Boulder County is a beautiful place to live. We have mountains, pastures, roaring creeks and an extensive network of bike paths and hiking trails. But despite these riches, we can do better. We need to do a better job at making it possible for people with diverse incomes, cultural experiences and languages to live here. The cost of owning or renting a home is beyond reach of too many, and over 50,000 families are spending more than half their income just to have a roof over their heads. More than a quarter of the population cannot make ends meet, despite working sometimes multiple jobs. The gap between the income of Boulder County’s white population and income of people of color is unconscionable. Congested roads threaten the economic prosperity that has helped provide the rich amenities we all enjoy. And climate change is causing catastrophic weather events right now, not in the distant future.
During a second term as a County Commissioner my priorities will be the following:
- Increase access to affordable housing by implementing new affordable housing funds through the Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership.
- Make tangible progress on electrifying buildings and transitioning Boulder County’s fleet to elective vehicles.
- Enact a dedicated funding stream for mental and behavioral health services so that anyone in crisis or who needs service can receive them regardless of their income and insurance coverage.
- Address the housing and mental and behavioral health treatment needs of the unhoused population that are most costly to our community.
- Find a permanent source of funding for a basic monthly income for families with young children that are at or below the federal poverty level.
- Explore regional solutions for the scarcity and high cost of quality early childhood care and education.
- Work with the U.S. Forest Service to eliminate recreational sport shooting from ovr 60,000 acres of land in the mountains of Boulder County.
- Transition Boulder County agricultural lands to serve as carbon sinks and support production of food for local consumption.
- Fund intercity passenger rail and commuter rail from Denver to Fort Collins and ultimately to Pueblo.
- Provide nurturing foster care homes for Boulder County children who have the most acute behavioral health needs.
- Continue to prioritize preservation of wildlife habitat on Boulder County Open Space.
Here is what I’m most proud of from my first term in office.
Creation of an Office of Racial Equity to make sure that racial equity was considered in the way that all county departments deliver services.
Doing extensive community outreach so that the $62.3 million in federal COVID relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act addressed the deep impacts of the COVID19 pandemic and so that this unprecedented local investment of federal funds addressed the structural systems that caused communities of color and low-income residents to suffer disproprotionately.
Securing voter approval to continue a transportation sales tax that invests in safety and multi-modal transportation options, along with new sales taxes for affordable housing, wildfire mitigation and emergency response and rescue.
Enacting common sense gun violence prevention ordinances that require a 10-day waiting period to purchase a firearm, raise the age to purchase a firearm, prohibit carrying a firearm in sensitive places, probihit sale of assault weapons, and prohibit the sale of “ghost guns” that cannot be traced to an owner.
Fulfilling my campaign commitment to hold monthly in-person townhall meetings in different communities in Boulder County and reviving monthly in-person and virtual public comment opportunities at the downtown courthouse.
Enacting a minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder County to address the gap between income and the cost of living. I will be working in 2024 with Boulder County municipalities to create a consistent county-wide minimum wage that allows all county residents to live with dignity.
Ending mining at the Dowe Flats Quarry that serves the Cemex cement plant east of Lyons.
Holding the line on new oil and gas drilling in Boulder County and supporting legislation to prevent exploitation of mineral rights purchased with open space funds.
As a Boulder County Commissioner, I will work tirelessly so that all sectors of our economy thrive and all of Boulder County’s residents feel valued and included in their community.