Yellow Scene Municipal Election Guide and Endorsements

This election guide is not for the faint of heart. It’s for the tried-and-true patriots and passionate voters who dare to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What follows are profiles of more than 60 candidates for mayor, city council and school board as well as YS’s picks (these are the candidates we like the best). Now, all you need is a ballot.

Boulder City Council

*Five seats open

Ken Wilson {i}

Ken Wilson, an engineer and scientist by trade, has served as deputy mayor. He prides himself on his work with property owners during discussions about SmartRegs for rentals and says he helped bring landlords into the conversation. Wilson wants to continue to fund economic incentives to keep and attract local businesses that fit Boulder, and he warns municipalization could become expensive, risky and not necessarily green.

Dan King

The owner of the Boulder Outlook Hotel served on Boulder’s Blue Ribbon Commission and other local organizations and boards. He makes clear he is not an ideologue, and he’d like to see community-based solutions and cooperation on many issues, including fiscal stability. He’d like to see encouragement rather than punishment when it comes to attracting businesses, and one of his campaign positions is to “keep Boulder cool.”

Fenno Hoffman

Fenno Hoffman tends to focus on the issues of land-use and planning—specifically compact development and density—but he also offers a straight-forward and sensible outlook that he would bring to all decision-making. He says the corporate personhood amendment oversteps the council’s scope, and he would like to see Boulder improve regional collaboration, especially on land-use and transportation issues.

George Karakehian {i}

George Karakehian has been a small-business owner on Pearl Street for decades, and he’s served on the council the last two years. He would like to focus on moving forward with the development of Transit Village and a Boulder conference center as well as reinvigoration of The Hill. He promotes encouraging tourism to increase sales tax revenues.

Jonathan Hondorf

Jonathan Hondorf is a longtime Boulder resident and a small-business owner. He’s running on what he calls the “four Es”: energy, environment, economy and education. He supports municipalization, as it allows the city to move away from fossil fuels, produce more jobs and control its energy productions. He says the council should be more proactive and focus more on the “big picture.”

Kevin Hotaling

Kevin Hotaling has a thoughtful, less-is-more take on city politics: He says the council oversteps its reach when it takes up issues such as corporate personhood and sidewalk shoveling. He proposes a car-sharing program for city vehicles—like Philadelphia—to save money and limit emissions. He’s opposed to municipalization, and he’s running on a “results without divisiveness” platform.

Lisa Morzel {i}

Lisa Morzel set out to make city processes more inclusive and transparent. That was more than two decades ago. Morzel has served on council for 12 years, and she prides herself on the council’s work on environmental issues and acquiring open space. She is a proponent of 2B and 2C as well as Boulder’s sister city efforts. Morzel says Boulder’s open space is “being loved to death” and she wants a reduction in use for some areas.

Mark Gelband

Irritated over the backlog of deferred maintenance in Boulder, Mark Gelband wants the council to focus on core city services. If elected, he’d look at mitigating “chronic vagrancy in downtown and around the creek path” and examining current zoning as it relates to growth and affordable housing; such as relaxing zoning to be able to transform accessory units into housing for the creative class.

Tim Plass

Tim Plass got his start as a neighborhood activist—but the word “activist” doesn’t reflect his sense of balance. Plass has sat on the landmark and planning boards. He wants council to focus on finding long-term solutions to funding affordable housing, which he says is at the center of Boulder’s primary issues: transportation, economy and environment. He supports 2B and 2C and would like to see progress on the city’s “Sustainable Streets and Centers” initiative.

Suzanne Jones

Suzanne Jones is the regional director for The Wilderness Society’s Colorado Office, and she’s served on Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board, Boulder’s Blue Ribbon Commission II and the PLAN-Boulder County board. Jones is a supporter of municipalization for the potential of reducing reliance on fossil fuels. As a city council member, she would emphasize development of the area between Broadway and 17th streets, Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue.

Thomas Johnston

Tom Johnston believes in the phrase “keep it simple, stupid.” Much of his motivation to run reflects what he calls, “city council’s over-involvement.” He supports bringing in big box stores to boost sales tax revenue, and he opposes municipalization because he says Boulder would acquire old technology.

Daniel Ziskin

This scientist-turned-real-estate-developer supports policies that foster local and independent business and encourage residents to limit car-use through transit, bikes and car-sharing. He would like to see council focus on streamlining the Eco Pass application process, making it more user-friendly. He would like to see a strong emphasis on creating housing and lifestyle options for middle-income residents.

Stephen Keenan

Stephen Keenan’s main motivation for running is the progression toward developing a municipal utility. He calls 2B and 2C a “win-win” situation, allowing Boulder to better negotiate with Xcel or take the first step toward independence. He’d like to see the council improve the city’s relationship with the university and says it should be more proactive in addressing infrastructure needs and demands.

YS votes for Lisa Morzel, George Karakehian, Ken Wilson, Fenno Hoffman and Dan King. We selected well-rounded candidates who balance experience and policy knowledge with passion.

Boulder Ballot Issues

Ballot issue 2A allows Boulder to sell up to $49 million in bonds to fund capital improvement projects. That includes repairing and maintaining streets and pathways, renovating and updating city facilities and equipment, and replacing old bridges. Because the city has finished paying off old bonds, the servicing of the debt of the new bonds would not increase city spending. It’s a much needed boost to the city’s deferred maintenance.

YS votes Yes.

2B and 2C

We find that it’s difficult to be pro or anti municipalization without the details that the city would glean from the passage of 2B and 2C. 2B would increase residents’ utility occupation tax—about $1 per month per resident—to study the feasibility of developing a municipal utility. 2C allows the city to establish a municipal light and power utility. Protections include: rates will not exceed Xcel’s rates at the time of start up, and the development of a municipal utility will only progress if reliability and rate requirements can be met. Voting for 2B and 2C puts Boulder in a better place to negotiate with Xcel and allows the city to legitimately explore the reality of a municipal utility with precautions.

YS votes Yes

Amends the city charter to reflect updated names of specific departments and positions.

YS votes Yes

The ballot question ups the penalty for violating the city charter from $100 to $1,000.

YS votes Yes

Updates specific sections of the city charter to reflect updated terminology and practices.

YS votes Yes

Gives the city’s ballot initiative process an overhaul, requiring initiative petitions to be clear and simple, be submitted for review and comment prior to circulation and have signatures no older than 180 days prior to filing, among other updates.

YS votes Yes

This ballot questions asks voters to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution saying that humans—not corporations—are entitled to constitutional rights; and “money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.” While this is not the partisan pandering we want our city focusing on, we do agree with the sentiment. However, we feel the language of the ballot issue is too broad and may have some unintended consequences.

YS votes No

Broomfield Mayor

Pat Quinn {i}

Mayor Pat Quinn has spent two terms in the office of mayor focused on mitigating the economy’s impact on Broomfield’s budget, progressing acquisition of open space and transportation projects. He touts the Broomfield Event Center/1STBank Center overhaul as a victory and has scored major funding for Highway 36. Quinn wants to see the council continue to work on identifying and acquiring more open space and continue to push for funding and solutions to the community’s transportation woes, FasTracks included.

Paul Madigan

Paul Madigan focuses on the under-represented residents of Broomfield: seniors and children. In his third election for the seat, Madigan’s message is on making improvements to the senior center and getting youth involved in the city government. If elected as mayor, Madigan would make a push to have the Broomfield City Council reduced to eight councilors, five for each district and three at-large. He says there is a “lack of leadership” in the mayoral position and says he would encourage more citizen involvement.

YS votes for Mayor Pat Quinn. Quinn deserves a third term. He’s made big strides for Broomfield’s roads and bottom line.

Broomfield City Council

Ward 1

Todd Schumacher {i}

Running unopposed

Ward 2

Mike Shelton

Running unopposed

Ward 3

Kevin Jacobs {i}

Running unopposed

Ward 4

David Jurcak

Running unopposed

Ward 5

Wayne L. Anderson

Running unopposed

Lafayette City Council

*Six seats open

Staci Lupberger {i}

During her two years on the council, Staci Lupberger has made decisions based on what is best for Lafayette residents. She’s not afraid to be the minority vote, as long as she’s voting for the greater good of the city. Lupberger wants the council to continue its Old Town revitalization momentum and would like to see continued economic development improvements to the South Boulder Road area. One of her key priorities is safety in the community, including dealing with graffiti.

Pete d’Oronzio {i}

Pete D’Oronzio was appointed to the city council about a year ago, and prior, D’Oronzio worked for transportation departments of both Boulder and Boulder County and served on the Lafayette Planning Commission. He’d like to see the city council develop a plan for pedestrians, mass transit and bikes, including paths, in Lafayette, and promote inclusion of youth and Latino populations.

Alexandra Lynch

Not so ironically, Alexandra Lynch was laid off by the city of Lafayette from her position as the city’s spokeswoman. While she has no visible hard feelings toward the city, she says she has a firm understanding of how the city functions, of the key issues and how the council works. She also understands how important the city’s fiscal stability is to the livelihoods of locals. Lynch would like to see a reconfiguration of zoning regulations to make development of multi-family housing more feasible, and she’d like to see the council engage local nonprofits.

Rosabelle Rice

Rosabelle Rice serves on the Latino advisory board, the PTA at Pioneer Elementary and the Lafayette Old Town Association. When it comes to the Old Town visioning process, Rice wants the city to build upon its strengths and find new, innovative ways to bring the stakeholders together. She’d like to see more incorporation of the city’s diversity.

Christine Berg

Christine Berg used to be an archaeologist (we think that’s pretty cool). These days she serves as the Colorado scheduler and Community Outreach Manager for Rep. Jared Polis as well as a member of the Lafayette Historic Preservation Board. As for the Old Town visioning process, she wants community members brought into the conversation. Berg wants to develop a “food policy advisory board” to help convene and promote local farms and restaurants. She puts accessibility as a top priority.

Steve Kracha {i}

Steve Kracha served on the Lafayette Planning Commission for two and a half years when he was given the chance to fill an open city council seat earlier this year. Kracha wants council to work with landowners on the downtown revitalization efforts, and he would like to see a greater focus on economic development of South Boulder Road. He wants the city to grow from the inside out and hopes to work with Louisville to develop the ball fields on 95th.

Brad Wiesley

Brad Wiesley has lived in Lafayette for 30 years. He’s served as a police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and interim police chief. Now he’s hoping to find another outlet for public service. Wiesley wants the city to expand its tax base and bring in both local “mom and pop” and national chain retail and businesses. If elected, he would put an emphasis on ensuring quality city services are maintained.

YS votes for Staci Lupberger, Pete d’Oronzio, Alexandra Lynch, Christine Berg, Steve Kracha and Rosabelle Rice. This was a difficult decision, as all candidates have aptitude and positive objectives. We focused on involvement as well as reflecting the city’s diverse interests.

Lafayette Ballot Questions

After a certified citizen initiative is presented to city council, 2A would give the city 90 days—instead of 60—to hold a special election.

YS votes Yes

2B allows for the creation of a youth advisory board. The development of the skate park showed how the youth voice could make a difference in this community, and we look forward to seeing what other tricks it has up its sleeves.

YS votes Yes

2C allows the city to discontinue posting the full text of ordinances adopted by the city council in the newspaper. Headlines of ordinances will be published instead, and the full text will be printed at the city clerk’s office and elsewhere.

YS votes Yes

This amendment basically clarifies in the city charter how members of boards and commissions should resign. This will help resignations go more smoothly.

YS votes Yes

The ballot questions would eliminate specified obsolete provisions of the charter.

YS votes Yes

Longmont City Council

*One seat open for each ward and at large

Mayor

Bryan L. Baum {i}

Mayor Bryan Baum set out two years ago to settle city lawsuits with Firestone and make the city more of a regional player. And he’s accomplished that. Defending the sometimes divisive nature of the Longmont council, he says its activities have become more transparent and a majority of votes are unanimous. In his next term as mayor, Baum would like to finish the airport master plan, partner with a telecommunication company to bring “the best telecommunication services to the community” and work on developing the Sugar Mill Station, the Twin Peaks Mall and downtown.

Dennis L. Coombs

As one of the owners of Pumphouse Brewery, a major anchor to Old Town Longmont, and an engineer, Dennis Coombs has a unique perspective and a unique set of skills to lead the city and take part in selecting the next city manager. He says he’s a motivator, not a micro-manager. As mayor, Coombs would work to make council meetings less partisan and more civil. He would like to see the city allow businesses to pay sales tax online.

YS votes for Dennis Coombs because of his focus on boosting council’s civility and collaboration.

At Large

Ron Gallegos

Ron Gallegos served on the Longmont City Council from 1995 to 1999, and has served on the Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission, the Longmont Area Economic Council, the Colorado Municipal League and the National League of Cities. He wants to get council back to focusing on the needs of the people and not “petty squabbling.” He would like to reestablish regulations that all members of city boards and commissions are Longmont residents, and he’d like to see the city considered purchasing the Twin Peaks Mall.

James Young

When speaking with James Young, you get the sense of his genuine want to represent and proactively connect with the residents of Longmont. He says the city council needs to better listen and pay attention to residents, instead of “stomping” on their ideas and suggestions. He’d like to see the council work on reducing noise from the railroads and he wants city council members “to treat each other like human beings.”

Sarah Levison {i}

Sarah Levison overflows with information and thoughtful observations on Longmont and its challenges. She takes an academic approach to policy and representation. Levison has been on the board since 2007, and she championed a poverty program to focus on more than a dozen families with support, education and training. In her next term, she’d like to continue to focus on poverty issues as well as the First and Main train station for FasTracks and boosting jobs.

Heath R. Carroll

The funeral home and cemetery owner wants to see more businesspeople on council—because they have an understanding of challenges and issues that impact local companies. If elected, Carroll would focus on redevelopment, including the mall, the Butterball Turkey plant and Old Town. He supports council’s recent decision to nix its affordable housing program because the system was “broken,” and he’d like to see council work better as a team.

YS votes for Sarah Levison. Out of all the candidates, Levinson has most involved herself in workings of city government. She balances institutional knowledge with foresight. We look forward to seeing Carroll and Young get more community experience.

Ward 1

Brian Hansen {i}

Brian Hansen is a business owner and a scientist. He’s worked to expand community gardens and he’s proud of the council’s work with the county on land agreements. Hansen believes the dividing line on council reflects campaign contributors. He admits he is not at his best when it comes to returning emails and being contacted by phone.

Paul Tiger

Paul Tiger doesn’t really fit into any sort of mold. He’s an out-of-the-box thinker and he’s incredibly knowledgeable about city issues. He believes in being a representative of the people, and he says he’d like the council to better focus on the unintended consequences of its decisions (he uses the cruising ordinance and how it impacted auto-related businesses as an example).

Brian J. Bagley

No interview

Suzzanne Painter

Suzzanne Painter has worked in both the corporate world and in nonprofits (ie. local chambers of commerce), and she says she has the right skills to drive solutions. She’s focused on primary jobs, retail development and leadership. She’d like to help build unification on council and says the divide on council creates a divide in the community. Painter would like to see economic development staffers held accountable using a metric to gauge successes and she would like a retail scout brought in.

YS votes for Suzzanne Painter. Clearly the underdog, Painter shows a ton of promise, and she has practical ideas for boosting business. We could not endorse the incumbent, Hansen, because of his inability or unwillingness to be accessible—by phone or email—to residents.

Ward 3

Bonnie Finley

Bonnie Finley wants to the Longmont City Council to refocus how it examines issues: reframing debate so it’s not “us” versus “them,” redesigning public policies in the best interest of the residents, and limiting pontification during meetings, etc. Finley’s profession—she works for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry—gives her a solid understanding of the business climate. She says Longmont is uniquely positioned to attract business, and she supports an extension of the runway at the Vance Brand Municipal Airport.

Sean McCoy {i}

Sean McCoy is a teacher and has been a city council member since 2007. While a Google search for this candidate can turn up some nasty sites, McCoy has worked toward improving Longmont’s environmental focus as well as improving the transparency of council decisions. He wants the city to be more proactive when it comes to economic development and working with local business.

YS votes for Bonnie Finley because she better conveyed her ideas and knowledge about bringing in and supporting business. She sees potential while McCoy sees doubt.

Longmont Ballot Questions

In the late ’90s, Longmont purchased and installed a fiber-optic backbone network to boost economic vitality through enhanced telecommunications services, but in 2005, the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill that requires municipalities to get voter approval before it offers telecommunication services, advanced services or cable TV services. In 2009, Longmont voters turned down a similar proposal. We think voters should take advantage of the infrastructure the city has in place and see the potential for an economic boost from the enhanced services.

YS votes Yes

Louisville Mayor

Bob Muckle

Bob Muckle has been on the city council since 2005—motivated by his frustration of what he saw as a lack of representation on the council. Muckle says in the last six years he’s worked on many of the issues that aggravated him, and as mayor, he would continue to push the council to be responsive and transparent. He’d like the city to aggressively pursue retail and commercial development while being cautious about additional residential growth.

Sheri Marsella

Sheri Marsella is practically a full-time community leader. She’s been on the council since 2002, and wants the opportunity to become the top dog. As mayor, Marsella would focus on securing funding for an underpass at McCaslin and Washington as well as filling empty big box spaces with more retail; she says she’s open to creative solutions if the city cannot fill stores with retail. She says she will do everything she can to get ConocoPhillips to develop its site in Louisville.

YS votes for Bob Muckle who we feel is constantly pushing for improved governance.

Louisville City Council

Ward I

Bill Scanlon

Bill Scanlon, a former Rocky Mountain News reporter, has lived in Louisville for seven years, and he likes it just the way it is. Scanlon would like to maintain the city’s sense of community and residential balance. He would like to incentivize preservation of the commercial buildings in Old Town, and he does not want retail and commercial space taken over by more residential development and growth.

Jay Keany

Jay Keany just can’t get enough: He sat on the Louisville City Council from 1993 to 2005, and apparently, he misses it. Keany is not running with one particular issue on his mind; instead, he’d like to see a continued focus on keeping the city fiscally healthy and maintaining the sense of community and charm. If elected, he’d like to examine the possibility of developing another outdoor pool as well as the sufficiency of the Rec Center.

YS votes for Jay Keany because he has a tremendous amount of experience with and insight into Louisville’s key issues.

Ward II

Susan Loo

Susan Loo spent eight years on the Planning Commission and worked on two comprehensive plans and the Downtown Design Guidelines. She believes the city council has been proactively supportive of business and would like to continue those efforts. She believes in the power of incentives when it comes to encouraging preservation. She would like to ensure city services are maintained, no matter the economic situation.

Dean Smith

Dean Smith came to Louisville seven years ago and fell in love with the historic charm of the city. Now, he’s running for city council to help preserve the charm and historic character of the homes and buildings. He supports developing a tax similar to the Historic Preservation Tax to help restore commercial buildings, and he’d like to see the city give incentives to private property owners to maintain historic buildings.

YS votes for Susan Loo. Both candidates have similar ideologies, so we voted for experience.

Ward III

*Hank Dalton {i}

Running unopposed

Thornton Mayor

Mack Goodman

No interview

Val Vigil

Val Vigil is both tax accountant and politician. He’s served in the state legislature and the city council. Vigil says the city needs a strong leader to make jobs a priority and to boost awareness of the need for revitalization of original Thornton. He wants the city to reform its code compliance processes—the biggest complaint he hears from residents—for better community relations.

Heidi Williams

This small-business owner sat on the Adams 12 School Board and chaired the Thornton Revitalization Board. As mayor, she’d focus on job creation, revitalization of original Thornton and continuing to partner with school districts to create efficiencies. She’d like to see the city’s policies and processes more transparent and user-friendly.

YS votes for Val Vigil because he is in tune with residents’ priorities. He know government has the potential to make peoples’ lives better.

Thornton City Council

Ward 1

Lee Cantu

Lee Cantu wants the city council to attract more business. He believes residents have spent enough money on FasTracks and should not vote for another tax increase. Cantu says the city is spending too much money on police and fire and wants more money invested in renovating bridges. He’s running on a platform of more communication between council and residents.

Jenice (JJ) Dove

JJ Dove’s philosophy on the city council is about listening to and representing residents. When it comes to revitalizing south Thornton, she’d like the city to bring together the stakeholders to come up with solutions, and she wants the council to focus on incentives for attracting business. She’s pushing for Thornton to take a role in bringing recycling to mobile home developments.

YS votes for JJ Dove because she has practical common sense ideas that reflect her commitment to her constituents.

Ward 2

Richard Gianzero

No interview

Eva Henry {i}

Last election, Eva Henry knocked on 18,000 doors in Thornton to take down an incumbent. While on the council, she helped to get curbside recycling for residents and pushed for revitalization of south Thornton. Her No. 1 priority is bringing in primary jobs, and she wants to focus on business’ needs. Henry walks one Thornton precinct every quarter, and she sees herself as a voice for south Thornton.

YS votes for Eva Henry because she stays connected to the residents of Thornton, and she’s the kind of worker bee who gets things done.

Ward 3

Beth Humenik {i}

Beth Humenik is go, go, go. And it seems, that’s the way she likes it. Humenik has become involved in everything from transportation and communications to senior services. Humenik wants to see the city focus on additional senior housing as well as economic development that can provide livable wages for workers and put revenue back into city coffers.

Sam Nizam

Sam Nizam is a small-business owner, and business is his main motivation for running. He says the city needs to focus on economic development—adding fee and tax rebates for new businesses that are hiring workers. He says the city should better promote its business friendliness with a public relations campaign.

YS votes for Beth Humenik because she treats this position as a full-time job, and she’s a power hitter.

Ward 4

Eric Tade

Running unopposed

Westminster City Council

*Three seats open

Herbert L. Atchison

Herb Atchison has spent decades in project and construction management, and he formerly spent two terms on the Westminster City Council. That gives him institutional knowledge. Atchison was a decision maker during the planning of many of the city’s successful developments, and he’d like continued efforts to retain and attract business as well as identifying and implementing solid infill projects.

Bob Briggs {i}

Bob Briggs has been active in the Westminster community since the 1960s, and that includes a stint as an Adams County commissioner and a state representative. In his next term, he hopes to make the Westminster Center last a lifetime (as opposed to the 10-year lifespan of other malls), and he’d like to continue to develop trails throughout the community. Briggs wants the council to focus its efforts on transportation, including Highway 36 and FasTracks.

Faith Winter {i}

Faith Winter brings an “every woman” perspective to the council. She’s inspired to protect the most vulnerable residents, and she’s done so. Winter takes pride in the council’s work on economic development, including the facades programs and capital grants. The economy is her No. 1 priority; in her next term, she’d like to see one-on-one outreach and marketing when it comes to the city’s economic development programs. Winter wants to see the city fill empty big box stores, even if it means coming up with creative substitutions for large retailers.

Beau E. Martin

Beau Martin is a young business man who has a hankering for community involvement. He’d like to start a program that involves youth in local government, a “reality civics” course. Martin would like to see a city Facebook page that’s used to communicate with residents about issues and council decisions. He wants the Westminster Center plans to include out-of-the-box ideas—“not another outdoor mall.”

Jennifer Shannon

After serving on the Jefferson County Head Start board, Jennifer Shannon got the taste for public service. Now she’s craving it. Shannon wants the city to create a small business incubator and seminars for start-ups and independents, and she wants to see the Westminster Center developed with components, including housing, that attract young professionals.

Michael S. Melvin

Mike Melvin takes pride in the fact that he is not a politician. He’s instead, a retired businessman who is concerned about Westminster’s debt and business friendliness. He says the city has overly burdensome rules that detract businesses and make it harder for small businesses to thrive.

YS votes for Bob Briggs, Faith Winter and Herb Atchison. These candidates have stellar experience while still having unique points of view. We hope to see both Martin and Shannon in future elections.

Boulder Valley School District

Director District A

Shelly Benford

Running unopposed

Director District C

Laurie Albright {i}

This incumbent explodes with energy, facts and philosophies on the educational system and the district. She’s a proponent of Proposition 103, and she’s focused much of her efforts on school funding. She’d like to see the district continue to work on shrinking the achievement gap and ensure district schools are respectful and safe environments to learn in.

Leisha L. Conners Bauer

Leisha Conners Bauer is the program manager for the Boulder County Healthy Youth Alliance. Conners Bauer says the board should be clearer when it comes to leadership, collaborative relationships, measurement systems and advocacy during decision making, and if it better focused on those areas, the processes would go smoother. She’d like to see the district concentrate on building trust around the Educators Effectiveness Bill, especially for teachers.

YS votes for Laurie Albright. We love a policy wonk, and Albright balances her know-how with a continued passion for innovation.

Director District D

Sam Fuqua

The KGNU station manager has served on the Boulder Library Commission and the Affordable Housing Task Force, but he has a passion for education, especially with kids in BVSD schools. Fuqua is a proponent of neighborhood schools but supports choice in education. He’d like to create a task force to explore creating community partnerships, using the area’s “wealth of resources”—retirees and former educators—as volunteers in classrooms.

Mónica Olguín

Mónica Olguín has been an educator for more than two decades. She’s spent much of her career focused on bilingual education. If elected, she’d like to implement the Educators Effectiveness Bill without a punitive bent and with increased support for educators. Olguín would like to increase and broaden training for teachers of diverse populations and up communication with teachers and parents before and after the board makes decisions.

YS votes for Sam Fuqua because he has fresh ideas, and he offers a parent’s perspective.

Director District G

James Reed

Running unopposed

St. Vrain Valley School District

Director District A

Rick Hammans {i}

Rick Hammans philosophy is “the more time in school, the better.” He says the district has seen progress in keeping students in classrooms longer, and that will have long-term improvements in shrinking the achievement gap. And he would like to see the district resist pressure to narrow the curriculum by cutting or minimizing arts education and electives.

Arnold Hanuman

Arnold Hanuman is the Deputy District Attorney with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, and he has two teens in St. Vrain Valley District schools. If Proposition 103 passes, Hanuman wants the district to set aside “targeted funding” to promote new ideas and creativity over the long term. He says he represents a voice for diversity and a new generation.

YS votes for Rick Hammans. While Arnold Hanuman brings good ideas, Hammans has shown a lot of prudence and focus to the board.

Director District C

Robert J. Smith
Running unopposed

Director District E

John Creighton
Running unopposed

Director District G

Michael Schiers
Running unopposed

Co Ballot Issue

Proposition 103

This state-wide ballot measure would raise billions of dollars to fund schools by increasing state income tax back up to 5 percent (it was lowered to 4.63 percent in 2000) and the sales tax to 3 percent (it was lowered to 2.9 percent in 2000) during the next five years. If 103 is not passed, schools will cut millions of dollars from already emaciated budgets. We believe continued draining of districts’ coffers will have severe effects on the Colorado economy as well as the future success of our children. If it passes, legislators need to reform the funding structure of the education system and develop a long-term solution.

YS votes Yes

BOCO Ballot Issue

County Question 1A

BoCo’s sole ballot issue asks voters to allow the position of sheriff a fourth consecutive term—as long as voters grant another years. Experience is a luxury in a position like this, and we give voters the option to keep a solid sheriff in office.

YS votes Yes