Bill Dennler: Dolan well informed, listens to all sides
There are many well qualified candidates for Boulder City Council. I would highly recommend one in particular: Brian Dolan.
Dolan was a student of mine at Foothill Elementary School in fourth grade. Dolan grew up in Boulder, is thoughtful and forward-thinking, especially with a 2 1/2-year-old daughter. He is well informed and willing to listen to all sides. Dolan embraces all the altruistic world values I tried to instill in my students. He will help make decisions that benefit the entire community.
Bill Dennler
Boulder
Kurt Nordback: We need progressives on Council
I’m proud to call myself a progressive. To me the word means an attitude of inclusion; looking forward, not back; opening doors, not building walls; and a steadfast commitment to facts and the truth, wherever they may lead. It means being visionary, compassionate, optimistic and pragmatic. Most importantly, it means an unrelenting advocacy for the environment and the disadvantaged over narrow, privileged self-interest.
So for the upcoming Boulder City Council election, I support candidates who will address our ongoing housing crisis actively, creatively and with compassion, and help create a more diverse, welcoming community. Candidates who will lead the city to do our part to reduce global carbon emissions, not just export housing, jobs and the consequent emissions to neighboring towns. Candidates who will respect science and policy-area experts, but aren’t afraid to ask hard questions — including of themselves. Candidates who will help make walking and biking safer, more efficient, and fun. Candidates who will be wise stewards of our open space, our other public resources, and our tax dollars. Candidates who will work for the good of the community as a whole, not just the privileged or the loudest voices. Candidates who will govern with integrity, humility, and humor.
That’s why I’m proud to support Junie Joseph, Aaron Brockett, Rachel Friend, Mark McIntyre and Benita Duran for City Council. These inspiring, hard-working, smart, dedicated people embody my ideals of progressivism. Boulder will have a great future with them on our City Council.
Kurt Nordback
Boulder
Payson Sheets: Corina Julca will work for collaboration and transparency
Boulder City Council candidate Corina Julca will protect Boulder values with fresh perspectives. She is Peruvian by birth but Boulder has been her home for many years, where she is raising her young family.
Julca is bright and understands Boulder’s forward-thinking assets and the benefits these assets bring to the quality of life. She supports the building height limit and the importance of our open space. Building on these past accomplishments, she is committed to:
• Housing: preserving existing affordable housing for lower- and middle-income residents while increasing new and permanently affordable housing.
• Health: As a parent, Julca fully supports the concerted efforts to end the vaping crisis and needle problems.
• Opportunity zone: She is a leader in opposing the opportunity zone, which would displace Boulder’s diversity and small businesses.
• Transportation: As her primary means of transportation, Julca rides the bus. She will work to increase bus ridership by making it more accessible and affordable. Julca supports increased bike safety measures and will take on our traffic and congestion problems.
• Open space: Julca knows how vital our open space is to Boulder. She believes it must be preserved and maintained. Fracking must end.
• Community involvement: Julca will work to make Boulder open to all Boulderites including the underrepresented communities.
She will work to improve collaboration and transparency in the city and with all residents. Check out her website corinaforboulder.com and please support Corina Julca for Boulder City Council.
Payson Sheets
Boulder
Peter Dente: Proposition CC lacks a critical element
Columnist Chuck Wibby is correct — Proposition CC is not the solution to our deteriorating transportation infrastructure and education. As one of the founding members of Boulder County Fairness in Road Maintenance, or BoCo FIRM, I know from our efforts to force the Boulder County commissioners to adequately fund our roads and bridges infrastructure, additional taxes is not the solution — we need new politicians.
As Coloradans have found, our politicians cannot be trusted when they are given any discretion as to how funds approved for a specific purpose are spent. They have repeatedly found a way to use new taxes, not for their intended purpose, but for their own pet projects or as a justification to free up general funds for such. This is why so many funding proposals have been passed as amendments to our constitution — so that the politicians can’t manipulate them.
As for Proposition CC, everything within that proposal is excellent. But it lacks one critical element. There is no provision that prevents our politicians from reducing funding for our transportation infrastructure and education from other existing funding sources (the general fund) in an amount equal to or greater than that provided by Proposition CC. It is possible (probable?) that funding for our transportation and education could be lower after the passing of Proposition CC than it currently is. (This is what the Boulder County commissioners did with our county road taxes — reducing funding from an average of 7%-8% of the budget to less than 2%.)
So, in addition to the provision “Without raising taxes” there must be a similar provision that maintains funding for transportation and education from all other sources at the “historic percentage rate or higher.” Only with this requirement codified can the citizens of Colorado be sure transportation and education will be funded as we, the voters, desire.
Peter Dente
Boulder
P. Harper: Remember the Marxist playbook
Marxists published a chronicle several years ago on how to take over a country, including:
• Infiltrate the education system
• Infiltrate the media, newspapers, television and social media
• Infiltrate and destroy churches
• Infiltrate at least one political party
• Lower moral values
• Turn a blind eye to natural law
• Destroy the rule of law and constitutions
• Destroy borders
• Ends justify the means, including half truths and outright lies
Does any of this sound familiar?
P. Harper
Boulder
Barbara Wolpoff: Gardner is not there for us
I am not a fan of Sen. Cory Gardner, his beliefs, his ineffectual policies on immigration, his refusal to support the reduction of our burgeoning debt or greenhouse gas emissions, his putting a half million Coloradans at risk by repealing the Affordable Care Act, or his willingness to give Peterson Air Force Base’s $8 million to a vanity wall. OK, that is an understatement.
His continued support and fundraising for President Donald Trump appalls me. The president is, after all, a liar, bully, misogynist, racist, xenophobe, lover of dictators, destroyer of allies, draft dodger, anti-science, divisive, and an inciter of violence. I could go on, but you get the idea.
I used to email Gardner’s office every day, questioning his positions on multiple issues. I stopped. When I got a response it was meaningless. My questions were not answered. Each response letter had the same first and last paragraph with worthless information in between. Feeling disgruntled, I began calling Gardner’s D.C. office and asking about those positions. It appears, after talking to his staff, that Gardner has no positions on anything. His words are empty. I changed strategy. I continued my calls, but only voiced criticisms. That was so much easier.
Recently, I began to think Gardner’s office had red flagged my number because there was no answer when I called. The day after I left a message suggesting they were avoiding my calls since Gardner hasn’t positions on anything I ask about, they did answer — a coincidence no doubt.
The Cardboard Cory cutout of the senator reflects my feelings. He’s avoiding public gatherings and he’s not there for us. I intend to continue my calls, ending them with helpful, positive advice to the staffer who answers. Get a jump start on finding a new job. You’ll soon need one.
Barbara Wolpoff
Boulder
Lenna Kottke: We’re hardly a pedestrian-friendly city
Having just returned from a pedestrian-friendly city, I have realized how far we are from that desirable goal here in Boulder. As a pedestrian in Berkeley, Calif., I was amazed at how drivers invariably stopped as I approached a crosswalk — even from a dozen paces away. If I hesitated at the curb, they waved me across. Contrast that with my experience this week crossing the street at 15th and Spruce. As I started through the crosswalk heading north, a driver heading west blew through the stop sign and the crosswalk ahead of me, making a right turn. Oh, and he was talking on his cell phone.
My neighbor, a recent transplant from Seattle, has remarked that “Boulder is a car-centric city.” In her experience in Seattle, drivers slow down for yellow lights at intersections rather than speeding up, and they wouldn’t dream of exceeding the speed limit in a school zone (knowing that enforcement is likely, along with a hefty fine).
This experience has caused me to reflect on my own driving habits and vow to be a more gracious driver. I want to adopt the mindset of drivers in Berkeley who consistently yield to pedestrians, seemingly happily, knowing they may soon be the ones to enjoy the feeling of safety I experienced walking the streets in that community.
Lenna Kottke
Boulder
Meg McClellan: Don Brown is the driver who can best steer Louisville
In a time characterized by partisanship and lack of civility in governing at our national level, it is a breath of fresh air to find someone who wants to govern with civility, collaboration and community as core values for Louisville. That person is Don Brown and he is running for mayor.
Louisville needs leadership with an eye towards building upon the foundations that form the vibrant community in which we live. The reason why many of us decided to live here or have stayed over the past five, 10 or 20-plus years, is that Louisville, in its location, character and community, promised solid roots, good schools and neighborhoods, and the possibility of a bright future. Today, Louisville is at a crossroads. It risks getting lost in a sea of changes that will occur whether the community and Louisville wants them or not.
Louisville needs to stop taking the back seat and become the driver in guiding its future. Don Brown is the driver who can best steer Louisville going forward. He values collaboration and what happens in this community, not just through City Council, but through our citizens and community volunteer groups.
Meg McClellan
Louisville
Madeleine Fox: Injustices against young activists
The policies made in today’s world have the biggest impact on youths. So why shouldn’t children be given a voice to speak out against the injustices of the world?
Greta Thunberg does just that, and has risen to fame most recently in order to speak out against climate pressures the world faces today. However, Thunberg and children like her, taking a stance to bring awareness to a fact-driven movement, have been repeatedly tormented by individuals in the media. Michael Knowles, a guest anchor for Fox News, remarked how Thunberg was “mentally ill.” These injustices against children are highly irrational. Why should children in today’s world be forced to undergo hateful instances by adults who are supposed to be setting an example for the youths of the world?
Along with Thunberg, countless other children have also faced the wrath of their adult peers for speaking out against other injustices the world faces today. David Hogg, and 18-year-old gun violence activist, has faced the wrath of elderly peers for speaking out against guns and asking the nation to put a stop to mass shootings. Virginia Thomas, wife of a Supreme Court justice, spoke out against Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland shooting in 2018, calling him, “a special kind of stupid.”
The hateful vindictiveness of adults towards children wanting to make a better future for the youths of today carries on as our nation faces more tragedy. The countless remarks against those that are trying to protect the world and the longevity of the future is setting the world back by decades. Politicians are taking advantage of their positions in a negative way instead of using their power to change the world. We must recognize the ill behavior of such people and show them that it is not tolerable.
Madeleine Fox, CU junior
Boulder
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