{"id":8089,"date":"2011-09-20T21:59:22","date_gmt":"2011-09-21T03:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=8089"},"modified":"2011-11-18T12:18:07","modified_gmt":"2011-11-18T19:18:07","slug":"the-second-2011-plan-boulder-council-candidate-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=8089","title":{"rendered":"The Second 2011 PLAN-Boulder Council Candidate Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

(l-r) Mark Gelband, George Karakehian, Suzanne Jones, Tom Johnston<\/p><\/div>\n

The second PLAN-Boulder County forum for City Council candidates (September 16, 2011) featured Mark Gelband, incumbent George Karakehian, Suzanne Jones, and Tom Johnston squaring off over municipalization and affordable housing, among other issues, before a packed audience at the Boulder Public Library.\u00a0 Moderator David Grimm, former CIO for the City of Boulder, kicked off the discussion by giving each candidate 90 seconds for an introduction.<\/p>\n

\"Moderator<\/a>

Moderator David Grimm (all photos by Zane Selvans)<\/p><\/div>\n

Mark Gelband<\/strong> said Boulder needs a new voice on council.\u00a0 He described himself as an environmentalist who eats organic vegetables and produces his own energy with solar panels on his roof, but he sees a chasm between the leadership in the city and the economic needs of many Boulder residents, such as young families and those on fixed incomes.\u00a0 He said he wants to support entrepreneurs who understand that being green and growing a business can go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n

George Karakehian<\/strong> said that when he was first running for council in 2009, he campaigned on the platform of getting the city on a new course.\u00a0 The city has made progress since then, he said, but there\u2019s more to do.\u00a0 His priorities are promoting good jobs, improving the transportation infrastructure, keeping city finances on track, promoting economic vitality, and seeing that city taxes are well spent.\u00a0 He emphasized keeping jobs and shopping dollars in Boulder, and being friendly to both the environment and business.<\/p>\n

Suzanne Jones<\/strong> said she\u2019s running for council because she loves Boulder.\u00a0 She cited open space, the Pearl Street Mall, and the bicycle transportation network as things she loves and the kinds of policies she wants to further.\u00a0 She spoke of her 20 years of public policy experience, locally on the Environmental Affairs Board and on the city\u2019s Blue Ribbon Commission, and as regional director of the Wilderness Society.\u00a0 She promised to find solutions that work \u201con the ground\u201d for issues like land use and energy.<\/p>\n

Tom Johnston<\/strong> said he\u2019s retired, will be 73 years old by election day, and has lived in Boulder for 53 years.\u00a0 He was on the YMCA board for nine years, and was active with the Jaycees and Scouts.\u00a0 He feels it\u2019s time for less government, and listed flashing crosswalks and traffic circles as examples of places where the city has overreached.\u00a0 He is particularly concerned about the city\u2019s request for $49 million in bonding authority to address deferred maintenance, asking rhetorically whether this indicates mis-management of city finances.\u00a0 He said council should focus on city issues.<\/p>\n

David Grimm<\/strong> then asked the candidates a series of questions.<\/p>\n

What is the most important city issue today, other than municipalization, and why?<\/h2>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: The biggest environmental issue is the 60,000 single-occupancy vehicles per day on US 36.\u00a0 We should look at how city policies have created that problem, and how changing them can help solve it.\u00a0 In-commuting and affordable housing go hand-in-hand, and the way to meet demand for affordable housing is by increasing the supply of housing.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: Economic vitality is paramount.\u00a0 The city has bucked the economic trends so far, but it runs on sales tax to fund transportation, parks, and so on, and I\u2019m the one to have on council to protect the revenue stream.\u00a0 We also need to be sure to retain the jobs at the federal labs and good relations with CU.<\/p>\n

\"Candidate<\/a>

Candidate Suzanne Jones<\/p><\/div>\n

Jones<\/strong>: I agree with the previous two, but municipalization really is the biggest issue.\u00a0 Energy — where we get it and how we use it — is the critical factor for the economy and the planet.\u00a0 Boulder is at a historic junction; it\u2019s an opportunity for the city to set itself up for the future by unleashing innovation, growing technological know-how in the city, and set an example for others.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: Municipalization is the right idea at the wrong time.\u00a0 Most of all it\u2019s an economic concern: why are we risking millions of dollars when the city needs it elsewhere, such as for affordable housing?\u00a0 Jobs and affordable shopping (and the loss of revenue to big-box stores like Costco outside of Boulder) are other \u201cspokes in the wheel\u201d to be considered in conjunction with affordable housing.<\/p>\n

What are the next steps for the city regarding reducing carbon emissions?<\/h2>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: For the next five years, our hands will be full with municipalization if 2B\/2C pass.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to work to get people off the grid first, and then see how things look.\u00a0 Programs available through the county and Xcel can help with that.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: We should reduce our energy usage, and look at where it\u2019s coming from.\u00a0 We should address emissions from transportation, including exploring a community-wide Eco Pass.\u00a0 Solar gardens are another good option.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get creative; businesses are out there looking to unleash new ideas.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: 60,000 single-occupancy vehicle trips a day on one highway is crazy.\u00a0 We should correct the transportation system, getting people to walk and bike and take cars off the road.\u00a0 With enough rooftop solar, maybe we wouldn\u2019t need a grid.\u00a0 Are we buying a dinosaur?<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: How many people in this room have gotten a HERS rating on their houses?\u00a0 [Not many hands up.]\u00a0 How many people buy 100% Windsource power?\u00a0 [Lots of hands up.]\u00a0 How many people\u2019s houses are completely net-producing to the grid?\u00a0 [Few hands up.]\u00a0 The first step happens at home.\u00a0 Go home and do these things: improve your own life, walk your talk.\u00a0 Before asking the city to spend $300-600 million, consider what you\u2019re doing on your own.<\/p>\n

Do you advocate a commercial energy conservation ordinance?<\/h2>\n

Jones<\/strong>: Yes.\u00a0 This is pivotal; everyone should do their part to save energy.\u00a0 First we should address commercial buildings in a way that minimizes the burden but creates strong incentives, and follow up with regulations.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: I\u2019m for less government.\u00a0 Government shouldn\u2019t be legislating to individuals — individuals can do the right thing on their own, as Mark has just shown.\u00a0 You can\u2019t even cut down a tree in this city without calling a certified arborist!<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: The city talks out of both sides of its mouth on this issue.\u00a0 Additional regulation of commercial buildings would hurt those least able to afford it.\u00a0 When I was a landlord, I passed additional cost on to my tenants, and the same would happen here.<\/p>\n

\"Incumbent<\/a>

Candidate George Karakehian<\/p><\/div>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: When SmartRegs came before council, I was worried.\u00a0 The votes for it were there, so my job was to get it to the place where it was negotiated with the landlords and BARHA, not forced.\u00a0 We extended the time period for compliance, and we did a review of the cost for owners and it was reasonable.\u00a0 As a result there have been few complaints.\u00a0 I\u2019d approach the commercial side the same way.\u00a0 And I\u2019d also work to address owner-occupied residential buildings.<\/p>\n

Identify one successful development in Boulder, and one unsuccessful development, and explain your thoughts.<\/h2>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: Valmont Park, with the new bike park and dog area, has been a shining star.\u00a0 The only downside is the old egg farm building — it\u2019s nice it\u2019s being reused, but it\u2019s an eyesore.\u00a0 The RTD FasTracks project has been a fiasco.<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: The Holiday neighborhood has been a success: it has a mix of housing, it\u2019s relatively affordable, walkable, a place for young families.\u00a0 But people are concerned about the amount of permanently affordable housing there, which reduces the number of market-rate units.\u00a0 An unsuccessful project is Two Nine North on 30th Street.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing interesting, pleasing, or valuable about it.\u00a0 The Twenty Ninth Street Mall is unsuccessful.\u00a0 The transit village, with the depot placed where the train can\u2019t get to it, is looking unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: Speaking of the depot, I moved it the first time with the Jaycees, when the city was planning to tear it down.\u00a0 How things have changed!\u00a0 But getting to the question, the Peloton is a poster child of bad development, and it hasn\u2019t been very financially successful, to boot.\u00a0 Red Oak Park and the west end of Pearl Street are examples of good development: they\u2019re walkable and fit in well.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: I agree with most of those.\u00a0 Holiday is a shining example of mixed use.\u00a0 It\u2019s a place you want to go to, with community parks and gardens, on mass transit.\u00a0 Red Oak Park is also great.\u00a0 The Peloton is too big and seems plopped in the middle of nowhere.\u00a0 For better development in the future, we should look at micro-zoning for mobile home parks, and allowing more ADUs as a way to keep the feel of neighborhoods but add housing.<\/p>\n

What is the best use for the Area III Planning Reserve?<\/h2>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know the best use, but it should be some sort of commercial use, and also a place my 75-year-old father could walk.\u00a0 It should be open to development.\u00a0 Another big-box store would be good.\u00a0 I can\u2019t buy underwear for my kids at Nordstrom\u2019s; I go to Target.\u00a0 Another big-box to compete with Target would help working people.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know the best use either.\u00a0 The area is unique and provides an opportunity available nowhere else in the community.\u00a0 It\u2019s the last piece of Boulder\u2019s puzzle, so any use would have to rise to the top.\u00a0 If Naropa really were going to leave Boulder for want of space, that would qualify.\u00a0 Naropa is part of Boulder\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: The best use is as a reserve, left to those who come after us to develop if necessary.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We should focus on infill opportunities first, before opening Area III.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: It\u2019s time to sell our open space land in Jefferson County so we can afford to buy a reserve.<\/p>\n

What is the ideal population for Boulder?<\/h2>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: The population feels pretty good right now.\u00a0 When I moved to Boulder in the \u201870s from Fort Collins for a girl (who\u2019s now my wife), I frankly didn\u2019t care for it.\u00a0 But I love Boulder for what it is now.\u00a0 I love the parks and the open space, and I brag about the place, so we don\u2019t need to be changing it much.\u00a0 We are who we are; we should have nice quiet growth.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: We\u2019re a great city, with strongly held values, and we\u2019ve gotten a lot of things right.\u00a0 We\u2019re a good size, and increases should be modest, along transit corridors.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: The perfect population is 100,001, because more federal funds are available for cities over 100,000.\u00a0 More growth will come, but we have a nice community — we\u2019ve done it right, so why mess it up?<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: I love Boulder with its open space and as a place where you can walk or bike to work.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know the ideal population, but the current jobs-housing balance is a problem.\u00a0 Florence, Italy is one of the most beautiful places in the world; it has the same geographic area as Boulder, but the population is 400,000.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want 400,000 people here, but the pressure will be for more density.<\/p>\n

How should our affordable housing program be changed, and why?<\/h2>\n

Jones<\/strong>: Our goal is for 10% of the housing stock to be permanently affordable, and we\u2019re currently at 6%.\u00a0 We won\u2019t solve the problem, but we need to keep chipping away at it.\u00a0 The inclusionary zoning program needs more funding to be able to do more, and we should also loosen the zoning for ADUs and OAUs.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: Using \u201cBoulder\u201d and \u201caffordable housing\u201d in one sentence is a paradox.\u00a0 We need to look beyond just affordable housing to also providing jobs and affordable shopping — a whole program.\u00a0 Maybe instead of seven sister cities, Boulder should have two sister cities and some sister neighborhoods, inside the city.<\/p>\n

\"Candidate<\/a>

Candidate Mark Gelband<\/p><\/div>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: The city speaks out of both sides of its mouth on this.\u00a0 We want affordable housing, but we just passed the compatible development rules that reduce the ability for people to create ADUs and OAUs.\u00a0 My family would love to build a carriage house for the woman who provides us child care, but the rules prevent it.\u00a0 The city downzoned Whittier and we\u2019re about to downzone Goss-Grove, despite that these neighborhoods have the opportunity to provide affordable family housing.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: I championed the affordable housing task force to look at this.\u00a0 New taxes for affordable housing won\u2019t fly, so we need to look at public-private partnerships and provide incentives.\u00a0 Allowing more ADUs and OAUs is also a good idea.\u00a0 And why are we putting affordable housing on the most expensive corner in Boulder Junction?\u00a0 We could provide more housing if we put it in lower-cost places.<\/p>\n

How would you like Boulder to be different in 30 years?<\/h2>\n
\"Candidate<\/a>

Candidate Tom Johnston<\/p><\/div>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: At 73 years old, projecting 30 years into the future is hard!\u00a0 The city is a wonderful place to live, but it should be more responsible to its commitments, like providing promised parks in Table Mesa and by the Elks Lodge.\u00a0 We have $170 million in deferred maintenance; we should show fiscal responsibility and take hold of our financial problems.<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: First, I\u2019d like to see a greater diversity of voices representing the community, in the geographic sense and in perspective — a mobile home resident, for example. \u00a0Second, we should get beyond our false dichotomy between the environment and the economy.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: I\u2019d like to see better transportation infrastructure, because that 60,000 trips on US 36 we\u2019ve been talking about will only increase.\u00a0 I\u2019m on a county master plan task force for transportation to address this and keep us from becoming a gridlocked city.\u00a0 We need to create walkable neighborhoods and add development on transit routes.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: I\u2019d like more of the same, but even better: more bikes, more walking, bus rapid transit, fewer cars (and I want those to be hybrids!).\u00a0 I want a cutting-edge energy system that can be a model for the nation; a vibrant university and government labs; a diversity of people and economic levels.\u00a0 I want to have met our zero-waste goals and our Kyoto goals, and I want us to be an incubator for businesses.\u00a0 And I want us to part of a vibrant region, beyond just Boulder.<\/p>\n

At the end there was time for just a few questions from the audience.<\/p>\n

\"Another<\/a>What is your position on ballot items 2B and 2C?<\/h2>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: I\u2019m unequivocally not supporting them.\u00a0 It\u2019s not prudent to spend $300 million to $600 million on lines and poles, and not get one kilowatt of renewable energy out of it.\u00a0 There are no limits on the bonding amount, it will double the utility tax, and we\u2019ll litigate it for five years.\u00a0 Put solar on roofs, and even in my backyard, instead.<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: I have concerns about getting into a five-year battle during which we won\u2019t do anything to green our power supply.\u00a0 Let\u2019s work to get people off the grid, before buying the grid.\u00a0 CU is talking about getting off the utility accounts, and it\u2019s 5-10% of the city\u2019s use.\u00a0 In other words, the utility\u2019s biggest rate-payer could go away, which would be devastating.\u00a0 There are good off-ramps, but we\u2019ll spend $10 million and not green our energy supply at all.\u00a0 The city shouldn\u2019t be in the risk business!<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: I\u2019m enthusiastically voting for it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see it as locking us into a path, but as opening a door.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get a ruling early on from FERC regarding costs, so the risk is low.\u00a0 The occupation tax increase is modest, about $1\/month.\u00a0 If the items pass, we\u2019ll have more options and better negotiating power, and Xcel can always come back with a better offer, or we could take a hybrid approach.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: I\u2019ll vote no.\u00a0 Every tax is modest until you add them all together, and we only get 45 cents back on a dollar of tax investment.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the time to invest in something so uncertain.<\/p>\n

Who are your political heroes?<\/h2>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: Tom Eldridge.\u00a0 Tom was the person who affected me the most politically, he was great for Boulder, and he was my best friend.<\/p>\n

Jones<\/strong>: Will Toor.\u00a0 He has a great mind, a willingness to hear people out, and he\u2019s always looking for good solutions.\u00a0 He\u2019s truly of this city.<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: Barry Goldwater.\u00a0 I\u2019m a political conservative, a registered Republican.\u00a0 In 1964, I was told if I voted for Goldwater, we\u2019d be at war within six months.\u00a0 I did, and we were.\u00a0 Locally, if there\u2019s any politician I admire, it\u2019s Bob Greenlee.<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: Bill Clinton.\u00a0 During his administration, the country was prospering, and Clinton knew how to bring people together.\u00a0 He had challenges in his personal life, but it was a hopeful time.\u00a0 That works for me: I\u2019m a hopeful person, I was born an optimist, I love life.<\/p>\n

Please express your political philosophy in a bumper sticker.<\/h2>\n

Jones<\/strong>: A mix of \u201cWork hard and do good things\u201d and \u201cWork hard, play hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnston<\/strong>: \u201cLess government, more responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gelband<\/strong>: \u201cTrust people to do good things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karakehian<\/strong>: \u201cTwo more years!\u201d\u00a0 More seriously, \u201cCommon sense in government.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final PLAN-Boulder County candidate forum will be held at noon on Friday, September 23rd in the main library\u2019s Boulder Creek Room.\u00a0 It will feature candidates Fenno Hoffman, Stephen Keenan, Dan King, and Lisa Morzel, with moderator John Tayer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The second PLAN-Boulder County forum for City Council candidates (September 16, 2011) featured Mark Gelband, incumbent George Karakehian, Suzanne Jones, and Tom Johnston squaring off over municipalization and affordable housing, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":8091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,407,497,45,404,403,162,126,405,406],"class_list":["post-8089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-city-council","tag-david-grimm","tag-election-2011","tag-energy","tag-george-karakehian","tag-mark-gelband","tag-municipalization","tag-plan-boulder","tag-suzanne-jones-2","tag-tom-johnston"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8089"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8361,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8089\/revisions\/8361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}