The ECMC voted in favor of the plan after an Alternative Location Analysis showed other sites were infeasible 

The Draco Well Pad proposal from Civitas Resources, Inc. was approved by the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) 4-1 during the March 26 hearing, allowing the pad to be developed at the original site in unincorporated Weld County.

The ECMC met to hear and discuss the results of Civitas Resources’ Alternative Location Analysis, which the ECMC moved to require during a November 2024 hearing, specifically requesting that the applicant further investigate the viability of Alternative Location 4 within the Town of Erie.

However, an entirely coincidental but significant change near Alternative Location 4 created additional complications.

The Neuhauser landfill, located downgradient from Alternative Location 4, was declared a Superfund Site after two 55-gallon toxic drums were found there in 2017. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) recently redesignated the landfill to include an environmental use restriction notice to prevent disruption in the area that could create health and environmental risks, said Tessa Sorensen, energy liaison for CDPHE.

Though the area outside the landfill is exempted, any stormwater or runoff flowing into the restricted area would be a violation. Alternative Location 4 was designed to divert runoff away from the landfill, but the proximity and natural downward gradient toward the landfill mean there is no way to ensure that runoff wouldn’t flow into the restricted area, according to a prehearing Drainage Memo from Civitas Resources.

The hearing then moved to witness David Frank, environmental director for the Town of Erie, which is the proximate local government for the originally proposed Draco Well Pad site. Frank reiterated the Town’s stance on the Draco Well Pad—namely, the 5-mile laterals that would be used to drill horizontally into Boulder County, the proximity to the developing Westerly Creek neighborhood and a proposed school site, and potential air quality impacts from greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil and gas drilling.

“Is this a project which should be rushed, thus increasing the likelihood of mistakes and the potential need to cut corners? Perhaps the first five-mile laterals in the state of Colorado should be attempted far from towns and families and under circumstances where the time needed to carefully test these uncharted waters is available,” Frank said during his remarks.

Frank also laid out three conditions of approval for the commission to consider:

1. That the Oil and Gas Development Plan include the execution of access agreements, transportation impact analysis, other local government permits, and the mitigation agreement reached between Extraction—a subsidiary of Civitas Resources—and Erie Land Company.
2. Incorporation of a previously abandoned well, a soil gas survey, and a monitoring agreement.
3. That drilling completions and other pre-production activities end no later than October 15, 2027, when Erie can no longer restrict issuance of certificates of occupancy for homes in the Westerly Creek neighborhood within 2,000 feet of Draco.

Pre-production poses a greater level of impact than other stages of operation, Frank noted, and the ECMC considers residences within 2,000 feet of an active drilling site to be at greater risk of adverse consequences. Civitas Resources has secured informed consent from the five currently occupied homes in Westerly Creek.

Representatives of Civitas Resources then presented the results of the Alternative Location Analysis and engagements with the Town of Erie after the November 2024 hearing. The analysis concluded that the alternative location is infeasible, citing CDPHE’s restriction notice and relevant Town of Erie Oil and Gas Siting Regulations that could make rezoning the district impossible, such as its proximity to residences, public parks, surface water bodies, and geological hazards.

Civitas Resources had proposed another location 1,000 feet south of Alternative Location 4, referred to as Alternative Location 4.1, which would comply with CDPHE’s restriction notice but had similar drawbacks to Alternative Location 4, including close proximity to the Vista Ridge neighborhood.

Civitas Resources outlined the benefits of the original Draco Well Pad: it aligns with zoning regulations in Weld County, requires fewer transportation miles, construction vehicles will navigate fewer intersections, supports dual-rig occupation, utilizes recycled water, has no downgradient water features nearby, and aligns with CDPHE recommendations and requirements.

They also reiterated the best management practices for the Draco Well Pad, including using recycled water, employing two simultaneous drilling rigs to expedite activity, installing three continuous air quality monitors, using electrified drilling rigs, and partially electrifying the completion fleet to reduce emissions.

The Oil and Gas Development Plan also includes a proposal to plug and abandon 22 legacy wells near occupied homes, which, according to Civitas Resources’ estimates, would create a net decrease in Volatile Organic Compound emissions by 3.82 tons per year.

“When you look at the cumulative impact side of things as well, they’re actually going to be reducing emissions and getting rid of some of these older legacy wells,” Commissioner Cross said during deliberation. “When you get rid of a lot of these older legacy wells, to me, that is perhaps the most crucial part of what’s being proposed here.”

Commissioner Messner was the only vote against the plan. He cited the proximity of the Westerly Creek neighborhood and an area about 1,500 feet north of the well pad that was identified and deeded to the St. Vrain Valley School District as evidence that the plan does not meet ECMC’s standards to adequately protect public health, safety, welfare, the environment, and wildlife resources.

“There’s a point where oil and gas development and subdivisions are colliding with one another, and I think this is a really good example of where that’s happening,” Messner said. “We’re starting to see it more often, and it’s certainly a challenging situation for all sides.”

Civitas Resources laid out a development schedule that would break ground in May 2026, complete drilling in March 2027, bring wells online in October 2027, and begin reclamation in December 2027.

This schedule would align with the Town of Erie’s conditions for approval. However, Civitas Resources has an official end date of May 2028 due to delays in the hearing process and outstanding requirements, including paving a half-mile of county road for construction vehicles accessing the Front Range Regional Landfill. The ECMC has requested that Civitas make reasonable efforts to conclude operations by December 2027.

Civitas Resources will hold two virtual town halls as development moves forward. Residents can sign up for notifications from the Town of Erie here.

“While the Town of Erie is disappointed with the Commission’s decision, the Town is committed to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of its residents and will continue to do so irrespective of this ruling,” read a March 26 message from the Town of Erie. “The Town of Erie is grateful for the commission’s acknowledgement of present and future impacts of the Draco Pad and its inclusion of the following conditions of approval to better protect the current and future residents of Erie.”

Art courtesy of Erie Protectors.

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The post Draco Well Pad proposal approved 4-1 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

According to NPR, “1 in four students missed 10% of the academic school year” due to struggles with mental health. Statistics have continuously proven that a student’s mental health and well-being drastically impact their school performance. As today’s younger generation has experienced some of the most chaotic of events in the past four years, from circumstances of COVID-19 to the endless harrowing fear of school shootings that still haunt our school hallways today, children’s mental health is at risk every day.

The city of Boulder and the North Metro area in general, is no stranger to mass shootings, as the senseless tragedy of the King Soopers shooting that occurred on March 22, 2021, claiming the lives of 10 people, still stands as a firm reminder of the need for stringent gun reform laws. The worry inevitably extends to schools and universities across the county, which are at risk daily. Parents and guardians sending their children to school carry endless concerns and fears for their children’s well-being and safety. Many parents wonder what the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts are doing to ensure that their students’ physical and emotional safety is their top concern. The bigger question is, how do these students feel when they attend their classes? The everyday reality of anticipating the worst outcome and being reminded of it through the use of gun safety drills can be emotionally draining to a lot of students.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, students must understand how to respond to an emergency, such as a school shooting. Using these precautions can ensure the protection and safety of many lives. These gun safety drills help students practice for real-life emergencies if a senseless tragedy occurs.

When it comes to school safety drills, the St. Vrain Valley School District follows a method called “SRP” which stands for Standard Response Protocol. This method involves four pivotal actions during an emergency. The first action is “lockout” when the danger is outside of the school, or “lockdown” which is used for when the threat is inside the school. “Evacuate,” which is to move the students from the school to another safer location and then “shelter” is moving the students to a safer main level room in the building. This is all being communicated between staff and law enforcement during the event.

Back in 2022, the Longmont Leader stated that the St. Vrain Valley School District voted unanimously to let law enforcement store guns and rifles in Lyons and Niwot High schools. This vote took place in October of 2022, without any input from the students or their families in the district. This raised concern in the city of Longmont, particularly from one student by the name of Carly Davis. Davis, a senior at Skyline High school at the time, stood in front of the court demanding that this new vote be terminated as it did not involve student input, “(We’re) tired of gun violence, tired of school shootings and tired of not being included in decisions that will affect us. I wanted to communicate that student input on this issue is vital, as well as teacher input,” Davis says. At the start of 2023, the city of Longmont released a statement stating that Boulder County and three other municipalities were being met with lawsuits pertaining to public safety and gun reform laws.

The Boulder Valley School District, on the other hand, has been working on partnering with law enforcement by offering their buildings for multi-jurisdictional exercises. This is intended to help law enforcement familiarize themselves with the different school districts as well as the design of their buildings and help them understand how to react to immediate situations across the campuses. These officers ensure that they practice the best safety methods for responding to an active shooter.

An article published in September by a student intern at the Communications department at the Boulder Valley School District detailed the active shooting scenario training at these buildings during the summer before the start of the fall sessions. She discusses the dedication that the BVSD has committed to ensuring that school shooting drills are taken seriously, training seasoned officers who would be prepared for an emergency like this, “As part of their training, emergency responders run into a school they knew had a threat inside and risk their own lives.” The student illuminates detail after detail of how the police reacted to a scenario, “There was an order for who would show up to the school first; in this scenario, it was a park ranger and two police officers. Following them were more police officers and firefighters and swat.”

There is an organized student and staff training that is also being administered through many classrooms which follows two protocols: secure and all clear. Students translate “secure” as a reaction to danger outside, which requires students and staff to stay inside classrooms and lock doors at all times. Students and staff remain in their classrooms until the “all clear” is announced by law enforcement, which would signify that the danger has been neutralized.

According to a Pew Research survey, 57% of students have expressed worry and fear about attending school due to the possibility of a school shooting. There has been lots of conversation and debate about how school safety drills should be administered and how traumatic they are to many students who don’t want to think about the possibility of enduring such a horrifying experience. While the urgent need for school shooting drills is dark, ensuring that law enforcement is on hand and thoroughly trained to respond to these scenarios is very calming for a lot of students who may struggle with those internal fears.

Anxiety and depression are constantly increasing throughout high school. The Mission of Harbor and Behavioral Health says that “By 18, up to 15%” of teens experience anxiety. Many of these cases are linked to environmental stressors, which can include an uncomfortable and intense environment for a student who may not feel comfortable when attending school. So what options can students take to navigate these fears and traumas that are inevitable at this point?

One prominent resource option for many students struggling with mental health in school facilities is the use of wellness centers. Monarch High School had the first wellness center established in the Boulder Valley School District in 2022.  There have now been an array of school districts like Monarch High School dedicated to providing spaces to ensure the health and wellness of students. These districts include, but are not limited to, Monarch High, Boulder High, Fairview High, Centaurus High, Nederland Middle-Senior, and New Vista High. The space is intended to be a calm and safe area for students to ease their stress, talk about their anxiety, relax, confide in a mental health professional or counselor, and a way for them to get involved with sensory activities. The use of sensory activities helps a student fall back into their awareness, easing their fears and worries. Many students report that these wellness centers have really helped them during many difficult periods throughout high school.

When going on the BVSD website, students rave about the results they’ve seen with the presence of the wellness centers in their schools. One mental health advocate says, “It feels special to me. They are torn between telling everyone how awesome it feels to relax in the room and wanting to keep it a secret.” It’s the perfect place for students to just have a moment for themselves.

Another important factor is for students to have access to mental health professionals who can provide them with a space for them to express their conflicting feelings and find solutions. These mental health professionals are intended to help students by providing them with social, behavioral, and mental growth, providing a safe space for them to navigate their experiences throughout their high school career. A great extended benefit is these mental health professionals are also intended to provide external resources for families to help them navigate and understand their child’s mental health.

The St. Vrain Valley School website states that mental and emotional health is heavily intertwined with your child’s learning development. Their vision states that the district intends to, “…cultivate a school experience that will inspire every student to effectively face the challenges of heart and mind so that they may become joyful, lifelong learners in a diverse world.” Through this vision, the SEL programs list key standards for emotional and learning capabilities for students from kindergarten through -high school. This program was created in order to help develop transparency and awareness for parents when it comes to your child’s growth and journey through social and emotional development.

Alpine Elementary School is an example of a school that has incorporated family and child counseling, as well as a student support team to ensure students are meeting school standards and are being open about their emotional and mental health. The school also provides a list of prominent mental health resources for parents and families pertaining to difficult matters. The intention is to provide parental guidance and navigation to further understand their children’s needs.

While mental health professionals focus on behavioral health, school counselors can also be of benefit, as they can help students with their individual growth as well as their learning capabilities in school. If a child is struggling with a class or with maintaining good grades in general, there are resources provided that can help them get back on track, and mental health is the place to start. These professionals also encourage them to join student groups as a way to immerse themselves more in school activities and find a community for themselves. 

Clinica Family Health & Wellness is a great mental health resource at BVSD, intended to provide crisis intervention as well as cooperation with families and parents by providing them with resources for their child’s needs. Health partners are a great resource for really difficult situations where short-term counseling can be provided to help the child get back on track.

LaunchEd Virtual Academy at SVVD provides a series of prominent online services especially during times of emergency. The district ensures that crisis services and hotlines are accessible to anyone in the virtual academy. The site provides a list of hospitals such as Centennial Peaks Hospital, career and youth centers, housing, food banks, programs for children struggling with addiction, anxiety, depression, and other essential resources that also extend to psychiatric help.

BCH (Boulder Community Health) is a service provided by the Boulder Valley School District with a focus more on inpatient behavioral health as well as psychiatric evaluations and treatment. The service also offers a treatment facility by the name of Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion for students in need.

Drug use is also prevalent among many teenagers with depression and anxiety. NAMI Boulder County and is the perfect resource for students and teenagers who are battling with drug use. They provide drug-use programs, support groups, as well as resources for families and teens battling struggling with drug use.

Following the pandemic, students took a while to adjust to coming back to in-person classes. Getting used to staying home and doing remote work quickly became the norm, and students had to figure out a way to adjust to it just as quickly. COVID caused constant disruptions for many students’ learning, so in order to bring back students’ focus, many districts have turned to specific learning models, such as personalized learning models. This is a type of learning mechanism that focuses solely on individual needs. It is a dynamic technique that is able to focus on multiple individualistic learning techniques and styles that benefit students who may have had learning disruptions or may have an inability to stay focused. This has led to a lack of motivation to want to attend class to begin with.

The Boulder Valley School District and St Vrain Valley School Districts noticed the lack of attendance from many students post-COVID, as many were still accustomed to the “remote life-style” that COVID pushed us into.

Both districts took absenteeism very seriously and wanted to really dive into the root of the cause of why students were increasingly becoming absent from classes. A great worry amongst parents and families is the lack of attendance from their students, who may fear attending school due to environmental stressors, lack of motivation, early stages of anxiety or depression, or bullying.

Following increases in anxiety and depression, more students are lacking the motivation to attend school. Developing a strong relationship with an attendance advocate can help students have that resource when they feel they need a day to stay home and recharge or a moment to work on their mental health if they aren’t feeling like attending school that day. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of attending classes for an end result of success, as graduation is the ultimate goal for all of these students.

The St Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley School District have taken initiative with the use of attendance advocates who not only ensure that students are attending classes but also check in on their mental health and ensure that they have the right resources that are accessible to them. St Vrain Valley has two main attendance advocates, Lili Arroyo and Francisco Hernandez.

These resources are provided to elementary school students and middle school students as well. Mental health professionals and counselors are individually provided to help with each child’s needs. If you’re a parent in this district, the Boulder Valley and St Vrain School District’s website discusses many topics and themes that you or your child may experience. It helps provide the appropriate resources to help families navigate through difficult times. If you or your child is struggling with any of the listed things, ensure that you are reaching out to a mental health professional to better sustain your child’s needs.

Both the St. Vrain and Boulder Valley School Districts have proven how abundant its mental health options are throughout every district. As parents, the most important thing is to ensure that you are having these conversations with your children at home. Check in on them and see how they feel. Ensure that you are tuning into current events at their schools. Attend their events and ensure that you develop relationships with their educators and mental health professionals who can provide greater insight into their wants and needs, especially at home. It is essential to use these mental health options when necessary to ensure that the stability of your child’s mental health is maintained as much as it can be throughout their high school career.

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The post Mental Health Options in Education appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

I am confused.

Before I explain why, I need to preface this first: I am not going to use direct names at this point, even though they are obvious. Yet, certain circumstances will be respected regardless

I freelance for Yellow Scene Magazine and have an uncommon area code from my phone – 406 – so usually when I call people from an area that uses a different one, I get rejected because they think it is spam.

So, I always text — or preferably email — ahead and will say, “I am Alan, I am from YS, can we talk about [topic].”

I did this recently for the school board elections for the St. Vrain Valley School District. We all know they are running unopposed, but we were hoping to get them on record to still tell us their vision on various topics. Attached is a copy of the actual text I sent to request a few moments to speak.

Someone might say that the point is moot because all candidates are running unopposed, but that is not necessarily true.

I, for one, still want to know what my leaders by default are going to do — or not do — for the children.

Say something outlandish like one believes all kids should use charcoal and rock tablets to write and that would raise many eyebrows. Maybe it would launch a write-in movement for another more qualified — sane — candidate.

But, in this case, this year, we can’t even ascertain any of the candidates’ intentions for the children of the school district because quite frankly, most didn’t feel it important enough to address these five questions with their topics:

Book Bans: What is your stance on banning books in your district and what role should parents play in curriculum decisions?

Early Education & Healthy Meals: Underprivileged families face additional challenges such as lack of affordable preschool and access to healthy meals. Colorado promised free preschool for half of all eligible families but now can only provide access to about 15% of families. Can you expand on what your district does to ensure all students have better access to early education and healthy meal programs?

DEI & Education: What roles do you believe DEI — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — as well as teaching about the history of institutional racism should play in educating our youth?

Mental Health: How should we handle the mental health crisis, growing anxiety, in kids we have seen since even before Covid, and exacerbated by that disruption of regular education and the stress of college applications?

Drills & Anxiety: How do you balance preparing for the worst, something like a shooting or a wildfire, while not increasing fear and anxiety among children that it will happen to them?

Now, I will let you all know that only two responded – I will get back to one of them who showed they are way in over their head in a minute – and in fairness there is always that possibility that the text — none gave their emails and even one candidate is almost a ghost in terms of an internet footprint and didn’t provide a shred of contact information — was never received because it was a landline.

Yet, that is also a problem because my phone sends me back a rejection text if it is indeed from a landline.

The two others that provided a number were obviously cell phones. The third? Well, they might be still living with Barney Rubble.

However, it must be noted that James Berthold ultimately did get a hold of someone at YS directly, so we will pull him out from under the bus.

To note, I sent multiple messages asking for a response to an interview request and I got nothing. Sadly, in this day and age, it is hard to push like the good old days. The weak will threaten “Harassment charges,” so I tend to lean toward 2-3 attempts at best.

Then there is the fourth candidate. Wow, what a doozy.

I did get a response: The first asked to email them the questions which we will not do. The answers need to be raw and on the spot. Not even debatable.

I explain that, then get a text a bit later saying, “Can talk in the next little bit here, but will be unavailable after that.”
Now consider this: I have multiple jobs. I have a schedule. Thus, why I asked if we can “schedule” a time.

As I am doing other things, I see I missed a phone call from this “candidate.” I call back and get ignored.

I ask in a text, “unavailable for the next week?”

Nothing. Ghosted.

These are the kind of people who think they are responsible, professional and mature enough to lead YOUR children?

Gee, if you are so busy — this person told me why, but I won’t share since it would be a spoiler — and can’t take 15 minutes to discuss items that concern so many families in your district, maybe the gig isn’t for you?

I mean, what about those lone weekly meetings? What about all those backchannel discussions regarding those naughty kids and teachers? What about all the weekly rig amoral grind of trying to get a school district to function.

Sure, let’s be real, school board members are usually just bean counters and even though they believe themselves to be superior all over the country, the real heavy lifters usually work in the schools – shout out to all our superintendents, principals and especially teachers.

So, I guess, my biggest concern if I was a resident within the St. Vrain School District is, who is going to be installed and what truly makes them qualified?

If you can’t even take 15 minutes to tell the people who will depend on many of your choices where your mind is at, maybe those people should mind you having a say at all?

Considering you couldn’t say a thing.

The post Questions unanswered about St Vrain Valley School District Board appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Local elections are often the most important to your daily life but are not given nearly as much attention as large national events. YS strives to provide a comprehensive guide to the upcoming elections so you can have a voice in how your city, neighborhood, and community are run.

We ask all candidates running against each other the same questions. However, answers are condensed and summarized when needed to fit our size constraints. Each candidate we have an opinion on is then given status by our election board — Endorsed, Qualified, Unqualified — and every race has an endorsement.

Editors Note:

Nothing gets past our readers. They noticed a mistake that slipped into the YS Election Guide and alerted us immediately. 

For Broomfield, City Council Ward 1, YS endorses Kenny Nguyen.

YS does not endorse Chriss Hammerschmidt. We actually find her Unqualified due to her anti LGBTQ+, anti-abortion, and conspiracy theory views that she would bring to City Council. 

We apologize for any confusion for mislabeling this endorsement and want to thank our supporters for quickly pointing this out.

In our defense, we were up into the late hours of the night with a flurry of spreadsheets, documents and design layouts to be completed of over 84 candidates and 24 ballot issus — such is the life of a small, independent magazine that still believes in real, local journalism — but take full responsibility for our mistake.

Colorado Statewide Ballot Measures

Proposition II – Taxes and Tobacco: Asks voters to either (1) allow the state to retain and spend revenue the state received above the estimated revenue generated from increases taxes on cigarettes and tobacco and nicotine products in Proposition EE or (2) refund $23.65 million to distributors and wholesalers and reduce the tobacco tax rate by 11.53% | Vote: Yes

Proposition HH – Taxes and Property: Reduces the property tax rate; allows the state to retain and spend revenues (that it would otherwise be required to refund to residents under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR)) to give local governments to make up lost tax revenues from the property tax rate reduction | Vote: Yes

Boulder County Ballot Initiatives

1A – Open Space extension: A proposal to extend for fifteen years the existing 0.05% countywide sales and use tax for the purpose of acquiring, improving, managing and maintaining open space lands and other open space property interests. | Vote: Yes

1B – Affordable Housing Extension: A proposal to extend for fifteen years the existing 0.185% countywide sales and use tax for the purposes of funding existing and additional affordable and attainable housing and related supportive services within Boulder County. | Vote: Yes

6A  – Nederland EcoPass Public Improvement District extension: A proposal for a ballot issue for the November 2023 election to extend for ten years the District’s existing ad valorem property tax mill levy imposed at a rate not to exceed 1.85 mills for the purposes of paying the costs of providing a Regional Transportation District EcoPass to all District residents; and to seek elector authorization for the District to administer an EcoPass program for non-resident employees of employers operating within the District. | Vote: Yes

Broomfield Elections

Broomfield Mayor – UNOPPOSED

Guyleen Castriotta – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: You don’t see a lot of folks camping in tents. People do live in their vehicles or are living several to a room. It looks different in Broomfield. We offer referrals for services for emergency and transitional housing, mental health if they need it and also in the colder months, we offer hotel vouchers.
• Infrastructure: Regional Transit Authority (RTD) is underfunded, under-resourced and overprescribed. Broomfield contributes about $17 million a year to RTD. If you’re transit dependent in Broomfield then then you’re out of luck and that is the bigger problem. There has to be systemic change in the state to truly create a public transit system that serves everyone.
• Development: We’re embracing growth, we’re building and improving as fast as we can. Voters approved an open space tax in perpetuity, and that helped fund a lot of land acquisitions that are going to be conserved and preserved as parks and recreation. But you can’t walk around – Broomfield is not a walkable community. It wasn’t built that way. It’s the burbs. You need a car here.
• Cost of living: We require all new developers to provide 20 percent of their new for rent units at 60 percent (Adjusted Median Income) or less, or 10% of their for sale units at 60%. We have focused on that as a priority as long as I’ve been on this council since 2017. We’ve already built 9,700 units in three years.
• Education: I doubt local governments can fill the gap. The schools are funded by a completely different taxing system in Colorado. It’s through property taxes. Cities and counties, and we’re both, are facing a lot of sticker shock as well. The cost of our capital improvements, pipes, labor, you name it, has tripled since before the pandemic.
• Crime & Mental Health: We have mental health co-responders that go on calls. We have red flag laws or risk protection orders that allow folks to report someone who may be trying to harm themselves or others with firearms and get those firearms removed. We are utilizing part of our cannabis sales tax revenue to fund behavioral health programs in our schools.
  

Broomfield City Council – Ward 1

Chriss Hammerschmidt

• Unhoused: They’ve done a good job with homelessness in Broomfield. They now have a voucher program so that people who need housing can get housing. The police department is really good at assessing the situation. I think they’re a vital part of that program.
• Infrastructure: I attended a transportation forum the other day and I think Broomfield has a pretty good handle on it. They work pretty closely with CDOT. I know there’s been some problems with Highway 7 and I-25 Corridor, but that’s just the lack of funds. The thing I see as a problem is just the funding, like the RTD light rail system that’s taken a long time, they’ve overcharged.
• Development: Broomfield was a small home community and it’s no longer that. The character changes as the population increases or decreases. We’ve had droughts forever here because we’re a semi-arid, arid part of the United States. We need to be really careful with our water supply and what I like to see is that we slow down a little bit. 
• Cost of living: People on fixed incomes are really feeling the pinch, we have to be really careful about how we subsidize housing. We don’t want to make it less affordable for some people just to make it more affordable for other people.
• Education: My kids went to five-star schools and I never saw problems, but I just have to look at that a little bit more.
• Crime & Mental Health: I think a lot of our problems go back to either drugs or childhood abuse or even elderly abuse. We need to focus on helping people find out what the problem is in their lives, that would go a long way to helping crime. You have to enforce laws, there has to be consequences. That’s how you have a civil society. It’s worked for a long time and we need to get back to the basics.

Kenny Nguyen – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We can help homelessness with affordable housing and better wages, because the reality is that people are just unable to afford homes. We need more housing units to help people make sure that they can afford a home and have options so they can purchase or even rent homes or apartments.
• Infrastructure: The reality is that we don’t have public transit that supports us. A lot of folks use RTD, I use RTD. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible for a lot of Broomfielders. We want to make sure Broomfield is on the Green Path of carbon emissions. I would also encourage more charging stations for electric vehicles.
• Development: My goal is more density in units. We need to focus on apartment complexes, duplexes, and townhomes that are maybe not as large but they are more attainable and affordable.
• Cost of living: Folks are seeing crippling effects of inflation and interest rates. We have to increase wages, make sure that people can afford those homes. There’s crippling inflation and interest rates, people buy a home and they’re unable to afford a mortgage.
• Education: Working with our local schools, teacher unions, and our educators to fund programs that are fair. We have to work together from local, state and federal and ideally, find the right partnerships. How do we get more pre-K teachers and educators?
• Crime & Mental Health: We have to find better ways to address gun violence. Having mental health providers, police officers on patrol, and de-escalation. We’ve had some successful gun control legislation like red flag laws and getting guns from people who are more dangerous. I would also invite experts, police officers, folks to brainstorm together.

Broomfield City Council – Ward 2

Paloma Delgadillo – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: I believe in funding our health and human services department and ensuring people who are unhoused, and those being on the brink of being unhoused, are able to access free services. I want to ensure that we are not making homelessness a crime, luckily this is the case. In Broomfield, if someone is camped out where they should not be camped out, it does not lead to criminal punishment.
• Infrastructure: I am on the record of supporting denser development. It’s necessary not only to have regulatory solutions, but also to have more people. There are people who cannot afford a car, much less two cars for a household and so I think expanding public transportation is extremely important for us.
• Development: Our goal is about 40% open space. Having access to the outdoors, open space, is beneficial for people and public health. We have plenty of single family options, I would argue that what we don’t have is townhouses and more of those denser developments.
• Cost of living: Safe and dignified housing is a human right. It’s unconscionable the inequality we have in America. Obviously, that is not something under my control as a city council member. However, I do support continuing to fund those public services and public utilities that help improve people’s quality of life.
• Education: I would defer a more robust answer for school board candidates and people who are much more informed about this. I would point to funding community services such as library programs, making sure that we have low cost and free preschool available to young families.
• Crime & Mental Health: I believe in the Second Amendment and I do believe that we need common sense regulations. I think it’s impossible to ignore the link that poverty and a scarcity of resources have a detrimental effect on mental health. Giving people access to safe housing is important to ensure they are taken care of. 

Broomfield City Council – Ward 3

Jean Lim – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: In Broomfield when a resident or someone is concerned about an unhoused person, they can report it to the city and a cross-sectional team goes out to see if they can assist that unhoused person. That team effort has been successful so far in trying to find the unhoused person the resources that that person needs to find housing somewhere and to otherwise be set on a better path to sustainability. 
• Infrastructure: Public transit is essential to meeting not only the needs of those who have to commute to work and in and out of Broomfield, it’s essential to meet our green greenhouse gas goals, which we set in 2020 in Broomfield. Our BRT service has not developed fully yet. We need BRT service on Colorado 7. 
• Development: We have a process of reviewing development in Broomfield which keeps the character while at the same time providing for housing needs. We have recently revamped a lot of the code which had not been reviewed for a long time, as far as zoning landscape code, where parking and biking requirements. 
• Cost of living: I’m very proud of the efforts that council has made with our inclusionary housing ordinance. We have secured funding from residential developers for either the on site units or for cash in lieu. For cash in lieu, we have established the Broomfield Housing Alliance which will use to look at developments in Broomfield that can address the needs of our demographics.
• Education: The Colorado preschool initiative as a statewide initiative, it was adopted on the premise that the state would be able to fund it and Broomfield has six school districts. Broomfield has never been in the service of providing education, so I don’t think that Broomfield has a role in this statewide initiative.
• Crime & Mental Health: We have enhanced our mental health services that are available to Broomfield residents, in particular in the past four years through the pandemic. We have made use of the funding grant and internal funding grants and now the opioid money that’s available to enhance mental health resources for Broomfield residents.

Peter Crouse

• Unhoused: I don’t have a plan for homelessness. The answer to homelessness is a multi-jurisdictional question that’s going to involve the resources of cities, counties, states and actually the federal government. It also has to do with health care in the country, which I don’t view as being as complete as it should be.
• Infrastructure: We have to build appropriate density. Density allows living near retail so people can shop and walk without having to travel great distances, density allows people to park their cars, to ride their bikes, and to walk. The word density is a boogeyman, it creates fear in people. When they hear density, they think poverty, crime, crowding and I don’t think those align.
• Development: There are those who would like to make Colorado so expensive that you build a financial fence around Colorado. I don’t think that that’s the right way to approach population growth. If you look at 96th Avenue in Broomfield, that is a model development of how we can move forward to provide adequate housing that’s affordable, as well as putting it around workplaces so that you have workforce housing and people don’t have to travel great distances to work. 
• Cost of living: We have to be very careful about what kind of municipal laws we pass regarding housing standards and electricity. We have got to ultimately move away from hydrocarbons, because the air pollution that comes with hydrocarbons has negative consequences. We want to reduce that air pollution. The move to electrify things has consequences in housing cost, you have to be careful.
• Education: I don’t think local governments should be expected to fill that gap. I think that unfunded state mandate is one of the things causing friction between the municipalities and the state level government right now. I’m not sure how to address that unfunded mandate.
• Crime & Mental Health: The responsibility for controlling guns is going to come down to voters in this country and voting in national politicians that align with their views on gun control. I really don’t think that the local communities are gonna have a lot to do with gun control. I don’t have a magic bullet answer on what to do about mental health issues. It’s so tied to families, poverty and poverty is so generational.

Broomfield City Council – Ward 4

Laurie Anderson – ENDORSED

• Unhoused:  Continue providing a more tailored approach to the unhoused, working with unhoused individuals on a case by case basis to figure out where they are from and what they need to get back on their feet. Broomfield’s unhoused population is low, so we should use this to our advantage by providing this more tailored, personalized approach.
• Infrastructure: Those before us have done good work to begin expanding public transit and walkability, we should continue this work. We have walkable developments, more bus stops and expanded RTD coverage in development, hopefully to be completed in the next couple of years. We need to work to keep these projects on track. 
• Development: We need to build developments with unique character, such as the upcoming town square.
• Cost of Living: Broomfield has already done work on figuring out what affordable housing is needed and how to provide more of it. We should follow the work that came before and stay on this course to provide affordable housing for Broomfield families. We have homes in the pipeline, we are building for density and plan to have RTD coverage by 2026.
• Education: Advocate with the state to ensure that the most needy families are prioritized, and seek more funding for early education.
• Crime & Mental Health: Identify when someone is having a mental health crisis as opposed to committing a crime, and expand programs and services to assist people undergoing mental health crises. Right now, our biggest issue with regards to mental health is lack of resources. Most of this is handled at the state level, so we must advocate for more state support and resources.

Broomfield City Council – Ward 5

Adam Gobetti – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: We need to help the unhoused population, not just tuck them into a corner and forget about them. The issue really comes down to mental health. We already have mental health resources, we need to do a better job of informing people and expanding access. We need to do targeted investments to improve these resources. Do what we can to make sure people don’t wind up unhoused in the first place.
• Infrastructure: We need to focus on what can be done at a municipal level, such as advocating for smarter design and working with RTD and county authorities to encourage more public transportation. 
• Development: We need to be careful with what we build and why, and focus on growing slowly. 
• Cost of Living: Affordability/Cost of Living: We need to spend less money on big projects and focus on saving money for Broomfield families. To do this, we need to reduce taxes for those in Broomfield. We need to make it less expensive to live and do business in Broomfield. Don’t add costs to housing and don’t make it more difficult for builders to create housing. 
• Education: Education is a matter for the school board, not the city council. This doesn’t mean that nothing can be done, but it means that city council is incredibly limited in this area.
• Crime & Mental Health: Mental health drives a lot of other issues, such as crime and suicide. Broomfield’s police department is fantastic and needs to be supported. We need to invest in solutions to mental health and crime problems that aren’t entirely police oriented.

Heidi Henkel – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: There are a number of compounding issues behind this problem that need to be addressed. We need to expand affordable housing, mortgage assistance, and other housing support services so that people who are struggling don’t slip into homelessness. We need to get the unhoused wrap-around support services they need, such as mental and physical health care.
• Infrastructure: Work on rezoning to improve walkability and public transportation, reduce parking spaces, increase walkability between commercial and residential areas. This is all about planning, we need to build with walkability and public transit in mind first and foremost. If you build density, transportation will come.
• Development: The key to this is public input. If we are people powered, we’ll be able to build smartly and preserve Broomfields unique character. People are moving to Broomfield because of affordability, open spaces, and the tech scene, among other factors. We need to keep all of these in mind while growing and developing.
• Cost of Living: We should build partnerships to develop more affordable housing, reduce cost of living and support Broomfield families. Broomfield should retain its land use authority because it can move quickly to build affordable housing. We need to work to make home ownership more attainable for people, and work regionally to raise the minimum wage across Boulder County and surrounding counties. 
• Education: We need to provide more preschool and childcare resources for Broomfield families. 
• Crime & Mental Health: Work at the state level to pass a bill requiring firearm education before any firearm purchase. This will significantly increase gun safety, and weed out people who are looking to purchase a firearm just to hurt others. Make sure people are keeping their firearms locked up, and work to reduce firearms being stolen from cars and homes. Expand red flag laws to ensure that people going through a mental health crisis have some sort of intervention before purchasing a firearm.

Broomfield Ward 5 (Recall) | Vote: No

Todd Cohen – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have a robust Human Services Department that provides services. The city also has a hotel voucher program to temporarily get people out of public spaces and provide shelter especially in times of severe weather.
• Infrastructure: We can pressure RTD to live up to their promises, they have failed. We’re unfortunately a public transit desert in many ways. I would like to see more safe, dedicated bike lanes rather than relying on paint on a pavement.
• Development: Stick to our 40% open lands goal. It provides spaces for both mental health spaces and wildlife. We are emphasizing density, particularly in the Highway 7 corridor. The future is more townhomes, more dense housing developments around transit areas.
• Cost of Living: Beyond the basic problem of supply and demand, we need more housing. The market is not going to solve that. It’s partly the density that you require, we need to build our way out of this with more housing options.
• Education: The state doesn’t have enough resources for schools, roads, or sewers. It doesn’t have enough resources for preschool. Unfortunately, TABOR has starved schools, roads, and education to a Mississippi level.
• Crime & Mental Health: young people are not feeling hopeful at all, and if you don’t have hope you turn to other means. Lockdown drills, home prices out of reach, student loans making college unrealistic, why is it surprising that we have mental health challenges and anxiety?

Maria Boutrous – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: We need to take an individualized, tailored approach, by providing mental health and economic support services to the people that need it. Many with mental health issues, such as schizophrenics, are chronically unhoused, and we need to focus on giving them the support and resources they need.
• Infrastructure: Broomfield has been giving RTD money for years without a noticeable increase in service. We need to reevaluate where our money is going, and what will have the best impact on increasing public transit availability. Crime puts a big damper on public transit use, so by combating crime we would encourage more people to use public transit. 
• Development: We need to be smart about developing the last twenty percent of available land in Broomfield, as the city’s large amount of open space is one of the main things that draws people to the city.
• Cost of Living: We need to reduce the mill levy, and other taxes and regulations that make it difficult for builders to create housing in Broomfield. This will increase the amount of affordable housing, specifically middle housing like townhomes, and reduce cost of living for average families. Specifically, we need to target  high property taxes that make life more expensive for Broomfield families.
• Education: This is not something the city council can realistically address, this issue is best left to the school board. 
• Crime & Mental Health: Crime is a huge mental health burden on Broomfield families. We could do a lot to address the mental health crisis by reducing property crime, such as vehicle thefts, so families have less to worry about, and by fighting to lower the cost of living. In order to reduce crime, we need to work with Broomfield police and give them the resources and support they need.

Boulder Elections

Boulder Mayor

Aaron Brockett – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We need more permanent housing to get people off the street and provide wraparound substance abuse and mental health services. We should also create programs with transitional choices like tiny home villages which are proving to be successful in Denver. We can help pay for this with funding from proposition 123 which was passed last year and provides millions of dollars for homelessness supportive services.
• Infrastructure: We need to move in a sustainable direction by creating more “15 minute neighborhoods,” where people can walk, bike, and take the bus to most of their daily needs. We are working to accomplish that by rezoning some of our old strip malls and business parks, so they become vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods. We got a $25 million grant to increase transportation between Longmont and Boulder. I will seek out every opportunity to add transit options and bike infrastructure if I’m re-elected.
• Development: It’s about locating denser development in places that can support it, where there are services, bikeability, and transit. That goes to some of the rezoning I’ve been talking about, but some of that new development can really create beautiful communities. You can add new development in ways that actually enhance a community’s character.
• Cost of living: We have to create substantial affordable housing. Right now we are working on projects to clear out  regulatory obstacles to more affordable and attainable housing, and I am in full support of those. The rezoning that I was talking about will come with a 25% affordable housing requirement. We can expect substantial amounts of affordable housing from that. We also have to look at changing permit and fee structures so that affordable housing is easier to create.
• Education: I have been disappointed at the rolling back of universal preschool programs. We had a positive alternative in the potential creation of an early childhood education district, but I was disappointed that they didn’t move forward. One thing we can do at the municipal level is to provide support for early childcare expenses. Our Human Services department has a child care affordability fund that we use to support small family-owned childcare, as well as people who need help paying for childcare.
• Crime & Mental Health: Better mental health support is critical. Currently Colorado ranks 49th in terms of funding and it affects everybody in the community, people with houses, people without houses, youths, and seniors, everyone. We need to partner with our nonprofit and county governments to provide additional resources and funding. The largest cause of gun violence is suicides. We need to provide mental health resources to help keep that from happening.
• Policing: I was excited to support the Reimagine Policing program. It moves us away from primarily arresting people who commit crimes and more into a focus of how to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. So it puts police more in a partnership with the community and finding out the reasons why crime is happening and working toward changing the environment such that it won’t reoccur in the future.

Bob Yates 

• Unhoused: I put together an eight point plan that addresses some problems and consequences of homelessness in Boulder. We need to be compassionate and provide services that unhoused people need — mental health treatments, substance-abuse treatment, temporary and permanent housing. We need to be sensitive to community values because we have homeless people living in parks and other public spaces, which is illegal and unhealthy for them and for our housed community. 
• Infrastructure: Our public transportation is operated by the regional transit district, the RTD. The city does operate one bus line, the HOP, and we’ve had discussions over the last few years about possibly expanding the HOP bus lines, because RTD is simply not able to provide adequate transit service to our community.
• Development: Boulder’s growth within the last 20 years has been very slow and steady. We add about 200 to 300 housing units per year. About half of those incremental units that have been added in the last few years have been permanently affordable and are restricted for low income families. So we have been growing very slowly but steadily.
• Cost of living: There are a number of state and federal programs that help the city create permanent affordable housing for families with low income at or below 60% area median income. If a family makes 70%, there are no such programs. The city needs to be creative. One program I put together with the former mayor was a middle income down payment assistance program.
• Education: This is a state program, so I’m not sure it’s appropriate. The city is not involved with education. I think it’s great that the state has stepped in to provide some preschool education, but the city is not in a position to get into the education business to fund education services. This is something the city should not be involved in. We should leave that to the school district and to the state.
• Crime & Mental Health: Colorado ranks at or near the bottom of mental health funding compared to other states. The city doesn’t have a health department and so while the city can certainly be helpful in various ways, we need to look to the state and the county to provide treatment. For gun violence, I am proud of the fact during my years on council, we passed two sets of gun gun violence prevention measures.
• Policing: I am happy with the plan. It passed unanimously a couple weeks ago and that tells you a lot. There’s not a whole lot that nine members of the council can agree on, and I think that’s a tribute to the police chief, and I think it’s a tribute to the process. I was part of that process of community engagement understanding what it is that the community expects from the police department. It is my understanding that the understanding police plan that we approved a couple weeks ago is being held up nationally as a role model.

Nicole Speer – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: My plan is to focus on evidence based solutions to end homelessness. There are a few things we know that work, one of them is prevention focused, and it is providing cash emergency assistance to people who are on the verge of becoming homeless. You can, for relatively small amounts of money, actually prevent somebody from falling into homelessness.
• Infrastructure: I would advocate for moving towards universal design standards for our streets. Which go beyond ADA accessibility. Maybe neurological disorders, sensory processing disorder and mental illness. Make more spaces for them, like how we provide ample seating for people who can’t really walk very far before they take a break. How are we using trees and plants to dampen noise and provide shade for cooler spaces. Those are things I’d push for.
• Development: I’ve been here almost 20 years and you know, the character has changed quite a bit. We have gotten quite a bit wealthier, housing prices have gone up quite a bit. A lot of the homes are doubling in size. I think we need to think about how we want to change moving forward. Are we comfortable with that change? Is this what we really want to be?
• Cost of living: One thing is to increase the amount of affordable housing. We are beginning to look at — and I am fully in support — is putting housing fees on single family homes that are doing additions or large renovations. Homes that are getting bigger. These homes that I just complained about above are changing the character of our neighborhoods.
• Education: I was a little disappointed that our county commissioners did not choose to pursue the creation of a child care district. I think that is an interesting solution to some of the childcare issues we’re facing, and I would really like to see that revisited in the coming years.
• Crime & Mental Health: At a local level we’re doing what we can to restrict availability of guns. We really need some sensible gun safety legislation. As far as Mental health goes, I always think it’s important to remember most people with mental illnesses are not committing crime, and also people with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of crimes. We are one of the lowest when it comes to mental health care. I would love to see the county and state invest more in mental health services, a lot of it comes down to prevention.
• Policing: Where the Reimagine Policing policy ought to be taking us is to where we’re partnering with the community to reduce crime and reduce the need for police intervention. That is where I see the role evolving to prevent crime. More investment in social services. If you have enough money to put food on the table, we know there is no reason to go try and steal food from the grocery store. We know that investments really make a difference.

Paul Tweedlie – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: You can make a distinction between the homeless, who are raised in Boulder, and have fallen on hard times, and they have been helped by the city’s housing department. I think it’s like six people. Transients, illegal camps, these guys don’t belong in Boulder, they need to leave.
• Infrastructure: I think there are some problems. I was excited to see a new route has been added and also I see encouraging signs like E-bikes around town and now E-scooters. We need to make sure we have safe bike and foot paths where people can get to where they need to be. 
• Development: There’s the super rich who come from out of state with millions, if not billions, and that puts pressure on the housing market. What we really need is low income housing so that the people who work in Boulder can live in Boulder. So I would try to encourage the development of  low income housing.
• Cost of living: There’s not much you can do about the rising cost of living. There’s a 600 acre area just north and east of the city which you know can be chopped up and then we can develop that area for more low income housing. The first thing would be to follow the plan that’s already in place.
• Education: It sounds like a failing for families. I don’t know what to do, the housing and school system are already under a lot of pressure. I’d encourage more home schools, I’d support these programs.
• Crime & Mental Health: Crime is a real problem and it’s highly associated with drugs. There is such an access to drugs. Fentanyl is killing our kids. Absolutely heartbreaking. To address the crime I think we first need to address illegal drugs.
• Policing: It was a great plan. They’re looking for more officers to hire, but they’re having trouble hiring more officers. I believe the city Council has a duty to set the tone, they need to set expectations in Boulder. If you break the law, you’re gonna get fined and ticketed if it’s a misdemeanor. If you don’t pay your fine, you’re going to jail.

Boulder City Council – At Large

Aaron Neyer

• Unhoused: We need transitional housing so homeless people have a place to go. Right now we’re saying ‘you can’t be here,’ but the truth is they don’t have a place to go. We need to recognize our society, and the inequity that’s built into our society, is creating this problem. 
• Infrastructure: We need to make it more appealing to not use a car, to do that people need to feel safe. Right now a lot of people don’t feel safe when not in a car. We do that by creating more protected bike lanes.
• Development: Duplexes and triplexes allow for more infill and housing. We start like really thinking how we can intelligently build out.
• Cost of Living:  We should create more affordable housing, and more middle income housing, to start creating a little more economic diversity. I know people who live in duplex and triplexes and they really enjoy the community feel.
• Education: I know there’s really great preschools here yet a lot of people struggle sending their kids to preschools. I would like to see Boulder play more of a role in how we are shaping the education system. But I’m not well researched enough to know what the solutions are.
• Crime & Mental Health: I learned about a program where they trained a number of mental health responders so if someone is caling 911, the operator that receives it can determine if this is a mental health crisis. I’m curious if we could do something like that in Boulder, that would be really cool.
• Policing: The struggle is when somebody is having a mental health break down, they get the police called on them. We should emphasize things like community mutual aid and trained mental health responders.

Jacques Decalo

• Unhoused: Expand facilities and programs that currently help the unhoused, such as turning night shelters into daytime or even 24 hour shelters. Give unhoused people the support they need to find both temporary and long term housing, particularly employment. Enforce the camping ban, but provide areas where the unhoused can stay, receive support, and access services. 
• Infrastructure: Work on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis to figure out which can accommodate more density. Make Boulder friendlier to bikers by building protected bike lanes and fixing potholes. Work to accommodate e-bikes and make public transit more reliable and frequent. 
• Development: Keep Boulder diverse, natural and beautiful. Make our neighborhoods more walkable and friendlier to public transit. Boulder shouldn’t sprawl. 
• Cost of Living: Make Boulder an affordable place to live for everyone. Focus on building inclusionary housing while also helping housed people stay that way. Make use of vacant and underused spaces, like empty offices, to build more housing.
• Education: Work with what we have, use universities already in Boulder to expand early education programs. Give lower income Boulder residents more opportunities for early childhood education. Philanthropy can help us bridge these gaps and provide for Boulder’s children.
• Crime & Mental Health: Take a holistic approach to policing, focus on preventative measures. Get input from the community on what they’re worried about and what needs fixing. Address what leads people to crime, provide support and expand opportunities for people.
• Policing: Continue to support Reimagine Policing. Invest in our police, make sure our bike paths and public spaces are safe, well-monitored, and held to a safety standard put forward by the chief of police. We also need to work with our local businesses to help them feel safe. 

Jennifer Robins

• Unhoused: We can’t group the unhoused into one group. We have families that are experiencing homelessness. We have individuals experiencing homelessness. I think Boulder does a good job working with a portion of the unhoused community who are actively working towards to exit homelessness. For those living in the encampments, we believe we need to continue outreach to get them involved with coordinated entry and the mini mini services that are offered through outdoor city.
• Infrastructure: Transportation accounts for 29% of the greenhouse gas emissions. There are many people in our community that have to drive to work, to shop, to go to school. It comes back to rezoning housing and areas that we have mass transit and walkable, mixed use neighborhoods. We need to increase the safety and usability of RTD, increase our bike share, and incentivize eBike purchases.
• Development: I would support strategic zoning reform to allow for slightly higher densities and gentle infill in certain areas. These areas can include our vacant or aging businesses and industrial districts, where we can rezone to create multi unit housing. I think it’s crucial work with our existing neighborhoods to accomplish all of this.
• Cost of living: The market is in the business of profit it’s not in the business of affordability so in Boulder we’re going to have to regulate in order to get the affordable housing that we need. We need to focus on continuing our inclusionary housing policy and leveraging that cash to let our Boulder housing partners with the county to create truly affordable housing.
• Education: I went back to work after six weeks with both of my kids and they had to go directly into private daycare so I am very aware of how families struggle. We need to continue looking at working with our community partners or existing nonprofits to help that situation, as well as potentially providing tax rebates for in-home daycare.
• Crime & Mental Health: We need to implement a caring yet efficient strategy for addressing crime. Mental health is a huge issue right now. Public safety is the job of the city and health is the job of the county. The county really needs to step up and provide supportive services.
• Policing: Police need to be staffed to be staffed to be successful. I went on a ride along about two weeks ago with the police and I was able to see how all of the different teams within the police department work together so efficiently. We had mental health calls. I was able to see how they worked with the downtown Ambassadors on Pearl Street.

Ryan Schuchard – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We need to focus on four key areas: people, prevention, places, programs and spaces. Increase the use of non-police responses when dealing with those suffering mental health issues. Prevent people from slipping into homelessness. Establish a more accessible network, such as day shelters. Make sure our public spaces have the things people need to get through their day, such as public toilets and drinking fountains
• Infrastructure: Consolidate the city’s resources and bureaucracies for the purpose of building more walkable, public transit friendly infrastructure and codify our goals in this area. We need to focus on making Boulder resource and space efficient. Lastly, we need to build a full grid of transportation modes that aren’t centered on cars, and build a public transportation network that is more robust, efficient and reliable.
• Development: Our problems with development come from our attachment to and reliance on cars. Decoupling from cars would give us space for more people and room for safer modes of transit. Reducing our dependence on cars would make our city more inclusive and solve a lot of our issues with development.
• Cost of Living: We need to increase the quantity of middle housing, such as duplexes, triplexes, townhomes. Reform zoning to make it easier to build middle income housing. We need to reduce and eliminate parking mandates in order to incentivize building more housing. We need to practice strategic development in the large tracts of land open to us, such as the airport.
• Education: We need to make the cost of living work better for those in the education system, namely teachers. We also need to expand resources for working parents. 
• Crime & Mental Health: We need to expand our network of mental health and substance addiction support services.
• Policing: Address the epidemic of drug addiction, mental illness, poverty, and desperation, which are fueling an increase in violent crime. We need to fix the congestion problem in our courts, in a way that protects civil liberties while reducing costs and breaking the cycle of people reoffending. Become more sophisticated about dealing with transportation related crime, such as bike theft.

Silas Atkins – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: A holistic approach to support the unhoused and help struggling people stay housed. Take both the short and long term into account, and expand our perspective to work with regional authorities. Take inspiration from successes in Denver to create safe public spaces and provide services to those who need them most. Expand temporary housing solutions such as hotel room stays and repurposing empty commercial space. 
• Infrastructure: Incentivize housing density and placing housing along transit corridors. In order to depend less on cars, we need people to live closer to where they work and give them greater access to more means of transportation. We can achieve this by changing our zoning laws and taking cues from infrastructure changes that are working in other parts of the state.
• Development: Boulder is not full, it only feels so because we have cars everywhere. Reduce conflict between different modes of travel by splitting them up. Increase public transit and dense housing to make Boulder a more pleasant, environmentally friendly place to live.
• Cost of Living: Make it easier for things to get built. Support working families by raising the minimum wage and providing direct cash assistance to those that need it. Work to create neighborhoods of mixed income levels, economic segregation benefits no one.
• Education: There is very little we can do to work with the education system on the local, city level, as this is largely handled on the state level. The best way to proceed is to reach out to experts on this matter and figure out what we can do, if anything, to help ease families burdens. It will take expert advice and out of the box thinking to tackle this problem on the local level.
• Crime & Mental Health: Take the existing police budget and reinvest it into proven, nonviolent solutions, such as the care team. The last thing the Boulder Police Department needs is more money and more officers, as it has been proven that approaches like this do nothing to make our citizens and public spaces safer.
• Policing: The reimagined policing plan was a bad idea for Boulder.

Tara Winer – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have a day center that we’re working on. Right now, people have the option of staying in the Boulder Shelter for the homeless. But that is during the night, they need to go somewhere during the day where they can access services, use the bathroom and the showers, and have lockers for their possessions. We need more transitional housing with more services.
• Infrastructure: We have a car culture. To get people out of cars, transit has to be fast, reliable, and inexpensive. That, of course, falls under the purview of the RTD. However, we do have Via, they run the hop and they do a good job. I think the best options we might have even for the disabled are probably E-bikes. I want to put infrastructure with protected bike lanes into Boulder.
• Development: Colorado in general has a housing shortage but we also have a labor shortage. So, to me, they’re inter-twined. Having housing that the labor pool wants is going to be crucial for us to solve some of our labor shortage problems. I don’t have to tell you how expensive land is here, making housing that is affordable is pretty difficult.
• Cost of living: Two types of affordable housing in Boulder. Deed restricted permanently affordable housing, and there is housing that is affordable or attainable. We have a lot of the deed restricted permanently affordable housing units in the pipeline. I would say we’re really good at that. What we don’t have is a lot of affordable housing that’s outside that. We have very little middle income housing stock.
• Education: You know, in a world where we have unlimited funds, yes, they could. But, we have limited funds. Personally, I don’t know. I feel like the state should’ve done that. It’s not fair to keep asking local governments to keep paying for everything.
• Crime: I want to talk about mental health. We have Mental Health Partners. It’s the county that’s supposed to be in charge of mental health so a lot of my job is to beg the county commissioners and the state to do something to help us. Mental health is part of the county’s purview, and it affects our cities so much. I will say that Mental Health Partners did recently get a grant that was awarded to them to purchase a facility.
• Policing: I was part of the subcommittee for the Reimagine Policing plan and I thought the policing plan was great. I think we have some problems because we have a shortage of police officers. We are about 20 police officers down so we’re having trouble keeping up with all the things that police officers need to be involved with. So the reimagining plan called for 205 police officers and we can’t even find staff and retain them. We really need more police officers.

Taishya Adams – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: Resources, people, programs and initiatives we know what works, investing in what works, and being led by those who are most affected by this topic. Like Streetscape, for example, and their four point plan.
• Infrastructure: Funding for our transportation system is going to be the number one most important goal. We have new funding opportunities through both the inflation reduction act, and Boulder’s own climate tax. How do we leverage these historic investments to make sure we are reducing our own carbon footprint emissions, and increasing our biodiversity. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention people with disabilities. I believe in balancing people and the planet.
• Development: We can’t just have housing everywhere. It really needs to be balanced with the habitats of other species and of course the natural resources we manage. As a former commissioner for Colorado Parks, and Wildlife, I am aware of this fresh perspective and proven expertise in balancing the needs of outdoor recreation, which is one of the cornerstones of Boulder. That’s why I came here. The character also evolves as we evolve.
• Cost of living: Increasing the minimum wage. Honestly, I think it’s problematic when our government is only focused on one dimension of our lives. Affordability is not just in housing, We’re going to have a 25% increase in our water bill. Water affordability is going to be a conversation we’re going to be having Not to mention transportation affordability. I know we have some programs, but not to meet the demands. It is a holistic viewpoint that moves the bar.
• Education: One of the issues is staffing and retaining early childhood staff in challenging work conditions. Demand is high and inventory is low. This is one of the challenges of unfunded mandates. I’m going to bring expertise to this council, understanding the federal, state, and local level to work with various departments to put money in the hands of families.
• Crime: What we do have is to work with health and human services that we currently have and make sure they are resourced. Our Health and Human Services department just became at parity with our police budget. Two years prior to that I think it was 2/3 the budget. So you get what you pay for. You get what you invest in. We invested in policing, which unfortunately is a reactive strategy. Thankfully, Chief Herold is working to be more proactive.
• Policing: I’m an inaugural member of the police oversight panel, so I’ve looked under the hood in ways most in our city have not, and by that I mean audio tapes, video, tapes and documents opportunities to meet with the chief and staff and officers and community members. I’ll bring that experience in the expertise to this conversation around policing and Reimagine Policing, I think the current reimagining police program gets it right as it relates to transparency, and as it relates to an effort to be more proactive rather than be reactive.

Terri Brncic – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Need to stop thinking of unhoused people as a uniform group with the same needs. Housing alone will not solve the problem, many are suffering from mental health disorders. We need to expand our mental health support services and transitional housing to help the chronically unhoused. However, Boulder can’t do this on its own, and we need to pressure the county and state to step up and help us.
• Infrastructure: Focus on our e-bike infrastructure and safety policies. Make sure that e-bikes are encouraged and safe to use for everyone. Increase bike security so people will be more likely to buy and use bikes. Target parking minimums to reclaim space and start building for the future. 
• Development: We need to expand density in moderation. Don’t want Boulder to be all high rise apartment buildings, but need to build targeted, intentionally walkable neighborhoods along transit corridors. 
• Cost of Living: Need to make the best use of our scarce land by building more affordable housing and expanding housing density. We have to make sure that, in the process of building out, we focus on housing that is affordable rather than high end housing like townhomes. 
• Education: We need to increase the minimum wage to make things easier both for educators and for families. This is the main thing we can do to address this issue at the local level. 
• Crime & Mental Health: Work on lobbying the county to expand mental health resources in Boulder. Our police force is progressive and doing well, we need to support them.
• Policing: I support Reimagine Policing, we have one of the most progressive police chiefs in the country and we should support her. The chief has expressed a desire for change and is currently on a good course, we should support her while also keeping an eye on her progress.

Tina Marquis

• Unhoused: Support current efforts, and expand with new projects such as a day center for the unhoused population. Work to connect people to the resources we have. Expand collaborations with municipal partners to increase affordable housing and provide support to those who are struggling. 
• Infrastructure: Reduce barriers to accessing public transportation in order to increase use, which will hopefully lead to increased frequency. Work with RTD to expand public transportation options. Create safe routes for people to walk and bike on. Expand density where it makes sense, in places where people can realistically walk and bike around. 
• Development: Don’t build just for the sake of it. Focus on providing opportunities for middle and low income families, such as providing more middle income housing. In general, focus on building housing that caters to a diverse range of socioeconomic groups. 
• Cost of Living: Help people stay in their homes. In general, focus on helping people who are struggling to afford basic necessities, both by providing services through the city government and by partnering with nonprofits. 
• Education: Focus on working with existing providers and services rather than creating new taxes or boards. Could consider a citywide early childhood care tax, but must look at the need for it in Boulder. Would prefer a city tax rather than county wide tax. Try to meet families needs without adding too much administrative complexity. 
• Crime & Mental Health: Reduce the usage of guns and support gun safety. Guns should not be in the hands of people who would not be responsible firearm owners. Work with the county to address mental health support services in Boulder. 
• Policing: The reimagined policing program provides a nice balance between the need for public safety and our city wide values of social justice and equity. Focus on preventative rather than reactive policing. 

Waylon Lewis – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We’ve been stuck in the status quo that is bad for all of us. Bad for the homeless, bad for the rest of the general public. It’s been expensive, we’ve tied the hands of the police, and expect them to solve everything. I am a rare candidate not allied with either of the major slates who work to form coalitions. (I’d work), to solve this based on what’s worked and what hasn’t in other cities.
• Infrastructure: I would add electric buses and smaller vans more frequently to all the major routes. RTD is not always a dependable partner. We need regular clean buses and protected bike lanes, as well as adequate access and parking for those who do need to drive. This will take cars off the road reducing traffic. We have to take both climate change and our ability to get around the city safely and quickly seriously.
• Development: We’ve lost affordability, our schools are emptying out. Police officers, teachers, healthcare workers can’t afford to live in Boulder. We need to redouble our efforts on affordable housing in beautiful fun ways that keep Boulder feeling like Boulder. I’d often say let’s make Boulder weird again.
• Cost of living: What Boulder has done with affordable housing is pretty impressive. Still, our goal is nearly double where we’re at now. The model that BHP and others are focusing on is working. We need to focus on missing middle income housing but that will take focus and support from the City Council.
• Education: If parents can’t afford to live in Boulder, let alone work in Boulder that doesn’t work for any of us. To keep our economy strong we need to fill the gap with nonprofit and city run daycare as well as pushing both regionally and state and federally to get the support we expected, and that our citizens need. Families are vital to Boulder and we’re losing them every single day.
• Crime: Boulder has shown leadership on addressing gun violence, especially since the tragic shooting at King Soopers. There’s only so much we can do without federal and state support. Mental health and addiction care are both vital for reducing crime.
• Policing: We are gifted with an ethical and progressive police chief. Our role in City Council will be to both support the police and get them clear direction, neither of which they’ve never really had over the last years. The Reimagine Policing document is one I support, and it includes encouraging community, policing and mental and addiction care, so that police aren’t saddled with responding to everything, including situations they may not be equipped for.

Boulder City Ballot Measures

2A – Sales Tax Allocation: Extension of the existing .15 % City Sales and Use Tax with 50% for General Fund Purposes and 50% to Support Arts, Culture and Heritage (Compromise Measure) | Vote: Yes

302 – Public Space: A citizen initiated Charter Amendment to prohibit items located on city property within a radius of five-hundred feet from any point on a school property line or within fifty feet on both sides of any multi-use path or sidewalk with prioritized removal | Vote: No

2B – Election Rules (Petitions): A Charter Amendment to sections 27, 37, 39, 46, and 57 to: Remove the requirement that people who wish to sign petitions in support of mayoral or City Council candidates do so in person before the city clerk. Allow the city clerk additional processing time to reduce the need for overtime or weekend work to process paper petitions.  Clarify language providing that state law governs amendments to the city’s Charter | Vote: Yes

Erie Elections

Erie Ballot Measures

3A – Home Rule: Shall the Town of Erie proposed home rule charter be adopted? | Vote: Yes

3B – Mayor and Council Compensation: The Mayor shall receive as monetary compensation the sum of twelve hundred dollars ($1,200) per month, and each Council Member shall receive as monetary compensation the sum of seven hundred dollars ($700) per month. Both amounts shall be adjusted annually according to the consumer price index (CPI) for the Denver-Boulder-Greeley area, or such successor index promulgated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. | Vote: Yes

Lafayette Elections

Lafayette City Council – At Large

Crystal Gallegos – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Make sure the people who are unhoused know resources that are available, but we don’t want to strain those organizations as well. I’m thinking specifically of Sister Carmen as one that does great work. We need to make sure they are financially able to continue to assist people.
• Infrastructure: When RTD was free for everyone, as a mom who spends a lot of time driving to various schools, I did notice the program cut down on vehicular traffic immensely, especially near schools, which in turn helps with our problem with emissions and deteriorating roads.
• Development: My biggest concern with population growth is its impact on education. We seem to be building a lot of large density housing, but not really planning for children and schools.
• Cost of living: I just wanted to mention I’m not a homeowner, I am someone who rents. That does make me pro affordable housing. We need to think about education and infrastructure as well. If we continue to build large density housing, we need to make sure we’re considering those as well.
• Education: I’m the parent of a four year old who was promised four days a week of preschool and then they retracted that decision. We need to work with the district to see if there are ways we can implement those additional days that were promised.

David Fridland – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: It’s a lot about working directly with services and support networks that we have around us: Boulder County, our local PD,  Sister Carmen or our mental health services through the city and through the county. Getting them housing, if we can. It’s definitely inspiring to see what the new mayor of Denver is doing.
• Infrastructure: The basic infrastructure of our community needs to be top of mind: roads, safe sidewalks, multimodal transportation, making sure there’s bike lanes, making sure there’s bike and walking paths. All of it has to be addressed. Specifically for mass transit we need to work directly with RTD to make sure our community is getting served. I hear from a lot of people that RTD is a challenge in Lafayette.
• Development: People have been moving to the Front Range, and Colorado generally, since the mid-90s. I love that we have new neighbors, new ideas, new energy. We need to make sure we do it in a balanced way. We need to start thinking about how to build in a balanced and responsive way to the community that lives here already. More density, especially around transportation corridors, is really important. 
• Cost of living: Lafayette has done a pretty good job with affordable housing. We have Willoughby Corner being built. We have been leaders in terms of increasing the housing stock. A lot of it is larger than one community. We need housing stock across the income spectrum. We can do what we can do in Lafayette but it has to be more regional, state-wide support from the county, from the state. We all need to be rowing in the same direction.
• Education: Our role would be helping support local school districts to make sure folks that can’t afford preschool are getting support. We are more of a connector in helping understand the problem, and helping our community and our residents get what they need.

Eric Ryant

• Unhoused: It is a continuing problem and lots of citizens are concerned about it, so I do plan on addressing it.
• Infrastructure: I’m pro-business first of all. Any way to generate either income for the city or make it more affordable to live like the Willoughby Corner center that we’re putting up, I’m all for it. I think that affordable housing is an important issue that I am firmly for.
• Development: I’d have to get with CDOT. I want to see extensively what kind of plans they have with the roads. There’s several projects here in Lafayette that have been delayed or are taking forever, so I’d see what they’re planning to do to help us with the influx of people moving in.
• Cost of living: Inflation is a tough battle, for increasing the minimum wage, once something is in writing with Boulder County I’d probably sit down with all our local business leaders and get their thoughts because I think it is difficult to live in Lafayette. That’s why we’re putting up affordable housing, and we have to allow our local workers to be able to live locally.
• Education: I don’t represent myself. I represent the community, so if we feel that there’s any issues, I am there to approach it and try to find a good, long-term solution to the situation.

Gala Orba 

• Unhoused: The city of Lafayette is currently being sued because we have no homeless shelter. I’d like to open a homeless shelter, and I’m already looking at spaces. I’m going to pick four of them, and then I’m going to take them to the Council. I’d also like to create some permanent housing for the homeless. It’s been proven that the best way to solve homelessness is to give homeless people a place to live.
• Infrastructure: We’ve got space on Public Road and other areas where we could have more economic development and small business, however the rent is pretty high. It’s hard for people to get their foot in the door and start small businesses. I will always be a candidate for the little guy. I believe small business is the heart of our country.
• Development: We’re balancing urban growth in general. We just need a little help with the economy. I think those people who move here could potentially help us. I don’t look at it as a problem.
• Cost of living: There is affordable housing that is public housing but then there are landlords who are already helping with this phenomenon. For all the towns in the area and in this county I feel like Lafayette is the most hospitable to people who are lower income. That said I am focusing on the homeless more so than affordable housing.
• Education: Everybody deserves help with quality help with childcare. I’ve been impressed with the city of Lafayette’s commitment to after-school programs for middle and high school kids. It’s been beautiful to witness. The city has focused on middle and high school kids this past year, and done really well, so it’s time for us to build upon that success and focus on a younger population. There’s been lots of studies as far as how early childcare and head start programs are incredibly beneficial for successful students and successful lives.

JD Mangat – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have always had folks experiencing homelessness in Lafayette, but lately it’s becoming more and more an emerging issue. Unfortunately we don’t have a housing and human services department currently within the city. My long-term goal is to create and develop that internally. The goal is to provide the unhoused population with the resources they need to survive and thrive.
• Infrastructure: During my time on counsel we’ve built a comprehensive plan for the entire city. We need to focus heavily on multi-modal transportation. I know that the state is working on the RTD across Baseline, but we can’t just rely on that. I’m a big fan of micro mobility, the electrification of smaller vehicles, scooters, and bicycles. We have a lot of areas that are missing bike lanes. The city is not as connected as it should be.
• Development: I think people make the mistake of thinking we are growing like crazy. We’re really not. Our intent is not to expand our borders, it is to meet further growth with infill. That’s going to be tough when it comes to traffic congestion, water, and city services. Any time your population grows I think problems grow with it.
• Cost of living: This is the number one issue I’m campaigning on. Lafayette made history this year by creating Willoughby Corner. There are a lot of different levers we can pull in partnership with the state that we can work with to increase affordable housing, like how we opted into Proposition 123. I’m hoping Willoughby Corner is just the tip of the iceberg.
• Education: I think there’s a need for free full-day childcare. I’d be willing to do what I can do in my capacity to advocate for it, whether it’s on a state level or a different level. That’s a huge need in our city, as all Coloradans would probably agree. 

John Watson – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: I would definitely want to address that issue and look at possibly having some type of affordable housing.
• Infrastructure: I’m a huge supporter of the infrastructure. I definitely want our businesses to continue. I do know that part of the problem that I see is that we are getting ready to lose our King Soopers. It looks like a gaping hole in the north side of town there. At the same time I don’t want another Dollar General or something like that. I’d like a grocery store, whether it be a mom or pop, or somebody else that would be paying taxes.
• Development: I think that it’s not as prevalent because we are kind of close to our maximum threshold as far as population-wise. We will need to look at different aspects and considerations, but I think diversity is a very fundamental part of who I am and what I represent, and I would like us to be welcoming and inviting, not become exclusive.
• Cost of living: I do believe that we should have a living wage. I’m completely on board with supporting people having living wages. I myself have lived here going on 18 years and I could not afford my house when we had it appraised and refinanced. I could not afford my house today.
• Education: I don’t have a lot to do with it as far as a city council member, but I would definitely support those types of endeavors.

Tim Barnes – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: Unhoused have different categories. Those who have immediate needs, say triage, you help them with medical emergency services. The other piece is to help people manage work their way through this system of services that exists, maybe with a mentoring program.
• Infrastructure: The whole metro area has been designed around cars. So we have a hard problem and infrastructure problem that impacts all of these other issues like affordable housing and whatnot. We need to separate car traffic. There has to be a physical barrier, there’s way too many accidents.
• Development: I sit on the sustainability resilience Advisory Committee. Resilience is key. That means taking stock of what you currently have, and what are the missing components. The problem is with development is that it has been low density.
• Cost of Living: The definition of affordable housing is too narrow. Accessory dwelling units, condos, apartments, they all play a role. But right now it’s cost prohibitive to build an adu and keep the rent reasonable.
• Education: I hear there is a direct economic correlation to early education and the economy. There’s a direct correlation. You pay for it, but your economy does better. Municipalities can can contribute but I don’t think they should be the lead.

Louisville Elections

Louisville – Mayor

Chris Leh – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We need to build more affordable housing. There are a variety of places where we can establish some permanently affordable housing. And, one such place is doing some transportation-oriented development near our bus rapid transit close to McCaslin Boulevard.
• Infrastructure: The idea of transportation-oriented development is critical here because it provides the kind of density that helps reduce carbon footprint and provides opportunities for people either not to need cars because they can use the bus or to use whatever transportation they have more sparingly, which helps to cut down greenhouse gasses. 
• Development: We’re going to be doing some changes to our land use planning code and processes. I think that that will certainly provide, we hope, expedited, clear, consistent, fair, predictable sorts of standards for folks to develop too. Those standards will be very much informed by our desire to maintain the small town feel of the city, which I believe we can do.
• Cost of living: We need housing stock that augments our single-family homes, because that’s a majority of housing in Louisville, and it’s not going to work for everybody. Part of being a small town is having diverse housing that includes workforce housing, that includes affordable housing. I don’t think you should have to have double income, no kids to be able to move in, and I don’t believe you should have to move out when you turn 65. 
• Education: We’ve seen a decline in the number of people who are in elementary and middle school. I think it is directly related to the cost of housing for young families. We can help with that, to the extent, we may be able to fill some of the gaps involving some of our local preschools, Montessori schools and others. We may be able to provide some incentives to assist those folks.
• Crime & Mental Health: We’re about to do a pilot program, which is a continuation from previous work that we have done to provide a mental health trained professional to accompany officers on certain calls to help de-escalate issues. Part of the goal is to keep folks who need treatment out of the criminal justice system.

Josh Cooperman 

• Unhoused: In Louisville, at the moment, homelessness is not a serious problem. As a first step, the city council should have a special study session where they have a discussion about homelessness in Louisville and try to really gather as much information about what the status of homelessness is. I think the city could consider repurposing one of the many empty office buildings in town as a homelessness services center, if that were really appropriate.
• Infrastructure: We do have pretty good infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists, but it could definitely be improved. There are a number of intersections which are just not good for people to cross. One of them is South Boulder Road and Main Street. I think the city should definitely prioritize making some of these crossings safer.The city is thinking about the possibility of underpasses, and I hope we can figure out how to fund those.
• Development: We have seen population growth over the last decade At the moment, the population in Louisville is leveling off. Some people think that Louisville shouldn’t grow very much, that’s key to maintaining the character of Louisville. I understand that to some extent, but I also feel like if Louisville doesn’t grow a little bit, we’re displacing that growth somewhere else where it’ll probably be less sustainable.
• Cost of living: As a resident I advocated for affordable housing before the city council because I think we all have an obligation to provide housing for people. If you go into neighborhoods they’re designed in that suburban way where people have to get in their car to access any services, that’s a really unsustainable model. 
• Education: In Louisville, the local government is not really involved with education. The Boulder Valley School district is the district we have here, and we certainly coordinate with them on certain things, but we’re not providing any funding or anything like that. Aside from the property taxes, of course, funding them.
• Crime & Mental Health: People are not particularly concerned about crime in Louisville, but that’s not to say that there aren’t any issues. The police department has been exploring mental health support as part of their work. There was discussion about a pilot program in the coming year, which I think the city council will fund, to provide for mental health providers or support through the police department. And I think that’s a great program.

Sherry Sommer – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Sometimes I feel like it becomes a problem that gets out of hand because there’s no real way to address it on a smaller level. I think that housing is part of this equation. We can’t do everything, but we can do what’s within our means and the scale of our town to provide avenues where people can afford their housing.
• Infrastructure: We have a transportation master plan, which we’re working on. I think in order to expand walkability, we need to be focusing on the areas where there’s barriers, like the high traffic streets, like South Boulder Road, Centennial and Bella Vista. There’s a component of this that’s enforcement as well. I would love to be able to generate more sales tax revenue so that we can hire more traffic enforcement police officers.
• Development: We need to consider the scale and mass of our existing town and work in that guideline. So, for example, one way we can do that is with our existing neighborhoods, we can work on zoning overlays, which will set standards that are more in conformity with the pr-eexisting neighborhoods.
• Cost of living: The demand to live here is so huge. There’s no way that we can outbuild the demand. A lot of people that I talk to are concerned that they won’t be able to stay in their homes very long because the property taxes are getting so exorbitant. We really need to think about our existing residents too and how affordable our town is for them, that’s part of what a local government does.”
• Education: I’d like to learn more about the issue. I don’t know a way the city can do that.
• Crime & Mental Health: I am really happy that our police department has had people who assist with mental health crises, and it’s not treated in the same way as crime is. There are other interventions. I really support that because mental health has really suffered after the pandemic and then the Marshall fire.

Louisville City Council – Ward 1

Caleb Dickenson – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: Dealing with this issue is certainly incredibly important to the region and that we have a lot of partners in Boulder County and our neighbors that we need to be supporting in our joint efforts. To find a home for every human is really important to me.
• Infrastructure: Public transit is a very difficult topic because we don’t have our own transit system. We rely on RTD and they have their own metrics for how we get routes and how many buses we get and those kinds of things. But they measure our ridership. It’s important we’re using the transportation provided so that they can see that we want it. And if we’re not using it, they’re not going to be providing it. And that’s how that system works.
• Development: The unique feel of Louisville is in the people and the place and our small business owners and great little shops and restaurants. Continuing to develop our commercial areas and adding some more residents to our community is not going to negatively impact who we are. In the end, we’re a community of people. And, if development brings some more density and some more people, I welcome those new neighbors and jobs.
• Cost of living: People are finding it very difficult to live here when they’re not in their peak earning years. We have to continue to partner with developers who can bring true affordable housing to our community. We need a variety of housing stock for empty nesters and young people who want to live in the community. We need to add places for people to live so we can have more diversity in the type of people that can live here.
• Education: I think the increase in property values is creating a very big increase in property taxes, of which in the city of Louisville, half of it nearly goes to the schools. I would certainly hope that if there’s one benefit to this rising property value, that we are able to do a better job funding our schools. 
• Crime & Mental Health: We’re not talking about defunding the police, we’re talking about funding it differently. We need mental health experts on the police force. Currently, many of our calls to our law enforcement agents are around domestic abuse. They need the skills to communicate with someone and help them in a crisis moment and de-escalate. It’s having officers that are trained in mental health first and foremost.

Louisville City Council – Ward 2

Deborah Fahey – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: The city of Louisville doesn’t have a lot of programs available for actually directly assisting, but we do have plans to increase affordable housing, and we’re cooperating with Boulder County. We have an inter-governmental agreement with them to help with housing issues and homelessness throughout the county.
• Infrastructure: We’re making the streets more bike and pedestrian friendly, putting in right turn lights at major intersections. We’ve got a plan in place to put underpasses under Highway 42 on South Boulder Road, places where there’s a lot of transportation issues. We’re also providing issues or assistance for electric bike purchases. We’re planning on one of those e-scooter programs where you can ride them to the bus stops.
• Development: We’re in the process of a housing study, and that’s going to determine what we do, but the plan right now is to increase the amount of housing that’s available, requiring that some of it be low or middle-income housing and putting it close to transit stops. We have a historic preservation tax where if you are willing to preserve your home or business, either one that’s more than 50 years-old, we will give you up to $1 million dollars in assistance.
• Cost of living: We have an inter-governmental agreement with Boulder County on low and middle-income housing. They took over all of our structures that we own about, about 10 or 15 years ago now, and in exchange, they built a housing unit that’s over 200 units that are income-restricted in some way, and they’re also net zero buildings.
• Education: I’m not sure how we could, we’re all pretty financially restricted right now. We are in the process statewide, again, of changing funding for various things, but Louisville as a city is also trying to deal with recovery from the Marshall Fire. We lost over 600 homes in the Marshall Fire, and mine was one of them. We’re still dealing with the flood. Our funds for financially supporting anything are very limited.
• Crime & Mental Health: Through our Boulder County Health and Human Services division, we have health issues for the schools in all of the schools, for all of the Boulder Valley School District. We’ve also got charitable organizations that are funding mental health assistance, and some of that is even coming as a result of the fire.

George Colbert

• Unhoused: Nobody should have to sleep on the streets. I want to make sure that we have resources for those folks who may be on the verge of homelessness, and make sure that they have vocational training with school education. Whatever we can do to help make sure that they’re still part of the workforce, and that we’ve got affordable housing for everyone.
• Infrastructure: Our transit system currently is pretty great. Obviously, everything can get better. When I moved to Louisville, I was really impressed with the walkability that existed already. However, just recently, I was using one of our crosswalks at night and was almost hit by a car. I think we need to really focus on making sure that crosswalks have the right lighting, they have the right warning system, and that our citizens are actually using those in the right manner.
• Development: We need to make sure that the infrastructure that does come in is in line with our small-town charm, and absolutely imperative to the way of life that we have here. We want to keep that, but we also have to be open to reasonable sustainable growth.
• Cost of living: My vision for Louisville includes developing partnerships with the property developers, employers, and nonprofits to create permanently affordable housing by incentivizing affordable housing development and streamlining building codes. We can make Louisville accessible for all income brackets.
• Education: Every child should have access to early education. It is disappointing to see that the projected availability for the preschool program is not going to be met. Local governments indeed play a role. Community partnerships with businesses, local organizations, and charity groups is important and instrumental. Creating some of that public private partnership, we can pull resources to supplement the shortfall.
• Crime & Mental Health: When we discuss crime prevention and reducing gun violence, including suicides, mental health becomes paramount. Individuals who engage in violent behaviors, including self-harm, often suffer from mental health issues. By ensuring timely intervention and adequate support, we can reduce the risk of these tragic outcomes. It’s essential we enforce rigorous gun background checks that must include a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s mental health history. 

Louisville City Council – Ward 3

Barbara Hamlington – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: That collaboration with the county and the state is necessary to develop comprehensive solutions for the growing population of unhoused people in our community. I would advocate for solutions such as an affordable living wage and affordable housing in our community. In order to address challenges the unhoused population face, it requires multiple solutions.
• Infrastructure: Public transit would be best served by collaborating with the county and the state as well. I’m advocating for multimodal transportation for residents. I’m not only looking at it from a walkability standpoint, but I’m considering other options as well to encompass all abilities and ages, ensuring that our crosswalks are safe, that there’s good visibility for both the pedestrian and the vehicle.
• Development: Our economy relies on sales tax revenue to provide the residents with the services that they expect of the city. There are ways to go about strategic development within the city that support our sales tax revenue and also maintain the charm that residents appreciate. Proposition 123 that we recently discussed the city council, was a housing commitment that we all agreed to put forth in order to qualify applications or projects in Louisville, really for affordable housing.
• Cost of living: Some of the things that interest me are re-imagining land use and zoning, particularly in our areas where we have commercial vacancies that have not been filled for some time, for example, along the McCaslin corridor. I envision how it could be used for mixed residential and commercial use, close to public transportation. I also am advocating for accessory dwelling units.
• Education: The local government can help educate the community about that resource to ensure that all residents are aware that they can apply for it. There could be local programs that are supplemented by local government funds, through grant applications, to help families get access to preschool education and care.
• Crime: I’m going to focus my answer on our children. I think collaboration between the city departments, such as the police department, and the Boulder County School District to ensure that our children feel supported and have the resources they need to be successful. They will realize they have partners within the entire community who want to ensure that they have the resources they need to be healthy and successful.

Dietrich Hoefner

• Unhoused: Homelessness is an issue that we need to address in close coordination with our neighboring and adjacent communities along the front range. Louisville has a relatively small percentage of individuals experiencing homelessness. Solutions include addressing the overall shortage of housing and affordable housing units, ensuring access to social services, and engaging on this issue with compassion.
• Infrastructure: Louisville is certainly a suburban community and we do need to appreciate that many folks are going to continue to get around with cars. We need to have a transportation network that works well for folks and is safe for them. I’ve been concerned we’ve had a handful of pedestrian incidents with car collisions. We have room to improve street design and street safety to reduce the frequency of those types of incidents.
• Development: We do have opportunities to redevelop existing sites, and in some cases, we have opportunities to shift land uses potentially from underutilized commercial zone spaces to potentially allow mixed use residential and increase the number of units at a reasonable pace. Louisville’s small-town character and historic downtown are the feather in our caps, we need to be careful that whatever we do, it’s consistent with that character.
• Cost of Living: We’re in the process of developing a housing needs assessment and strategy framework that will help identify steps that can be taken in response to the housing needs. I see this as another region-wide issue. It’s across the Front Range that we have a shortage of housing, a shortage of affordable housing. And I think this is one where we’ll have to work with our neighbors, we’ll have to work with the state.
• Education: Respectfully, I would run that question to the Boulder Valley school district. As the city government, we don’t have a lot of direct oversight of local schools.
• Crime: I think we’ve been reasonably successful with community policing. That means not only having police visible around town, but also having police have good relationships with the community, and with city leadership, so they feel like trusted community members. Louisville has obviously taken steps on gun legislation within the city. I think that’s something we’ll continue, but until there are solutions at higher levels of government, it’s going to be a difficult problem for individual jurisdictions to tackle.

Louisville Ballot Measures

Louisville Open Space Tax: Additional %.125 sales tax (10 yr) to fund open space management and wildfire mitigation and an extension (10 yr) of the extant %.375 sales tax. | Vote: Yes

Longmont Elections

Longmont Mayor

Ethan Augreen – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: We need to get rid of government policies that create more homelessness. For example, the lockdowns that resulted from the poorly understood health scare. I oppose bringing the train up from Denver because Denver has an even larger homelessness crisis. I think it’s important for the city to have a dedicated team that performs outreach and helps homeless people. I also support creating an alternative-to-police model like Denver’s STAR program. 
• Infrastructure: I ride the bus all the time, and I want to make sure it reaches people in the more rural areas of town. But we need to bring RTD to the table and ask what we can do to expand transit. I would also support putting a referendum on the ballot to repeal the train tax we have been paying for a train that doesn’t exist, and try to claw back any taxes we’ve already paid. 
• Development: I would listen closely to what the community wants and make sure the city’s plans match it. There’s a need for affordable housing, but we also need to protect our open space. I don’t think anyone wants to continue the sprawl that we’ve seen. I would support building more apartments or condos in that area to densify housing, but I would also work to limit sprawl. 
• Cost of living: We have an opportunity to support the modular housing industry and I would work to attract a modular housing manufacturer to town. The cost of construction has increased significantly, that’s the number one factor that’s causing housing to be more unaffordable.
• Education: The idea of creating an Early Childhood Development Special District encompassing the St. Vrain and Boulder Valley school districts should be explored further. As mayor, I will be eager to support the District and help bring this promising idea to fruition. As a general libertarian principle, I don’t think it’s wise for a city government to be directly involved with preschool. Let’s leave early childhood education in the hands of qualified and trained education professionals. 
• Crime & Mental Health: We don’t need new gun laws. The state has already provided tools like red flag laws. I also don’t think that criminals should have guns. I believe the Second Amendment is an important right because it gives citizens the right to defend themselves. We should also look at creating a law enforcement advisory board so the public can give feedback. We should hire more social workers and case managers to create a better safety net for people who suffer from mental illnesses.

Joan Peck – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have a project hopefully ready in 2024, for affordable housing with wrap-around services — addiction services, mental health — permanently there. We need to have everything in the same place so people don’t have to go all over the city.
• Infrastructure: We do have Ride Free Longmont but the challenge is RTD sets those routes. As we grow, the routes do not cover what we need. RTD did give us a grant to look into micro-transit. I am still working on the passenger rail district board hopefully we will get a Northwest corridor for passenger trains.
• Development: We do need to urbanize. I know that’s difficult for some people who have lived here for a long time. It is a challenge to keep our community feeling. We need to have a rental market for people. Longmont is doing a great job of building what we need to get people into housing.
• Cost of living: We used to have an inclusionary zoning ordinance years ago which gave us an affordable inventory. The city council, a few years back, got rid of that. All of our affordable units went to market rate, leaving a big gap. We need to keep people who shop and work in our community here.
• Education: Some of the conversations that I’m having with organizations are can businesses open up preschools in their facilities for their employees? Longmont Housing Authority is going to include a preschool within their housing project.
• Crime & Mental Health: A couple years ago I made a motion that half of the marijuana tax must go into an affordable housing bank. It also goes into mental health. We need universal healthcare, the cost to get mental healthcare for a family is overwhelming. 

Terri Goon – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Get the government out of the housing business altogether. That would make homes more affordable, there would be less regulation and less requirements. Homelessness is a tragic situation with a lot of factors like mental health and drug abuse involved. Keeping the government out of it would give people more money to invest in the causes they care about. 
• Infrastructure: I do not support expanding public transportation. Government doesn’t need to be in the business of bussing, especially during times of potential pandemics. Sidewalks are another story, and I think we need some stronger regulations around scooters and micro-transit options on sidewalks to improve walkability. 
• Development: Longmont is a beautiful place. Colorado is as well, and people are going to want to continue moving here. And I don’t envision the government doing anything about that. Developers should be able to create homes for people who move here in a way that makes the homes sellable. 
• Cost of living: It’s sad when kids and their families can’t afford to live here, but addressing affordability is not within the scope of the government’s duties. The government needs to stay out of the housing market and allow the market to adjust. We need to do something about Colorado’s construction defect law so we can build more condos. 
• Education: There is no such thing as free preschool. All of our taxes went up and we’re supposed to be incentivizing parents to cart their children to preschool. We should be educating more of our children at home. Keep more of your tax dollars in your pocket and maybe we won’t have to have two parents working.
• Crime & Mental Health: Mental health is a big problem, and I could see the government working to implement mental health resources until private sources come along. We’ve filled our jails with people who need mental health treatment, and it’s all because we don’t have enough resources in this state. For guns, we should have data about who has been in a mental health facility and restrict their ability to purchase firearms based on their level of threat.  

Longmont City Council – At Large

Rebekah Venturella – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: We really have to get creative with our space, to be creative with multifunctional housing. We also need a space, something that’s open 24 hours versus Boulder’s shelter, which  is just for the evenings, and then you have homeless people on the streets in the day.
• Infrastructure: Having a car is expensive. Gas is expensive. Having more transit will be amazing, and the railway, I know they’re working hard on that. We need to be looking at that high density housing where we’re not just putting in houses and lawns, let’s make this a city. Let’s build this community in a tight, tight knit way and make it walkable.
• Development: I like the affordability option, where people are able to buy a home, and they’ll build credit, and then they can pay into it. And then they get that generational wealth, build that equity. That will give people more of a route here, versus just a fast in-and-out. Really looking at the whole picture, not just the immediate fix now.
• Cost of Living: Affordable housing is a necessity, it has to be, because it’s so expensive. Even if you wanted to buy a house, your interest rates are so high, it’s unreal. TABOR and HH are coming up. I built good relationships with state legislators, a lot of people lose sight of that city-to-state connection.
• Education: If we can get TABOR repealed and that money to help boost our education, that’s going to create a ripple effect so kids are getting better at education, they’re getting cared for, that’s going to help with people’s concern with homelessness, it will empower students and kids as they grow up. We’ve all got to buckle down and try to work this out together. It can’t just be our state legislators doing it all. We have to be pushing things here.
• Crime & Mental Health: I’ve got gun violence in the family and mental health struggles as well. I think we need a survivor in that chair. Suicide rate is a higher than that other shootings rate so we need to put more money into the budget for mental health services and we need an intensive outpatient program.

Sean McCoy – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We’re trying to figure out how to navigate the issues surrounding clearing encampments and providing people with adequate shelter. We’re exploring the use of pallet homes and trying other Housing First approaches. I think the biggest thing is to listen to the community and respond to their needs accordingly. 
• Infrastructure: Investing in public transit is one way to resolve the climate issues attached to car-centric development. I’m a big supporter of the rail station that we’re building. In the same notion, we also need to tackle the construction defects issue in Colorado so we can build more apartments and condos to provide more people with homeownership opportunities. 
• Development: We won’t build our way out of this problem. There’s not enough land; there’s not enough water, there’s simply not enough resources to do so. We also need to start thinking about what Longmont’s ideal size is. That way we can continue to provide the services that people depend on like fire and police, while also preserving the town’s unique character. 
• Affordable housing/Cost of living: We’ve been working on this in the city for a while. That’s one reason why we had to take over the Longmont Housing Authority. In my mind, they basically forced us into this situation because of their negligence. Right now, we’re exploring the use of ADUs, but we know they won’t work everywhere. I also plan to work with homeowners associations to reduce barriers to building more affordable housing where appropriate. 
• Education: If we shift money over to support the state’s preschool education program, then something else in Longmont will get underfunded. If you never want to be able to sell a bond again, this is a great way to do it. We don’t want to overtax anybody but stepping in to help fund the gap would force us to tax a certain part of the population over others, kind of like how metro districts work. 
• Crime & Mental Health: When we look at the evidence of the gun violence epidemic, it’s sad. It’s an expensive issue for cities. We can work with insurance companies so people have to take out a policy to buy a gun. Maybe AR-15s and other weapons of war will become so costly that it dissuades people from buying them. I’m not against somebody having a gun for hunting purposes or for safety purposes. I’m against people acting like their Second Amendment rights trump my right to life.

Steve Altschuler – UNQUALIFIED 

• Unhoused: If the homeless that we’re talking about are disabled or veterans, then we need to step in and help them. The same goes for someone who maybe lived in Longmont for an extended period of time and paid taxes. Otherwise, we’re going to attract people from all over the country if we just give out subsidies to anyone who asks.  
• Infrastructure: I’m not a big fan of building high-density housing to improve walkability. People want to live in Longmont because it’s more of a bedroom community and is more affordable than other places like Boulder or Denver. I would support building more walking and biking trails for people to get to King Soopers or other stores. 
• Development: Right now, city council seems focused on acquiring as much land as possible to build as much housing as it can. I don’t think this is a way to maintain the character of Longmont. I could see us building a few more townhome communities to give people a way to step into homeownership, but we also need to focus on connecting these communities to the rest of Longmont. 
• Cost of living: One way to make housing more affordable in Longmont is to get rid of the city’s affordable housing requirements. All they do is drive up the cost of construction for developers. I think a smarter way to make housing more affordable is to stop taxing people so much and allow the city’s residents to keep more of their income. 
• Education: There are things that people should be personally responsible for, and their children are one of them. I think our government should be primarily focused on providing fire and police services, not universal daycare. Hiring government employees to fix this mess will just increase taxes for the rest of us. 
• Crime & Mental Health: Criminals will always find a way to get guns, so the answer isn’t to take guns away from reasonable and law-abiding citizens. Places that have the toughest gun laws, like Chicago, also have some of the highest rates of gun violence. On mental health, we need to make it easier for people who need treatment to get treatment.

Longmont City Council – Ward 1

Diane Crist

• Unhoused: Property taxes push people out, creating more homeless. This is kind of a whole enchilada here. Historically, we’ve been through times like this before —  the 1970s, the 1930s — significant things need to happen. We need Reaganomics to bring down inflation, deregulate, lower our taxes, and balance our budgets.
• Infrastructure: On the Transportation Board we started talking about Vision Zero because we have a safety issue with the way transportation is right now. It’s very centralized. And that just doesn’t work. The big initiative that we picked was Vision Zero. We’re working on developing that within the city, which is zero traffic deaths.
• Development: High density housing is meant to be more affordable, but it’s from isolated services. The thing we need most is for transportation services, which could connect quite easily at a commercial center like the blighted Safeway. It’d be a nice five errand stop and you could catch a bus there, which makes things a lot more affordable.
• Cost of living: We’ve got to put a break on property taxes. The Gallagher Amendment was written back in the 1970s in a similar economic climate. It was repealed, and the idea was we would replace it, but what we did was we removed it without replacing it. In the meantimeI’m asking the city council to consider property tax rebates.
• Education: It’s a frustration to those who work in government funding. We need to not vote in the initiatives on the ballot this year. We need to give it three years and see where we are financially. Currently, we don’t have any childcare facilities on the north end of town, but there are empty storefronts that can be brought into condition. The real road forward is to trim down the expenses. We have to partner with the private sector.
• Crime & Mental Health: Often we try to come up with a micro solution to what’s a macro problem. There’s a homeless engagement professional, a liaison that keeps tabs on that community. That seems to be helping that community find the services they need. I’m not in favor of needle exchanges.

Harrison Earl – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: It’s important to remember that we’re talking about human beings when we talk about the unhoused. I would work to connect them with better services and resources. I would look to other communities to find ways we can work collaboratively to solve the problem.
• Infrastructure: One of my key objectives is to make sure we have a livable Longmont. Part of being in a livable community is having a public transit system that works for the community and isn’t only built to serve Main Street. I love the idea of microtransit as well. We should also work to improve our sidewalks and build more protected bike lanes to help the city meet its Vision Zero goals. 
• Development: Parks, greenspaces and open areas are what make Longmont a phenomenal place to live and I want them to be enjoyed by future generations. There are ways we can support more growth without sacrificing open land. We should look at certain areas close to downtown that can accommodate more multi-family housing.
• Affordable housing/Cost of living: We need more supply in the community, and that includes more subsidized properties and market-rate homes. Longmont has historically built either single-family homes or apartments and nothing in between. We need to diversify housing stock, one way to do that is speed-up the approval process for developments.
• Education: There’s a group in Longmont that has been pushing for an early childhood education program and a regional tax to support it. While I’m not in favor of new taxes, I like the idea of expanding public education and would support those ideas.
• Crime & Mental Health: The mental health challenges we’re facing are much bigger than the City of Longmont can handle by itself. We need federal and state officials to dramatically increase the funding we receive for supportive services, and should be sending trained professionals to help these individuals instead of police officers. I would support programs like gun buybacks to reduce the number of guns on the street.

Nia Wassink – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: I’ve spent a lot of my career working with the homeless community. First and foremost, housing is the solution. People can’t get into stable employment, substance use treatment, or mental health support services unless they have housing. Right now, we’re relying on the kindness of our faith community and that’s non sustainable.
• Infrastructure: Longmont has grown in a lot of fantastic ways. We were recently named by People For Bikes as the #10 city for our infrastructure. And a lot of folks are looking at multimodal solutions for themselves. I think we have a duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our streets safer for pedestrians. That’s why I support our Vision Zero goals. 
• Development: One of the things that really appeals to the people of Longmont is the city’s diversity. We have amazing cultural art centers and we’ve created a city that allows people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to live here. If we don’t have a diverse housing stock, then become a city that only appeals to the elite. We need to balance our green spaces with housing that people can afford. 
• Cost of living: There isn’t a silver bullet for this problem. We need to do it all by addressing zoning issues, supporting accessory dwelling units, and supporting infill development so that folks aren’t pushed to the outskirts of our city. We need townhomes, apartments, condos, and single-family homes. We need to figure out where we can put them so they don’t disturb our community environment. 
• Education: I was part of the Early Childhood Alliance for Boulder County that was pushing for a special district to provide more education funding for kids. We are heading toward an early childhood education crisis in this country. Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are about to run out. The local government must play a role in the solution.
• Crime & Mental Health: We have amazing programs in Longmont like the Restorative Justice Program, but we need to do a better job of addressing the underlying needs of young adults. Crime is a symptom of deeper issues. We need to improve our services for people who struggle with their mental health, and raise salaries for social workers and mental health clinicians.

Longmont City Council – Ward 3

Gary Hodges – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: The city published a pamphlet that has a half-dozen shelter options, food options, and resources for people who don’t have to be living on the streets. It’s really about vagrancy.
• Infrastructure: Public transit is fine, but we’re a relatively small town. I think RTD more broadly will almost always say “no” to expending resources here. We need to look at other options like expanding specialty lines to football games or to the airport, or at beautifying our existing public transit stops with public art to encourage more use. 
• Development: Longmont is going to continue to see growth and I am not opposed to the idea of adding more affordable housing, fundamentally. We need to identify an end game because the blind pursuit of affordable housing can have major consequences.
• Cost of living: It’s expensive because a lot of people want to live here. Something that the city council needs to address is the increasing local utility costs. Electricity prices have increased this year and could increase next year. The city has a plan to draw 100% of its power from renewable energy sources but we can’t shut down our coal-powered energy plants. It’s just fantasy.
• Education: Our role would be to lobby state lawmakers for a solution to the problem, and partner with surrounding communities to send letters of support for different pieces of legislation. I am not sure that we can do anything at the local level to address this issue. 
• Crime: This is not something that the city council can solve. It must come from the state. People don’t feel as safe as they used to. That’s been caused by the push for reduced sentencing at the state level by Attorney General Weiser. I’m not going to ask the police to crack skulls, but we need to get back to community-value policing, go after the criminals, and protect rights of law-abiding citizens. 

Ron Gallegos 

• Unhoused: I don’t think there need to be any more large shelters built because between half or three-quarters of the unhoused population are lacking the necessary mental health support they need. We can thank Ronald Regan for that. I would support building a temporary housing community with shipping containers that is managed by a third-party. 
• Infrastructure: We need to have more owner-occupied, mixed-use, and condo communities in Longmont so that people don’t have to drive to get their basic necessities. If you live near where you work, then people don’t have to use cars as much and that would make Longmont safer for pedestrians. 
• Development: We need to start talking about the sustainability of our community. Longmont is in “maintenance mode.” We should be looking at new infrastructure to accommodate growth. We could increase fees for park space and make other fees for water, stormwater, and sewage go away. I would also encourage mixed-use development in places that have been traditionally commercial or retail areas. 
• Cost of living: We need to streamline the building relationship between developers and the planning community to get them all marching in the same direction together. The last thing we should do is shove a top-down solution on the community. Instead, we should get a bottom-up solution with a lot of buy-in. 
• Education: Education isn’t the city’s area of expertise. That’s why we have a school board. We’ve got enough on our plate to fill it, and then some. We don’t need to be looking out for any other problems. 
• Crime: We don’t have any mental health professionals listed on Longmont’s staff. Nor should we. That doesn’t mean we can’t be supportive, but we need to stay in our lane. Gun violence is a similar issue. That’s a federal, not a state or city-level issue. Policies like extended waiting periods seem to be popular with the public, but I don’t think gun buybacks are something Longmont should consider.

Spencer Adams – NO REPLY

Susan Hidalgo-Fahring – ENDORSED

• Homelessness: I have been working on streamlining the way our Neighborhood Impact Teams work with other community organizations to connect people with services. We need to remember that many of our unhoused neighbors are living in flight-or-fight mode and don’t always have the ability to think about finding services when they don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
• Infrastructure: We need to have more options for people who rely on public transportation. Our transportation department recently acquired a grant to support micro-transit. We can’t have people waiting at a bus stop for 30 minutes. We increase the frequency which our public transit operates. I’m also glad to support our Vision Zero goals of making our streets safer for pedestrians. 
• Development: The people who work in Longmont should be able to live here as well. But a lot of the jobs that we have are so-called working middle class jobs and those are the people who are struggling most to afford housing. I support building more affordable or attainable housing for these folks.
• Cost of living: One way to make housing more affordable for all is to raise the minimum wage. We have to make sure it aligns with our cost of living. This is something I’ve advocated. Providing housing is one part of the solution, and making sure people can pay for that housing is the other. 
• Education: One of Longmont’s priorities is early childhood education and that goal has been in place before the state’s push for universal early childhood education. We want to expand those services. We have to make sure these services are affordable for impoverished families.
• Crime: I work to educate the community about the mental health services that are available to them. We also want to make sure we’re sending the right responders to the scene. On gun safety, we need to tighten up our red flag law and start holding people accountable for gun crimes. 

Longmont Ballot Measures 

3C – New Library Funded by Mill Levy and Sales Tax Increases | Vote: Yes

3D – New Arts & Entertainment Center Funded by Mill Levy and Sales Tax Increases | Vote: Yes

3E New Recreation Facilities Funded by Mill Levy and Sales Tax Increases | Vote: Yes

Superior Elections

Superior Ballot Measures

301 – Home Rule Charter: Shall the Town of Superior form a home rule charter commission for the purpose of drafting a home rule charter? | Vote: Yes

Thornton Elections

Thornton Mayor

Jan Kulmann – UNQUALIFIED

Julia Marvin – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We need to expand services that we have to help people at the moment, we have our cold weather program where we provide vouchers when it gets really cold. I would like to see that program expanded to include the summer we’re starting to see more and more days of nearly 100 degrees or higher.
• Infrastructure: We need to be putting more resources into making sure that our roads and our sidewalks are all well maintained.We really need to start looking at some alternatives besides RTD. We need more Micro Mobility public transportation options.
• Development: Community feel is what people really love about Thorton. People do wish we had more small businesses, coffee shops, restaurants, it adds to the character. Do we really need a gas station on every corner? 
• Cost of Living: We should create a housing inventory for the city to figure out what we’re missing, where the gaps are, and then create a housing strategic plan. We could be doing inclusionary zoning policies that would require developers to allocate a certain percentage of affordable housing units. And that’s something that the current council has no interest in.
• Education: Making sure that we’re paying our early educators living wages is incredibly important. The City could invest in public after school programs that the city runs, we should be investing and expanding those more
• Crime & Mental Health: if someone’s in crisis usually the initial call is going to be 911. So to have some mental health professionals that can be sent out in those situations is crucial. There was a lot of success working with cities to provide mental health counselors that were embedded in the police departments.

Thornton City Council – Ward 2 

Angie Bedolla – DID NOT REPLY

Roberta Ayala – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: I’ve seen it in my neighborhood. I live by a pretty big park and there are folks camping there. We don’t really have much funding for our homeless outreach team. We have to fund mental health and human services. I worked in human services, we need those folks, we need to pay them so they stay.
• Infrastructure: I grew up in the original neighborhood of Thornton, it’s more walkable. Other places, you’re getting a little bit into the food desert area, where there’s a lot of housing but not any resources nearby. Roads are built for the car, not for the person. There’s tons of accidents. A lot of neighbors reach out to me as a community leader because they’re frustrated. We can build it so it’s safer for our community.
• Development: I think we haven’t been balancing, we’ve been concentrating more on developers. Our current Council is more interested in pandering to developers with corporate profit interests. Their campaigns have been bankrolled by developers. How do we fold our community into these conversations? I want to get Thorton back to a city that represents people, not corporate profit.
• Cost of Living: Housing that is built for people, affordable housing, isn’t going to be the developer’s top priority. Typically they push housing that is affordable, into the denser, older neighborhoods, and then the luxury apartments and single use McMansions north, and that’s not sustainable. Part of my platform is that we need housing everywhere.
• Education: I sent my son to the Thornton Rec Center, preschool program, and it was fairly affordable. I was pretty much a single mom at the time. We should keep those programs affordable, even though it was just a few days a week. I’m a fan of education as early as you can.
• Crime & Mental Health: We have a progressive and well funded police force but we’re asking our police department to do a lot of things that they are maybe not best trained to do. We started a responder program, but we have to look at adding more resources because a lot of the unhoused folks in Thornton are having mental health issues.

Thornton City Council – Ward 3

David Acunto – REFUSED INTERVIEW

Mark Gormley – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have a capitalist system wrapped around what is supposed to be our democratic system and we should be taking care of everybody. We don’t have enough money for support programs. We want to give everybody what they’re asking for, because the need is out there, but where’s the money coming from? 
• Infrastructure: A number of people I’ve spoken to have voiced their desire for better eating establishments. Thornton does a really good job with green spaces, and trails, and we need to make sure that we maintain the ones that exist, and continue to develop those and make sure that the green spaces and trails are in the interest of the citizens and not the developers.
• Development: We don’t have enough affordable housing, specifically what I mean is the other three Wards all have a lot more apartments. So anybody starting out new is not going to be able to afford these single family homes that are cropping up endlessly.
• Cost of Living: In my case, KB Home was able to roll up all the infrastructure expenses into bonds, and when they walk away, they leave the bonds behind for the homeowners to pay, and then they call it property taxes when it’s really infrastructure expenses that are put into these bonds.
• Education:  It would be wonderful if we had the ability to do this, to accommodate people’s needs. I’m all for public education. We’re going back to the whole funding issue. I’m wondering if we have the facilities for such a thing.
• Crime & Mental Health: In the 1980s, Reagan started closing down a lot of mental facilities across the country. We’re not putting the resources into it, and then many wonder why we have so many homeless. A lot of this because they have no alternative. Mental health resources can help prevent crime because people aren’t putting in a situation where they need to perpetrate crime.

Thornton City Council – Ward 4

Christopher Russell – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: My solution is to increase funding for our HOT team, our homeless outreach team here in Thornton, which is understaffed. We need to get communities together, so that we’re not just moving the unhoused across city lines, but actually providing help.
• Infrastructure: Where I live, off Highway 7, there are few bus routes. I believe that the city should run a study and consider running our own mass transit bus system. Spend some money on additional bike lanes and connecting trails.
• Development: Simply by building townhomes, condos, those are higher dense, but they are housing that is innately more affordable.
• Cost of Living: If we are going to erect condos or townhomes we need to designate 20-30% of those as affordable units that have a certain limitation on the price.
• Education: My wife’s level of frustration was through the roof because we couldn’t get answers right away and right deadlines were coming and you had to commit. There needs to be dedicated personnel that can help review and take in information for the betterment of the program.
• Crime & Mental Health: I am a big advocate for having a universal health care system. I think that we start at the top with our federal government. I think the American population in general needs better access to medical treatment across the board, not just mental health. 

Nicole Matkowsky – DID NOT REPLY

Dacono Elections

City Council – At Large

Daniel J. Spagnuolo – DID NOT REPLY

David O’Day – DID NOT REPLY

Doris Crespo – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We don’t have a lot of unhoused people around our area, so I’d definitely look more into it and do a lot more research into it if it was something affecting Dacono.
• Infrastructure: I think we have a plan with a lot of development coming to Dacono, so I’m really excited about that, definitely more housing and more businesses. I’m really looking forward to growth in that way.
• Development: I think we all definitely have to work together. I think we are going to have a lot of growth in Colorado.
• Cost of living: Who’s not struggling to pay for housing right now? That is something we should all be concerned about. I believe working together with different people, different organizations, I think we could all help with that.
• Education: I agree there is that problem. I would have to do a lot more research on it to make a decision.

Mike Mathiesen – DID NOT REPLY

Rick Gerk – QUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Currently the issue is not afflicting Dacono to where it’s a high priority. I haven’t heard of it in my community or other communities within Dacono.
• Infrastructure: We’re not going to build another King Soopers on the south side of 52. We need to be reasonably thinking about the direction we want Dacono to go. What’s attainable, and set those sights in a realistic manner.
• Development: As a council member your responsibility is to think about the current residents. I have an appreciation for people who have been here for a number of years in the original, central part of the city, and then be mindful of where we want to be in the future. I think the balance for that seems to be a sticky point for our city.
• Cost of living: Home prices and living prices in Dacono are much lower compared to Erie, to Thornton, to Broomfield. Dacono is pretty well primed to support any kind of person who wants to move here, we have housing options for anybody who has any sort of respectable income to support and sustain themselves.
• Education: Childcare is very hard to get into, the affordability is beyond many, so I do think there is an issue. There is a big gap between availability of childcare providers and then a big gap between what people can actually afford to pay. I think it’s a multi-layered issue. I do feel for families.

Dacono Ballot Measures

City Manager Selection and Role – Shall the City of Dacono Home Rule Charter be amended to require the City Council to appoint and remove the City Manager and other appointed officers by resolution and require the City Manager to devote their work primarily to the City and not hold any elected or appointed office or otherwise engage in activities contrary to the interest of the City? | Vote: Yes

Open Government Training for Councilmembers – Shall the City of Dacono Home Rule Charter be amended to incorporate an Open Government Policy; require councilmembers and members of boards and commissions to attend periodic training regarding open government; include requirements for open meetings, notices, and agendas; provide that special meeting notices may be delivered to councilmembers by email; limit discussion and formal action at meetings to items included on meeting agendas except when an emergency requires immediate action; and require disclosures when relatives of councilmembers and members of boards and commissions appear before such bodies? | Vote: Yes

Pro-Term Mayoral Selection – Shall the City of Dacono Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that councilmembers take office at the first regular or special meeting following certification of the results of their election; a Mayor Pro-tem shall be appointed by the city council following certification of the results of each regular or special election; and the Mayor Pro-tem may be replaced at any time with another councilmember by at least four (4) affirmative votes of the council? | Vote: Yes

Tax Levy for Library Shall the City of Dacono, Colorado be included in the High Plains Library District, for which the current rate of property tax levied is 3.177 mills? | Vote: Yes

Westminster Elections

Westminster City Council – At Large

Amber Hott – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We have navigators who go into the unhoused community, build relationships, and offer assistance. The issue that we have right now is they only had two navigators, and one of them recently quit. One or two people cannot help the amount of unhoused people we have in our community. I would speak to the navigator that we currently have to find out what their needs are.
• Infrastructure: Any future development needs to be mixed use so amenities are within walking distance and building roads and sidewalks that are safe for people to walk. Also, there are areas where our sidewalks don’t continue. There are people who are pushing a stroller, maybe they’re in a wheelchair, what happens when the sidewalk just stops?
• Development: We need to continue to protect our open space. We need to look at the characteristics of the neighborhoods that are already there, and do what we can to make sure that whatever we’re building fits. Things, like duplexes and fourplexes, you can build them in a way that they look like single family homes.
• Cost of living: We have a development called the Uplands Development. We were supposed to have 600 affordable units, that has dropped down to 300. It took a long time to get through the processes with the city. If the developer comes in and their main concern is making the max amount of money, I’m gonna think twice about approving when we have developers that invest back in our community.
• Education: I’ve been building relationships with the people on the school board. When I’ve been talking to principals, educators, superintendents, really wanting to understand how we can partner to help our kids. One of the areas that they need help with is they don’t have enough space for their preschool. We don’t just have areas without grocery stores, we have areas where we don’t have enough childcare.

Bruce Baker – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: We need to remind the counties it is their responsibility. The path we chose more than a year ago hasn’t yielded the results we had hoped for. We need a different strategy.
• Infrastructure: One of the problems is that there’s nothing to walk to in this area. The Uplands is on Federal Boulevard, which has bus transit. The closest grocery store is on 104th. That’s two miles, one each way. Two miles doesn’t suit anybody’s definition of walkability.
• Development: Westminster is a completely car dependent community. If you want to have private green spaces, lawns, landscapes, you need space. You end up being car dependent. Mass transit does not work with low density housing. You need points of origin and points of destination on the lines. We don’t have that, we’re not built that way.
• Affordable housing/Cost of living: Affordable housing is more of a scam to get the city to relax our housing codes and requirements so corporations can make bigger profits. The Uplands is just a prime example of this.There’s not going to be any affordable housing there at all. Anyone who thinks so is really nurturing a fantasy. They’re gonna make as much money as they can.
• Education: The problem is way too big than even the state government and sometimes you have to scratch your head, and say ‘how carefully did they look at this before promising?’ Here’s where promises far exceeded capabilities.

Claire Carmelia – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: This is of extreme personal importance to me. I’m passionate about ensuring we do the most that we can in a compassionate, humane and holistic way. I believe that we need to partner with others for better solutions that work in a broader way for the Front Range. I have been having discussions with our neighbors in Arvada, Lakewood, and Thornton, trying to gather ideas of how they are tackling the issue.
• Infrastructure: I could not afford a car until I was 27, and that was very limiting. I believe that we need more mixed use zoning. We should make sure that it’s not just a subdivision out in the middle of nowhere, the only way to and from via car. Hopefully we’re having houses to the same places as restaurants and entertainment, and then folks can walk to where they’re going.
• Development: It comes down to planning smart. Where do we put housing and what kind of housing do we select to be built? Housing can be planned around transit, RTD stations, etc. We’re trying to avoid building on spaces that have not been built before.
• Cost of living: We all live in Westminster for a reason. It is a beautiful city with gorgeous views. We want to protect our parks and open spaces. That is a priority and always will be. I think that we need to build smart and plan ahead because growth is just a part of life, and trying to inhibit growth, inhibits our economy. It also pushes current residents out because if they ever want to downsize, there is no available property for them.
• Education: It’s prudent upon local government to find solutions, even when perhaps before there weren’t any. With that said, I don’t know exactly what we can do. But with the many schools that recently shut down, we now have available buildings and lands that I would like to see used for the community. I really hope that they end up being used in some way for the kids.

Jeff Jones – DID NOT REPLY

Karen Kalavity

• Unhoused: Luckily I’m not one of them, but I could have been. I had a foreclosure during the 2011 recession. We should have some housing available for people to live in for a year, not just the night when it gets cold. 
• Infrastructure: Focus on pedestrian oriented neighborhoods rather than just transit oriented neighborhoods. Focus on neighborhood design that accommodates walkability first. We need public transit throughout the city, not just to downtown Denver.
• Development: I’m fighting against the Uplands Development as a city council candidate. We need to protect our open space, and concentrate our density development in a place like the new downtown.
• Cost of Living: It shouldn’t be 300 units of all the same kind of housing, it should be intermixed with other housing. That reduces stigma and allows people to work within their community. Any new construction needs to incorporate least 15% truly affordable housing.
• Education: With declining enrollment they are closing lots of elementary schools. Maybe those buildings could be used partially as pre-K facilities.

Kristine Ireland – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: The city has gotten a hotel for these people, spending a million dollars a year, but the problem has not changed. I think you can give too much and people will become not self-reliant. It’s not good for people to be given everything. They need to get ways to help them learn how to do a resume, get a job, those kinds of things I would be willing to advocate for.
• Infrastructure: We’re really spread out, and people have to get to work. You can’t expect people not to work. I mean, my husband works outside of the city, he has no choice and sadly enough a lot of our city employees live outside the city. The number one problem we can address is to hire within so people can be closer to work.
• Development: I think we just need to stop it, and address how we are changing our suburb into Denver. We didn’t move here to be Denver. We moved here to get away from traffic and high density. I like Boulders’ approach to caring about people’s sunshine, they won’t build anything if it blocks your sunshine.
• Cost of living: The number one problem with housing being affordable is the taxes — property taxes, water rates, and sales tax. Corporations have been buying up single family homes and turning them into rentals. Westminster has the highest rent costs in the entire state of Colorado, but letting corporations buy up these houses, we’re gonna have a problem until 2030.
• Education: I haven’t ever thought about this one too much. I have children, my own. Some went to preschool, some didn’t go to preschool. I would have to look into that more, because no one’s brought that up to me at all in this city.

Richard Seymour – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: The answer is not more government assistance, that’s already been tried. As a city, unlike a county, we receive no human services dollars. We have to find a creative way to address homelessness in our city. It’s a continuum of compassionate care with mental health, co-responders in our police department, homeless navigators who do the follow up contacts, and we have a budget for temporary bed sites. Those who don’t want to take advantage of the services just move from one place to the other.
• Infrastructure: This is the western United States. It is not high density Eastern, or Western corridors. That creates an issue as far as moving people out of cars. We’re hoping that either Front Range Rail or RTD  will have a stop at the new downtown, which we have a spot carved out for. We also have a development at our train station at 71st. and Irving that is part of the end of the D line where we have two developments going in there.
• Development: Our current Council just updated our comprehensive plan, which took a very hard look at our number one resource: water. We asked staff to reduce the density on some parcels to make sure that what we did build, we had water for. No water, no building. We want to maintain unique neighborhoods, unique styles, a little bit of everything for everybody, to keep our suburban mix.
• Cost of living: Inventory over time will help with the cost. There’s no immediate short term fixes. Westminster has two remaining large parcels to build everything from single family homes, paired homes, townhomes. Entry level homes should be 30% of the healthy market. Because of our state legislature unwilling to fix this or address it, it’s less than 3% of our market.
• Education: Local governments absolutely cannot fill that gap. Governor Polis over-promised and under-delivered.

Timothy Pegg – ENDORSED

• Unhoused: We got to make progress on the high rent in the metro area. Westminster can do its part and will help with some of the homeless folks. Some of them have problems with drug use or mental health so I think there needs to be updating of our knowledge constantly about the best ways to get those folks the help they need.
• Infrastructure: I would make sure that we’re doing things with transit oriented developments so we aren’t incentivizing people to drive when places can be accessed on foot and by bus. I can think of a couple city policies that are, in effect, paying people to drive. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and we need to stop.
• Development: I think accessory dwelling units are a great way to do that. They don’t really change the neighborhood character, but there’s an opportunity to develop more. Additionally, we have some city owned open space we shouldn’t sell off.
• Affordable housing: Accessory dwelling units: granny cottages, that type of construction gives homeowners an opportunity, and will soften price pressure on the housing market. It’s a win-win for young families, or an aging relative, they can live in your backyard. They’re not competing with someone else for housing, and they’re close to someone who can help take care of them.
• Education: Unfortunately, I’m not really familiar enough with the specifics on that.

William “Scott” Shilling – UNQUALIFIED

• Unhoused: Now for those that are truly homeless, I don’t know. I want to try and figure out how to help them without subsidizing them with taxpayer money. I’d like to hear what the proposals are. I’m okay to help them. But vagrants, I want to make it uncomfortable so that they move on someplace else.
• Infrastructure: This is a suburb. A suburb is traditionally single family housing, cars are just part of that. If you want to get into a discussion about cars hurting the environment, I can get into that. I’m not going to bring in more high density apartments and things of that nature. We want to keep this community more of a sober, classic suburb of single family units.
• Development: Westminster has a certain amount of open space. Simply gobbling up all of the open space and shoving in high density apartments is not where I want to take us. Westminster’s population is currently about 125,000. I want to keep it right in that range, and make sure we keep our open spaces open. And guess what? It’s full.
• Cost of living: You cannot have taxpayers subsidize other people’s lifestyles. Employers are going to need to raise their salaries to pay people a living wage. A lot of it depends on the administration who’s in charge, and what they’re doing to stop inflation, and stop illegal immigration. It starts at the federal government.
• Education: Schools in Westminster are more controlled by the county. The county is the one responsible for that, the state and county. I don’t want to get into schools. There’s so many people breathing down schools’ necks. I don’t need the City Council of Westminster also breathing down the necks of the schools. It’s a county and state issue and I don’t want to subsidize the county or the state with city money.

Westminster Ballot Measures

3L – Wards: Shall the Westminster City Council propose by 2026 a system of electing some or all City Council members from geographic wards rather than at-large? | Vote: Yes

3M – Budget Control: Shall the Westminster City Charter, Section 9.6 Budget Control, subsection (2), be amended to change the City Manager’s budgetary control from the departmental budget level to the fund level, in order to allow for more effective financial management? | Vote: Yes

3N – Budget Procedures (Timeline): Shall the Westminster City Charter, Section 9.2 Budget Procedures, be amended to provide current year expenditures as of July 31 rather than September 1st, in order to provide the community with a more consistent basis of comparison of City expenditures? | Vote: Yes

3O – Budget Procedures (Appropriation): Shall the Westminster City Charter, Section 13.3 Contracts, subsection (h), be amended to allow the City Manager to designate an individual to certify an appropriation has been made before a contract, agreement, or purchase order is executed, in order to provide more effective management of financial controls? | Vote: Yes

3P – Public Announcements: Shall the Westminster City Charter, Section 17.5 Definition of Publication, Mailing of Notices, be amended to change the requirements for the publication of notices and ordinances from newspaper publication only to allow for either newspaper publication or publication on the City’s official website, or both, in order to allow for notices to reach more people, more effectively, and more quickly? | Vote: Yes

School Board Elections

Boulder Valley School District

District A

Jason Unger – ENDORSED

• Book Bans: I’m concerned about not just banning books but anti-equity policies around the country. Parents in BVSD have a right to opt their kids out of lessons. Where I draw the line is when parents impact or censor what other kids are learning.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: Colorado passed a ballot initiative to have all kids have access to healthy breakfast and lunch. As a teacher in Compton, I could see the advantage that early education provides. The state program’s goal is the right goal.
• DEI & Education: Diversity of teaching staff is important as well so people can see themselves in teachers. Some schools have a DEI committee and I think that’s a model. I’m supportive of all efforts to promote diversity and ensure welcoming environments.
• Mental Health: With a ratio of 450 kids to each counselor we need to do everything we can as a district to lower that ratio to bring in more counselors, both on the career and guidance side but more so on the mental health side.
• Drills & Anxiety: We can’t ignore the fact that these are real threats that we have this real issue and so we have to prepare for these things and do so in a calm and measured way, not with alarmist language. I feel like the district has fairly good plans in place.

Neil Fishman – QUALIFIED

• Book Bans: I’m opposed to banning books. Kids need to see themselves in their educational materials. I was engaged very directly to make sure progressive standards were the ones ultimately accepted by the State Board of Education for the K-12 for the entire state of Colorado for social studies standards.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: I was not pleased to see we had these great plans but not the resources available to implement the plans fully like we had hoped. I think the voters need to pay attention to the crying need for it and pass Ballot Issue II, it would help us.
• DEI & Education: It’s integral. The absence of it leads to problems in terms of having safe and welcoming schools. A huge part of the learning process is feeling comfortable and safe in the environment you’re learning in.
• Mental Health: One shining spot right now in BVSD is the Wellness Center model. In its first year almost one out of every two kids in the school spent time in the Wellness Center. BVSD has expanded it to five additional schools.
• Drills & Anxiety: we really need to begin to be thinking outside the box. be aware, alert, and have kids be a part of our eyes and ears on the ground. They’re very connected to their surroundings, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t include them in the solutions that we try and come up with.

District C

Alex Medler – ENDORSED

• Book Bans: I believe strongly that we need to resist efforts to ban books or narrow our curriculum, especially ones that try to sanitize how our communities have dealt with difficult things like racism and injustices that have happened, materials are developmentally appropriate.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: We’re making progress on increasing access to early childhood care. The first year implementation has not gone as anyone would hope. I’m hoping we have more clarity and transparency and a smooth implementation going forward. 
• DEI & Education: I support curriculum and materials that are inclusive of all the kids we have. Every student should see themselves represented. 
• Mental Health: There’s no single program or policy adjustment that will solve the problem. We need to prioritize it at the district, school and individual staff level. We need to partner with families. Mental health screening is a big deal. LGBTQI+ kids have depression and suicidal tendencies at higher rates.
• Drills & Anxiety: Mental health and sense of belonging is a school safety issue. I support the district’s transition to Safety Resource Officers. BVSD needs to have strong working relationships with all emergency responders and train over the summer, it doesn’t need to be done with 5 year olds in the building.

Andrew Steffl

• Book Bans: For the best possible education, students need access to a wide variety of age-appropriate books. I recognize that some parents may object to certain books. The solution is not to ban these for all students, but rather to work with school librarians and staff to limit the student’s access to these materials on a case-by-case basis. 
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: It is important that all children have access to high quality, nutritious meals. BVSD provides free and reduced cost meals to eligible families who sign up for the program. It is important to make sure that all eligible families are aware of this benefit to de-stigmatize it, so kids don’t feel like they are different just because their families are receiving food assistance. 
• DEI & Education: I believe that students at all levels do best when they are able to see people like themselves represented in their schools. This applies to both teachers and staff as well as students’ curriculum. However, making our students feel seen and included  doesn’t just happen by accident, it takes a conscious effort. We should continue our district’s efforts at DEI.
• Mental Health: Between the Marshall Fire, the King Soopers shooting, COVID, distance learning, etc. kids in BVSD have been through a lot recently. Mental health issues like stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD are all present in our student population at levels much too high. If elected, it is my number one priority to increase the resources allocated to addressing students’ mental health needs. This includes providing funding for additional counselors and social workers and programs that have been proven to work. 
• Drills & Anxiety: This is a tricky situation in that it is important to prepare for emergencies, while not also further adding to kids’ anxiety levels. I believe the best way forward is through lots of openness and transparency so kids know in advance that an activity is a rehearsal and not the real thing. I also think it is important for individual students to be able to opt out of participating in preparedness activities if they feel that participating would cause them too much anxiety or stress. 

Cynthia Nevison – DID NOT REPLY

District D

Andrew Brandt – QUALIFIED

• Book Bans: I recognize the threat of groups like moms for Liberty who are trying to worm their way into school boards all over the country. I oppose reactionary book bans, I oppose the culture that has emerged in which small groups of parents decide they are the arbiters of what everyone in society is allowed to read.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: I’m grateful voters approved universal pre-K in Colorado. We have seen a doubling in one year of the number of students in BVSD, who’ve enrolled in pre-K. Free and reduced lunch means more than just a free lunch. It means additional access to services, and connection with community organizations.
• DEI & Education: DEI policies exist in the district, specifically to address disparities that have that have happened and educational outcomes that have been that have left gaps. We cannot solve problems if we deny problems exist or pretend that they never existed.
• Mental Health: Mental health affects every single kid whether or not they admit it in a survey. We need to increase funding for Wellness Centers, more counseling available. We also have unmet needs for neurodiverse kids, we could use empathy training and more resources.
• Drills & Anxiety: School Safety Advocates are engaged with the students at school at lunch, they spend five days a week working on plans and procedures to address a whole range of school safety issues. They arrange drills, and work with the students who feel anxiety and fear about those drills.

Lalenia Quinlan Aweida – ENDORSED

• Book Bans: Policy in BVSD should be informed by the American Library Association and Office of Intellectual Freedom. Book banning is a hard no for me. We should pass statewide legislation to make it illegal to ban books. 
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: BVSD staffed pre-K as if we had the expected amount of students, but the matching process from the State to preschool was not good. The number of kids did not come in because the matching process didn’t go right.
• DEI & Education: There is an intersection between power and oppression. You have to look at DEI through a lens of safety, and make sure students who have identities that put them at greater risk of having an unsafe experience are made to feel safe.
• Mental Health: I worked in BVSD classrooms as a sexual abuse prevention educator. We need to let our teachers teach. We need community partners to be sure we’re buttressing every place that we can on social-emotional issues, and have experts provide support.
• Drills & Anxiety: We’ve done the right thing by taking SROs out. That is making a difference. Our disproportionate discipline has decreased by about 4%. That’s, but we have to continue to think about safety and I fully support our SSA’s, so they can have good relationships with kids, knowing when there’s a problem on the horizon. We all need implicit bias training.

District G

Anil Pesaramelli

• Book Bans: I think books are a medium of expression and opinion. I don’t believe books should be banned. I do believe in age appropriate content, for example, we don’t introduce algebra or calculus to kindergarten students because it’s not age appropriate.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: Early childhood education should be provided. We don’t have enough money, we should push the authorities to get more funding.
• DEI & Education: Mentors in every area, not just the teaching profession, should reflect diversity because they become a big influence on children growing up.
• Mental Health: More counseling sessions, watch out for people who are showing signs that something is not right. The whole the whole system has to play a part with more with more training to identify those behaviors, more counseling and less punishment.
• Drills & Anxiety: More training, to say that this could happen but remove the panic part and help students stay alert, and follow instructions. Having more information ahead of time.

Jorge Chávez – QUALIFIED

• Book Bans: I am opposed to book bans. Censorship is problematic. Parents have a right to select for their own children what they have access to, but I think that the ability to access information to read is a fundamental right to be protected.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: It’s been difficult for parents to get access. I know. It’s a process. It’s a new program going through growing pains. Investment in early childhood education pays off dividends in terms of reducing crime and violence, in terms of academic success, and economic benefits.
• DEI & Education: It’s critical students are reflected on the curriculum, reflected in the faculty and staff. Kids learn well they feel they’re welcomed and safe. That’s at the core of what we do. If you’re not welcoming, if you’re not seeing yourself, if you’re not reflected, it has detrimental effects.
• Mental Health: We’re experiencing a mental health crisis. The movement towards social emotional learning and development in schools is critical. Giving students tools by which they self regulate their emotions and their behavior, and to have the language to speak up when there are problems.
• Drills & Anxiety: Safety measures we have — hardening schools, metal detectors, police in schools with guns, lockdown drills — are increasing the the mental health load on our kids. What we can do is have strong safety plans, and collaborate with local agencies, to be ready in times of crisis. 

Stuart Lord – ENDORSED

• Book Bans: One of the ways that people are introduced to a culture or different groups is through books. The district’s responsibility is to provide educational opportunities for all students to enrich their lives around difference, culture, race, ethnicity, etc.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: I support the initiatives, it was a rocky start, but we need to continue to educate parents on the opportunities, get people into these opportunities at a very early age. It starts with educating parents.
• DEI & Education: I think it’s highly important when a student walks across the stage when they graduate, we are able to say that that student has cross-cultural competency. People need to see themselves in the classroom, I think we have to diversify our staff.
• Mental Health: The first line of defense for mental health are the people that work in our buildings.Continue to engage with professionals around mental health wellness who can support our students. We don’t have enough mental health wellness counselors in our schools.
• Drills & Anxiety: We build trust with the safety advocates and students so they see them as a caring adult in their life. When a crisis happens, relationships are established with students. I think we need a safety summit to address best practices. 

St. Vrain Valley School District – ALL UNOPPOSED

Jacqueline Weiss – District A – REFUSED INTERVIEW

James Berthold – District C – ENDORSED

• Book Bans: Our goal is to make sure we engage the minority communities’ parents, because engagement in the schools results in higher scores by the students. We never had any problem with anybody complaining about books in our schools.
• Early Education & Healthy Meals: They did pass free lunch, everyone gets free lunch. We give free breakfast to Title 1 schools in need. 
• DEI & Education: Equity is in our mission statement. Every student in our school will be given the same opportunities as every other student. We’ve increased our minority graduation rates over the last six years from 54% to 89%.
• Mental Health: Our highschool program has tripled the number of counselors and psychiatrists we have in the schools. We have extremely high participation in our extracurriculars, that socio-emotional aspect is important.
• Drills & Anxiety: We have a lot of our security systems in our schools. Our hope is that if we have some kind of craziness, all the students know what to do. It’s not provided in a scare tactic way, its explained to them
• Parent & Student complaints: Administrative staff is critical. I would gather what parents have to say and invite the Superintendent, and he would look into it. In any administration, you’re never sure if everything is bubbling up. 

Michelle Sulek – District E – DID NOT REPLY

Geno Lechuga – District G – DID NOT REPLY

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Unanswered questions regarding Erie Cheer allegations prompted backlash by Haddad during open forum

Tuesday Night, October 3rd, 2023 at Erie High School, St. Vrain Valley School District Superintendent Don Haddad was making the circuit to promote the upcoming bond SVVSD hopes to pass. 

It is worth mentioning Yellow Scene Magazine supports this bond and hopes voters will approve it. The region is growing, and our schools and children need it. Overall SVVSD has grown into a top school district over the years.

The event was described in email from SVVSD as an “open forum … ” held in order to “provide an opportunity for Dr. Haddad and other district leaders to listen to our community’s questions and suggestions … ”

However, on the subject of Nora Roth, the Erie Coach accused of missing funds, abusive language and a disregard for safety by 21 different people, Haddad was far less receptive to talking with parents or journalists.

Two individuals showed up at the meeting to ask questions about the lack of communication between the district and concerned parents about missing funds from the Erie High School Cheer team.

“I’m not going to respond to this here” Haddad replied to the question regarding allegations against Roth. Haddad then stated the district had received awards for financial transparency after being asked when an audit for the Erie Cheer team would be available for parents. The event ended after these questions.

Following this, one of the individuals attempted to hand Dr. Haddad a folder containing statements regarding Coach Roth she had collected from the community, including ones of financial impropriety.

Haddad turned away the folder and threatened to call the police on both individuals.

When a member of YS attempted to ask Haddad about his lack of response, Haddad replied that he would call the police on them as well. YS had to remind Haddad that he is a public servant on public property being asked a question by a journalist.

The post SVVSD Superintendent Don Haddad threatens police on questioning parents appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

It took plenty of time, patience and perseverance, but it looks like the Southern Land Company is ready to take the next step in the expansion of their Westerly development with an additional parcel.

On August 22, the Erie Board of Trustees voted unanimously and approved the annexation agreement and a pre-development agreement and the service plan for North Westerly Metropolitan District No. 1-4 which now means growth in the town will be met by an expansion in infrastructure.

During a public hearing, the board welcomed commentary on both sides of the issue as about a dozen people voiced a myriad of concerns and positives about the project that promises to change a number of things people in the community of Westerly will see in the upcoming years.

“The next step is to purchase the land from the state and then move forward with development applications,” Jenna Lefever, Director of Public Relations for Southern Land Company, said a few days after the meeting. “It will likely take until 2026 to obtain the entitlements necessary to begin infrastructure construction.”

Heidi Majerik, vice president and general manager for Southern Land Company, said that the North Westerly property is 400 acres. Southern Land Company is under contract to purchase the land from the Colorado State Land Board.

The land is located in the general vicinity South of County Road 10, North of Erie Parkway, East of County Road 5 and West of County Road 7.

“We are going to build a mixed-use, master-planned community that is an extension of Westerly, which we are already building,” Majerik said. “We would have 1,500 for-sale homes, 400 apartments including 200 attainable units, and approximately 250,000 square feet of commercial development. We hope to have our first homes out of the ground by 2027.”

“We’ve invested heavily in the town. We already have a 400-acre master-plan underway immediately across the street, so this more than doubles the size of the existing community. To comprehensively plan all this land at once has so much public benefit. In addition, we have a home building business. Our home building business has multiple employees who call Erie home. This is a demonstration of our commitment to supporting our employees to be able to live where they work.”

Majerik added that the idea of creating more high-quality jobs in Erie.

She also noted that her company is ingrained in the community.

“We partner with local businesses for many of our needs, and we’ve been very fortunate because the community has really embraced us,” Majerik said. “We’ve been thoughtful in trying to understand the community and respond to their needs. Early on we committed to removing all the oil and gas wells from the property, and we do not negotiate future drill sites with oil and gas companies.”

The board of trustees meeting was colored by civil discourse and concerns brought up, ranging from concern for the planned North Westerly site having underground mines that need to be addressed – including potentially hazardous materials dotting the soil – to worry for the local wildlife, traffic increases and inflated student counts within the local school district and others.

Lefever addressed those concerns.

“The Town of Erie requires that a report on wildlife be completed as part of the development review,” Lefever said. “We will abide by the requirements and produce a report addressing all necessary topics.

“We understand there are concerns any time there is growth; however, we, as a civil society, have a moral obligation to provide housing opportunities as the population grows. At Southern Land Company, we are committed to stewarding the land responsibly and complementing the existing community as best we can. We focus on walkability, intentional landscape design abundant open spaces, and introducing unique shops, restaurants, and services, all of which are intended to add to the broader community, not take away from it.”

She also noted that increased traffic due to the new development will fall under the Town of Erie’s transportation master plan.

Lefever also noted that the St. Vrain Valley School District “does a great job planning for future school population projections, and we will provide funds and/or land to support their growing needs.”

As for the undermining issues that were addressed. Lefever said, “(Southern Lands Company) is required by the Town of Erie to submit an undermining report as part of development review. We will implement any recommended restrictions or mitigation strategies and measures.”

Rachel Folger, a real estate agent in Erie, told the board, “It’s not good land, it’s horrible land,” due to her worries about the hazards of the old mines.

Majerik said at the meeting her company would meet with the community to discuss any of these and other issues going forward.

Erie mayor Justin Brooks said the concerns must be heard, but that progress is also inevitable.

“We hear the residents’ concern about growth,” Brooks said. “We recognize that, seeing when I moved to Erie that those were sunflower fields in the springtime and it was very pretty to watch. As things have been developed on both sides of Erie Parkway, the growth is coming and landowners certainly have the first right of use for their property. In this case, the state land board has placed the land up for sale and it appears the applicant here would like to develop it into a community. I like to hear what has been briefed here in terms of how they want to make the community fit the landscape around them and make a sense of community for both the residents as well as the neighbors.

“I certainly strongly recommend that there’s a lot of work with the neighboring landowners around some of these engineering concerns that have been voiced. We recognize with the upgrade that we did just recently to County Road 7 and Erie Parkway, that these county roads are becoming increasingly traversed. We want to make sure that we’re being proactive in preventing any safety hazards. We want to make sure we’re getting quality traffic studies that are truly reflective of the traffic that are to bear.”

Brie Fowler, a real estate agent in Erie, who has lived in the area since 2004 says she loves Westerly and the vision for the community. Fowler currently lives in Erie Village.

“I’m under contract on a new home in Westerly,” Fowler said. “Every house is its own project, and the landscaping is created individually to match the character of the home. So it’s just really, really special because it’s going to be really unique. It’s got a resort-style pool, they’re going to have a grocery store, a ton of retail, and a bunch of commercial restaurants.

“It’s really just all about, bringing community together and a lifestyle where you can get to everything within five to 15 minutes. So that’s huge to me. We need the builder who is promising to bring in affordable housing and equality and community and economy for the town.”

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Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

The post Erie Board of Trustees Unanimously Approves Westerly Development Expansion appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

How the increase in pressure from all angles has been detrimental to our children

From the academic pressure to attend a prestigious university to the day-to-day stress of social media to the ever-present anxiety of gun violence, children are facing an increasingly complex web of trauma and tension. There are numerous stress factors that simply did not exist a generation or two ago. Understanding the role stress plays, where it comes from, and how to help alleviate it are keys to moving our collective mental health forward.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, a mental health crisis was looming among children. “School personnel, parents, teachers, and mental health practitioners were noticing a very high increase in anxiety in kids … to the point where it was becoming almost a pandemic. It’s becoming so prolific,” said Jennifer Nelson, a trauma-focused community health worker at Mental Health Partners. Nelson is a former teacher who changed careers to better address the mental health of children and families.

Jennifer Nelson

Trauma is difficult to dissect. Are you born with it, instilled with it, or is it learned behavior over time? “Anxiety is contagious. We biologically are set up as children … to take cues about safety in our environment from the adults. If a parent is anxious or scared, a child will be anxious and scared because the parent is either verbally or non-verbally communicating [that behavior],” Nelson expanded.

The fact that we are seeing an increase in anxiety in children may have more to do with adults than the young people we are raising. Children model their behavior after the adult figures in their lives. It is nearly impossible to raise a stress- or anxiety-free child if the parents model stressful and anxious behavior. “Calm parents generally will not have an anxious child,” Nelson spoke on the role parents can play. Anxiety present in children oftentimes first comes from their parents or caretakers.

No break from the headlines

Media access plays a significant role in the increase in anxiety among our youth. The rise in cell phones and social media have transformed the way we operate on a daily basis. Just a few decades ago news was consumed almost entirely during a set time of day, such as reading the morning paper or watching the nightly news hour. Today we are accustomed to a constant stream of information, much of it negative, throughout our day. There is no break from the headlines for many of us.

Nelson touched on the difference in generations growing up before cell phones and social media were so common. Nelson noted that children “have access to media 24/7, and that wasn’t the case before. Kids would come home, and they would watch cartoons or read a book or play, and they didn’t really have an awareness of those adult kinds of things that were going on. And now they know all of that. I have an 8-year-old nephew who will ask questions about Ukraine.”

It is not just children who should put down the screen and stop “doom-scrolling,” it’s the adults as well. Mental health experts indicate that watching the news may be more anxiety-inducing than reading the news. When reading stories, the reader has more control over what content is consumed. Images of destruction and shocking headlines often define today’s TV media coverage, presenting a warped world view and leaving the viewer feeling powerless, all leading to stress and anxiety.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

America’s national shame: gun violence

I recall growing up in the Columbine era where I was acutely aware that a school shooting had happened, but it was seen as a horrifying and one-time event. It dominated headlines for months. Today the reality is that school shootings are so common, it is not possible to report on all of them on the national news.

Even if the chances of a gun-related incident occurring at any given school is small, the stress from constantly hearing reports about it has reverberating effects. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, practicing active shooter drills is bad for mental health.

Steve Nelson

Instead, Steve Nelson, former head of the Calhoun School in New York and current Yellow Scene columnist, suggests schools practice these drills without letting students know the full details of their intent. “I never thought about having any kind of drill that would really frighten children about something that was highly unlikely to ever actually occur. We would practice evacuation drills, but we just call that a fire drill,” Steve Nelson explained. Steve is Jennifer Nelson’s father.

This type of preparedness helps everyone be ready in case something does occur but doesn’t traumatize children with thoughts of active shooters entering their classroom, even if the adults are practicing for a rapid evacuation, active shooter, or other more intense event.

Having armed guards in schools leads to a whole new host of problems and has not necessarily been shown to deter school shootings. Oftentimes law enforcement officers in a school setting end up targeting minority students a disproportionate amount and therefore enforcing generational trauma and upholding systemic racism, according to the ACLU of California and numerous other sources.

Academic pressure

The pressure of standardized tests, AP classes, and college admissions coupled with the increase in mental health crises surrounding school shootings and the compounded environmental doom we are certainly facing can be overwhelming to any kid in today’s society.

MIT Press Direct explored the effects of standardized testing on students and found anxiety and stress significantly impact students’ test scores. A study from a school in New Orleans also showed that stress from outside factors, such as socioeconomic status, also negatively affects test scores, reinforcing the institutional benefits that wealthier students already experience.

Steve Nelson shared his observations on the increase in stress over the decades: “There has been a really crazy ratcheting up of stress related to school that doesn’t have anything to do with guns or anything to do with Covid, just the advent of standardized testing and the completely inappropriate emphasis on performance on certain kinds of standardized measures and expectations about higher education.”

Fortunately many colleges and universities are doing away with standardized testing as a measure for admissions, but the pressure to perform well academically is still immense. Adjusting standardized testing requirements is one step, but the problem of institutionalized stress and trauma from dealing with financial instability is the root of the problem. Lorena Garcia, Colorado state representative and executive director on the board of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition previously told YS, “In order to tear down structural racism, you have to tear down structures. How about fixing our society so [parents] are not having to work two to three jobs a day?”

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Reducing screen time

Social media and cell phones are not going anywhere. The connectivity and instant communication they allow have revolutionized the way knowledge is stored and business is conducted. It is the latest version of globalization which has steadily stitched together the fractures of Pangea since the beginning of the Columbian exchange in the 1500s.

Fighting against technological change is a fruitless endeavor, but we can adapt to this reality in a way that induces less stress.

One solution is to turn off the TV and limit screen time, especially for children. Shifting to a reading focus can help reduce anxiety and allow readers of all ages to focus on content they wish to hear about, with in-depth coverage, rather than having a stressful and potentially trauma-inducing headline beamed into the living room or palm of their hand.

Scheduling screen time and limiting it to an age-appropriate amount while communicating that to your child is another way to help reduce anxiety. “Putting together schedules for kids is incredibly important,” Jennifer Nelson said. She expanded that parents should set expectations for their children by letting them know ahead of time how much screen time they will be allowed. “We call that ‘front loading’ in education, when you’re telling them ahead of time, ‘This is what it’s gonna look like,’” she said.

Adults play a significant role. “I think that adults are bamboozled by their own consumption of the media,” Steve Nelson said. “I don’t blame anyone. I love my grandkids, I worry about them, but there’s a real loss of objectivity,” he explained. Turning off the news, or at least understanding the overstated dangers headlines inspire, is a start.

Jennifer Nelson shared similar sentiments: “We don’t want to be in a place where we’re ignorant of things that are going on in the world. There is a gift that we have in technology in being able to know about things that are going on and be able to support causes that we care about … But I think that keeping things in perspective is very hard for a lot of people.”

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Building resiliency

It is also important that parents nurture their children to be resilient in the face of adversity. Allowing kids the opportunity to experiment, room to fail, and even the time to be bored are all important factors that will help them develop into well-rounded adults who are more capable of dealing with stress and anxiety.

“A lot of people think that you’re born resilient or not. The reality is that resilience is something that develops by having small challenges to overcome over and over again. It doesn’t mean that you have to be exposed to something traumatic. It does mean that you need to suffer through some things that are challenging,” Jennifer Nelson stated. “Then you have the evidence that teaches you, ‘I can do hard things. I can do something that’s challenging,’” she said.

One example is letting young kids tie their own shoes. “It might be frustrating, and they might cry. It may be uncomfortable. They might complain about it, but the satisfaction of actually completing that will bring them to the next challenge with competence. So something developmentally appropriate, where we’re giving kids challenges that they can overcome actually, is what helps them build resilience,” Nelson explained.

Another suggestion is focus on providing more resources for mental health as students enter college. Most mental health problems begin at this age. The freedom away from family allows many to thrive, but for some it creates a lonely or dark space that allows trauma and stress to flourish. Luckily, the conversation seems to be shifting, but more mental health help and destigmatization, especially for young men, is necessary to help heal and move forward as a nation.

Resources for children and parents

A Precious Child
A Precious Child recognizes that meeting the essential needs of children is the basic building block to development. They also realize support does not end there, with a variety of options including social & emotional wellbeing and career and job development classes and training.

Conscious Discipline
Provides free resources, worksheets, podcasts, videos and more that can help families learn about social & emotional wellbeing. Things like “I Love You” rituals help build bonds and allow children to express complex feelings. They also offer paid options if you find this is the right content for your family.

CU Boulder Center for Resilience + Wellbeing
Helps build confidence, emotional skills, and routines that are crucial for managing things like social media, screen time, and the intake of news. Paired with clinical research that CU Boulder has to offer, this center provides a great way to begin developing resiliency that children need.

The Gottman Institute
Allows access to numerous articles and resources for parents, couples, and children to learn to manage conflict, grow emotionally, and develop healthy relationships. Based on decades of research by Dr. Gottman and others, this science-driven approach is aimed at helping both families and mental health professionals alike.

MESA – Moving to End Sexual Assault
MESA’s aim is to end sexual assault and support survivors through education, a hotline, and even a calming in-house therapy dog. Their resources include how to talk about these events to loved ones, reporting options, and even a dating guide for when the time is right. You can call (303) 443-7300 or text BRAVE to 20121 to begin the healing process.

St. Vrain and Boulder Valley Safe Schools Coalition
Founded by former students to help support current and future students by connecting with teachers, parents, and counselors. They help navigate the tough mental, educational, and identity stresses that affect so many. The St. Vrain Coalition meets on the 4th Tuesday each month at Longmont Community Foundation office, 636 Coffman St, Suite #203.

Boulder Valley Health Teen Clinic
Aiming to keep costs as low as possible, this clinic specializes in issues that teens face across the state. They offer sexual as well as behavioral health tips and and support as well as providing resources for educators wanting to learn more about supporting their students.

For more resources, see our 2023 School Directory.

The post Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety in School appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s note: This piece has been edited to further hide identities of those involved.

The allegations

National championships, missing funds, and verbal abuse all sound like a headline ripped from an NCAA scandal but in fact are alleged to be happening at Erie high school. Erie cheer is winning competitions but beneath the surface, allegations of inappropriate behavior by head coach Nora Roth have emerged.

Roth is accused by multiple parents, student athletes, and local business owners of stealing money, displaying abusive behavior towards high school athletes, and being intoxicated at cheer events, among other things. Yellow Scene Magazine (YS) spoke with four families, two businesses and a local cheer coach to assess these claims. Several names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the sources.

Current and former cheerleaders, parents of cheerleaders, and members of the cheer community outside of Erie high school sent statements to St. Vrain Valley School District regarding Roth’s behavior which prompted an investigation.  YS was able to both interview and review the statements from over half a dozen witnesses.

One adult was so shocked by behavior witnessed by Roth at a regional cheer event in 2022 that she stopped in her tracks. Roth was reportedly berating a cheerleader over her physical appearance. The statement reads: “Nora continued yelling, telling the young girl that she looked ‘like shit’ and like ‘a homeless person.’ Nora told the girl that she was ‘embarrassing the school’ and ‘should be ashamed.’ The girl was shaking and looking at the ground.”

“She would comment on the weight of cheerleaders,” former Erie cheerleader Courtney Giordano shared. She touched on other problematic and potentially dangerous behavior. “At Nationals she would be completely intoxicated at the pool.” When asked to elaborate on who was watching the team when they were in Florida for the competition, Giordano replied, “Nobody was.”

When Giordano approached administration about her concerns about Roth, she said “They kind of ignored it and blew it off like it was nothing because we kept winning.”

A local private cheer cheer gym owner also alerted SVVSD about inappropriate behavior via multiple emails and statements to administration staff and leaders. During a June 2023 graduation party, Roth was witnessed “drinking with students.” The statement expanded that “former athletes can verify this, but are scared to come forward for fear or reprisal.”

A local professional photographer confirmed with YS that there was discrepancy with Roth and Erie Cheer over team photos he took. After attempting to contact Roth regarding photo corrections and payment, communication ceased.

The photographer confirmed this event with YS and also stated “Over the next several months I sent multiple emails to Coach Roth requesting payment. I even offered a significant discount in hopes to get payment. None of my emails requesting payment were responded to.” They were eventually sent a check, but for thousands of dollars less than the contract stipulated. The photographer stated that this type of interaction has never occurred across his decades long career.

Screenshots sent to YS show that Roth routinely collected funds for cheer related expenses via her personal Venmo, rather than directly to the Athletic Department. One Erie cheer parent wrote in a statement that “In 2019, my husband and I donated enough money to pay all of the expenses for an athlete to go to Nationals, over $1,500. We never received any acknowledgement – no thank you, no receipt for our taxes – I’ve always believed that Nora took that money.”

Jennifer  — name has been changed to protect anonymity — parent of a former Erie cheerleader, also alleged that her family never received items that were paid for — including a shirt and backpack —  and that the fees collected by Roth were often slightly higher than the amount billed. Erie cheer often held fundraisers, run by Roth, that claimed to cover expenses like camp, competition, and uniform fees. Screenshots show at least some parents were still required to pay the full amount of these costs.

Emails show that Roth was sending messages on behalf of Erie cheer while allegedly intoxicated, including informing at least one athlete that she did not make the team. That athlete was an experienced cheerleader. They believe this is retaliation for questioning the financial irregularities surrounding the team.

Nature of the investigation

An investigation was opened by St. Vrain Valley School District into these allegations but parents were frustrated with the lack of communication and transparency from administration, especially from athletic director Chad Cooper. Cooper referred all communication attempts by YS to SVVSD public relations and did not provide a comment. SVVSD also has not provided a comment to YS as of publishing despite multiple attempts to reach out.

Jennifer told us that she felt Cooper was hostile towards parents coming forward with information about Roth. When allegations of potentially compromising photos of underage athletes were discussed, Jennifer stated Cooper responded with “ ‘Do I need to call the police? Was that what I needed to do?’ The way he did it to me was very aggressive.”

The local gym owner had witnessed concerning behavior from Roth, including financial discrepancies, and wanted to follow up with SVVSD on the nature of the investigation. They shared their concerns, “I was never able to get any answer to basic questions like what is your policy regarding mandatory reporting? When was the last time a financial audit was performed, either internally or externally, on the athletic department?”

YS spoke with Debbie — name has been changed to protect anonymity — who submitted a written complaint about Roth shared that Cooper did reach out to her, but called from an unknown number and left no return contact information. The source said they had to find an email from the school’s website to contact Cooper to verify their statement. 

The Erie Police Department also investigated Roth, and determined no criminal charges would be filed. Public Information Officer Luttrell stated “A thorough investigation, to include reports of unauthorized expenses did not support filing criminal charges.”

“Investigators interviewed several witnesses and complainants (which includes those who made allegations) … The Erie Police Department reviewed statements provided by St. Vrain Valley School District. A thorough investigation did not support filing criminal charges,” Luttrell wrote.

Concluding the SVVSD investigation without transparency does not provide parents and students with confidence that the correct decision was made. SVVSD was unable to comment on the investigation when it was active, and has not responded to requests for comment on the conclusion. Cooper did not have a comment for YS. Jennifer, Debbie, and others are still waiting on information from the district to gain clarity as to why no wrongdoing was found.

A successful sports program can mask a lot of internal issues. Erie is fresh off winning championships and competing in Nationals, often dominating the competition on their way. Even that is being questioned, however. Data seems to indicate that Erie high school cheer is competing in a lower division than they should. Per public information Erie high school has an enrollment of 1,713 students. The cutoff for the division that Erie cheer won is 1,299 students.

Ms. Roth’s attorney provided the following statement on her behalf:

“Ms. Roth is pleased the allegations were found to be not credible and unfounded.  She is looking forward to the upcoming year and the opportunity to lead student athletes on the EHS Cheer team.”

As of publication, Roth has been restored to her head coaching position for the upcoming season.

If you would like to share any additional information about these allegations please email editorial@yellowscene.com

National suicide prevention hotline – 1-800-273-8255

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Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

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The post Investigation into Erie Cheer Coach Concludes with No Charges Despite Multiple Credible Allegations appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

[LOCAL]

• Mike Johnston wins the Denver mayoral race, although neither candidate was likely to bring about real change.
• Boulder Beat to close down at the end of this year, sadly ending one of the best voices for real, local Boulder journalism.
• Boulder Police Oversight Panel member Lisa Sweeney-Miran is removed by City Council, prompting the panel to pause their work.
• In yet another controversy, Aurora Police execute an armed teenage boy fleeing from officers after stealing vape cartridges.
• Governor Polis signs “Magic Mushroom” Bill into law, regulating newly approved psychedelic drug therapy.
• Dacono City Councilmembers Jackie Thomas and Jim Turini are recalled over their abrupt actions surrounding the removal of the City Manager.
• Louisville City Councilmember Maxine Most faces a recall election regarding her alleged lack of compassion following the Marshall Fire.
• With recent laws against transgender care, Colorado is offering itself as a safe haven for youths in need of gender affirming care.

[NATIONAL]

• Trump indicted a second time, this time 37 counts including for hiding confidential documents. His lawyers immediately quit.
• Wildfire smoke from Canada obscures views of NYC and creates mass health hazards across North America. Canada still burns.
• Private fishing trips, vacations, and other potentially corrupting events have come to light surrounding multiple conservative Supreme Court Justices bringing into question the ethics of judicial decision.
• Hollywood writers go on strike, stalling many major productions and delaying releases.
• Texas woman who traveled to Colorado for an abortion was shot and killed by her boyfriend when she returned home.
• George Santos turned himself in and pleaded not guilty to charges of financial crimes.

[INTERNATIONAL]

• Explosion rocks the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine with evidence pointing towards Russia as the culprit. This will disrupt water and power supply for tens of thousands of people.
• France erupts in protests when a minority teen boy was killed by the police. Don’t worry, you won’t need to cancel your summer trip to Paris.
• Charles III is crowned King of England, which we honestly still cannot believe is a thing in this day and age.

Small Talk:

“Today is the day that Black Americans really get to celebrate our freedom … And in that, it’s important to get the whole community involved and engaged in that so that we can uplift Black voices together as a community.” – Terryjosiah Sharpe, coordinator of Colorado Springs first widespread Juneteenth celebration

“It’s good. It’s good. The job is done. We can go home now.” – Nikola Jokic on his incredible performance winning the NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets

“Her pleas for help were shrugged off, she said, and she was repeatedly sent home from the hospital. Doctors and nurses told her she was suffering from normal contractions, she said, even as her abdominal pain worsened and she began to vomit bile. Angelica said she wasn’t taken seriously until a searing pain rocketed throughout her body and her baby’s heart rate plummeted.” – Angelica Lyons on giving birth as a Black woman via AP News

“I can’t imagine how terrible this must be for the child’s family, and also our first responder community… Today has been heavy for the City of Boulder, and we are all thinking of the family who just lost their child.” – Boulder Police Chief Maris Harold on the accidental drowning of a 9-year old in Boulder Creek

“I was incredibly surprised given the fact that I’ve been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years.” – Said Stewart, the man named in the Supreme Court ruling that just set back gay rights

By the Numbers:

$107,500 – Amount a family of four need to earn to live comfortably in the BOCO region
63.01 Degrees – Hottest overall average temperature ever recorded for the globe this past July 4th
2018 – Year when Titanic submersible company OceanGate was warned their underwater vehicle was not safe
28.8 – Amount of points Ron DeSantis lags behind Trump in latest poll according to fivethirtyeight.com
$56,000 – Base pay for teachers in St. Vrain Valley School District after recent raise by the district

The post Month in Review | June/July 2023 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Courtney Michelle

“If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together… to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other,” said President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the People-to-People Conference on Sept. 11, 1956.

That was when Eisenhower first shared his idea to develop a program that cultivates relationships between cities across the globe – and, namely, between the people who make up those cities.

66 years ago, this “people-to-people” concept came to life through the development of Sister Cities International; Eisenhower recognized that if we didn’t bridge the gap between different cultures through awareness, understanding and friendship, we would only find ourselves amidst more conflict.

In 1990, local businesses and government organizations bridged that same gap by establishing Longmont’s first Sister City with Chino, Japan. In 1995, the Longmont Sister Cities Association (LSCA) was founded to manage this relationship while coordinating events and travel. In 1997, Ciudad Guzman, Mexico, became Longmont’s second Sister City. And in September 2021, the LSCA partnered with their third Sister City, the Northern Arapaho of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Over the years, the LSCA has continued to strengthen their relationship with both the local Longmont community and their sister communities by building on their five foundational principles: promoting educational and leadership opportunities; serving as an information resource; acting as a communication conduit to the international community; sponsoring exchanges and homestays; and furthering municipal cooperation.

Those foundational principles are made possible through the LSCA’s annual student exchange and chaperone programs, board of volunteers, involvement in the local community and the transformative, one-of-a-kind experience that they offer to all of those who participate.

Student Exchange Program

Since its inception, the Longmont Sister Cities Association has sponsored an annual student exchange. This program brings students from Japan, Mexico, and Wyoming to Longmont for a 10-day visit. In turn, students from Longmont participate in a similar 10-day visit to either Japan, Mexico or the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Students currently enrolled in 8th – 11th grade in SVVSD area are encouraged to apply. Following interviews, selected students are granted the opportunity to join the Student Exchange Program. Upon joining the program, these students are then expected to participate in team-building and fundraising activities to help them earn money for their experience.

Chaperone Program

Adults living in the Longmont area also have an opportunity to participate in the Sister Cities Exchange Program as chaperones. Following a series of interviews and background checks, chaperones are selected to oversee the student exchange, assist with fundraising activities and accompany the students on their trip.

Volunteer-Based Board of Directors

A Board of Directors governs the Longmont Sister Cities Association. The Board is comprised of approximately 15 members who volunteer their time to the organization.

Key Role in the Longmont Community

The LSCA maintains partnerships with the city museum and civic organizations to promote cultural awareness. LSCA participates in various events in the Longmont area to foster awareness and involvement in the community and to bring chaperones, students and civic leaders together. Their next event is to commemorate Dia de Los Muertos on Saturday, Oct. 8.

A Life-Changing Experience

“When I found out about Longmont’s program for youth exchanges, I wanted to get involved so I could help youth experience different cultures, languages and peoples,” said Courtney Michelle, the current Vice President of the Longmont Sister Cities Association.

When faced with the opportunity to study as an exchange student in Norway back in 1990, Courtney herself experienced a change in the trajectory of her life – an experience that sparked her love for travel and spurred her passion for providing other young people with the same opportunities.

Courtney applied and was selected as a chaperone to Mexico in 2007. She took students to Mexico again in 2011, and then joined the LSCA as a board member. In 2018, Courtney was elected to join the executive board as Vice President.

“It is rewarding to play a role in connecting people in a way that cultivates understanding and life-long friendships!” said Courtney.

If you would like to join the LSCA for a life-changing experience as a chaperone or student, visit their website at www.longmontsistercities.com. The deadline for chaperones is Oct. 15; the deadline for student applicants is Oct. 31.

The post Longmont Sister Cities Association | Community Corner appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Courtesy of Shutterstock

These two statements reveal an alarming decline in knowledge about and confidence in our civic institutions, to include lawmakers who influence constituents with such misleading and false assertions as Rep. Boebert’s nearly comical rhetoric. How did we get here and how do we get out?

A Very Brief, Necessarily Selective History

“Civics” is generally defined as the study of the structure and institutions of government and of the rights and responsibilities of citizens therein. Such studies have been an essential component of civilization from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome until now. 

In the 19th century United States, Horace Mann championed civics instruction in a free public system as necessary to unify increasingly diverse groups of students as immigration changed school populations. By the early 20th century, educational theorists, progressive John Dewey most notable among them, expanded on the notion, adding the importance of learning through relevant experience rather than merely learning factual information.

In the early decades of the 20th century this progressive approach to civics (and all other) education was broadly supplanted by a more “industrial,” standardized methodology that has persisted until today. 

Through the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, civics and/or government studies were curricular staples, focusing primarily on passively learning the structures and mechanisms of government along with the obligatory Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs like America the Beautiful and My Country ‘tis of Thee. It is of some cognitive interest to note that the lyrics and melodies of these songs have enjoyed far more longevity in the minds of the general public  than constitutional knowledge, demonstrating both the power of music and the essential role of learning through experience.

Beginning in the late ‘60s, civics education was merged with or supplanted by a more generic social studies curriculum. This was due in part to divisive skepticism about democratic institutions, sharpened by the Vietnam War and unrest over civil rights.

In the years since, civics education has waxed and waned. Since 2006, the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has surveyed civics knowledge, and the results have revealed an alarming and precipitous decline, with a very slight uptick in the last two years. This annual survey of several thousand adults is conducted by an independent firm on behalf of Annenberg.

Courtesy of Shutterstock

How Bad Is It?

Even people in leadership positions within our civic structure misunderstand basic civics and Colorado’s Rep. Boebert is far from alone. 

In a recent interview, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said, “Our government wasn’t set up for one group to have all three branches of government — wasn’t set up that way. You know, the House, the Senate, and the executive.” Any person in government who doesn’t know the three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—should not be in office. 

A mock exam conducted by The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in 2018 revealed that two-thirds of Americans could not pass the United States Citizenship Test. Even worse, 81% of those under age 45 failed. 

Sixty percent don’t know how many justices sit on the Supreme Court. Only 24% know why the colonists fought the British. And just for humor, 2% believe climate change caused the Cold War.

The statistical evidence of decline is exacerbated by a deepening ideological chasm and a persistent attack on the public education system itself. The ideological rift is illustrated by the contrasting approaches embodied in the 1619 Project and the 1776 Curriculum. 

The 1619 Project is based on a 2021 book, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, by Nikole Hannah-Jones with a related curriculum promoted by the New York Times. The 1619 Project aims to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States.”

As a response to the 1619 Project, the ultra-conservative Hillsdale College published the 1776 Curriculum in 2021, rejecting the premises of the 1619 Project. It sought to reassert the idea of American Exceptionalism and relegate slavery and racism to a sidebar in a grand and noble narrative.

A major presence on the ideological battlefield, Hillsdale College is behind a mushrooming network of Hillsdale Classical Schools. Hillsdale is one of a number of right-leaning organizations seeking to counter what they wrongly assert is the radical left-wing indoctrination exercised in America’s public schools. There are currently about 70 member or affiliated schools in 19 states. Hillsdale schools are quasi-public, tuition-free charter schools—part of the broad effort to use school choice to provide conservative alternatives to local public schools. 

This effort to remake education in a conservative mold operates in parallel with the rapid growth of a parents’ rights movement. Parents’ rights activists press to: ban books that reference gender or sexuality; banish teaching of Critical Race Theory (which is not actually being taught, but is used as political shorthand to stir opposition to any diversity or anti-racist programming ); abolish diversity and equity initiatives; and sanitize education by removing reference to LGBTQ issues and ongoing racism in order to restore a 1950s version of history. According to the Woodrow Wilson report mentioned above, 81% of these parents can’t pass a basic citizenship test, yet they believe that they should have control over the curriculum. 

This multifaceted conservative campaign has further splintered the notion of a common foundation on which to build an engaged citizenry. While the number of Hillsdale and similar schools is still relatively small, the aggressive right-wing effort has empowered activists to challenge the accurate teaching of history, particularly the history of systemic racism, in many thousands of schools across America.

There are currently only seven Hillsdale schools in all of Colorado, but there are ambitious expansion plans. This article reports how this expansion game is playing out in Weld County. 

Current Colorado schools are:

• Ascent Classical Academy of Douglas County (Lone Tree, Colorado)
• Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, Colorado)
• Golden View Classical Academy (Golden, Colorado)
• American Legacy Academy – Severance (Severance, Colorado)
• American Legacy Academy – Windsor (Windsor, Colorado)
• Ascent Classical Academy of Durango (Durango, Colorado)
• Liberty Tree Academy (Falcon, Colorado)

The website of Ascent Academy makes the distinction clear: 

In so many of our educational institutions today, instead of studying Euclid, Locke, Shakespeare, Churchill, Lewis, or Reagan, we educate our students about microaggressions, cultural appropriation, victimhood, gender identification, safe spaces, and the like.

For those who continue to live on the margins of American society, high-minded language about virtue and nobility provides little hope that conservative civics education will address the need for equity in a diverse society.  

By understanding the language used in these competing curricula, we can then understand how civics education can prepare, or indoctrinate, children. The difference matters.

Courtesy of Shutterstock

Public Education Under Siege

The ideological tension has coincided with educational policies that emphasize mathematics and English over all else.  Beginning with a 1983 report titled, A Nation at Risk, education has been dominated by testing and accountability. A Nation at Risk was commissioned by the Reagan administration and purported to show that student achievement had precipitously declined. The concern was based in part on a remarkable statistical error. It was a big lie, exposed by more honest work in subsequent years, particularly the Sandia Report of 1990. This subsequent work received little fanfare and nothing changed.It has been a 39-year war on public education, teachers and teachers unions. It seems all of America believes that our schools are bad and that education reform is a critical need.This manufactured “concern” has driven decades of ineffective (and profitable) policy.

Worst among policies was the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, which left most children behind as it stirred up a morass of useless standards, time-wasting testing and test prep, and huge profits for educational publishers. This ongoing boondoggle is well documented by eminent educational historian Diane Ravitch and many others. In the predictable frenzy of testing to which children have been subjected, civics, the arts, creativity, imagination, and critical thinking have been neglected. 

A national effort to undermine public education has been underway for decades. Much of this campaign has been funded by wealthy conservative groups, the Walton (Walmart) family prominent among them. The most visible manifestations have been sprawling networks of charter schools and political movements supporting vouchers and school choice. Less visible is the profit motive.

Research pegs the total U.S. K-12 education “market” at $1.3 trillion. There are a great many greedy fingers dipping into that pot of gold. Public funds are supporting largely unaccountable for-profit schools in many communities. This Washington Post article cites some of the most egregious examples. Voucher programs and school choice are also diverting public funds to religious schools, as documented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. These schemes seemed blatantly unconstitutional until the recent Supreme Court ruling in Carson v. Makin, which seems to fill the separation of church and state with cement.

The charter school movement was originally intended to offer freedom for innovation, providing models for broader school improvement. The movement was quickly subsumed within the growing effort to undermine and erode the traditional public system. While there are noteworthy exceptions, charter schools in the aggregate have yet to outperform public schools. Many, especially in vulnerable urban communities of color, have been corrupt and incompetent. This article documents the massive scale of fraud and mismanagement in the urban charter sector.

How Children Learn Matters 

In his essay, A Mathematician’s Lament, Paul Lockhart writes:

A musician wakes from a terrible nightmare. In his dream he finds himself in a society where music education has been made mandatory. “We are helping our students become more competitive in an increasingly sound-filled world.” Educators, school systems, and the state are put in charge of this vital project. Studies are commissioned, committees are formed, and decisions are made—all without the advice or participation of a single working musician or composer.

Lockhart goes on to eloquently critique the dry, soulless teaching of mathematics by illustrating the absurdity of teaching music without hearing or playing music or teaching art by using “paint by numbers.” Similarly, most civics education—you may remember your own—is a rather dry excursion through America’s founding documents, with exams testing knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and perhaps a smattering of landmark Supreme Court decisions. The relevance to students’ lives is negligible and thus retention is slight. 

Like music and mathematics, democracy is beautiful, elegant, complex, and deeply meaningful. Just as you can’t be a musician or music lover by memorizing black notes on a white page, you can’t learn to be a productive citizen of a democratic society without active participation. I highly recommended Lockhart’s essay as a primer in the importance of learning through real engagement.

In order to ignite a passion for civics, students should argue Supreme Court cases, participate in heated debates, run for school office, petition city council, and protest whatever side of an issue they embrace in their towns’ public spaces. 

These kinds of experiences can forever change how students will understand and participate in democratic society. 

The Erosion of a Common Understanding 

The decline in civics education is acutely exacerbated by the changed media environment. In years past, most Americans received information from common and trusted sources—primarily a few broadcast television stations and a national or local newspaper. Differences of opinion were at least based on stipulation to the facts. 

This is no longer the case, as the statistics below reveal. This shift away from common sources of credible information has led to both irreconcilable divisions and a troubling loss of faith in our system of governance. Social media is the largest source of information and, as we increasingly know, algorithms skew information toward existing biases. 

These divisions are dangerously partisan. Consider these findings from a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted July 5-7, 2022:

• 92% of Democrats believe that former president Trump threatened democracy with his post-election actions. 
• Only 19% of Republicans believe that to be true.
• 61% of Republicans believe Trump won the 2020 election.
• 48% of Americans between 18-29 believe voting doesn’t matter.
• Only 34% of Americans are confident that major newspapers and television stations are accurate and fair.
• Only 7% get information from a major newspaper; 1% from a local paper.
• 58% of those polled believe our constitutional democracy no longer works.

According to Pew Research, the United States ranks 32nd of 36 countries in terms of voter participation by those of voting age.

In a frayed and fragile democratic society, a rededication to civics education must be accompanied by education in media literacy. If citizens are unable to distinguish between the truth and partisan fiction, they cannot discharge their democratic responsibilities, no matter their knowledge of the system itself.

Civics Education in Our Region

According to the Education Commission of the States, the state of Colorado expresses laudable standards, although the extent to which they are enforced or realized is unclear. The standards call for courses on the history of governance in Colorado and the United States, including the history and contributions of minorities. 

Colorado Academic Standards include a strand for civics, but the language is vague and generic. The website offers sample standards and benchmarks, including “researching, formulating positions, and engaging in appropriate civic participation to address local, state, or national issues or policies (high school).”

They also assert that “The civics standards are meant to teach students the complexity of the origins, structure, and functions of government; the rights, roles and responsibilities of ethical citizenship; the importance of law; and the skills necessary to participate in all levels of government.”

While the extent to which these standards are realized is unknown, the language provides Colorado citizens with authority to demand a high-quality approach to civics education in their local schools.

I reached out to Boulder Valley School District (BVSD), St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), and a sample of private and charter schools for information on their approach to civics education. 

SVVSD provided the most comprehensive response. District schools participate in events including Doing Democracy Day, Voter Registration Awareness Week, and a districtwide High School Student Senate where the legislative process is discussed with a former Colorado legislator. The students then debate proposed bills. Students may also choose from among a variety of clubs and co-curricular activities, like Model UN, Speech and Debate, and Diplomacy Club.

Curricular components include a required government credit and electives including Advanced Placement Government. The district offers a summer Innovation Academy where elementary students engage in “design-thinking processes” to address global issues. An optional Leadership Academy invites student engagement in the community and intersects with civics education.

BVSD’s lone response was from Peak to Peak Charter School which requires “ … either one semester of standard US government followed by standard economics or a full year if students select AP US government. Students generally take this course option in 10th grade.”

The Watershed School (full disclosure: I serve as a trustee) has a mission that embraces learning through experience.  Students learn basic democratic processes and how their voices matter in shaping policy at local, state, national, and international levels.

An example of civics in the curriculum is an innovative program where students select a controversial political issue that interests them and then do research on multiple perspectives in order to develop an informed opinion. They travel to a more conservative community, interview youth and adults, and then produce a podcast that fairly represents the disparate views on the issue.

Necessary but Insufficient

There are some indications that the importance of civics education is increasingly recognized. Many of the schools in our region declare a commitment to prepare students for thoughtful participation in our democratic republic. But across the nation, public education is under assault, as is the truth itself. 

If we are to believe, as Horace Mann implored us, that public education must be a unifying force that establishes a common foundation from which to exercise self-governance, we are in deep trouble. The kind of education Franklin D. Roosevelt saw as necessary to preserve our democratic republic is in jeopardy. 

If we are this profoundly divided on the truth of our past, it is difficult to imagine unity on the possibilities for our future.

In today’s corporate world, finding true, honest journalism is getting harder, and that includes local news, too. From corporate takeovers to the nonprofit industry, finding reporters willing to ask the hard questions seems like a thing of the past.

Which is why Yellow Scene remains fiercely independent and never, ever accepts quid pro quo. We are only beholden to our readers, not funders.

The truth is, we really cannot do this without you. If you value our journalism, become a sustaining supporter for $8 a month. Your support keeps honest reporting alive and gets the hard copy delivered to your home.

The post The Case for Civics Education: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

We’re online! There was just too many things we wanted to fit in print. Check out all of these places where you and your child can learn.

Schools

Art Schools

Charter Schools

Colleges, Universities, and Trade Schools

Daycare/Preschools

Districts

K-12 Schools

Driving

Homeschool

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Online

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Camps: Outdoors

Tutoring

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Dance/Gymnastics

Language

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Soccer

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Government Services

Recreation Centers

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Services — Family Support

Play Places

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Museums

The post YS Back to School Directory 2022 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Some Boulder County high schools celebrate fall in ways straight out of a movie and some are creating new traditions. Whether the school has 800 students or 20, Boulder County high schools have big plans to welcome students and the community back for another school year.    

Saint Vrain Valley School District’s Sunrise Stampede 

Saint Vrain Valley School District’s Sunrise Stampede is a district-wide race, with proceeds donated to grants for special education teachers in the district. Organized by the St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation, SVVSD special education teachers from preschool up to high school can apply for tools through the grant when they need extra support in their classrooms. 

The race is one of many initiatives the St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation supports, but is “a special way to kick off the school year,” according to the foundation’s community liaison Michelle Phelan.

The Foundation works with schools in the district and with the SVVSD athletic departments. The race is a professionally timed event, giving high school cross country teams an opportunity to use it as a time trial.

Members of the Skyline cross country team run at SVVSD’s Sunrise Stampede. Photo courtesy of Michelle Phelan.

The event is sponsored by businesses, churches, civic organizations, hospitals, family foundations and banks. Most sponsors are local or local affiliates. Centura Longmont United Hospital paid for 200 students to run free.

Participants at the Sunrise Stampede pose next to one of its sponsors, Raising Cane’s. Photo courtesy of Michelle Phelan.

Redline Athletics leads warmups before the race. Photo courtesy of Michelle Phelan.

Michelle Steffen’s son is in the special education program at SVVSD. Her son has Down Syndrome, and she was happy to see the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association represented at last year’s race, among other fun expo booths with games and activities for kids.

Michelle Steffen’s son attended last year’s Sunrise Stampede. Photo courtesy of Michelle Steffen.

Michelle Steffen attends the Sunrise Stampede with her elementary and high school students. Photo courtesy of Michelle Steffen.

“It’s a chance to support special education,” Steffen said. “It is also a way to be inclusive of the students with disabilities because they’ve got a 5k and a one-mile run, and everybody can participate.” 

Steffen has two high school SVVSD students who enjoy attending the race as well. Steffen received a voucher from the district for her son to participate in the one-mile race for free.

“I’m really big on things being inclusive for all people,” Steffen said. “I like this event because I feel like it really is inclusive. With a one-mile, you can run it, you can walk it, you can stroll it, you can have a wheelchair. It’s however you can do it, you’re included. I really like that part of this event.”

Participants at the Sunrise Stampede gather at the start line. Photo courtesy of Michelle Phelan.

A student crosses the finish line at the Sunrise Stampede. Photo courtesy of Michelle Steffen.

Centaurus High School’s Homecoming traditions 

Centaurus High School in Lafayette has traditional Homecoming events including a powder puff football game, float parade, and Homecoming football game and dance. 

“Homecoming week is huge for Centaurus,” said principal Daniel Ryan. “We have a lot of strong history and school culture that goes on.”  

Many alumni come back from even 25 years back to enjoy the “most highly attended sporting event of the entire year,” as Ryan describes it.  

“The Homecoming events mean different things to different students. For freshmen, it may be a right of passage, to seniors it has even more meaning as they look back on their time in high school,” Ryan said.  

He went on to say, “At our school I feel like [homecoming] is the continuity of what Centaurus High School is, especially during the COVID era when we lost some things.We found out that kids really look forward to those things.”

Temple Grandin School Shuffle

Students at the Temple Grandin School in Boulder are neurodiverse. Most students are on the autism spectrum and some have a similar learning profile or have similar learning challenges. 

One welcome-back event is the yearly fundraiser 5k called the Shuffle. The school puts on fall events like the Shuffle and an orientation day to get to know the students and their families more fully, said director of community relations Lisa Baba.

Temple Grandin School students gather together at their Shuffle. Photo courtesy of Lisa Baba.

“They’ve been in schools before where they haven’t felt understood,” Baba said. “They may have even been bullied. We really want our students to feel cared for and understood. We want our parents to know that they’re a welcome part of our community, and that we care about them and understand them too because their students have had challenges. Parents have had challenges. It’s not easy to watch your student go through hard times. We really want our families to know that they’re cared for and understood too and that they’re a part of the process, part of the community.”

The community and families can attend the Temple Grandin Shuffle. Photo courtesy of Lisa Baba.

The Shuffle not only welcomes the students and families but raises money for the school. 

Last year’s theme was time traveling, with participants dressing up from characters from the past or in futuristic costumes.

Temple Grandin School students participate in the Shuffle. Photo courtesy of Lisa Baba.

Each student has a team of family and community members who can contribute to the fundraiser, which is open to the public. 

The race reflects some of the school’s core values of understanding and caring. The school puts on events like the Shuffle at the beginning of the school year to show the students’ families that they care about getting to know and understand the students both in school and out of school.

A participant receives a medal at the Shuffle. Photo courtesy of Lisa Baba.

Broomfield High School’s Homecoming traditions

Broomfield High School holds one of the few off-site homecoming dances in the district. This year the homecoming dance will be held at Empower Field. 

The upper and lower classes team together during Homecoming week for friendly competition. In years past, the freshman and juniors teamed up together and the sophomore and senior classes teamed up against them. 

“It builds comradery among the classes because we love competition,” said principal Ginger Ramsey. 

In keeping with this sense of comradery, points are taken off if the competition becomes unsportsmanlike. 

The Homecoming week at Broomfield High includes a tailgate put on by the community and Broomfield Boosters, a nonprofit organization founded to provide support for Broomfield High School. Dress-up days and the Broomfield High’s version of a powder puff game, called Llabtoof—football backwards are also a big part of the Homecoming week. 

Tara Performing Arts High School’s Michaelmas Fall Festival

Tara Performing Arts High School in North Boulder welcomes fall with a festival celebrating courage.

Ninth graders at Tara Performing Arts High School doing a traditional Morris sword dance. Photo courtesy of Tara Performing Arts High School.

During September, you’ll find the student body of approximately 50 students preparing the campus for classes and rehearsing for the Michaelmas Fall Festival, said the school’s co-director Betsy Barricklow. Michaelmas first began as a harvest festival during the Middle Ages.

Students at the Tara Performing Arts High School participate in the Michaelmas Fall Festival. Photo courtesy of Tara Performing Arts High School.

“You’ll see students and staff weeding the volleyball court, painting sheds, planting gardens, sanding and refinishing wooden desks and arranging classrooms,” Barricklow said. “You’ll hear the ninth grade learning a traditional Morris sword dance, the tenth grade reciting and choreographing their original poetry, the eleventh grade creating devised theater scripts from interviews they conducted, and the twelfth-grade rehearsing scenes for a play. At the end of the day, the air is filled with choral music as students practice African freedom songs and the other traditional music of our Michaelmas Festival.”

Students sing choral music at the Michaelmas Fall festival. Photo courtesy of Tara Performing Arts High School.

“Fall is a time of melding the practical and the cultural,” Barricklow said. “Everyone is in high spirits, working hard and preparing for whatever lies ahead.”

Students perform theater at the Michaelmas Fall Festival. Photo courtesy of Tara Performing Arts High School.

“We cultivate courage and celebrate the beginning of another year filled with challenging academics, dramatic performances, travel to urban and wilderness areas and experiential education,” Barricklow said.

Tara’s Michaelmas Fall Festival this year takes place on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.

Monarch High School Homecoming traditions

Homecoming week at Louisville’s Monarch High School presents an opportunity for the community to heal after the Marshall Fire.