Forums · Same question, every candidate
Collaborative City Council and Mayoral Candidate Forum (PLAN-Boulder County / Open Boulder / Better Boulder)
September 2, 2026
Hosted by Better Boulder, PLAN-Boulder County, Open Boulder.
Co-hosted by PLAN-Boulder County, Open Boulder and Better Boulder. Moderator: KC Becker (Better Boulder post). Recording by greenlight studios. Several question wordings are partly garbled in the automatic transcript and are marked as such.
Recordings
- City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios)
Date: Better Boulder event page; video title 'Candidate-Forum - 090226'.
Questions and answers, in speaking order
Each question, then the candidates we quote, in the order they spoke. These are short passages. Use the watch link to hear the whole answer. Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. If a candidate isn't listed under a question, we didn't quote them on it.
Opening introduction (two minutes)
I do care about taking care of core responsibilities like open space, bike paths, rec centers, parks, public spaces, potholes, snow and ice removals.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 7:16 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
starting a permanent farmers market where we can not only help farmers, but people can come and start new business ideas without having heavy overhead.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 8:24 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Clean air, clean water, food that is close, that is clean, that is of high quality.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 10:02 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Having plans with measures and metrics and budget impacts to them
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 10:47 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I focus on helping to cut the cost of living, adapt our community to a world it wasn't built for, and make our government more predictable and effective.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 11:31 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
we've created thousands of housing units, but more importantly, hundreds and hundreds of permanently affordable housing units.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 13:33 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I care about my neighbors, my neighbors who are changing very, very frequently because they can't afford to stay here.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 15:59 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I'm a candidate for the working families, the working people of our community, to see that we're more inclusive, that we provide that economic power so that people can make it.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 18:01 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I think that fiscal stewardship is a key trait to bring as part of the city council team.
Transcript note: Name transcribed 'Dave Martis'.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 19:40 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We recognize that density and access to transit are sustainability values.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 21:10 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We have to fund our infrastructure. We have to fund emerging needs like wildfire risk mitigation, energy efficiency
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 21:39 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I think we're creating more transparency and usability in our budget, but we can build a lot more bridges
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 23:46 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We have an influx of big institutional capital like we've never seen before.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 26:09 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
we need to be asking for a governing vision and be measuring the vision time after time.
Transcript note: Name garbled in transcript.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 29:11 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
So I want to be able to bring forth a city auditor
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 33:39 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Title 9 of our city code is our land use code. Some council and community members are advocating for a complete rewrite of this title. Do you support or oppose this, and do you think now is the right time to undertake this effort?
Our code inadvertently favors the big guy and not the little guy. So yeah, I do support a rewrite and I do support it now.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 36:12 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I like the term modernization. I think a complete rewrite would be a little destabilizing,
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 36:56 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
The first answer to this is yes, we do need to be careful. There are some people that have a principled view that this needs to be done cautiously,
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Transcript note: No name cue; speaker describes running in 2023 and current council action.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 40:52 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
But we've gotten about as far as we can with the current Byzantine Title IX.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 43:33 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Core Arterial Network / Iris Avenue transportation question (wording partly garbled in transcript)
it reduces the kinetic energy in the system which calms things down and makes it safer for people trying to turn left,
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 46:20 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Absolutely, I support them. I've supported since Matt Benjamin and Rachel Friend brought it forward
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 51:45 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Open space budget priorities question (wording partly garbled in transcript)
we need to look at what the different demands are and go through a prioritization process.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 54:46 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Infrastructure bond / oversight question (wording partly garbled in transcript)
Before implementation, we need a performance auditor. We need to have updated assessments. We need to have cost alternatives and ROI analysis.
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Transcript note: No name cue; her later auditor answer refers back to 'my last answer'.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 57:39 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I'm a huge fan of trying to come up with some type of capital infrastructure oversight committee.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:00:16 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
A citizen group has developed a proposal for the city to hire a performance auditor, different from a financial auditor, and to fund a small department to support that auditor; this auditor would report to city council, with an audit committee in the 2027 budget. Do you support this or think it is necessary?
it's not only going to help us evaluate whether our programs are efficiently achieving goals
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:02:34 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
the good news is that the city actually hired a performance auditor a few months ago,
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Transcript note: Speaker references council financial strategies committee; sequence-based.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:04:28 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I would also recommend a director of research and evaluation,
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:05:19 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
what you'd want to be able to create is an audit committee
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:09:09 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Wildfire question: mandatory home-hardening/defensible-space compliance and how to fund it (wording partly garbled in transcript)
Yeah, I support mandatory compliance.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:11:07 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I would also add having a requirement for the rental property permit, also having to have a detailed home assessment.
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Transcript note: Sequence + renter perspective; no spoken name.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:13:52 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We need to do it through regulation.
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:16:18 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I'm in support of it. I'm a co-author of the plan.
Transcript note: Co-author of the Fire Adapted Boulder plan.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:19:00 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We have a climate tax, and that climate tax currently allocates about $1.5 million for wildfire remediation
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:19:20 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
We need extensive public outreach on this.
Speaker identified from speaking order; the moderator did not name them.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:21:53 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
Given the strong city manager / weak mayor structure of our city's government, how would you approach your role as mayor to set the council's overall objectives?
I would recommend that we move to a quarterly and have specific milestones and reporting
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:23:34 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
we must demand a governing vision and we must measure against that governing vision again and again.
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:25:00 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)
I worked closely with all of our colleagues to shape a vision for where our community can go
Quoted from an automatic transcript. Check the recording. Watch at 1:25:44 · City of Boulder Colorado Candidate-Forum - 090226 (greenlight studios, YouTube)