NEWS
BALLOT BREAKDOWN An analysis of the winners, losers and what it all means for Boulder County BY KAYLEE HARTER AND SHAY CASTLE
female renter on the outgoing council (Junie Joseph) and there will be one Black, female renter on this one (Taishya Adams). Three other renters ran this time (Silas Atkins, Aaron Neyer and Jacques Decalo) finishing in the last three spots (in that order). Here are other key takeaways from races around the county:
BOULDER HEARTS TAXES
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allots are in and (unofficial) results are out. Last week’s local elections were notable in many ways, not least of which was Boulder’s first use of ranked choice voting (RCV) to pick a mayor. In his concession newsletter, Bob Yates credited the voting method with his loss to incumbent mayor Aaron Brockett: “An overwhelming number of Nicole [Speer]’s voters appear to have selected Aaron as their second preference,” he wrote, giving Brockett 5,233 votes and the win. That’s how this form of RCV works: All the ballots are counted, and the candidate(s) with the fewest first-place votes are eliminated. But those ballots aren’t done like they would be in a traditional contest. Voters whose first-pick candidate was eliminated get their second-choice vote reallocated to the remaining candidates (if their second preference is still in the race). It’s meant to prevent people from winning without a majority of the vote (as happens in a winner-take-all system) and to elect more widely popular, less-partisan candidates. Yates actually helped usher RCV into Boulder. He was the deciding vote
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in placing the measure on the ballot in 2020; 78% of voters supported it. Proponents would like to see ranked choice used to elect the full council, possibly giving a boost to independent candidates. Along with the pending move to even-year elections, the legislative majority maintained by progressives could further solidify in the future. For the past two elections, late voters have created a progressive surge, stripping the typically more conservative candidates of early leads. Last time, it was Michael Christy settling into fifth place and Tara Winer barely eking out a win; this time, Terri Brncic fell behind Taishya Adams and Ryan Schuchard. And although two candidates endorsed by political group PLANBoulder were elected (Winer and Tina Marquis) they were the most moderate of the bunch when it comes to housing and development generally. That’s a major change for a town so long dominated by the slow-growth focused PLAN, once a powerhouse. The demographic makeup of Boulder’s elected officials isn’t changing. In an otherwise all white, homeowning group, there is one Black,
Boulder and Boulder County voters continued their decade-long streak of passing every local tax on the ballot. All three measures — 1A, a county sales tax extension to purchase more county open space; 1B, a sales tax extension to fund affordable housing; and 2A, a City of Boulder sales tax extension that dedicates half the revenue to arts and culture — passed handily. The success of 1B is notable because the last local tax voters turned down was for affordable housing, way back in 2009. “We are so thrilled that the voters have shown support for a positive solution to our housing crisis,” wrote Annmarie Jensen, leader of the East County Housing Coalition, in a statement celebrating the win. Boulder will be impacted by 2A’s victory since the tax reduces the City’s general fund, where there’s more flexibility for spending decisions, by roughly $3.6 million each year. That leaves approximately $500,000 total to add ongoing programs or services over the next five years. The City is working on a statement, spokesperson Shannon Aulabaugh wrote in response to emailed questions, and City Manager Nuria RiveraVandermyde is planning to address the passage of 2A and 302, Safe Zones for Kids, at the Nov. 16 City Council meeting. “We are actively working on incorporating the implications of the ballot item into our operations protocols,” Aulabaugh wrote of Safe Zones, which prioritizes removal of encampments near schools, paths and sidewalks. “We should have any changes ready in the near term, as the language in the ballot measure closely aligns with current practices.”
LONGMONT HATES TAXES
Longmont had three measures on the ballot that increased sales and property taxes to fund public amenities: one for a new library, one for a new arts center and another for recreation centers and 100 units of affordable housing. (You can read more about each of those issues in our Vote Guide.) Voters rejected all three — and it wasn’t even close. As of Nov. 13, all three measures were turned down by about 65% to 68% of voters. Council members acknowledged in meetings leading up to the election that the timing was less than ideal for higher taxes because of anxieties around the rising cost of living and a perceived economic downturn. Ahead of the election, the Longmont Chamber of Commerce opposed all three measures, citing difficult timing despite “very positive” potential community and economic impacts. “We have heard from many of our businesses that now is a difficult time to further increase costs,” the group’s Oct. 12 statement read. Councilmember Marcia Martin attributes the sweeping refusal, in part, to anti-growth sentiments in the city. “It’s pretty much one big package where everybody’s mad, everybody’s nostalgic for the Longmont of 1980, and ‘we don’t need no stinking public amenities,’” Martin says, pointing to controversy around new developments, including Bohn Farm and Kanemoto Estates, as evidence. For Martin, the votes signal that Longmont’s elected officials likely need to focus on core needs — affordable housing, code changes for attainable housing and improving traffic safety — rather than adding amenities. “The council, which is still a progressive council overall, is going to have to commit to the core infrastructure needs of Longmont in terms of building affordable housing and doing the necessary infrastructure work that we just have to do to keep the city economically viable,” she says.
HOME RULE RULES IN ERIE, SUPERIOR
Two Boulder County towns took steps to govern themselves as home rule BOULDER WEEKLY
