By Former Adams County Commissioner Eva Henry

This letter was sent to Yellow Scene Magazine. As with all Letters to the Editor, the views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication. We value providing space for community voices.

When we talk about building a local economy that works for everyone, we often default to macro-economics—gross county product, commercial development zoning, and corporate tax bases. But for the vast majority of families living in Thornton, Westminster, and Northglenn, the true measure of our economy isn’t found in a spreadsheet at the county administration building. It is measured at the kitchen table, balanced between the cost of groceries and the staggering price of local childcare.

Adams County has always been a place defined by its grit, its deep agricultural heritage, and its working-class roots. But right now, our working families are facing an unprecedented financial squeeze. As local leaders, we must recognize that a thriving community requires more than just managing growth; it requires protecting the people who make that growth possible. True economic dignity means ensuring that our neighbors who work here can actually afford to live, raise their families, and thrive here.

That is why inclusive governance is not an abstract progressive ideal—it is an absolute economic necessity.

When we invest in county-level childcare and housing solutions, we aren’t just providing a safety net; we are building infrastructure. High-quality, affordable childcare is the ultimate workforce multiplier, allowing parents to re-enter the job market or pursue continuing education with peace of mind. Furthermore, as our region expands, our infrastructure must keep pace. We need a balanced approach to regional growth that secures critical funding for road repairs and flood mitigation while fiercely protecting our clean air, open spaces, and our vital agricultural spaces.

But infrastructure alone isn’t enough. We must tie our county’s development directly to high-quality local livelihoods. By creating 21st-century green energy and technology manufacturing union jobs, we ensure that public investments translate into sustainable, middle-class careers for our residents. We also have a responsibility to foster a collaborative, supportive environment for our local small businesses—working hand-in-hand with owners through proactive programs like Achieving Compliance Together rather than defaulting to heavy-handed, punitive fines.

To achieve this, we need a county government that is accessible, efficient, and thoroughly competent. We must actively reject the divisive national political rhetoric that stalls progress and focus squarely on local, transparent results. This month, as primary ballots arrive in mailboxes, Adams County voters have a distinct choice to make about the direction of our community.

Tyler Quick

We need a new generation of energetic, transparent leadership on the County Commission—leaders who share the lived financial realities of everyday working people. That is exactly why I am proud to stand alongside community advocates like Tyler Quick for District 4. Tyler grew up right here, went to Flynn Elementary, and understands the paycheck-to-paycheck realities facing our neighborhoods.

Let’s move past stale political habits and build an inclusive, efficient, and competent county government that ensures every single resident has a permanent seat at the table.

The post The Economic Imperative of Inclusive Governance in Adams County appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Contact: Katie Farnan, (720) 383-7269

press@thebighorncompany.com

High-resolution photos can be downloaded at this link (photo credit: Butterfly Pavilion / Hannah Hitchcock).

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — May 28, 2026 — Scientists from Butterfly Pavilion completed their first baseline survey yesterday along the Northwest Parkway’s southern right-of-way, advancing the pollinator corridor project that the two organizations announced in February 2026.

The surveys, conducted along approximately one mile of the Parkway in Broomfield, assess the pollinator species currently present at the site and evaluate existing habitat conditions, establishing a scientific foundation for the seeding and landscaping work to come later in the fall.

The May 27th survey was conducted by Butterfly Pavilion entomologists, who documented pollinator species to the lowest possible taxonomic level while also assessing the vegetation present and the general capacity of the site to support pollinator populations. A formal report will follow, with science-based recommendations for plant selection, placement, soil conditions, irrigation access, weed management, and long-term maintenance.

“What we observe in a baseline survey shapes everything that comes after it,” said Alex Han, EES Entomology Technician at Butterfly Pavilion. “By understanding which species are already using this corridor and what the habitat conditions look like today, we can make targeted recommendations that give pollinators the best chance of establishing and thriving here over time. This site has real potential, and the data will help us realize it.”

Pollinators are experiencing documented decline across North America, driven by habitat loss, chemical exposure, parasites, and disease. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 85 percent of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce, and roughly one in three bites of food we eat exists because of pollinator activity. The Northwest Parkway’s corridor project is designed to address part of that habitat deficit by converting unused right-of-way land into functional pollinator habitat.

“The survey results are an important milestone, and we are grateful to have Butterfly Pavilion’s scientists guiding this work,” said Mathieu Lisbonis, CEO of the Northwest Parkway. “This stretch of land runs alongside thousands of daily commuters, and we want it to do more than look maintained. We want it to function as part of the local ecosystem. The science will help us do that properly.”

Northwest Parkway’s partnership with the Butterfly Pavilion is part of their vision to make transportation corridors as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. Both the Parkway and its parent company, VINCI Highways, are committed to these goals globally and are constantly finding new ways to engage with local community partners on the development of stewardship initiatives.

With the spring survey now complete, the next steps in the project include a fall survey of the same stretch, followed by seeding and landscaping guided by Butterfly Pavilion’s plant palette recommendations, maintenance training for Northwest Parkway staff, and recommendations for interpretive signage along the corridor.

High-resolution photos of the survey activities can be downloaded at this link (photo credit: Butterfly Pavilion / Hannah Hitchcock).

About Northwest Parkway

The Northwest Parkway links Broomfield to surrounding communities, including Lafayette, Superior, Boulder, Erie, Thornton, and Northglenn. Serving about 20,000 daily trips, it eases congestion and supports smart regional growth while respecting planned open space. The Parkway is operated under a concession agreement between the Northwest Parkway Public Highway Authority, composed of the municipalities of Broomfield and Lafayette, and VINCI Highways. Learn more at nwpky.com.

About VINCI Highways

VINCI Highways is a leading international roadway concessionaire and mobility services provider, managing a 2,330-mile network across 13 countries. By integrating design, financing, construction, operations, and tolling, we give public authorities the assurance of a single industrial partner able to deliver strong operational performance throughout the full life cycle of highway projects. As a long-term partner to the regions we serve, we are committed to safety, environmental progress, and economic development.

In the United States, VINCI Highways is active in six states with Northwest Parkway in Colorado, the Ohio River Bridges connecting Indiana and Kentucky, and tolling services in California, Texas, and Georgia through ViaPlus. Learn more at vinci-highways.com.

About Butterfly Pavilion

Butterfly Pavilion, established in 1995, is the first Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited, stand-alone, non-profit invertebrate zoo in the world, located in Westminster, Colorado. Butterfly Pavilion’s mission is to foster an appreciation of invertebrates while educating the public about the need for conservation of threatened habitats in the tropics and around the world. Beyond Colorado and the United States, Butterfly Pavilion conservationists are doing important invertebrate research projects around the world, from Mongolia and Tanzania to Sumatra and Mexico. Learn more at butterflies.org.

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Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Citlaly Quiroz

Email: home@gabrielforcolorado.com

Cervantes Campaign Condemns Phillips’ Fear-Based Attempts to Dismiss Decrease in Thornton Crime

THORNTON, CO — [05/26/2026] — The campaign for Gabriel Cervantes, candidate for Colorado State House District 31, issued the following statement condemning comments made by State Representative Jacque Phillips at her recent town hall.

In a recording of the event, Phillips responded to a flyer circulating the Capitol regarding crime decreasing across all metrics in Thornton. Rather than acknowledge this success, she instead stated that reported crime decreased because residents had stopped calling police, saying “there’s no point.” She further claimed that Thornton has the highest unreported crime rate.

Cervantes stated: “For more than a decade, Thornton residents have heard the same harmful narrative from Representative Phillips. Our community is dangerous, our neighborhoods are defined by crime, and that residents of Thornton should be ashamed of living here. That kind of rhetoric won’t harm her, though. It harms the students who grow up hearing that they are from a dangerous and impoverished place. It harms the families who want to feel pride in where they live. It harms the communities working every day to invest in this community.”

Thornton Mayor Pro-Tem Roberta Ayala slammed the comments made by Phillips. “Crime is steadily decreasing according to Q4-2024 and Q1-2025 data by the Thornton Police Department.” said Ayala. “This is a major discredit to the deep work and community policing that has been done with the Thornton Police Department for years to continue building trust in our communities.”

According to data acquired via CORA requests, calls have not decreased in South Thornton. Appalled Thornton residents, led by Ryan Mader, submitted the CORA request to the Thornton Police Department disproving Phillips’ claim upon learning of the comments. “I find it alarming to hear statements from our Representative suggesting that lower incident numbers in South Thornton are due to residents choosing not to report crimes to law enforcement,” said Mader. “Residents of South Thornton are proud of our community and care deeply about it — far more than Representative Philips’ comments would suggest.”

Cervantes emphasized that these are the same fear-based narratives that conservatives use to stigmatize working-class neighborhoods. “This is a fear tactic parroted by Trump and Colorado Republicans,” said Cervantes. “They solicit fear and anger for votes and if the data says otherwise, they dismiss it as being manipulated or wrong— Which is what Phillips is doing. We deserve better and we will have better come June.”

Gabriel Cervantes is running for the Democratic nomination for Colorado House District 31, which covers Southern to Eastern Thornton. He was born and raised in Thornton, where he attended Thornton High School, and is currently the Ward 1 representative on the Thornton Arts, Sciences, and Humanities Council, as well as the RTD Citizens’ Board Member that represents Thornton. Prior to launching his bid for office, he was a recruitment organizer for the Adams County Young Democrats and later the Colorado Young Democrats.

Sources:

Thornton February Town Hall | @ 40:00

January 27, 2026 Thornton Crime Reporting Statistics | @ 1:40:03

April 28, 2026 Thornton Crime Reporting Statistics | @ 2:46:17

Thornton Police Department Call Statistics 2023-2025

Thornton Community Watch Program Sector (South Thornton)-2024 Phone Calls to Police

Thornton Community Watch Program Sector (South Thornton)-2025 Phone Calls to Police

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The post Cervantes Campaign Condemns Phillips’ Fear-Based Attempts to Dismiss Decrease in Thornton Crime appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Coloradans talk about what they love and what has changed about the state in their lifetime

Over the past few decades, more people have flocked to Colorado: first for the outdoors, then legalized marijuana, then for the booming tech industry. Each rush brought changes and growth. However, a rare breed, the born and raised Coloradan, has remained to witness the changes.

Several of these locals took time to discuss the changes in the state, what they love, the growing pains, and everything in between.

Colorado is well-rounded with the glorious Rocky Mountains to the west and the rolling plains to the east. Despite being landlocked, it boasts natural lakes and waterfalls hidden in the crevices of the mountains. It became clear very quickly that the natural environment is what keeps Coloradans here and continuously brings them back. 

“People are drawn to Colorado because they love nature. I think it’s something that unites people,” Jennah Synnestvedt explained. 

As the population increases, the environment changes, and the political climate polarizes, Coloradans remain strong in their unwavering pride for the state. Most agree that Colorado is still special with its hidden gems and versatility. Like Trinity Jacobs put it, “You appreciate different sparks,” as the state evolves. 

Coloradans

Emily Sanchez, Thornton

Emily Sanchez, Thornton

Sanchez has lived in northern Colorado for the majority of her life and has memories all around the state. She spoke warmly about memories of visiting Steamboat Springs, hiking a 14er this year, and going to Elitches. She said that regardless of the area’s quick expansion, “It feels like home. Everybody’s very united, very close.”

“Everything I like doing is here. I get a little bit of outdoor activities. I get the city vibes. I get out in the countryside. Colorado is a state that has a little bit of everything for everyone. You have to go out of your way and look for that spark now, but its there.”

Trevor Klaus, Lafayette

Klaus reflected on the memories he has with his family in the outdoors. After being, as he put it, dragged outside by his mom and experiencing things like camping in the Sand Dunes, he gained an appreciation for the nature that Colorado has to offer. He spoke passionately about the national and state parks here, saying that he hopes we take care of them for future generations.

“If they start messing with them, the environment will get worse. I think the parks are the biggest part of Colorado.” 

Kristen Coats, Longmont

Coats has watched Longmont’s population climb and appreciates the different personalities that have joined the mix. She values the creativity that shines here and the ways that the community has come together to back one another in their crafts.

“I love the hospitality, the creativity, and the willingness to explore new possibilities. We’re open to supporting the community and talking about important subjects without always fighting about it, which is really cool. In other places you can voice an opinion and get shot down, but we actually talk about it. We go through it in depth.”

Ky Pettie, Denver

Ky Pettie, Denver Photo by Lucinda Lazo

Growing up in Pueblo and then attending CU Boulder gave Pettie a unique look into the similarities between the communities. Even though the cities are almost 150 miles apart, he said, “The sense of community between Coloradans has remained the same. We all kind of get each other.”

He expanded on the sense of togetherness Colorado has, saying, “Politically, there’s a lot of safeguards in place for people to be free. It’s a great thing that people would want to come to Colorado for those things – to be in a safe area.”

Jim Roedel, Thornton

Jim Roedel, Thornton

Roedel grew up in Fort Lupton before attending Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction and recently returning north. He spoke optimistically about the future of Colorado and hopes that we maintain spaces where human connection is possible. 

“I’d love to see the arts and the culture and the connection preserved, which is of extreme importance as we move into the future and as humanity changes a little bit.”

“The energy is still very adventurous. I do think there’s just this feeling within Colorado that you don’t really see in other states. There are all the natural landmarks that are here and remain in our history. Red Rocks, for example, is one of those places that will always be that destination. It’s not going to change in my lifetime. There are those traditional things that will be always here that make it a really cool state.”

Tyler Hinrichs, Broomfield

Tyler Hinrichs, Broomfield

Hinrichs also vouched for the mountains being one of Colorado’s main selling points. He was outspoken about his love for the open space that the state has to offer and named the natural environment as his reason for remaining in Colorado. 

“It’s the natural environment, the views. The mountains are just marvelous. You can see from anywhere really and just being able to look at them is what’s special about Colorado. Being able to go into them and ski and hike and whatnot is what really makes Colorado special,” he said. 

Jadyn S, Westminster 

Schelir and her fiancé spent most of their lives in Fort Collins. She shared her love of Colorado proudly and gave us a small glimpse into the memories they’ve created. She highlighted how much more there is to the state than its typical stereotypes. 

Even though she’s lived here her entire life, she laughed about how she hasn’t visited all of the Colorado staples.

“There’s so much I haven’t seen, but I can tell you where to get a cinnamon roll that’ll blow your mind on the way to Estes Park. It’s the random, little things that you know people who aren’t from here can’t relate to.” 

Trinity Jacobs, Westminster

Trinity Jacobs, Westminster

Jacobs has lived in several regions of Colorado and experienced the differences between communities. She made it clear that she loves the state even with its nuances, saying that she hopes we continue to keep “all of it” alive and exciting. 

“It’s just such a cool state. Politically, it’s great, and I’m very comfortable with a lot of the areas I’m in. I like the protections with laws and I appreciate the community. There are a lot of kind-hearted souls here and it’s a beautiful state.” 

Samantha Clark, Colorado Springs

Clark has lived her whole life in Colorado Springs with memories of climbing the Manitou Springs incline and gaining some scars from falling down the bar trail. She hopes for more spaces where people can come together recreationally while acknowleged “the magic that Colorado offers” with its variety. 

“I’m all here for diversity and I think if we could have more people that look different and come from different walks of life, there are always positives in that.”

Jennah Synnestvedt, Lafayette

Synnestvedt moved back to Colorado from New York in 2010, saying, “The mountains called me back.” She explained that the outdoors and diversity were important factors in her decision to return. 

“The population increase has put more people in nature, so it’s more taxing on the land, but it’s also brought some more creativity, innovation, and technology here. It is a sanctuary state too, where it’s friendly to people of different backgrounds.”

Justice Humphrey, Northglenn

Justice Humphrey, Northglenn

Experiencing the four seasons and optimism have kept Humphrey here for her entire life. She spoke about her love for the diversity in Colorado and hopes that we protect that facet of the state. Her openness to the change – while still preserving our history – was inspiring.

“We have a lot of people moving here who are liberal and all on the same page. As a kid, everything was very different, and I see things from a different point of view now. I’ve grown, and the city has grown differently, and it’s making new changes.”

Mark Cavanaugh, Denver

Cavanaugh has 60 years of sentimental memories in Colorado and seemingly infinite stories about how the state has evolved. His love was clear in our over-30-minute conversation, filled with memories of Denver ramping up and suddenly exploding with people. 

He values the essence of his home state, saying, “Colorado embodies the spirit of the American West. It’s a place where you can remake yourself or become whatever it is you want to be, rather than what you’re supposed to be or what you think you’re trapped to be.”

“We welcome all. It is shaped like a big welcome mat and we welcome people. That’s true Colorado spirit. We have always been a very welcoming and tolerant state.” 

Rita Kendrick, Louisville

Kendrick and her family settled down in Colorado after moving to California twice. As an educator, she values the state’s history – both its achievements and harms – and passing the culture down to future generations. She spoke about the nostalgia of visiting places like 16th Street Mall, Casa Bonita, and Frisco and being able to share those places with her children. 

“I think a lot of  has to do with the outdoors. The outdoor environment, the mountains, being able to ski, being able to hike. I hope that we don’t continue to build, and build, and build, and lose that character of the mountains. Lose the wilderness. Lose the animals. The scenery is beautiful. And the lifestyle – we’re laid back.”

Lena Wenzel, Louisville 

Lena Wenzel, Louisville

Wenzel’s parents settled down in a farmhouse in Louisville in the late 60s. She spoke fondly of her memories rollerskating at Wheels, eating at the LA Diner, and participating in the Pearl Street Mall Crawl. Despite moving across the world to Morocco and integrating into a completely different culture, Wenzel came back to Colorado. 

“I guess I had to go all the way across the world to understand how important this place is to me,” she said. “I do feel very safe here. It’s a bubble, but I enjoy my bubble.”

Living just blocks away from the 2021 Marshall Fire gave Wenzel a deeper gratitude for Colorado and the community that has been built. She is still in proximity to her childhood friends and old restaraunt owners. Even with the “urban sprawl” and commercialization of the area, she has roots in Louisville. She and her partner volunteer at the Louisville Historical Museum and own The Aristrocrat Studios.

Kristen Wells-Wrasman, Englewood

Kristen Wells-Wrasman, 34, was born in the highest incorporated town in the United State, Leadville. After attending Colorado College on a full scholarship, she left the state briefly to get her PhD from Stanford University, before returning to settle down in Englewood. She explains,  “The biggest, obvious change in Colorado is ski traffic.” Wells-Wrasman, an avid hiker, also notes, “fires and parasites [mountain pine beetle] have really changed the Colorado forests as well.”

Sandee Miller, Leadville

Sandee Miller, 72 is a second-generation Coloradan, coming from a family of Mexican immigrants who fled to Colorado Springs when Pancho Villa took control in Mexico. For her, there have been many changes, also citing the growth of cities. Additionally, she mentions shopping as a major change, “When I was young, you went to shops downtown. Kids would meet there with kids from other parts of the west side, north end etc. Then malls were popular. Now I never think of going to a mall. Grocery stores were a place to get necessities. There were more independent grocers. Many in converted houses in neighborhoods. Even then many were kinda funky. Not that fresh. You would just walk to these neighborhood stores like the Egg House in Colorado Springs. Now grocery stores are shopping adventures. 

Amanda Slater, Louisville

Amanda Slater, 39 was born and raised in Broomfield, Co. After a brief stint in Montana, she settled with her family in Louisville. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Slater has spent a fair amount of time skiing, cycling, and hiking around the state. “Suburban sprawl and traffic are the biggest changes I have seen.” While Slater doesn’t mind the additional enthusiasm for the state, the recent growth has made some big changes in the Boulder Valley.

Alisandra Gulic, Eagle

Alisandra Guilic, 35 has spent her life in the Vail Valley, living on a family ranch and working in childcare. In her time living and working in the mountains, she has seen the area change. 

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The post Born and Raised, A Rare Breed: Coloradans talk about what they love and what has changed about the state in their lifetime appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

By Jacob Stevens

As a resident of Thornton, I have grown increasingly concerned with the decisions made by my Congressman, Gabe Evans, which seem misaligned with the needs of his constituents. My concern deepened when, despite protests and public opposition, it appeared Evans would vote to approve a House budget that would eliminate Medicaid benefits for millions of Americans—including 125,900 in his district—many of whom are disabled, elderly, or children.

This vote marked a turning point for me. Until then, I had been a passive participant, only voting during elections. I now find myself deeply concerned for the future of our community. I called Evans’ office to express my concerns, but my call was never returned. He then voted to approve the budget. In response, I joined the ongoing protests outside his office.

At my first protest, another resident invited me to join a District 8 chat, where we discussed the possibility of organizing a town hall for Mr. Evans—an event he had failed to hold. In conjunction with the town hall, we also organized a mutual aid resource fair and food drive to support those most affected by the policies Evans supports, such as cuts to health care and food assistance programs.

It was only after our first in-person meeting that we realized we should reach out to established organizations like Progress Now Colorado and Indivisible to see if they were already planning an event during the recess, as we could volunteer with them rather than have our inexperienced group plan the event. To our surprise, they offered their support in making our town hall vision a reality.

Let there be no question, Mr. Evans: though we received material support from other dedicated and concerned groups, this town hall began just three weeks ago when a business analyst, a public service worker, a non-profit event organizer, a human resources officer, and an art teacher—who had never met before—agreed that you were not representing them.

On March 12th, we personally delivered an invitation to Evans’ office for a town hall at the church next door on March 22nd. The day before the town hall, a representative from Evans’ office claimed no one had informed them of the event and that he could not attend with less than 24 hours notice. However, we received a handwritten receipt acknowledging the invitation from his staff at the time of delivery on March 12th at 2:50 PM.

Despite less notice than Mr. Evans, 350 community members attended the town hall. Our representative was not one of them. He may never fully understand the opportunity he missed. He could have heard the powerful stories of the people he is supposed to serve—stories filled with fear, frustration, and hope for a better future. These are the voices of the people you represent in Congress, Mr. Evans. You cannot represent them if you refuse to listen to them. They deserve to be heard.

We will not accept anything less than a genuine, in-person town hall open to the public, with no restrictions on who can speak. A virtual town hall (which has been promised but not delivered) with pre-screened participants does not meet the needs of the people.

Jacob Stevens
Community Advocate and Resident of Thornton, Colorado

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The post Where Was Gabe? A Town Hall Without a Congressman: Op-Ed appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

A few days before Halloween, a family of four was killed while at a stoplight on Thornton Parkway.

A speeding driver slammed into the car, igniting an explosion that killed the family at the scene, and the driver less than two weeks later.

Roberta Ayala, a council member representing Ward 2, felt the community’s collective shock and grief, and attended a vigil near the accident scene on Nov. 1. While there, another car accident happened while the victims were being honored only feet away.

“It was bad, and it’s really gotten the community concerned about road safety, because we’ve had a few [car crashes] here in town, specifically, in the late evening,” Ayala says. “There’s a lot of car racing, but there’s also people just going too fast and not looking at the road and looking at their phone.” 

Driving is a leading cause of death in the United States that kills more than 120 people every day, a major emitter of air pollution and planet-warming greenhouse gases, a source of daily frustration for many commuters, and a sizable expense for car owners. But in today’s car-dependent world, it can seem like a necessary evil.

But as researchers, policymakers and drivers realize the harm cars have on public health and the environment, communities are exploring strategies to increase walking, biking and public transportation.

Navigating Roadblocks 

Cars were a hallmark of the 20th century. Automobiles like the Model-T made the car universal, and, by the 1930s, more than half of American families owned a car.

Cities changed in kind — the Interstate Highway System began in the 1950s, and those wide, paved streets took people to the suburbs, where they set up single-family homes and began living further from their workplaces. For a century, communities in the U.S. invested in car-based infrastructure that often came at the expense of walkability, creating neighborhoods that are disconnected, spread out and filled with car after car.

Today, many cities have codes and regulations in place that accommodate cars but make it difficult to design for walkability, says Jota Samper, co-director of CU Boulder’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center.

“The effects of automobiles on the built environment were not understood and that was the time where we set up a lot of the regulations that determine how we build the built form of our cities,” Samper says. “The codes and regulations that we create and we follow produce a bad city. They produce a bad environment.”

In the last decade, Boulder’s Planning and Development Services department has changed zoning regulations to allow for more mixed use development, sensitive infill and density and reducing or eliminating some parking minimums to reduce surface lots, says Lisa Houde, principal city planner.

These changes allow the city to create neighborhoods that feature a mix of housing, retail stores, restaurants, and public transportation depots within walking distance, Houde says.

Residents often express a desire for better access to recreation, groceries and restaurants, says Comprehensive Planning Manager Kristofer Johnson.

“People are interested in having a range of services and opportunities and housing and daily needs within close proximity to where they live, and whether or not that be accessible by a bike or transit or driving,” Johnson said.

Denser neighborhoods also create more affordable housing, which is scarce in Boulder, he adds.

A 2021 survey of major employers in Boulder County found that at least half of their employees live outside of Boulder, some of whom are working remotely and some of whom commute to work. That upward trend helps explain the number of highways and commuter travel through Lafayette. Lafayette’s population is approximately 30,000 people, but the city sees more than 120,000 drivers each day on the three major highways running through town, says Principal Transportation Engineer Michelle Melonakis.

The danger of high-speed traffic is a major concern for residents and is a central priority for the city, which is working with regional partners on transportation projects to reduce highway driving, Melonakis says.

Shannon Berg’s family chose to live in Lafayette so her husband could commute to Boulder for work and their kids could walk and bike to the nearby recreation center, library, school and Old Town. But inattentive, speeding drivers and few crosswalks make that impossible, she says.

Near her home and in Old Town there are too few sidewalks and drivers’ dangerous behavior pushes bikers onto the sidewalks, she explains.

“There really doesn’t seem to be much room for pedestrians at all,” says Berg. “I don’t know where you can walk anymore.”

That difficulty is even higher for differently-abled pedestrians who might use a wheelchair, are blind or have decreased mobility. In some places, accessibility is just now entering the conversation around transportation in a meaningful way, like Erie, where many of the bus stops and sidewalks aren’t accommodating, says Senior Transportation Planner Miguel Aguilar.

“Missing and deficient sidewalks are a big issue, so if somebody is in a wheelchair, we want to make sure that there is a sidewalk connection to wherever they need to get to and that it’s a comfortable ride for them, and a smooth ride,” Aguilar says.

Along Erie’s JUMP bus system, 13 of 15 stops don’t have sidewalk connections or loading zones for wheelchair passengers, Aguilar says. As Erie adds more stops and bus routes, the Town will also retrofit existing stops to be accessible.

In Thorton, nighttime street racing is a popular activity amongst teenagers. It has led to critical and sometimes fatal accidents, but it’s currently embedded in town culture, says Ayala.

“That stuff doesn’t happen every day, but what are we doing to have things for people to do in suburbia, besides driving around their car, just goofing around?” Ayala adds.

In Boulder, new restaurants and stores in neighborhoods fulfill needs expressed by residents, but can also come with side effects like increased traffic and noise that people dislike. While finding consensus of what kind of changes are good or bad is impossible, the city does take feedback into account, and will sometimes make changes to past projects when necessary, says Johnson.

Creating walkable, connected, vibrant cities comes with tradeoffs that people have to decide to accept or not, Samper says.

“If I cannot walk in my neighborhood, then I could figure out a way to get in my car, drive an hour and then go and walk to another place,” explains Samper. “We have normalized this kind of idea, and so any change is going to find some type of reaction, and any change is also going to create the necessity for some trade offs.”

Walk this way 

A world that doesn’t revolve around cars and gas prices and traffic might seem idealistic, but in reality, it already exists. Not just in major cities like San Francisco or Boston where public transportation is ubiquitous, says Samper, but in many smaller American towns, namely, those that were established before cars took over.

Cities like Savannah, Georgia; Philadelphia and New Orleans — which topped one ranking as the most walkable city in the U.S. this year — are compact and dense, with attractions, restaurants, and residences packed into the same neighborhoods. Streets are typically narrow and parking expensive or inaccessible, encouraging foot travel over hopping in the car.

Another example of walkable infrastructure can be found almost anywhere, says Samper: The college campus. 

Photo: colorado.edu

College campuses depend on students quickly, easily and safely walking to primary destinations within a few square miles, which can be a model for cities to learn from, says Samper.

“Thinking about how familiar most Americans [are] of how campuses behave, and how that actually could be ingrained into helping to learn about other places,” Samper adds.

The scale of a college campus has its footing in empirical research, too. Several of Boulder’s guiding documents, the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Master Plan refer to the “15-minute neighborhood,” an urban design concept that suggests most people are willing and able to travel about one-quarter mile to reach a destination.

“Anything beyond that, it can be a burden, especially if you’re trying to carry a child or carry groceries,” Johnson says. “That’s when you have to start thinking about other forms of mobility, whether they be scooters and bikes or you’re going to get in the car.”

The 15-minute neighborhood explains why mixed-use zoning is vital to walkability. It allows for human-centered environments that are inviting, and connected, says Valerie Watson, Boulder’s Interim Director of Transportation & Mobility.

But when people want to leave their neighborhood, the city is focused on providing a range of transportation options like biking, walking, scooters, buses or regional transit options between cities, so people aren’t forced into their cars, explains Watson.

That mission also requires creating inviting destinations, says Ayala. In Thornton, conversations regarding new developments focus on reducing car-oriented spaces like fast food restaurants, and instead building sit-down restaurants, parks and shopping centers. 

“That’s been kind of long overdue, and that was something I really ran on,” says Ayala. “We need to revitalize our south end of town.”

Another major priority is creating traffic-calming infrastructure like greenspace, medians and roundabouts to naturally encourage slower, less aggravated driving, Ayala says.

Lafayette resident Jessica English Teitelman is hoping to see similar projects in her neighborhood. Teitleman walks to work and does errands by foot too, and she enjoys walking’s meditative quality. But car exhaust, revving and honking and gravel kicked up by tires can ruin the experience, she says. 

Teitleman has had several close encounters with cars driving too quickly and not paying attention to pedestrians, she says. She feels that adding more greenery and attractive medians would help drivers safer and pedestrians at risk.

“We could engineer our roads, especially in areas with housing, to be so much more socially engineered with the environment so we have those medians and landscaping things that make walking and driving slower more natural,” suggests Teitleman.

Matt Gilbert walks or bikes to most destinations because he is willing to do so, even if it’s a little slower or out of the way, he says. But he understands that poorly lit, narrow, inconvenient routes would discourage people.

“A lot of roads are broken up and orphaned, and a lot of the walking trails got cut up too,” says Gilbert. “It would be great to see those all connected in a more comprehensive network.”

People need to envision walkable cities and the changes required to create them, says Samper. Without that passion and open-mindedness, it will be difficult to be successful. 

“We know how to create a great street, and we know all the assistance that we could put in place to make us less dependent on cars, and the street more walkable, but all those would require a lot more energy to actually be implemented,” says Samper. “That requires a lot of political will, and if people don’t want to change their neighborhoods, it’s also going to be very difficult to do.”

Forging a new path 

Erie’s Transportation & Mobility Division was founded two years ago. Lafayette published its very first Multimodal Transportation Plan in 2023. Topics surrounding walkability and public transit that were once niche are now central investments across the Front Range.

That shift allows cities to collaborate on regional projects that extend across city limits to leverage resources and benefit more Coloradans, says Gerrit Slatter, Capital Projects Manager for Boulder’s Transportation Department. Grants and funding for walkable infrastructure are competitive, and while that can be challenging, it means that exciting innovation is happening all across the region.

“Multimodal transportation used to be a thing that those people in Boulder did, and it was sort of an afterthought, if thought of at all in other places,” says Slatter. “Boulder is just one of many, many, many communities that are chasing these grants and getting funding for it, and so you don’t have to look very hard at the evidence that it’s super important to a lot of communities.” 

Regional partnerships are focusing on creating interconnectivity amongst cities through public transportation between major destinations like Boulder, Denver, Longmont, Denver International Airport with stops Erie and Lafayette.

“We’ve had quite a bit more project funding than Lafayette could ever come up with on our own, because we had leveraged so many grants and working with Boulder County and Erie and Superior and Broomfield on different projects,” says Melonakis.

Transportation departments are seeing major funding opportunities, including a recent $23 million grant from The U.S. Department of Transportation to make Boulder’s roads safer and reduce car collisions. In Boulder, about 80% of capital improvement projects are funded in part by grants, says Slatter.

Grants are essential to this work, because existing city budgets can’t always meet the huge expense that large-scale infrastructure projects require.

But grants come with price tags too, like additional applications and oversight for clearances, and parameters around implementation that can both limit projects or significantly extend their time frames, says Erie’s Aguilar.

“There’s a lot of regulations and policy that we need to follow because of the type of funds we’re using, lots of red tape everywhere, and lots that folks don’t see,” Aguilar adds.

As much as transportation departments may want to invest in alternative transportation, existing roads require significant funding for maintenance. Investing in roads at the optimal point, before degradation is severe, helps keep costs low, says Slatter. 

In Boulder, that includes a major push to make arterial roadways, where the majority of accidents happen, safer and better connected, adds Watson.

For Sean Haney, a Boulder resident who enjoys traveling both by car and bike, any investments into pedestrian infrastructure is a benefit for drivers, too. Marked crosswalks,protected bike lanes, lighting and improved public transportation reduces traffic, discourages activities like jaywalking and makes roads safer for everyone.

“When I’m driving I do not want to have a close call, I hate that weird limbo when someone is trying to cross and I don’t know whether to stop or not; I would like [that] to be as clear cut as possible,” says Haney.

Shane Wachlin, a Boulder resident and avid biker, sees a similar feedback loop come about from improved walkability. The more bikers and pedestrians there are, the more conscious drivers will be. That will help more people feel safer walking and biking around town, he says.

He wants to see more opportunities for people to learn bike safety and etiquette, like how to change a flat, signal a turn or where to bike when cars are present, he says. People need to be encouraged to bike, and drivers need to be dissuaded from using their cars, he says.

“Driving just has to become more painful, because I think the infrastructure’s there, and most people aren’t going to like that, but I think it is pretty doable,” says Wachlin. 

Similarly, Aguilar is focused on making other modes of transportation more appealing than driving. Erie currently offers public transportation via the JUMP bus line from downtown Erie to Boulder, and is investigating expansions into Denver and Bus Rapid transit along US-287 and State Highway 7.

But the majority of the budget still goes to roads, which makes driving most people’s go-to option, he says.

“We need to start looking at our budget, shifting funds around, so that we make our transit amenities appealing and more desirable and provide to those residents who don’t have a vehicle a sense of pride in taking transit,” says Aguilar.

Though there is much progress to be made towards these goals, current strategies are already working. While single-occupancy vehicles remain the most common mode of transportation, the Boulder Valley Modal Shift Report shows that its overall use has declined in the last three decades, with all other modes — buses, walking, biking and public transportation — becoming more widely used. 

These kinds of changes have unique ripple effects, Samper notes. Many gas stations, highways and parking garages look almost identical, no matter which part of the country they’re in. When cities are created for their unique populations and cultural identities, they become more vibrant, exciting, pleasant places to live.

“The wonderful thing is that the world is an immense place, and the United States is a gigantic country that should be full of diverse places, not places that don’t look very different to each other,” says Samper. “What we need to start creating is the opportunity to actually create spaces full of diversity of urban forms.” 

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The post Hood Guide: Towns | The era of car dominance is ending appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s Note: Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Contributed by Colorado Air National Guard Public Affairs — May 24, 2024

CONTACT: Colorado National Guard Public Affairs, 720-250- 1053, ng.co.coarng.list.militarysupport@army.mil or Colorado Air National Guard Public Affairs 720-847-9435, 140wg.pa.org@us.af.mil

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Colorado Air National Guard F-16C Vipers will fly over Colorado communities in honor of Memorial Day events Saturday, May 25, and Monday, May 27, 2024.

Flyovers serve as a powerful tribute to military personnel who have died in service to our country. F-16s in formation symbolize strength, vigilance and respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“Memorial Day flyovers are more than just a display of aerial precision, they are a solemn salute to our fallen heroes,” 140th Wing Commander U.S. Air Force Col. Jeremiah “Weed” Tucker said. “Each pass through the sky honors their bravery and reminds us of the high price paid for our freedom.”

The 140th Wing will launch jets from Buckley Space Force Base, Aurora, Colorado, around 10:00 a.m. and fly until 12:30 p.m.

On May 25, the 140th Wing will perform flyovers at the following event sites:

– Colorado Freedom Memorial, Aurora – 10:00 a.m.

– Silverton Town Park, Silverton – TBD

On May 27, the 140th Wing will perform flyovers at the following event sites:

– Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley – 10:30 a.m.

– Parker Cemetery, Parker – 10:35 a.m.

– Veterans Memorial Park, Silver Cliff – 10:50 a.m.

– Homelake Cemetery, Monte Vista – 11:00 a.m.

– Western Colorado Veterans Cemetery, Grand Junction – 11:15 a.m.

– Grand Lake Memorial Day Parade, Grand Lake – 11:35 a.m.

– Ft Logan National Cemetery, Denver – 11:40 a.m.

– Olinger Highland Cemetery, Thornton – 11:50 a.m.

– University of Colorado Boulder, Folsom Stadium, Boulder – 12:07 p.m.

Flyover times are estimates and could also be canceled due to weather. The aircraft may also be seen between these locations as they transition between Memorial Day celebrations.

Event coordinators from these locations receiving flyovers requested support from the U.S. Air Force’s Aerial Events Office in Washington, D.C. Flyover times are coordinated with event staff and are conducted at no additional cost to the taxpayer. They serve as training for our pilots.

The post Colorado Air National Guard fly over Memorial Day ceremonies to honor our fallen appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

From historical appeal to walkability, here are some of the top neighborhoods around

Modoc Street, Ward

Ward is barely a town to the unassuming eye. It’s a blip on a map that is situated at 9,144 feet and is home to a few buildings, a restaurant, a store, and the basic town necessities. The town separates Peak to Peak Highway from the Foothills. Named after prospector Calvin Ward, it was once one of the richest in Colorado due to its successful mining camps. Today, the hub of the town is Ward Mountain Exchange that is situated at Utica and Modoc streets and is known for hosting dozens of cyclists that pass through on the weekends. However, those who take the time to explore the town are quick to notice its under-the-radar quirks and treasures.

The Modoc Street region of Ward is not only beautiful, but it is also home to the Union Congregational Church of Ward, which is as old as it is integral to the community. The church was built in 1896 for the congregation that formed two years prior. Today, it not only serves as a holy place for ceremonies, memorials, and similar special occasions, but community members also use it for parties, meetings, and celebrations. The church’s website states: “Today it’s used and loved by the whole community as both a church, operating in the United Church of Christ tradition, and as a community gathering place, hosting meetings, parties, weddings, community celebrations and memorials, and just people wanting to sing in its awesome acoustics.”

Many mountain towns have a designated gathering place for locals, and Union Congregational Church is Ward’s chosen place, welcoming locals on a regular basis. In 2017, the church received a grant to aid in renovations. And in 2018, it received another, which helped church operators restore it to its original glory.

In addition to Union Congregational Church, this stretch of Ward is home to a small, quiet neighborhood full of independent but friendly residents. Part of what makes the region so unique is its small-town feel. Just 128 people and 36 families live in the town full-time according to the 2020 Census. After a fire erupted in 1900, about 50 of the town’s original buildings were demolished in the tragedy, and the area was nearly abandoned by 1920. What remains has been largely rebuilt by those who call this area their home.

Bohn Park, Lyons

The town of Lyons is best known for its quaint Main Street and antique shops. The town acts as the Double Gateway to the Rockies due to its coveted access to Highways 7 and 36. However, there’s more to this town than the downtown strip of shops. Lyons is home to an array of neighborhoods that come with their own characters. The Bohn Park region of Lyons is one such neighborhood that is home to family-friendly residences. It also offers plenty of open space, river access, and access to Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens — all of which are just a five-minute walk from downtown.

Bohn Park covers 32.3 acres on the southeastern part of town, and many of the park’s features draw crowds all year round. For example, the park’s pavilion gives park-goers access to a phenomenal picnic area. Locals often use the pavilion as a place for parties and other social gatherings. And in the summer, the park even hosts live music regularly, entertaining and inspiring audience members and passersby.

The new and improved features that the park offers makes it an idyllic part of town for those who like to get outside and use trails and sports facilities. According to the Town of Lyons website: “Bohn Park has recent improvements including river restoration and improved ecological habitat, additional parking, a new restroom facility, a pedestrian bridge connecting to 4th Ave., ball fields, skate park and landscaping, continuance of the trail system within the plan area, and other infrastructure enhancements.” The adjacent skate park is frequented by both residents and non-residents, and it offers visitors access to the perfect concrete jumps and ramps.

On the other side of the highway within walking distance, the beloved Lyons Dairy Bar dishes out hotdogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, ice cream, and other comfort food all weekend long. It neighbors Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ, which is one of the most popular dining spots in town due to its specialty brisket barbeque menu.

The town of Lyons feels rural, unlike many of the neighboring towns. While the foothill mountains are the backdrop to the town, much of the surrounding area is made up of fields and agricultural opportunities that give the region a Midwestern vibe. The largest industry in the Lyons area is Martin Marietta Cement Western Division, which is located a short drive east of the town of Lyons. But many of those who live in Lyons commute to nearby Longmont or Boulder for work due to their proximity.

Old North, Boulder

It is easy to overlook a place like Old North Boulder when the city is full of so many other youthful, hippie-forward neighborhoods. Known to some as “New Central Boulder,” Old North Boulder is situated North of Pearl Street Mall and south of Parkside. It is a part of town that’s known for its single-family homes and walk- and bike-friendly streets. And those in this region are never more than five blocks away from RTD transportation. In fact, many of its residents leave their cars parked in the garage and opt to use human-powered modes of transport instead.

Those who live in Old North Boulder love the convenience of travel in this region: “Getting around without a car is very easy. There are several streets with great bike lanes and the Goose Creek Path connects the neighborhood from Edgewood to the commercial meccas to the east, including the Valmont Bike Park. The community gardens and North Boulder Rec center are not only great resources, but also create a great section of bike path.” But what most people love about this part of town is that it’s equidistant to downtown and the nearby trail networks — and both are about six blocks away.

Old North Boulder started out as an agricultural destination, but after World War II, the local government started to divvy up land in this area for returning soldiers. Today, the area has a population of about 4,000 people. About 24% of the neighborhood is occupied by families. The rest is occupied by couples and single homeowners. Another feature that sets this part of town apart from others is its education. In fact, 39% of Old North Boulder’s residents have a graduate degree. Compared to the average American neighborhood, that’s about 30% higher.
The majority of residents in this region work as executives, managers, and other industry professionals.

Despite being slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown Boulder, Old North Boulder boasts of some of the best food in town. Santo dishes out some of the best New Mexican-inspired food in the region, while offering a sophisticated place for dining. Right down the street, Beleza Coffee Bar is one of the top-rated coffee shops in the area, offering some of the most unique drink options, allowing clients to order delectable treats like affogato (or espresso-doused ice cream).

Martin Acres, Boulder

With stunning views of the Flatirons and a residential feel to the area, Martin Acres is a popular neighborhood for those who prefer to experience Boulder on foot. Whether you’re in it for the city or the Foothills, this area of Boulder offers access to both.
Yet it still manages to feel like an intimate neighborhood.

“Martin Acres [has] such good neighborhoody vibes. [You] can walk to practically anything needed. Or walk to awesome trails where you feel like you’re not even in town,” says Liesl Meyers, local resident.

Martin Acres was built in the 1950s around an apple farm. Similar to Old North Boulder, this area of Boulder was substantially developed post World War II for returning soldiers who needed a place to call home. While some parts of Boulder feel flippant, Martin Acres is intentional and connected in a way that makes it stand out. This could be one reason why families tend to be attracted to the area.

You can walk to practically anything needed. Or walk to awesome trails where you feel like you’re not even in town.

Julie B. Fuller, resident, states: “Great kid-friendly neighborhood. Great schools. Perfect for families. Easy to bike to many places and catch the bus.”

In addition to having high-quality schools, student housing, and family-friendly vibes, this part of Boulder has great mountain vistas and plenty of amenities. Some of the biggest attractions in this area include Neptune Mountaineering, which is both a legendary rock climbing museum and mountaineering shop that has been around since 1973 and Sweet Cow Ice Cream, which serves up hand-churned goodness in a simple scoop of ice cream.

Martin Acres is home to about 4,000 residents with a mean age of 38. The region has about 1350 single-family homes and apartment buildings. When it was first developed, it was seen as the suburbs of Boulder due to it being slightly removed from downtown. But today, it’s more commonly seen as an extension of downtown. Those who love spending time outdoors will also be quick to gravitate towards Tantra Park, which is known for slacklining and sledding.

Mapleton Hill, Boulder

Just northwest of Pearl Street, Mapleton Hill is aptly named for the 200 silver maple trees that developers planted years ago. The result is a deciduous neighborhood in an otherwise coniferous state that gives the region a dreamy vibe. The trees provide plenty of shade during the hot months, and when winter comes, the neighborhood feels like something out of a Christmas story.

In addition to its maple trees, Mapleton Hill is home to many Victorian buildings that were built in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The region was designated as Boulder’s third historical district in 1982, and the mixed architecture makes it unlike any other part of Boulder.

Mount Sanitas is the crown jewel of Mapleton Hill, providing locals and visitors with a challenging peak over which they can hike to look down on the valley. It’s also a popular running destination and draws groups from around town on a regular basis. But what really sets this part of town apart from areas like Old North Boulder is that it’s just a few blocks away from Pearl Street, giving it a walkability score of 83.

“This area is gorgeous and is probably the best place to live if you value walking to downtown destinations and being close to hiking trails,” said Christian LS, who stated he has walked most of the area.

Mapleton Hill highlight the area’s unique conglomerate of shops, restaurants, and cafes. Among the most popular destinations is Savory Spice Shop, which is known for making local blends and rubs to transform cuisine. Another spot worth visiting is Spruce Confections for their sweet and savory hand-made treats. When it comes to finding nightlife in Mapleton Hill, it’s less popular of a hangout area than Pearl Street, but it does have a scene due to the local lounges and bars, as well as the annual down-home and unique Mapleton Hill Porchfest.

Also of note is that Mapleton Hill gives residents great ski access, allowing them to hop onto Highway 119 and end up in Eldora in just 30 minutes.

Barker Reservoir, Nederland

Imagine weaving your way through an icy canyon in the dead of winter to make it home to your dogs. The experience is usually beautiful, capturing the snow-capped rocks and flurries in the air. But it’s treacherous, too. Nederland is the same way. Residents describe the small town as stubborn and hard-headed, but one of the best places in the state.

“…if you’re tough, independent and don’t want to change the place you move to then you’ll fit in just fine. Nederland was awesome during the lockdown because the neighbors all helped each other,” says Zoe Amrein-Gray.

The average age of the population in Nederland, 48, is a little bit higher than that of Boulder at age 28.8. The whole town has 1,379 residents, making it about 30% smaller than the nearby town of Idaho Springs. Yet its quaint, hippie charm gives the town of Nederland a pretty big reputation.

Situated on the northeastern side of the town of Nederland, Barker Reservoir and Recreation Area is one of the best kept secrets of the region. Located at 9,000 feet in elevation, the area is surrounded by a mixture of spruce and aspen trees, giving it that mountain vibe. While swimming and boating are prohibited on the lake, visitors to the area will almost always be able to spot an angler or nearby hikers exploring the surrounding trails.

Completed in 1910, the Barker Reservoir spans nearly a square mile. Not only does it provide Nederland with its drinking water, but it powers a hydroelectric plant to offset conventional power methods. Accessible all year round, the reservoir provides a getaway for those who need their fill of nature but prefer to stay close to civilization.

The reservoir was named after Mrs. Hannah Connell Barker, who resisted selling the land on which the reservoir is now located. Today, the reservoir is owned by the city of Boulder.

Compared to the rest of Nederland, the Barker Reservoir is peaceful, serene, and often less congested than downtown. Yet it isn’t entirely removed from town. From the western side of the reservoir, you’re just half a mile away from the heart of Nederland, where you can find quaint coffee shops like Salto Coffee and the Nederland Farmers Market, which is one of the locals’ favorite spots in town. It’s operational from May to early October every year.

MacGregor Ranch, Estes Park

The town of Estes Park is seldom quiet. Functioning as the gateway to one of the most popular national parks in the country, this area hosts about 4.5 million visitors every year. Even in the winter, the streets and sidewalks are occupied with out-of-towners. This is one reason why many locals love the quiet outskirts of Estes Park.

MacGregor Ranch is Shani LeRoux-Rod’s favorite part of town. She reflects: “The MacGregor Ranch area of town [is] sooo [sic] pretty and peaceful.”

Located north of downtown Estes Park, MacGregor Ranch is the last working ranch in the area. It doubles as a youth educational center and even has a museum on the premises. After the ranch was built in the late 1800s by a family of homesteaders, it was passed down through three generations of MacGregors. When Muriel MacGregor wrote the ranch into her will and trust, she requested that her ranch be used for educational and philanthropic purposes, which enables it to continue functioning today. The ranch itself is a fun destination, but the region in which it’s located also provides a majestic setting.

Lumpy Ridge Trailhead is located nearby. It’s known for frequent sightings of the most unique wildlife in the area such as elk, moose, and mountain lions. It also features the massive granite outcroppings for which the Rockies are known. This part of Estes Park is one of the most popular areas in the world for rock climbing since it features a wide range of route difficulty levels and multi-pitch climbs. In fact, many of the routes are as long as five pitches in length, attracting some of the most adventurous climbers in the world to the area.

Also located in this area is the Lumpy Ridge Hike, which is 10.7 miles long. It takes visitors along a loop through pine forests and aspen groves. Since it is located within Rocky Mountain National Park, a park pass is required for entrance.

In the same area of Estes Park, visitors will also find the Stanley Hotel, which is best-known for its association with Stephen King’s “The Shining.” Not only is the Stanley Hotel home to a casino, an airstrip, and a shooting range. Today, the hotel hosts spooky events that draw unique visitors all year round.

Longmont Estates, Longmont

Just a short drive north of Denver, Longmont is best known for its rural setting, plentiful open space, and hopping restaurant scene. And it’s no wonder why! Longmont is one of the fastest growing cities in all of Colorado. With a robust economy and great mountain access, it’s an extremely hot destination. However, many locals who spent their lives in the area prefer the calm, quiet side of Longmont. One such place is Longmont Estates, according to Robin Ellert: “[It’s] very quiet and [has] good schools.”

It’s no surprise that families flock to this part of town since its schools provide a supportive and inclusive learning experience. While one issue that many schools face is failing to meet the needs of different ability levels within every class, Longmont Estates Elementary School seems to have cracked the code. Parents of children who attend this school are largely impressed by the staff members, the leadership, and the overall experience that the school provides.

The Longmont Estates area also boasts of numerous parks. Destinations like Hover Park offer residents a place to stretch their legs or let their children run free, while nearby Pratt Park contains sports fields for recreational opportunities.

Additionally, like most of Longmont, Longmont Estates is low in crime. Violent crime is extremely rare, and the whole region has a crime grading of A-, making families feel safe in their respective neighborhood.

One of the drawbacks of Longmont Estates is that it’s somewhat lacking in the culinary pizzazz that the rest of the city has. Those who are looking for a quick bite often find that they have to stray a little further from home to scratch the itch.

McIntosh Lake & Garden Acres, Longmont

Located four miles northwest of downtown Longmont, the McIntosh Lake area of Longmont is one of the best places in the city. Named after the reservoir, this part of Longmont differentiates itself from others due to its waterfront access. While many reservoirs require strict adherences to boating policies, McIntosh Lake is more flexible — non-motorized boats are permitted in the reservoir, which makes it a hub for paddle boarders and kayakers. Swimming is prohibited, and dogs must remain on leash.

In addition to offering water sport opportunities, McIntosh Lake has 3.5 miles of easy trails that many runners and adventurers frequent. And it isn’t uncommon for visitors to spot wildlife like prairie dogs and even eagles. Due to the lake’s popularity, many locals find that the region gets pretty congested over holidays and on the weekends.

McIntosh Lake was first constructed in 1903 to manage incoming waters. About 100 years later, the lake was opened to public recreation, allowing visitors to use boats on the lake.

When it comes to making McIntosh Lake your home, locals find that the area is relatively walkable. Other attractions in this part of town

West Elkhorn, Estes Park

The idyllic town of Estes Park transforms into a childhood dream throughout the holiday season. And most out-of-towners flock to the downtown area to view the glistening lights or the elk wandering through while chewing on salt water taffy. Yet West Elkhorn promises its own delight. Slightly off the beaten path, this part of town is home to a variety of independently-owned businesses that have only changed hands a few times over the past century.

However, what locals love the most about this part of Estes Park is: “Our neighborhood and neighbors. They are amazing.
We stay away from town as much as possible but do enjoy a few places. Donut Haus, Burgers and Gyros, Poppy’s winter specials. Winter drives in the 4×4 up Trail Ridge after timed entry is over,” says local Larry Larson. While much of the tourist crowd comes and goes on a weekly basis, West Elkhorn has a tiny little pocket of people who made it to the town and decided to stay despite the harsh climate.

According to Visit Estes Park, this part of town also sets itself apart in its attractions. “There’s plenty of art to see on West Elkhorn. Bronze sculptures, like Wishful Thinking (Cowboy in the River), beckon. Check out this blog for the full list in Estes, and numbers 5 and 6 specifically on West Elkhorn. The Water Wheel is not only a gift shop, but features an actual water wheel in the river. It’s a great spot to enjoy the sounds of Fall River, and very nearby the previously mentioned bronze statue and a wonderful little playground for the kids to enjoy.”

Despite being slightly removed from the main downtown strip, West Elkhorn features its own delectable cuisine. The Wild Rose Restaurant offers a sophisticated yet accessible menu to those who are interested in trying local protein like trout and elk. And, while many restaurants in Estes Park function on a first-come, first-serve basis, the Wild Rose takes reservations, which can make planning your evening a lot easier. In addition to the Wild Rose Restaurant, this part of town is where you can find Wapiti Pub, which affords beautiful mountain views, the infamous Rocky Mountain oysters, and an all-Colorado beer list.

Additional iconic shops in the region include Mountain Blown Glass, which is both a studio and a gallery. And it is a family-owned business that brings unique and crafty glass pieces to town.

include the city of Longmont’s Garden Acres Park, Centura Hospital, and a golf course. Garden Acres offers a variety of picnic areas, sports fields, parking lots, and playgrounds for year-round use.

“Garden Acres Community Park was initially developed in 1989 and was the third community park built in Longmont. The park was recently updated and features a lighted softball four-plex, soccer fields, batting cages, a cricket pitch, shelters, playgrounds, an irrigation pond and walking paths,” according to the City of Longmont Colorado website. The park was even part of a renewal project in 2018 and 2019, which allowed officials to evaluate and re-establish safe and kid-friendly recreational areas.

While McIntosh Lake is an attraction in the area with its 265-acres of fun, the nearby amenities and family-friendly neighborhoods make it one of the best kept secrets in all of Longmont.

Old Town, Longmont

Old Town is steeped in history, blending old homes with new ones like no other place in town. While much of Longmont is made out of fresh developments, Old Town has a classic charm that feels all-American and separate from the rest. In the summer, this part of Longmont transforms into a place with lots of gatherings that range from concerts to trivia nights, yoga, and exhibits. In the winter, the ice pavilion attracts romance from all around the Foothills.

“Old Town is home to small businesses, charming boutiques, one-of-a-kind restaurants, coffee shops, music venues, art galleries, brew pubs, and much, much more. It’s the site of lively events like summertime festivals, concerts, and art walks. It’s dotted with artwork placed by the city’s Art in Public Places initiative, and is home to many of Longmont’s parks,” states Visit Longmont.

This part of town has a median age of 41.7. The population is about 5700 strong. And 70% of residents have a bachelor’s degree. But one of the attractions that make Old Town different from other parts of Colorado is the Old Town Marketplace. The marketplace is an indoor mall-style experience that provides affordable rental rates to small local businesses. As a result, it houses an eclectic mix of shops selling everything from empanadas and Japanese Kawaii and convenience goods to soaps and toys.

In addition to the Old Town Marketplace, this part of town contains the historical Old Stephen’s Church, which was built in 1881 and still stands proud today. The Episcopal church is fully functional and has grown substantially from its original 45 members. After the congregation relocated, the St. Vrain Historical Society purchased the church in 1976 to save it from demolition. Since its purchase, the church has undergone restorations, and it was ultimately designated as a historical landmark.

Those who are looking for a memorable culinary experience in Old Town should head to the Roost Restaurant & Whiskey Bar to experience an eclectic menu with highlights like Chilean Salmon and Chipotle Bacon Mac. Bootstrap Brewing provides another great destination for those who can appreciate local beer.

One of the greatest highlights of Old Town is the St. Vrain Cidery, which offers some of the most unique drinks available. While you can tantalize your taste buds with conventional ciders at the St. Vrain Cidery, you can also try some of their more interesting flavors like a dry ginger cider, or key lime cider.

Old Town, Erie

Old Town exhibits a distinct charm that blends the town’s history with contemporary growth. Situated within Boulder County, the region is family-friendly, peaceful, clean, walkable, and dog-friendly. Those from the region attest to its community spirit. But one of Old Town’s most striking and memorable features is the maintained historic buildings that date from the 19th and 20th centuries. Adorned with Victorian and Queen Anne architectural styles, they look like a structure you could take directly out of a historical textbook. Then when you step outside, you’re immediately immersed in tree-lined streets where you might be transported to a time when carriages were a common sight.

Old Town differs from the rest of Erie in its emphasis on the arts and culture scene. Many of the streets are decorated with public art installations and murals. Similarly, the local shops contribute to an aesthetic of creativity and curiosity, which is a prominent characteristic of the town. Boutiques that line Old Town’s cobblestone sidewalks often feature handmade crafts, antiques, and local goods.

In addition to Old Town’s quaint shops and creative scene, this part of town has a thriving culinary scene. The Old Mine, for example, features a long list of craft beers that draws connoisseurs from around the state. It also boasts of a long menu with everything from pretzels to pizzas. Visitors with a more refined palette are quick to flock to 24 Carrot Bistro, which is a new-American, farm-to-table restaurant with a simple approach to food. The restaurant’s strong emphasis on local food brings dishes like Crispy Duck Confit to the table, which is served in a parsnip puree with a blood orange sauce. For a quick stroll and a stop at a cafe, locals might recommend Cristos Coffee Boutique Roastery & Cafe or Fox•Dog Coffee.

Old Town Erie lovers are quick to notice the warmth and friendliness of locals while visiting the town. The region exhibits a welcoming, unique, and comfortable environment that seamlessly intertwines the past with the present. Seventy percent of residents in this region are also homeowners, which is a testament to the town’s bustling economy and welcoming atmosphere.

Anthem Highlands, Broomfield

Anthem is a quaint neighborhood that includes three internal villages: Anthem Reserve, Anthem Highlands, and Anthem Ranch. Anthem Reserve is one of Broomfield’s more coveted neighborhoods due to its custom and semi-custom homes. The Hilltop Trailhead runs through this area, attracting active families from the region. Anthem Ranch is a 55+ community that encourages active adults to join the community to live in a peaceful environment. And Anthem Highlands is the third community.

Unlike other parts of Broomfield, Anthem Highlands’ design is extremely meticulous, creating an opportunity for residents to foster a sense of community. It is not uncommon for families to come together for barbecues, celebrations, and sports in the park. During the warmer months, there are even activities for horseshoers, yogis, and swimmers.

Like many areas in the Foothills, Anthem Highlands rests against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, giving residents beautiful views on the regular. As an active community, those in this area also take advantage of the extensive network of trails and open spaces. Hikers, bikers, runners, and walkers are regular visitors to its 48 miles of trails and 22 parks, promoting both a healthy lifestyle and a communal culture.

In addition to Anthem Highlands’ trails, it is also home to sports fields and a state-of-the-art recreation center. Families often enjoy group activities within the center, including sports like soccer, basketball, and fitness classes.

Residents of Anthem Highlands highlight the education system as one of the features that they love the most. This area is served by well-regarded schools that are largely committed to providing a high-quality education.

Since Anthem Highlands is somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of Broomfield, visitors to the area might have the best luck satisfying their appetite a short drive away at Great Scotts Eatery or Hops n Drops. Great Scotts Eatery offers a wide range of milkshakes and burgers and other diner-style food. For breakfast, you might try the Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes or a skillet. Nearby, Hops n Drops is a bar and grill that features classic menu items like nachos and grilled cheese. But it puts a slight twist on those classic flavors. When it’s finally time to relax and unwind, it might be worth sipping a cocktail like an Empress Mojito and snagging an appetizer like the Hawaiian Sriracha Shrimp.

Signal Creek, Thornton

Signal Creek is one of Thornton’s most upscale neighborhoods. The average income in the area is $107,000, and 94% of residents are homeowners. One thing that sets the neighborhood apart from others is that it is located just minutes away from both Interstates 25 and 70 This community has great access to Denver’s main highways, allowing residents to quickly commute to nearby jobs and adventures.

According to Centre Communities: “Signal Creek was one of the first upscale neighborhoods and only the second master-planned community to be built in the City of Thornton. The challenges that Centre faced were two-fold: to weather the depression that hit in the mid-80’s shortly after the project had begun, and to solve the complicated transportation issues that ensnarled the entire region around the site.” Today, this neighborhood offers an array of single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums to
support different lifestyles.

Some of the highlights of Signal Creek include the Margaret W. Carpenter Recreation Center, which features a 100-acre park and more than 50 miles of biking and hiking paths. The interior features two swimming pools with a 6-lane, 25-yard lap pool and a children’s area. In addition to standard recreational activities, this sports center also offers the community a mixture of different group fitness classes such as Zumba, Deep Water Aqua Fitness, and Silversneakers Splash. The Thornton Sports Complex and Golf Course are also located here, giving residents and visitors access to a great variety of health-oriented activities in which they can participate.

In addition to Signal Creek’s recreation and sports center, there are also a number of trails in the community for walking and jogging including the 6.5-mile Signal Ditch Trail, which pays homage to Thorton’s agricultural history. The community-driven culture of Signal Creek can often be seen in its festivals. For example, there’s a Thornton Winterfest every year that draws locals and visitors together to celebrate the season.

Apple Blossom, Westminster

Situated along the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, the Apple Blossom neighborhood is one of the most charming parts of Westminster. Combining a mixture of affordability and convenience, this part of Westminster attracts commuters. In fact, this region has long been a coveted residential area due to the easy access that it provides to both Denver and the mountains. Those who are lucky enough to call this region their home typically end up in a mid-century modern home that was constructed in the 1950s. Unlike some parts of the Foothills, Apple Blossom still clings to an air of individuality, showcasing some of Colorado’s diversity in terms of design. A handful of different builders contributed to the growth of this neighborhood at the turn of the century.

This part of Westminster was once an apple orchard, which is the inspiration for its name. Like much of the Foothills, it was once rooted in the agricultural industry. Legend has it that each original property in Apple Blossom was given a tree from the orchard and that it’s possible to see them even today.

Residents and visitors alike frequent the gritty and unassuming Big Mamma’s Burritos. Designed to accommodate a quick meal, this restaurant is frequently overlooked. Yet its unique mixture of flavors, untraditional cuisine, and grungy nature make it worth a stop. A few of the community’s favorite picks include the Buffalo Chicken Burrito and the Philly Burrito. A short drive down the road is also Dae Gee Korean BBQ, which features a higher-scale menu including items like Sam Gyeob Sal (pork belly), and Sogogi Bulgogi (rib-eye). Restaurant goers also appreciate the vegetarian menu options from this location.

Westminster is often perceived as a bustling city since it has the 8th largest population in the state, though it’s on a slight decline. About 13% of the population has a graduate degree, and another 27% has a bachelor’s degree. Overall, this region puts an emphasis on education and recreation, supporting the work-life balance in those who call it home.

The post 15 Neighborhoods with Unique Charm appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY FOR LOCAL HISTORY, DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, GREELEY HISTORY MISEUM, LONGMONT MUSEUM, AND USGS HISTORICAL MINING PHOTOGRAPHS

Fruit Orchards, Broomcorn, and 1950s American Boomtowns

In 1945, as American war veterans returned home from the Second World War, Denver was a small and compact agricultural hub. Many of these war veterans had fond memories of training in Colorado before shipping off to fight in Europe or the Pacific. When the Allies won the war, more than a few of the young veterans chose the Queen City to establish the dream of a solid, middle-class American life. The coming boom would soon create a housing shortage.

At that time the north edge of Denver was around 48th Street. Lakeside Amusement Park, near 44th Street and Sheridan Boulevard was on the outskirts of town with neighborhoods to its south and fields to its north. Far away to the northwest was the burgeoning university town of Boulder, where 28th Street was still a gravel road. The Denver-Boulder Turnpike would not open as a toll road for another seven years. Motorists who made the trek to Boulder from Denver — often as tourist daytrippers — would take Highway 287 north up Federal and Old Wadsworth Boulevards and then make a sharp westerly cut over to Boulder on Highway 7 at the World War I Pillars in Lafayette.

By 1945 Lafayette and its immediate neighbors like Louisville and Erie had already existed for many decades as coal mining towns. Between these coal towns in the north and the northern edge of Denver near 48th Street, some 25 miles to the south was mostly a no man’s land of prairie with some large fruit orchards and dryland farms scattered about. There was little natural water in this open expanse and not much to attract development except for wide open space with the Rocky Mountains as backdrop to the west.

1895. Westminster College, now Pillar of Fire Church Harry Rhoads behind steering wheel

But open space is exactly what was needed as the explosive growth of the 1950s approached. A booming metropolitan area required new housing for a rising middle class of people with disposable incomes interested in a two-car garage and a yard for the kids and the dog. Corporate real estate development companies stepped in to fill this demand, not just with houses, but with whole planned communities complete with schools, churches, and shopping.

That is how Northglenn, my home town, and Thornton came into existence. In 1962 Life Magazine named Northglenn America’s “most perfectly planned community” courtesy of the gray-suited businessmen of Perl-Mack Company. The company built its 3,000-home, full-service community called “North Glenn” in 1959, right out of a 280-acre prairie field near what would later become the intersection of Interstate 25 and 104th Avenue.

A few years before “North Glenn” was built, a little to the south was the planned community of Thornton on 400 acres near 88th and Washington Streets. Thornton, named after Colorado’s then governor Daniel Thornton and built by developer Sam Hoffman, emerged from the fields in 1954 and was incorporated as a city in 1956.

19 Jan. 1952. Governor Thornton at Denver-Boulder turnpike ribbon cutting.

Westminster and Broomfield date back to the late 1800s as unincorporated communities with homestead settler roots from the Gold Rush era. But these rural villages also grew into modern Denver suburbs through similar corporate-planned communities in the 1950s. In Westminster and Broomfield the construction of the Denver-Boulder Turnpike and the opening of the nuclear weapons facility Rocky Flats, both in 1952, were major employment and development draws. Such began the long march of suburban sprawl that, by the turn of the century, would ultimately merge the north Denver suburbs with the growing town of Boulder to the northwest.

Before there was a Westminster, there were fields of apple and cherry trees planted by the earliest pioneer settlers to the area. The ocean of spring blossoms in those days must have been a glorious sight against a backdrop of snowy peaks to the west.

To see some evidence of this past, take a little trip next September to the Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge near 80th and Kipling Streets. It’s a wonderful little oasis of nature in the midst of suburbia. As you walk the gentle gravel trails along the banks of the reed-filled ponds with croaking frogs, you will notice many large apple trees in the adjacent fields. That time of year it’s likely that their branches will sag with thousands of ripe apples, the ground below covered in fallen fruit.

The apple and plum trees at Two Ponds are very old. They are relics of this area’s history as a major fruit-growing center. Today’s Shaw Heights neighborhood in Westminster, for example, used to be a large apple and cherry orchard that operated continuously between the 1890s and 1938. This and other area orchards were large enough to justify a railroad spur in 1881 to haul off the many tons of apples and cherries to grocers all across America.

1963. St. Stephens Lutheran Church being built in Northglenn, Colo

The center of this fruit farming life began in 1870 when homesteader Pleasant DeSpain built a home on 160 acres near present day Lowell Boulevard and 76th Street. DeSpain may have been the first to grow fruit trees in the area, and the operation he and his five sons built attracted a small growing community that became known as DeSpain Junction. DeSpain’s great-great grandson who shares the same name was born in Denver in 1943 and is a renowned author, children’s picture-book storyteller, and world traveler. He earned high accolades for his signature children’s book, “Old Joe and the Carpenter”; wrote an adventure travel memoir titled, “Vagabond Tales, In Search of Light and Life”; and produced a weekly children’s storytelling television show called, “Pleasant Journeys” that ran in Seattle for five years in the 1970s. This earned him the honorary title of “Seattle’s Resident Storyteller.” He is quite an interesting individual.

In 1911 a developer named C.J. Harris bought much of the land in and around DeSpain Junction and subdivided it into smaller fruit orchard lots. The new town was incorporated and named Harris. As locals in the growing community thought about the future of their town, some of them dreamed up a plan to create a university so fine that it would be considered the “Princeton of the West.”

Westminster University was a short-lived venture after each and every one of its male Presbyterian students shipped off to serve in the Great War in 1917. The young university never reopened, but the grand castle-like structure made from Colorado red sandstone remains, now privately owned by the Pillar of Fire Methodist Church.

Although I personally think “Pleasant DeSpain” would have made for a more unique name, “Westminster” is what stuck. Westminster’s population in 1950 at the dawn of its development boom was just 1,686. By 1960, with the Turnpike and Rocky Flats completed, it was home to 14,000 residents. Today more than 111,000 people live in Westminster making it one of Colorado’s ten largest incorporated cities.

It should be recognized that the city of Westminster today sits atop a location where there is strong evidence of a semi-permanent Arapaho Tribe encampment. This is thought to have been near Gregory Hill at present day 80th Street and Federal Boulevard. Human habitation in this area goes back at least 14,000 years. It is thought that the corridor where the High Plains meets the Rocky Mountains was used as an annual migration circuit by archaic peoples who would spend summers hunting in the high country and winters sheltering on the adjacent plains.

More recent Indigenous peoples acquired horses from the Spaniards who ventured into the area from the south. These later tribes roamed far and wide on horseback over the Great Plains following herds of bison on which they depended for food, shelter, and tools.

1886-1901. Adolph Zhang Family

By the time Pleasant DeSpain had settled in present-day Westminster in 1870, the Indigenous peoples of the area had largely and tragically been marginalized and removed. Their populations were greatly diminished, their livelihoods were stripped away, and their homelands were stolen. Survivors of this apocalypse were forced onto reservations far away.

The fruit orchard business extended for miles to the north of present-day Westminster. In 1885 Adolph Zang acquired 4,000 acres at present-day 120th Street and Wadsworth Boulevard to grow fruit trees and breed horses. By the time Mr. Zang arrived in the area, the U.S. Postal Service had already set up a remote post office nearby what they called Broomfield after the broomcorn that grew well in the area. Not a food crop, broomcorn is a stiff-stemmed sorghum that was used for the bristles on brooms. It is still used today as craft material for wreaths and other such decorative items.

1995. Adolph Zhang’s (Orchard Farmer’s) House

From its very beginning Broomfield was a crossroads town for both rail and wheel. The Old Cherokee Trail, the main stagecoach route, passed through it, later to be replaced by Highway 287 up Old Wadsworth. Tracks for the Denver-to-Cheyenne Colorado Central Railroad passed through the location in 1873 before it was even settled, and several other rail lines were added in the late 1800s.

The Denver area’s original “light rail” electric commuter train opened in 1908. Known as the Kite Route, this electric rail line ran between Denver and Boulder, through Broomfield, and then towards the coal towns to the east. At its height the electric Kite Route offered 27 stops. The company that operated the train built a depot with associated community services at the corner of 120th and Wadsworth. This depot still stands today as the preserved Broomfield Depot Museum.

1983 Oct. 15. Nearly 15,000 people encircled the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant to protest the nuclear arms race.

By this time the little community of Broomfield had taken root and was even home to the Broomfield Cheese Factory. But the population was stagnant at around 100 residents until the 1950s. Like the other north metro communities, the 1950s brought explosive growth. The Turnpike Land Company bought the Zang property in 1955 to develop a planned community they called the City by the Turnpike. It was a massive undertaking designed for 20,000 residents that ultimately became known as Broomfield Heights.

With the opening of the Denver-Boulder Turnpike and Rocky Flats and the resulting housing boom, Broomfield was on its way from its farming and transportation crossroads roots to becoming the modern suburban city and tech industry hub of 75,000 residents that we know today. The growing city had the unfortunate distinction of being part of four different counties, each with its own laws and regulations. Broomfield solved this challenge at the turn of the century by forming its own county to become the city and county of Broomfield, a unique distinction it shares with the city and county of Denver and just a handful of other city-counties in America.

Growing Together

By 1968 the young cities of Northglenn, Thornton, Westminster, and Broomfield were all well established. But they were still isolated communities surrounded by open space on all sides, even to the south towards Denver. 1968 was the year my parents, Linda and Phil Geiling, moved to Colorado from Florida. Mom was a teacher and Dad a child school psychologist. The retired snowbirds moving down to Florida at the time had little interest in paying more taxes to fund their education system, so my parents went looking for greener pastures and ended up in Colorado. They bought a piece of land in Broomfield, way outside of the city at the time, to build a home. They gave up on that idea within a year, sold the parcel of land, and bought a California-style house on a half acre off of 99th and Huron Streets in Northglenn for $29,000.

I was born in 1974, and this was the house I grew up in until I left for college in 1993. I would learn through researching this article that it must have been among the first houses built in Northglenn, although not part of the original planned community off of 104th.

1908. Men boarding train

My earliest real memories are from around 1980. By then the neighborhood had filled in. When my parents first bought the house in 1969, the neighborhood was only half built, and the view to the west was mostly open space. I asked my mom where she perceived the “edge of the city” was back then. She zeroed in on 84th Avenue, but the edge of the city wasn’t that clear as there was still a lot of undeveloped land even south from there.

“I remember driving along 84th,” she said. “Looking south there were still many open fields between 84th and Denver. There wasn’t much at all to the north of 104th. Huron was a dirt road north from there.” She recalled that the Red Lobster may have been the first business to appear on 104th Avenue to the west of Huron, and then the car dealerships followed in a few years. By around 1980, “The area was pretty much built out,” she said.

Before speaking with my mom for this article, I never realized how quickly my hometown grew in just the decade before I was born. There was literally nothing there but fields in 1959 and by 1979 Northglenn and Thornton were fully developed suburbs.

For me, it was a great place to grow up. On clear days when the notorious Denver brown cloud was cleared by fresh winds, we could see the downtown Denver skyline to the south from the house. The “big city” seemed a world away then, even though it was only nine miles. On my street my older brother and I had many friends our age, and the adults all knew each other well, even becoming long-time friends.

1929-1939. Farming equipment in use.

In speaking with my mom, I recalled the fun all the kids would have sledding down our steep street on snow days or weekends on the old-time runner sleds we had. To my amusement my mom told me that the neighborhood adults would often take their turn on the sleds at night after we kids went to bed. And apparently, unbeknownst to me, when my dad followed behind at a distance while we went trick-or-treating, as a joke, he would knock on the same doors we just left with a mug in his hand for “trick-or-drinking,” ending up with a toxic stew of various beers and liquors in that mug for his loot.

This was 1980s suburban life America, when crime was high but most people didn’t worry too much about it because the news of it wasn’t blasted 24 hours a day. We rode our bikes in the summer up to Webster Lake or Croke Drive Reservoir to catch bluegills or south to the field that was near Thornton Parkway where there were a series of sweet dirt jumps we called the “tip-ups.” Helmets were never worn, and curfew was “dark.” On many summer nights after dark the neighborhood kids would often gather at one house or another for wild games of kick-the-can. I would go to bed mosquito-bitten and exhausted but ready to do it all over again with all my friends the next day.

The innocence of the 1980s passed, and with a new decade I became a Northglenn High School Norseman in 1990. My circle of friends came from a mostly lower middle-class background. We were about half white kids and half Hispanic. My Hispanic friends were all multi-generation Americans who spoke no Spanish whatsoever, which was often the source of good-natured jokes. Mostly we didn’t pay any attention to superficial differences. We were just friends — and still are to this day.

1963. Librarians work in Thornton.

Still, things always change, and the 1990s brought significant cultural shifts. Urban gang culture encroached into the North Metro communities, especially Northglenn and Thornton. High crime rates and drug abuse entered our awareness at a time when new driver’s licenses and beater cars gave us the ultimate freedom to learn our boundaries, sometimes the hard way.

One of my friends had an old Chevy Chevette hatchback that he bought somewhere for $200. He could make it backfire on command, and it finally died one day when the gear shifter broke off in his hand. On snowy nights we would take turns towing each other on snow tubes down Thornton’s residential streets. On other nights we would take joyrides north where most of the roads north of 120th, like Huron, turned to dirt. From there we would sometimes turn off the roads straight into the fields to flush out rabbits just for fun. Many weekend nights were spent cruising “Westy Mall,” not having any clue what we were looking for or how to find it, but somehow wanting to be there with our friends doing nothing in particular but hanging out trying to look cool nonetheless.

1964. HELP (Helpful Extra Library People) volunteers work in the Adams County Library bookmobile, in Northglenn, Colorado

In those days Thornton’s new Horizon High School, built in 1988 way up north off of 136th Avenue, was where the snobs went — “rich” suburban kids with nice new cars living in nice new houses on the edge of the city. Holly Street, near Horizon High, now a busy, four-lane suburban thoroughfare, was a dirt road on which we would gun our engines up to 60 mph, kicking up plumes of dust just because we could.

Things change. My 12-year-old daughter will probably attend Horizon High as she will be a freshman in two short years. By then the school will be 37 years old, 12 years older than Northglenn High was when I entered high school. And, I still think of Horizon as the “new” school!

Reflecting on my research and recollections for this article, I am struck by how recent all of this history is and by how dramatic the changes and growth have been in just a few short decades. As the edge of suburbia continues to push north, now past Lafayette and Erie and into the Tri-Towns of Frederick, Firestone, and Dacono, I wonder what the destiny is of the North Metro suburbs where I grew up.

My mom and dad sold the house in Northglenn in 1998 to follow a retirement dream and move to the mountains, finding a new home outside of Salida. After my dad passed away in 2014, my mom decided to find a second home in the Denver area. She found a quiet little house in Old Town Erie in 2015. I asked her if she felt there were similarities between Erie in 2015 and Northglenn in 1968. Was it a bit of a return to those first days in Colorado when they moved to the edge of the city to a place undergoing rapid growth? “I did notice similarities,” she said. “Moving to Erie in 2015 was a lot like moving to Northglenn in 1968.”

And time marches on.

The post The Model Cities of No Man’s Land appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Retail

Alpaca Connection
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Toast to holiday cheer while finding the perfect presents – because shopping for joy should be as delightful as giving it. Explore Bricks and BMarket to find various gift options perfect for anyone on your list!
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Energy Arts
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Eric Olson Master Jeweler
820 Main St #107, Louisville
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The Pick: Long’s Peak & The Flatirons Pendants
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Larkridge Outdoor Retail Regional Center
16542 Washington Street, Thornton
303-595-9919
shoplarkridge.com
Your destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, and everyday services with more than 45 retailers. Here’s to a safe, healthy and happy holiday season!Larkridge Shopping Center

Leadville Train
326 East 7th St, Leadville
866-386-3936
leadville-train.com
The Pick: Holiday Express
A magical journey aboard the Holiday Express through a winter wonderland, combining natural beauty with holiday cheer.
Who It’s For: Festive Family – a delightful adventure for holiday-themed outings and picturesque landscapes
Other Services: Daily scenic train rides, Top of the Rockies Zip-Line, pet-friendly rides in spring, summer, and fall

Longmont Downtown Development Authority
320 Main St, Longmont
303-651-8484
downtownlongmont.com
The Pick: Downtown Longmont Gift Card
Downtown Longmont Gift Cards are the perfect gift! Send your loved ones on a choose-your-own-adventure of food, drink, shopping, personal services, and more in downtown Longmont!
Who It’s For: Downtown Longmont Gift Cards are the perfect gift for everyone! With more than 70 participating businesses, everyone on your list will find something they love.
Other Services: Downtown Longmont is your one-stop-shop for everything you need this holiday season!

Longmont Symphony
515 Kimbark St Suite 105, Longmont
303-772-5796
longmontsymphony.squarespace.com
The Pick: “Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker” Concert
Embrace the holiday magic with this enchanting concert, transporting you to a world of whimsy and wonder.
Who It’s For: Holiday Magic Seekers, ideal for families and festive season enthusiasts
Other Services: Variety of concerts like “The ‘Gentle’ Nutcracker,” special events like “Maestro Talk: Elliot Moore,” and the “LSO Gala”

Monkton Guitars
1505 W 1st Ave, STE A, Broomfield
303-484-1271
monktonguitars.com
The Pick: Furch Guitars
Furch Guitars offer remarkable sound clarity and exquisite build quality, a testament to musical excellence.
Who It’s For: Passionate Musician – whether strumming at home or on stage
Other Services: Full repair shop, variety of strings, tuners, guitar care accessories, lessons, vintage guitars, amps, and effects

Out Boulder County
3340 Mitchell Ln, Boulder
303-499-5777
outboulder.org
The Pick: Love
A versatile and welcoming space for events, meetings, and community trainings, fostering inclusivity and community.
Who It’s For: Community Members, Organizers and Event Planners with a Passion for Inclusivity
Other Services: Volunteer Opportunities, Donation Events, Youth Programs, Support Groups, Addiction Recovery Services, and more

Paradise Found Records & Music
1646 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-444-1760
paradisefoundrecordsmusic.com
The Pick: Extensive Collection of CDs and Vinyls
A haven for music enthusiasts, offering a wide selection of both new and used records spanning various genres and eras.
Who It’s For: Music Collectors and Vinyl Enthusiasts
Other Services: In-home record pickup, turntable and stereo equipment repairs, special music orders

Restaurants

Alice and Rose Boulder
1301 Pennsylvania Ave, Boulder
720-495-4251
aliceandrose.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Busaba
133 S. McCaslin Blvd., Louisville
303-665-0330
busabaco.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Community Supper Club
206 S Public Rd, Lafayette
720-890-3793
eatatcommunity.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Cosmos Pizza
3117 28th St, Boulder
659 30th St, Boulder
303-442-3278
520 W South Boulder Rd, Lafayette
720-598-512
cosmospizza.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Dugout
149 S Briggs St # 105a, Erie
720-242-8239
dugoutgrillandbarerie.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Hapa Sushi
1117 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-835-9748
hapasushi.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Jaipur Indian Restaurant
1800 Broadway Street, #160, Boulder
303-442-0999
jaipurindianrestaurant.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Kalita Grill
2426 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder
303-443-0596
kalitagrill.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Paul’s Coffee & Tea
956 W Cherry St #101, Louisville
720-259-1723
paulscoffeeandtea.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Pho Café
1085 S Public Rd, Lafayette
303-665-0666
phocafelafayette.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Ras Kassa’s
802 South Public Road, Lafayette
303-447-2919
raskassas.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Raza Fresa
7960 Niwot Rd suite 11-d, Niwot
303-652-3995
razafresa.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Rumbo 52
3768 State Hwy 52, Frederick
720-307-4700
rumbo52.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Si Señor
3120 Village Vista Dr, Erie
720-890-9765
sisenorrealmexicanfood.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

The Sink
1165 13th St, Boulder
303-444-7465
thesink.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Small Cakes
16810 Sheridan Pkwy #118, Broomfield
720-948-1956
smallcakescupcakery.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Stacey’s Kitchen
235 Cheesman St, Erie
303-379-9652
stacyskitchen.page
Home-style deli and bakery services

Tangerine Restaurants
379 Main St, Longmont
720-815-2888
300 S Public Rd, Lafayette
303.443.2333
2777 Iris Ave, Boulder
303.443.2333
tangerineeats.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Taj Mahal III
1075 E. S. Boulder Rd., #145, Louisville
303-926-0999
tajmahal3.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Village Coffee
1605 Folsom St, Boulder
303-442-9689
villagecoffeeshopboulder.com
Gift Certificates, Holiday Parties, Catering

Health & Beauty

Blooming Massage
421 21st Ave Ste 2, Longmont
303-827-5101
bloomingmassage.com
The Pick:  60/90 minute Himalayan Salt Stone Massage
Enjoy the holistic healing qualities of Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, melting away stress and tension for a deeper therapeutic experience.
Who It’s For: Anyone needing rest and relaxation.
Other Services: Variety of massage specialties, enhancements, Gift Certificates available.

Valar Aesthetics
671 Mitchell Way Suite 210, Erie
720-260-4634
valarmd.com
The Pick: AviClear
A permanent acne solution after 3 monthly treatments, ideal for those seeking a change in their skin.
Who It’s For: Everyone suffering from facial acne.
Other Services: Injectables, body contouring, laser resurfacing, threads, laser hair removal, tattoo removal, kybella, Gift cards available.

Amy Francis Fitness
Service Mode: Online Classes
210-332-7253
amyfrancisfitness.com
The Pick: Nutritional Coaching & Personal Training
Offer of fitness and health through nutritional coaching and personal training sessions, building long-term habits for body fat loss and muscle gain.
Who It’s For: Fitness enthusiasts, beginners, athletes, anyone of any age looking to reach their goals.
Other Services: Group fitness classes, in-person and virtual, extensive on-demand workout library available 24/7.

The post Retailers Pick Guide 2023 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

A look into how Thornton city council has silenced voices and abused power

“Please listen to us”

If you’re a Thornton resident who has tried to reach out to Mayor Jan Kulmann, or city council members David Acunto, Eric Garcia, Adam Matkowsky, or Jessica Sandgren, it will be no surprise to you that Yellow Scene Magazine (YS) also could not reach any of them directly for comment.

A pattern of disregard for citizens, elimination of discussion forums, and alleged abuse of power by the mayor and her council member supporters has brought some Thornton residents to a breaking point. Specific complaints include the lengthy absences of Acunto, Matkosky leaving council meetings early, ending specific Ward meetings, and the lingering effects of the removal of former council member Dr. Jacque Phillips and the firing of city attorney Luis Corchado, as well as lawsuits stemming from these actions.

Public voting records show that Acunto has missed about one-third of all council meetings in the past two years, and Matkowsky has left meetings early or been absent seven times in 2023 — out of 18 meetings so far.

“I think it’s an incredible disservice to the residents who have voted for them to completely not show up for meetings at all, and again, to have no communication as to what’s caused absences,” City council member Julia Marvin stated.

Thornton mayor Jan Kulmann

Citizens often receive no replies from Kulmann when appearing during public comment to request a meeting or seek clarification. Kulmann will simply wait in silence until the speaker’s time is up and then move on, never addressing the questions or requests for meetings. Kulmann has the support of Acunto, Garcia, Matkosky, Sangren as well as Tony Unrein, giving them the majority of seats on the nine-person council.

“I would say part of it is that they’ve [the city council majority] been really insistent that we don’t respond to residents during public comments. Don’t have a back-and-forth,” Marvin said.

“It has always been my understanding that that’s not a time to engage in a back-and-forth conversation,” Unrein replied regarding questions about resident’s frustrations.

“We’ve been struggling for years to find a way to make people aware of what’s going on. A lot of people have completely tapped out of politics,” a Thornton resident shared.

“One of the effects that is most upsetting, I believe, to my constituents, is the lack of accountability and transparency, and then also lack of response … I feel included in that [lack of response] as a council member because I struggled to get things to a place of actual, constructive discussion,” council member Kathy Henson shared her frustration.

“Please listen to us. Yeah, the city has problems, but we still love it. We want to be part of this community. We want to be heard. We want to help this place be better. Can we have those meetings?” One resident pleaded during an October 10th council meeting to a response of complete silence.

An Undemocratic Process

Phillips was removed from her Ward 1 seat in a 5-4 vote in early 2022 with allegations she had changed her primary residency when accepting a board member position and finding a home near the new job in another city.

Henson disagreed with the outcome. “It was a very unfortunate choice. It was overturning a free and fair election and is very serious. Dr. Phillips was removed because our charter language allowed council members to decide what evidence they would consider and what they would not… She met all the residency requirements to run for council, and those criteria were still in place and still being met [when she was removed],” Henson said.

“[Phillips] is clearly here. You see her around town. She’s at every meeting. She’s got more meetings than the other council members and she’s not even on council anymore,” resident Jessica Stone-Troy commented on Phillips engagement with Thornton civic life.

Not long after Phillip’s removal, public Ward meetings with staff and council members, which used to be open forums for each of Thornton’s five Wards, were canceled. The Ward specific meetings were replaced with a general meeting. Several residents who spoke with YS complained that this new forum does not contain a way to have a productive discussion or have questions answered like previous Ward specific meetings did. Residents wonder where they can interact with the council to voice concerns.

One resident has taken a different approach, adopting a Stephen Colbert-like satirical character called “Danny Kulmann” — no relation to the mayor — that follows and parodies Kulmann — the mayor — at public events. Danny donned a bright red MAGA hat and jokingly endorsed Kulmann as the “most MAGA candidate” for Thornton to nearby citizens at public events.

Danny Kulmann in character alongside council member Eric Garcia

In a disturbing abuse of power, the mayor has had Danny arrested multiple times by the Thornton Police department, initially for violating a 15-foot restraining order — where video clearly shows the mayor approaching Danny, not vice versa — the case was eventually dismissed. More recently, Danny was silenced by Thornton Police on direction of the mayor for speaking over his allotted three minutes at council meetings on September 24th, October 10th, and 24th. Live video feed was cut during these interactions.

The removal of Ward meetings, the refusal to engage with residents at council meetings, and the arrests of Danny Kulmann all point to a pattern of silencing dissident voices. The Thornton Police Department stated that they “will not be granting any interviews referencing the Danny Kulmann situation.”

“Civil disobedience protest is a cornerstone of our nation, It’s the most American thing … It’s what makes me American more than anything else,” Namazi shared.

“Everything goes back to Stargate”

The roots for the removal of Phillips from city council may run deeper than just the surface complaint of out-of-town residency. 

Before she was Thornton’s mayor, Kulmann was the governing board president of the Stargate School. During her time, multiple accusations of bullying and sexual assault were ignored on her watch. 9News reported in 2018 that “seven complaints were filed in the last two years with the Office of Civil Rights inside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” One of the most egregious examples was of a high school coach accused of sexual advances on minors who was allowed to retain his position.

Phillips led a lawsuit representing some of the children against the charter school. Years later, Phillips clashed with Kulmann while they both held elected office for Thornton. “I was a thorn in their side. I’m advocating for the south end, and you know, they’re all development, and oil and gas, and I’m like, we don’t have enough water,” Phillips said.

“And that all stemmed from the lawsuit at Stargate that Jacque spearheaded. That’s where all this started. That was the tipping point,” said Thornton resident Karin. Many residents see the removal of Phillips by council vote as both retaliation for previous interactions at Stargate and a way to bolster the mayor’s support on council. “People have to draw their own conclusions …. And if you look at the evidence, it’s hard to think that they’re completely separate,” stated Henson.

“The joke around Thornton is that everything goes back to Stargate,” Roberta Ayala, community organizer and Ward 2 city council candidate, shared.

Phillips sees a bigger picture. “I think it was way more than that. One theory is Jan is running for CD8 [as a Republican for Colorado District 8 seat in 2024], and that they needed me gone. They wanted to put Jessica Sandgren in as mayor, but to keep their five majority, they needed a Republican in my seat. I think it was about way more than that. As long as I was on council, they couldn’t cancel the Ward meetings,” Phillips explained.

“I think part of what has been so gross to watch over the past four years has been every single avenue for residents to communicate and engage, has been shut down. It sort of starts to feel like, you know, authoritarian stuff. Where it’s one-way communication. You know, there’s no dialogue, there’s no opportunity to ask questions,” Marvin expanded.

Phillip’s vacant seat was filled by council vote, choosing Thornton political newcomer Eric Garcia over other qualified candidates, including a former Ward 1 representative.

When asked if Garcia was the most qualified candidate, Marvin replied: “No. We have a lot of incredibly qualified people who have been involved for a long time, and are very entrenched in the community, and really in touch with community needs, and Eric Garcia was not one of those people.”

Ward 1 residents had no input on the removal of their elected representative and replacement with Garcia. “Overturning the results of a free and fair election is dangerous for democracy,” Thornton city council member Kathy Henson expounded.

When asked about her stance on the removal of Phillips, candidate Nicole Matkosky — who is married to current council member Adam Matkoswky — replied to the Sentinel: “This is in the past and I am focusing on the future of Thornton.”

City attorney Luis Corchado was also unceremoniously fired. This led to a costly lawsuit the city lost over the improper firing. “Then they did to Luis what they did to me, I mean, that was just that was a power move,” Phillips stated.

“As usual, I have no idea what is going on behind the scenes with the mayor and four council members who have made a decision about the attorney’s contract. This is another, behind closed doors, dirty deal.” Phillips was quoted at the time by the Sentinal.

Building the block

Community organizers, activists, citizens, and most politicians that YS spoke with all agreed that the lack of campaign finance reform has allowed special interest groups to infiltrate Thornton elections. 

“As a community, our voices are marginalized, and special interest groups have the vast majority of the power because they’re able to buy politicians. In my personal opinion, that’s what’s happened in Thornton,” Ayala explained. She continued, “For the past 10 to 15 years, oil and gas, and developers have had their way because they’ve been able to bankroll those campaigns, get them into office, and those people are beholden to their special interests.”

Developers and oil and gas companies have donated large amounts of money to Kulmann’s previous campaign for mayor, raising nearly $70,000 for the local election. Kulmann herself comes from an oil and gas background. Campaign finance records show large donations totaling $7,500 from developers such as Carlson Associates members during this election season as well. 

“You give a $5,000 or $10,000 donation to her and then the next thing you know, they’re building these big condominiums. These big housing projects and stuff over here,” Karin complained, referring to the influence of developers on city council.

“If you roll with Jan, they will get you money, and you’ll fall in line with whatever they need. And I know that she plans to run congressionally again. So she’s building a pretty broad alliance of organizations and those organizations are willing to turn their backs, and not support their own, for promises that Jan makes attractive,” Christopher Russell, a Ward 4 candidate stated. 

Questions have also been raised about the timing of a new police union contract negotiation as well as lack of interviews for local fire union endorsements. “On the surface, to me, I think the police one is the one that’s the most obvious [example], look, police endorsed you, and then you gave [them] a $1.1 million raise,” Phillips replied when asked about influences on Kulmann and associated council members.

The Thornton Police Department was given a $1.1 million budget increase in late July. “The union endorsements come before the November City Council ballot has been set and even prior to the petition to run for council deadline, which is Aug. 28. [2023],” the Sentinel shared. The Police Union endorsed Kulmann, and Nicole Matkowky — married to current council member Adam Matkowsky — as well as Acunto and Garcia who are running for re-election.

“We don’t have a retention problem with our police. So the extra million dollars a year and bonuses seemed unnecessary,” Marvin stated.

The fire department did not hold interviews with all candidates before endorsing during this election season. “The fire department didn’t even ask us at all. They just endorsed all of Jan’s slate,” Ayala recalled. “[They] essentially told me that a union wants to support you, they like you, but you know, this is just politics. I’ve never known a fire department to not support their own,” Russell, also a former firefighter, shared.

It was not just police and firefighters. Developer’s and real estate endorsements also appear influenced by Kulmann and her block. “I was habitually told, even within my circles of realtors and builders, that Chris, it’s not you. It’s the mayor slate that we have to endorse. So, much like the police department, I don’t know what type of promises she’s made to those individuals that aren’t endorsing me as being one of their own in the profession,” Russell, currently a realtor, opened up.

“People are afraid to run against any of these candidates. People don’t like how things are being run, but they feel like they can’t get involved to help shape the future of our city. It feels like our city is being run by like, the mafia or something,” Stone-Troy shared.

Stepping Stones

Silencing and ignoring residents, lack of attending meetings, removing Phillips and Corchado, as well as the block of endorsements Kulmann has seemingly cultivated have left residents feeling a wide range of emotions from lost, to enraged, and even disengaged. Many feel a lack of media coverage or general awareness of what is happening on city council is part of the problem.

“Because of my involvement and being in the campaign, a lot of people here have really dug in, like oh my gosh, this is crazy. This is unbelievable. I would have never known this is happening. It’s an eye opener. I think everybody has the same conclusions, but it’s a lack of exposure,” Russell shared.

“It’s all just a rubber stamp. It’s always really bothered me. It seems like it’s very much a financial conflict of interest if you’re accepting large sums of money from people for your campaign, it absolutely seems like a financial conflict of interest to then be voting on proposals that directly benefit them,” Marvin shared.

“Stargate and then Thornton, it’s like the same crap reheated. A rubber stamp of the same power dynamic, but on the city level,” Ayala vented her disappointment. “And if that’s the case how do we allow a leader like that to just rubber stamp that on a bigger scale, to Congress or something else, wherever the next step is for Jan Kulmann,”  Ayala questioned.

“I feel like they’re just treating the city like a political stepping stone to get to whatever is like their next goal,” said Stone-Troy

“I don’t think they give one sh*t about anything in the city of Thornton. I think they’re in it for the money. I mean, I think they’re 100% corrupt,” Phillips emphasized.

In spite of politics and the perception of behind the scenes influences, it is residents who suffer the most. “I think that we have a lot of important business to conduct in the city and I wish that our focus would remain on city business on responding to the people who we are paid to represent and to respond to our constituents,” Henson shared.

“I just want a city council that actually cares about the whole city and once the best for everyone and all parts of the city,” Tracy, Thornton resident, replied.

“They’re just creating a very unstable environment, and it just hurts everybody,” one resident shared.

The post The Deafening Silence: Part 1 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This month: Five Frightfully Fun Haunted Houses on the Front Range!

Terror in the Corn, Erie, $39+

Haunted Field of Screams, Thornton, $40+

Slaughter Gulch, Franktown, $26

13th Floor, Denver, $20+

The Frightmare Compound, Westminster, $60

The post French’s 5 | October 2023 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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[LOCAL]

• Local political satirist Dariush Namazi was arrested at a Thornton city council meeting prompting major questions about free speech and lack of public communication by certain Thornton council members.
• Council member Maxine Most is recalled in special election over the refusal to relax building codes in the wake of the Marshall Fire rebuilding.
• Truck attempted to run over multiple people at Boulder’s Central Park, damaging the park in the process. The driver was arrested.
• Mt. Evans has been renamed Mt. Blue Sky. Evans was the governor during the Sand Creek Massacre of numerous Cheyenne and Arapaho people and deserves the dishonor.
• King Sooper’s shooter has been determined competent enough to stand trial after two years of discussion.
• Erie Cheer coach is no longer with the school after parents attended in-person open-forum meetings and demanded answers from Superintendent Dr. Haddad.
• Boulder will have the city’s first ranked choice mayoral vote after approving the change in 2022.

[NATIONAL]

• The Government shutdown was averted for now, but expect Republicans to again bring it up as a stalling tactic in the future.
• The Republican Speaker race is a mess after voting to remove Speaker McCarthy, indicative of the Republican Party’s lack of leadership overall.
• Robert F. Kennedy announces run in 2024 Presidential Election, although likely not going to see the same success as others in his family have had.

[INTERNATIONAL]

• Humanitarian crisis grows in the Gaza Strip as Israel prepares to retaliate against Hamas for their surprise attack by launching their own invasion.
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Professors Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for helping develop the mRNA COVID vaccine that saved so many lives.
• Solar eclipse dazzles millions across North America during the middle of the day on Saturday the 14th.

Small Talk

“The full archival report shows the grim truth that at least 31 students from eight tribal nations died while attending the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School from 1892 to 1909. The ages of those that passed range from five to 22 years old.” – KUNC on History Colorado report on Colorado boarding schools

“Our officers are Narcan-ing someone almost every day. Jail is low-staffed which has inmates waiting for treatment.” – Boulder Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn

“The ordinance does not give the panel any authority or appeal powers in matters of officer discipline. POP recommendations will remain advisory in nature.” – Boulder Beat on new ordinance for the Police Oversight Panel

“Just as before and during the war, I said that they must free themselves from our lands, or we will expel them by force. And so it happened. The same will be the fate of the Zangezur corridor.” – Azerbaijani president on his nation’s invasion of Armenia

By the Numbers

$3.4 Million – Raised by Boebert challenger Adam Frisch
32% – Boulder area people work remotely, the highest percentage in the nation according to Axios
81 – Pedestrian deaths in Colorado this year so far, with each of the last ten years seeing an increase in fatalities
75+ – Local Election candidates interviewed by YS for our Election Guide
861 – Affordable apartments built in recent years in Boulder according to city data

The post Month in Review | October 2023 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Ah, the crisp smell of a cool overcast day as the clouds gradually threaten rain. Leaves the color of sunset dance a wind-led ballet across the street, parting as a woman ambles through the neighborhood, sipping spiced apple cider from some local shop. A black cat curls into a cinnamon bun on their human’s lap as she surfs the web for jack-o-lantern ideas. A man peruses the candy aisle, searching for a bag that has all his personal favorites. 

At the time of writing, it’s still 97 degrees outside and my seatbelt hasn’t stopped trying to fuse to my arm. Not one of the above has come to pass yet, and if you’re like me – a person that becomes a cornered animal in the heat – then Spooky Season always comes as a welcome change of pace. While it’s never too early to talk about and plan for Halloween, it is admittedly much easier and more practical as the season draws near.

Starting with the most mysterious of any of the traditions I could find, we have the Headless Horseman of Lafayette – cue thunder crack. Every year on All Hallows Eve an unknown pumpkin-headed horseman rides around the city. This nightmarish figure has strayed a touch west of his original haunt –but he is just as terrifying, if not significantly less violent, than his depiction in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.

While it’s never too early to talk about and plan for Halloween, it is admittedly much easier and more practical as the season draws near.

Moving north, we’ll stop at Briggs Street in Erie on October 28th. Boo! on Briggs Street is an annual event between Moffat and Cheesman with trick-or-treating, a costume contest, and a storefront decoration contest. Trick-or-treating starts at 3pm and lasts until the event ends at 6 pm. The event is completely free, but if you want to flaunt your creative chops in the costume contest, there is a small $5 registration fee. Registrations start at 3 at the stage at Briggs and Moffat, with the contest kicking off at 4:30.

A newcomer to the arena is the Monster Mash Party. While this is only its second year, its first was a smashing success. Hosted by the Superior Youth Leadership Council at the Superior Community Center on October 28th from 6 – 8 pm, this free event includes a costume contest – split up by age group for fairness – live DJ playing all your favorite spooky songs, pumpkin decorating, a variety of games, and all the treats and snacks you can eat. If that isn’t enough, there are plans this year to partner with the Superior Chamber of Commerce to offer a Trick-or-Treat Street like the aforementioned Boo! Details are still in the works, so make sure to follow the Superior Youth Leadership Council on Facebook to stay up-to-date.

Moving up to Longmont, we have nearly a full month of free Day of the Dead celebration. Starting Saturday, October 14th, and going until November 5th, the Dia de Muertos exhibition at the Longmont Museum’s Swan Atrium will feature art from Local Artists and community-built altars. Opening day of the exhibit, Longmont will also host its annual Dia de los Muertos Family Celebration from 11am to 3pm at 4th Avenue and Main Street. The celebration will feature street food, arts and crafts, music and dance, cultural education, altars, and the iconic Gigantes Procession–a parade that features various mini-floats and decorations to honor the season. If this sounds like a lot, it is, which is why a free shuttle service will be available to ferry you between activities so you can experience everything this mini-festival has to offer!

Also in Longmont, Outworld Brewing is hosting a Halloween costume contest on the 31st, and given the atmosphere and decor of this incredible bar, this will be an unmissable event. Celebrations start at 11am and continue until just about midnight meaning you can spend the entire day here if you wanted.

… given the atmosphere and decor of this incredible bar, this will be an unmissable event.

On to a very family-friendly event in Louisville, we have the Halloween Spooktacular on October 30th at the Louisville Public Library. Open to kids 2 to 5 years old – as well as their caregivers – this event kicks off at 10:15am in the Library Meeting Room and goes until 11am. During this time, enjoy spooky stories, and songs, and crafts – as well as trick-or-treat around the library.  

Over in Westminster we have Boo at the View. This event is returning for its second year after a very successful debut in 2022; over 1,000 people showed up the first time around. Hosted on Saturday, October 28th – a very popular day for Halloween celebrations – from 3-6pm at the West View Recreation Center Part tailgate, part trick-or-treat, children will be able to walk around the parking lot, collecting candy from car to car. This free event will also have onsite hayrides, crafts, face painting, and a balloon artist.

Out in Lyons is the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund Rave to the Grave on Friday, October 27th. Details are still being finalized for this event, but if last year is anything to go by, Rave to the Grave stands to be a resounding success. Featuring live music at Lavern Johnson Park, Rave to the Grave managed to raise over $39,000 in 2022. With a pre-rave happy hour starting at 6, and various food trucks, this 21+ event drew in hundreds. Registration is required to enter, with a suggested $25 donation to LEAF.

For something more family-friendly in the Lyons area, be sure to check out the Lyons Spooktacular Parade the following day, Saturday, October 28th. Games and activities abound, all culminating in downtown trick-or-treating. I made sure to confirm the return of one key activity; the Stone Cup Chili Cookoff. Activities kick off at Lyons Elementary from 4-5:30pm, with the parade and trick-or-treating following shortly after. Be sure to keep an ear to the ground for the most up-to-date information.

Moving on to Thornton we have Harvest Fest on October 7th and its two satellite events: the Fishing Derby at Grandview Ponds and the Pancake Breakfast at the Thornton Active Event Center. Harvest Fest is a community event held at Thornton Parkway and York Street at Community Park that will feature live entertainment, food vendors, a beer garden for those no longer disadvantaged with youth, business booths, craft booths, and a skate park competition. The event will run from 10am to 5 pm on Saturday, October 7th.Admission for the Pancake Breakfast is $3 for Children and Seniors and $5 for Adults. Once you’ve had your fill, stop by the Fishing Derby at Grandview Ponds from 8 am to 11 am. This event isn’t for us lame adults, but is open to children 4 to 12 years old and is just $1 per kid.

With all of this happening in one day, there’s something for everyone.

Stanley Masquerade Ball hosted by, of course, Seayonce, will start Saturday at 7pm in Estes Park and features “the spookiest and most glamorous Halloween celebration of the year.” Not your typical masquerade, there will be comedy, a mystery, cabaret, and drag to keep you entertained and in the spirit. Can’t wait for the night to get started? Join the Magical Brunch Event that morning from 10am-1pm but make sure to reserve your spot.

And finally, last on the list–but certainly not least  is Boulder. If dancing is more your speed, check out the Motown Haunted Prom on, you guessed it, Saturday, October 28th. Featuring a live band covering all of your Motown & Stax Records favorites, this single-night dance party is guaranteed to have you dancing in the street. And if you love to dance but are terrified of any public attention no matter how small, liquid courage will be served at a full bar on site. Doors open at 7 pm so you could feasibly add this to the end of your night after one of the other mentioned events. Motown Haunted Prom is located at Roots Music Project,  4747 Pearl Street V3A in the big blue building. There will  even be a giant hand pointing to the door in case our excellent directions aren’t concise enough for you. Tickets are $25 ahead of time, $30 at the door, and there are $200 booths that can accommodate up to 5 people if you prefer something more private.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Meow Wolf. For the uninitiated, Meow Wolf is an immersive art exhibit/psychedelic experience that is near impossible to do justice with words.

But I’ll try.

This year, Meow Wolf is putting on two separate events during the month of October! Starting off with Wednesday, October 4th at 5:00 pm, Adulti-Verse: Spooky-Verse is a 21+ immersive experience celebrating everything spooky. To give a better idea of what the event has to offer, perhaps it is best to use their own description from their website: 

“Wander in the realms of the wonderfully weird as we celebrate this spooktacular season at Convergence Station. Costumes highly encouraged!” 

While that might not clear much up at all, with Meow Wolf at the helm, this is guaranteed to be an experience you won’t soon forget.

Following this, on Saturday, October 28th is the 2nd Annual SpooKiKi Ball. Once again, I think it is best to go to the source for information on this event: 

“In 1979, Ballroom Icon, Paris Dupree, created the revolutionary dance movement known as vogue. Vogue was and still is the celebration of Black and Latino Trans and Queer people highlighting their beauty, talent, and ability to leave their mark in a world that tries to erase them. The House of Flora (@kikihouseofflora) is a KiKi house that originated in Portland, Oregon est. 2016 by Legendary Passa Flora, and in 2018, the house expanded its roots in Denver, CO, under the direction of Valentino Valentine, AKA Mother Flora…. The House of Flora has been seen elevating the subculture of Denver, collaborating with both local and large-scale companies, and building safe spaces for BIPOC QTs since 2018.”

The post Something Spooky This Way Comes appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Unique spaces and budget-friendly venues.

ARVADA

Arvada CenterArvada | $700 – $1,500 | (720) 898-7200 | info@arvadacenter.org

BERTHOUD

Brookside Gardens Event Center | Starting at $5,000 | (970) 532-3663 | events@brooksideevents.com

BLACK HAWK

Ameristar Casino Spa Resort | (720) 946-4200 | bh.sales@pennentertainment.com
Treehaus | $10,000+ | (516) 784-7389 | hello@treehauscolorado.com

BOULDER

A-Lodge | (435) 335-7460 | info@boulder-utah.com
Avery Brewing Co. | (303) 440-4324 | privateevents@averybrewing.com
BOCO Cider | (720) 938-7285 | mb@bococider.com
Boulder Country Club | $15,000+ | (303) 530-4600 | info@bouldercc.org
Boulder Creek by Wedgewood Weddings | $4,000+ | (805) 519-7949 | events@WedgewoodWeddings.com
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse | (303) 442-4993 | info@boulderteahouse.com
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art | (303) 443-2122 | visitorservices@bmoca.org
Colorado Chautauqua | (303) 952-1612 | sales@chautauqua.com
City of Boulder Parks & Recreation | $100 | (303) 413-7200 | moorek@bouldercolorado.gov
Colorado Mountain Ranch | $7,500 | (303) 442.4557 | lynn@coloradomountainranch.com
Dairy Arts Center | See website for pricing | (303) 440.7826 | info@thedairy.org
Fiske Planetarium and Science Center | (303) 492.5002 | francisco.salas@colorado.edu
Flagstaff House | (303) 416.2721 | events@flagstaffhouse.com
Flatirons Golf Course | (303) 442-7851 | parks-rec@bouldercolorado.gov
Folsom Field | Starting at $8,000 | (303) 492-3213 | Chandler.Barone@colorado.edu
Greenbriar Inn | (303) 440-7979 | gbi@greenbriarinn.com
Greystone Castle | (303) 444-4224 | jac@greystonecastle.wedding
Halfway House (Flagstaff) | $50+ | (303) 413-7200 | moorek@bouldercolorado.gov
Hilton Garden Inn | (303) 443-2200 | angela.blackstock@hilton.com
Homewood Suites by Hilton | (303) 499-9922 | boyco-ds@hilton.com
Hotel Boulderado | (303) 440-2880 | info@boulderado.com
Koenig Alumni Center | $2,500+ | (303) 492-8484 | contactalumni@colorado.edu
R Gallery + Wine Bar | (303) 444-4146 | rob@rgallery.art
Rembrandt Yard | (720) 260-4194 | Director@RembrandtYard.com
St. Julien | (720) 406.9696 | sjreservations@stjulien.com
Sunrise Amphitheater | $100+ | (303) 413-7200 | grunewaldm@bouldercolorado.gov
Terra Cotta | (303) 876-7659 | day.hello@topterracotta.com
The Studio | $3,200+ | (720) 378-8015 | info@thestudioboulder.com
Twisted Pine Brewery | (303) 786.9270 | events@twistedpinebrewing.com

BRIGHTON

Armory Performing Arts Center | See website for pricing | (303) 655.2140 | info@brightonarmory.org

BROOMFIELD

Aloft Hotel | See website for pricing | (303) 635-2000
Broomfield Auditorium | See website for pricing | (720) 887-2347 | Audi@broomfield.org
Brunner Farmhouse | (303) 460-6800 | BCAH@ArtsinBroomfield.org
Church Ranch | (720) 633-9764 | sales@churchrancheventcenter.com
Continental Event Center | (720) 380-7166 | contact@continentaleventcenterdenver.com
Copper Leaf | (303) 469-0622 | info@copperleafeventcenter.com
Establishment at Bradburn | (720) 782-6004
Renaissance Boulder Suites at Flatiron | See website for pricing | (303) 464-8400
Roots | (720) 279-0570 | hello@rootscolorado.com
Omni Hotel | (303) 438-6600 | denilk.leads@omnihotels.com

DENVER

Balistreri Vineyards | (303) 287-5156 | info@balistreriwine.com
Brown Palace  | (303) 297-3111 | weddings@brownpalace.com
Capitol Hill Mansion | (303) 839-5221 | info@capitolhillmansion.com
Castle Marne | (303) 331-0621 | Bookings@castlemarne.com
Colorado Parks and Wildlife | Multiple options on website | (303) 291-7227 |? Dnr.crsparks@state.co.us
Crowne Plaza Hotel | (303) 573-1450 | wecare@denverhotel.net
Curtis Hotel | (303) 571-0300 | info@thecurtis.com
Denver Art Museum | (720) 865-5000 | eventinfo@denverartmuseum.org
Denver Center for the Performing Arts | (303) 893-4000 | hbosk@dcpa.org
Design Works | (720) 941-7440 | info@designworksevents.com
Forney Museum | (303) 297-1113 | director@forneymuseum.org
Four Mile Historic Park | (720) 865-0813 | laura@fourmilepark.org
Grant Humphreys Mansion | (303) 894-2505 | rita.rollman@state.co.us
Ironworks | (720) 946-7721 | ironworks@pouringiton.com
Mizel Arts and Cultural Center | (303) 316-6360 | info@jccdenver.org
Museum of Contemporary Art | (303) 298-7554 | info@mcadenver.org
Skylight | (720) 593-2919 | party@skylight.828venues.com
Swallow Hill Music | (303) 468-1890 | barry@swallowhillmusic.org
Wings Over the Rockies | (303) 360-5360 | info@wingsmuseum.org

ELIZABETH

Bonnie Blues Event Center | (303) 522.1149 | Hannah@BonnieBlues.Events

ERIE

Anderson Farms | (303) 828-5210 | info@andersonfarms.com
Colorado National Golf Club & Master’s Restaurant | (303) 926-1723
Erie Social Club | (303) 993-6164 | eriecosocialclub@gmail.com
Vista Ridge Community Center | (303) 926-7691

ESTES PARK

4 Seasons Inn on Fall River | (970) 586-5693 | Info@4-seasonsinn.com
Appenzell Inn | (970) 586-2023 | info@appenzellinn.com
Black Canyon Inn | (970) 966-5574 | weddings@blackcanyoninn.com
Della Terra Mountain Chateau | (970) 586-2501 | weddings@dellaterramountainchateau.com
Historic Crags Lodge | (970) 586.6066 | Hotel.Reservations@hgv.com
Estes Park Events Complex | (970) 586-6104 | events@estes.org
Evergreens on Fall River | (970) 577-9786 | evergreenscabins@gmail.com
Historic Park Theatre & Cafe | (970) 586-8904 | seeleysharon@comcast.net
Lane Guest Ranch | (303) 747-2493 | lgrlane@aol.com
McGregor Mountain Lodge | (970) 586-3457 | info@McGregorMountainLodge.com
Seven Keys Lodge | (970) 586-5397 | info@sevenkeyslodge.com
Stanley Hotel | (970) 586-3371 | reservations@stanleyhotel.com
Taharaa Mountain Lodge | (970) 577-0027 | events@taharaa.com

EVERGREEN

Barn at Racoon Creek | (720) 287-8188 | events@raccooncreek.com
Hudson Gardens | (303) 797-8565 | info@hudsongardens.org
Mount Vernon | (303) 526.3106 | ntruax@mountvernoncc.com
Pines at Genesee | (303) 526-7939 | info@thepinesatgenesee.com
The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park | (303) 674-0556 | TheBarn@evergreenmemorialpark.com

FIRESTONE

The Orchard at Wild Cider | (303) 532-9949 | info@wildcider.com

FORT COLLINS

Armstrong Hotel | (970) 484-3883 | stay@thearmstronghotel.com

GEORGETOWN

Georgetown Loop Railroad | (888) 456-6777 | info@historicrailadventures.com

GOLDEN

Boettcher Mansion | (720) 497-7630
Colorado Railroad Museum | (303) 279-4591 | info@crrm.org
Table Mountain Inn | (303) 325-3995 | hotel@tablemountaininn.com

GRANBY

Granby Ranch | (303) 506-8862
Grand Elk Ranch & Club | (970) 887-9122 | mritter@grandelk.com

GREENWOOD VILLAGE

Museum of Outdoor Arts | (303) 806-0444 | jbrack@moaonline.org

LA PORTE

Rist Canyon Inn | (970) 692-6962 | info@ristcanyoninn.com

LAFAYETTE

Bounce Empire | (720) 791-2600 | fun@bounceempire.com
Lionsgate Event Centers | (303) 665-6525 | tours@lionsgatecenter.com
Muse Performance Space | (720) 352-4327 | pete@museperformancespace.com
Stem at Acreage | (720) 443.3007 | nfo@stemciders.com
Nissis | (720) 535-7113 | info@nissis.com
Waneka Lake | (303) 661-1483 | Matthew.Kamhi@lafayetteco.gov

LEADVILLE

Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad | (719) 486-393

LITTLETON

Crystal Rose | (303) 526.7530 | contact@crystal-rose.com
Denver Botanic Gardens | (720) 865-3500 | erin.bird@botanicgardens.org

LONGMONT

17th Ave
Altona Grange Hall | (720) 600-4939 | info@altonagrange.org
Bee Hugger Farm | (303) 330-8277 | comeandbee@gmail.com
Boulder Flower Farm
Brick’s Retail | (720) 680-0555 | kennedie@bricksretail.com
Callahan House | (303) 776-5191 | kathy.korpela@longmontcolorado.gov
Crane Hollow Farm | (720) 726-1612 | events@cranehollowfarm.com
D-Barn | (303) 651-1259 | csue3@q.com
Elks Lodge | (303) 834-7663 | elks1055venuemanager@gmail.com
Fox Hill Country Club | (303) 651-3777 | broumaya@thefoxhillclub.com
Hilton Garden Inn | (303) 443-2600 | angela.blackstock@hilton.com
Historic Hover Home | (303) 776-1870
Kuper Wine Bar | (720) 791-8807 | info@kuperwinebar.com
Lone Hawk Farm | lhf@indra.com
Left Hand Brewery
McCauley Family Farm | (303) 485-7688 | mccauleyfamilyfarm@gmail.com
Old Mill Park | (303) 776-1870 | office@stvrainhistory.org
Shupe Homestead | (303) 485-7488 | Darla@ShupeHomestead.com
The St. Vrain | info@thestvrain.com
Sunflower Farm | (303) 774-8001 | sunflowerfarmmail@gmail.com
Thompson House Inn | kerry@thompsonhouse.net
Wibby Brewing | (303) 776-4594 | ryan@wibbybrewing.com
YaYa Farm & Orchard | (303) 485-5585 | info@yayafarmandorchard.com

LOUISVILLE

The Simon | $4,900 – $6,990 | (303) 219-0155 | info@thesimonevents.com
Steinbaugh Pavilion | $235 – $500 | (303) 666-6565 | info@louisvilleco.gov

LOVELAND

Cleveland Room | (970) 462-9464 | info@theclevelandroom.com
Embassy Suites | (970) 593-6200
The Garden Room | $1,500 – $5,000 | (970) 663-0301
McCreery House | (970) 310-7383
Ranch Events Center | (970) 619-4000 | romerolo@co.larimer.co.us
Rialto Theater | (970) 962-2563 | Joe.Patti@cityofloveland.org
Sweetheart Winery | (970) 646-4314
Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch | (970) 667-3915 | ranch@sylvandale.com

LYONS

Lionscrest Manor | (303) 823-5337 | events@lionscrestmanor.com
Lyons Farmette & Riverbend | Kayla@lyonsfarmette.com
Stone Mountain Lodge | (303) 823.6091 | info@stonemountainlodge.com
Villa Tatra | (303) 823-6819 | info@villatatra.com
Wee Casa | (720) 460-0239 | info@weecasa.com

NIWOT

1914 House | (303) 834-9751
Niwot Inn | (303) 652-8452
Wheelhouse Niwot/La Musetten | (720) 340-2979 | tammy@niwotwheelworks.com

TABERNASH

Devil’s Thumb Ranch | (970) 726-7000 | reservations@devilsthumbranch.com

THORNTON

The Brittany Hill | (805) 519-7598 | events@wedgewoodweddings.com
Heritage Todd Creek Clubhouse | (720) 230.4700
Stonebrook Manor Event Center and Gardens | (303) 255-0063
Todd Creek Golf Club | (303) 655.1779

WARD

Gold Lake Event Center |  (720) 491-1166

WESTMINSTER

Butterfly Pavilion | (303) 469-5441 | PrivateEvents@butterflies.org
Doubletree Hotel | (303) 427-4000
Imperium | (303) 217-3170 | imperiumeventcenter@outlook.com
Legacy Ridge Golf Course | (720) 660-1297 | LegacyRidgeEvents@gmail.com
The Ranch Country Club | (303) 460.9700 | membership@theranchcc.com
Westin | (303) 410-5000
Westminster City Park | (303) 658-2400 | prl@cityofwestminster.us

WHEAT RIDGE

The Ballroom at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center | (303) 231-1300 | kwaters@ci.wheatridge.co.us

WINDSOR

The Mill Events Venue | $5,000 – $7,000 | Events@thewindsormill.com
The Big Red Barn at Highland Meadows Golf Course | (970) 204-4653 | contact@highlandmeadows.com

The post Wedding Venues Directory 2023 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

March 22, 2023

By Jennifer Kocher
Special to the Wyoming Truth (AP Storyshare)

This is the first of three stories. Given the graphic subject matter, which involves violence and references sex acts, reader discretion is advised.

The first time Breahannah Leary met Penny (Gallegos) King in her Denver office in May 2015, she asked her father to wait in the car with the engine running. Leary didn’t foresee the conversation going well, if at all, and wanted a quick getaway. At the time, Leary was out on bond for solicitation charges and failing to appear for a traffic violation. She had zero faith that law enforcement was on her side.

King, a Colorado State Highway Trooper and member of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, was persistent. She’d reached out to Leary’s father, Darrell Hodges, and asked him to convince his daughter to meet her. Hodges had a long rap sheet himself. But he knew Leary was in trouble and put his own distrust of law enforcement aside to try to get her help.

Much to Leary’s surprise, the meeting went well.

“[King] immediately told me she didn’t care about any of the charges,” Leary told the Wyoming Truth in an exclusive interview. “I wasn’t expecting her kindness. She was just this strong, powerful woman who cared about her job.”

King’s job was to rescue sex trafficking victims, both children and adults. She’d monitored Leary’s trafficker for months and had already built up a strong case. Now, King needed victims to help put him behind bars.

What followed was the beginning of an unlikely alliance and friendship that also would result in the take-down of one of the most prolific sex trafficking rings in Colorado history. In 2017, Brock Franklin, 31, received a 472-year sentence for 30 counts related to the prostitution of three girls and five women, including Leary.

At the sentencing, the judge asked Leary how much money she thought Franklin had made from her exploitation. She responded that it was probably enough to buy everyone in court a new house.

It’s the longest sentence to date for a human trafficker in the United States, according to a statement from the Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colo. Franklin and his five associates – Michelle Payne, Brandon Garrison, Isis Debreaux, David Fullenwiley Jones and Johnson Doyne – also were indicted on charges related to human trafficking, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the distribution of a controlled substance, sex assault and kidnapping, among other charges.

Misdiagnosed problem

Sex trafficking is a growing and largely underreported problem in Wyoming and beyond—and  Franklin’s case sets a high bar for arrests. It’s hard to get convictions because victims fear testifying against their traffickers; they are often misidentified as willful participants and arrested for prostitution.

Only one human trafficking case was prosecuted federally in 2021 in Wyoming, compared to zero in 2020, according to a 2021 Federal Human Trafficking Report by the Human Trafficking Institute.

King said the key to putting more traffickers behind bars is training law enforcement and the legal community to recognize the difference between sex trafficking and sex between two consenting adults.

During her career, King led several trainings for law enforcement agencies across Wyoming. She said there’s a growing awareness of how to identify and help victims access resources to escape and testify against their traffickers in court.

Leary credits King’s support in helping her stand up to Franklin, who had threatened her life if she testified against him.

“It was terrifying for her,” King said of Leary. “These traffickers break their victims down, emotionally and physically.”

Eight years later, Leary is finally ready to share her story to shed light on the nefarious nature of trafficking and inspire other survivors to come forward. The following account comes from interviews with Leary and King, as well as court documents.

Trafficked

Leary grew up in the Denver suburbs and moved around a lot as a child. Her family was poor, but she doesn’t consider her life to have been harder than anyone else’s. After graduating from high school, Leary became a certified nursing assistant and worked in an assisted care facility.

When Leary met Franklin, she was 27 and a single mom of three children, who lived with their biological father and his family. She had made some bad choices that put Franklin in her orbit, Leary admitted. One of them was supplementing her income by placing ads for “dates” on Backpage, a classified advertising website founded in 2004 as an alternative to Craigslist; it was shut down by the FBI and other federal agencies in 2018.

At the time, Leary lived in Thornton, Colo., with her then-boyfriend, but struggled to make ends meet. A friend told her about Backpage, and she’d only been on a few “dates”—the term used online to advertise sex services—when she met Franklin at a local hotel. Immediately, he asked Leary to come work for him and promised to help take care of her children. She declined the offer, and Franklin left. (When pressed for details about some aspects of her experience, Leary declined comment due the trauma she endured.)

Leary worked just a few weekends as an escort, earning about $3,000 to $4,000 from white professional men—mostly lonely guys seeking companionship.

“I always tell people it’s the ones you wouldn’t expect,” she said about men who buy sex. “They’re the guys you see at your child’s soccer game.”

Franklin was Leary’s last client before she quit. She found sex work degrading and decided it was not worth the extra money she’d earned. Not long after, Leary fought with her boyfriend and moved out. (He had no idea she’d moonlighted as a sex worker.) Leary had all of her belongings stuffed in the back of her car when she stopped at Walmart on an errand. But her car wouldn’t start. Leary called everyone in her contact list, and when nobody answered, out of desperation she dialed Franklin’s number. He immediately came to her rescue, giving her car a jump so it would start.

“He noticed I was in a vulnerable position, and he took full advantage of that,” Leary said by phone from her home in Colorado.

When Franklin saw her packed car and heard she’d left her boyfriend, he invited Leary to come to his house for a good night’s sleep. She could chill out, he told her, and then look for a place in the morning.

“And, of course, I took the offer,” she said.

Beating herself up for her rash decision would have to wait. At that point, it was sheer survival. Franklin’s house was located in downtown Denver near the zoo, sandwiched between two churches on either corner. He opened the door and then quickly locked it behind her. Leary counted eight locks.

She looked around the dimly lit room and saw people curled up on the carpet and sleeping on couches with empty beer bottles, marijuana and other drugs strewn across the coffee table. Later, Leary learned it was one of several rentals Franklin used to house his victims.

Franklin turned to Leary and ordered her to strip down: she belonged to him now. He confiscated her driver’s license, Social Security card and birth certificate from her car and placed them in a plastic lanyard around his neck. There were at least five other women in the house—none of whom was excited to see a new female enter the mix.

Leary assessed the situation as she slipped into survival mode. There was no fighting her way out of it: At 5-foot-2, Leary was no match for this 6-foot-6 man.

She did as she was told.

On Saturday, March 25, Leary will speak about her experience at an event for Hope Cos , a Colorado Springs-based volunteer nonprofit focused on street outreach and addiction recovery. The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m.

Check back tomorrow for part two.

The post Survivor Helps Put Sex Trafficker Behind Bars in One of the Region’s Biggest Trafficking Busts (Part 1) appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Summertime is almost here again and that means one thing: summer camp! Boulder and the surrounding areas offer a near limitless array of camps, programs, and activities for youth. There is something for everyone!

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