, community roots, crazy wisdom and deep caring. He speaks openly, frankly his truth. He also listens. I will vote Waylon.

— Hillary Griffith, Boulder