Thread by @shayshinecastle

Hey, ya'll. Taking a break from my vacay to live-tweet tonight's Raucous Caucus at the #Boulder Elk's Lounge.

I have graciously been lent a computer for the night since mine crapped out this morning. If you've got a spare, lmk.

It is, in fact, raucous around here. Lots of noise, dozens of people. And a 5-min delay.

But we're getting started now-ish.

Candidates heading to the stage. Not sure how many or who is here; a list is coming shortly, I've been told.

10 candidates have been seated, including current city council member Aaron Brockett. Bob Yates and Cindy Carlisle, also up for re-election, are not here.

If you want pics, follow @CassaMN's feed. I'm still too in vacay mode to get out of my chair and take photos. Tweets are all you get tonight.

KC Becker is here, and Jonathan Singer has promised an appearance as well.

Our candidates tonight: Junie Joseph is participating remotely. Sarah Dawn Hayes, Rachel Friend, Paul Cure, Matt Benjamin, Mark Wallach, Adam Swetlik, Aaron Brockett, Benita Curan, Gala Orba and Mark McIntyre.

Boulder Progressive's Masyn Moyer is moderating. "Tonight is a conversation. Tonight is about you looking at these 11 ppl, getting to know them. I know everybody wants a deep dive; that's not going to happen tonight."

Doing a brief into to Boulder Progressives. Born out of discontent with national and local politics who asked themselves, "What can we do?"

Moyer to the audience: "You guys are the most important ppl here tonight. If you don't show up; if you don't spread the news like your hair is on fire... our town gets lost. It doesn't matter if we don't agree. We need to have civil debate."

"We have 19 weeks and 2 days" to the election, Moyer says. "No pressure."

There is a gong. Candidates will be gong-ed if they go over time. Big fan of the gong.

Adam Swetlik, former PLAN board member, is the first to do an intro. Ran for city council 2 yrs ago. Current Housing Advisory Board member. "I'm excited to do the best I can for the people of Boulder."

"My big thing is housing in Boulder. There are a lot of issues, but housing is the top, the key, the one that needs to be addressed. My view is now housing is a really great investment vehicle for ppl who want to make a passive income."

That hurts working ppl, ppl trying to age in place, etc.

Aaron Brockett up next. Local resident, small biz owner, current city council member. This is his official re-election announcement.

Things he's most proud of during his time on council: ADU regulations, co-op ordinance, improving to work cycling and transit infrastructure, and a focus on safety with Vision Zero, assault weapons ban.

One thing I've worked hard on but we haven't succeeded is CU South flood mitigation. Pledges to work "very hard" on that.

"The answer to our problems is not saying no," but to come up with "innovative solutions."

Benita Duran, a fifth-generation Coloradan. "This is why the whole issue of place-making is such a part of my life, the work that I've done throughout my professional career."

Current BCH board member, just finished a stint on the Boulder Shelter board, YWCA, Attention Homes, etc. "Always, always, it's been important to me to give back and engage with community."

Duran is the first to run out of time. But no gong! What gives.

Gala Orba, a dancer, yogi, acrobat, actuarial scientist, life coach. Former teacher at Watershed, Boulder High, Temple Grandin. "I intend to run on a single-use plastics ban. If we can't do a ban in Boulder, I'll fight at the state level."

Also interested in helping women and PoC start businesses. And a "huge supporter" of the arts.

Mark McIntyre, a 42-yr resident. Also ran in 2017 for city council; serves on Transportation Advisory Board. "I've had a lifelong interest in equity, justice, democracy and the environment."

How we vote, who we vote for, housing, transportation... are all affected by those things. "I'm a product of privilege; it's time to serve."

"I have thoughts and beliefs and feelings that I think will continue to make Boulder a great place. The key is: What can we say yes to?"

Mark Wallach: "We have a consensus in Boulder. Everybody agrees we need more affordable housing. And we do. We need more creative solutions to start building more affordable housing. Gov't use to do it until the Reagan admin began cutting."

Boulder needs to step up in the absence of the federal gov't. Mentions land banking, joint ventures with developers.

Also open space.

Hey Boulder Progressives ppl reading this: Don't forget to get an attendance count. Count it thrice. Please and thank you.

Matt Benjamin, an astrophysicist. "We're losing touch of evidence-based decision making... and what experts bring to the table. How are we going to restore faith in gov't to take expertise and evidence .... to make the best decisions, the most informed decisions?"

On affordable housing: "We can be bold without being extreme."

Paul Cure, previous owner of Cure Organic Farm, up now. "For the past two years I've been talking to as many Boulderites as possible" through Dairy Center "We need to talk" program. "What was really at forefront of ppl's minds was old Boulder vs. new Boulder."

"I've seen what needs to be preserved and also what needs to change."

"Are we willing to take the risk in order to reap the reward?" That will be "our identity: What we did when we had these decisions to make."

Junie Joesph, remotely introducing herself. Law student at CU and former U.N. worker. Running on behalf of working-class women and students. "I'm running to bring social justice to the council."

Couldn't get housing when she first moved to Boulder. That experience "pushes me to find out what is going on this community that makes it so hard to get housing. It's unacceptable; we have to do better."

This event is being Facebook live-d. And now we know why Bob Yates isn't here: He's somewhere they don't have cell service, Moyer says.

Rachel Friend. "Our main goal needs to be to represent you all. That means we need to listen." Asks for a show of hands on who is participating for the first time in a city council event. A half dozen or so. Go you!

"That's the whole reason we're doing events like this," Moyer says. "We have ppl who are super entrenched in politics here."

Friend asks for renters. Maybe 20% or so? Non-car commuters: A third or so?

"Anyone pissed off or personally at risk bc PoC are profiled? Anyone worried about ppl experiencing homelessness? Who believes that Boulder's best years are out in front of us?"

SarahDawn Haynes. "I'm a Colorado kid. I grew up raised by old ranchers, cowboys and hippies." Worked full-time to get through school. "I waited all the tables."

Works CU's environmental center. "I don't believe we need to close the doors to CO, but we need to encourage and educate ppl to participate beyond consumption."

Lots of ppl leaving, for some reason... ?

Qs from Moyer first. They were solicited from the community.
Tell us about a neighborhood other than your own that you view positively. What makes it a good neighborhood, and what would make it better.

McIntyre and Brockett field this one.

McIntyre: I've lived in just about every neighborhood.
Moyer butts in: You're fired. Tell me one. We're not up here for platitudes.
McIntyre: Goss Grove, for walkability. Walkability and cycle-ability is the key to having neighborhoods that work for ppl.

"Car-based neighborhoods don't work now and are really going to suck in the future."

Brockett: Newlands, north of downtown, west of Broadway. Bc it's walkable, near downtown, has great transit access, has mix of densities and great community feel. It feels very functional.

Next q: Other than SF homes, what housing options would you consider providing to young families, downsizing seniors. And where?

Cure and Swetlik up.
Cure: I'm a renter and father of two young girls. Mentions ADUs and then goes a bit into some political speak. Cut him off, Masyn!

Swetlik: All that gets built in Boulder is luxury condos and giant single-family homes. Until we fix the system in general, nothing is going to change. Talking about where to build something... it's all after-the-fact.

I think there are "a few unique things" we could do. ADUs were "reasonable;" tiny homes might be good.

Moyer pushes back a bit. Where would you build?
Swetlik: We can ask corporations that bring ppl to town actually pay enough. Living wage, rent control. "Hoping we get a council that will be aggressive on housing issues not just here but at the state level."

Next q: What changes would you support to reduce Boulder's per-capita carbon footprint? Wallach and Haynes on this.

Wallach: City is spending a lot of time, energy and money to develop municipal utility. That will get us to 100% renewable energy faster than anything from Xcel. Wants all new construction to be net zero.

"Change in transportation patterns will help. I believe there are places in town that are perfectly amenable to 55-ft height limit, but I wouldn't do that everywhere. What we don't need in town is more Peletons."

Haynes: We can build better. (Rambling a bit, so Moyer calls her out.)
It's building better buildings. We're using less energy with new buildings. The greenest building is the one you don't build, but we have better technology.

Also transportation. "We need to be real about entitlements we are taking and the cost of our choices."

Qs from the press now: Co-ops, what do you think of them?
Joseph and Duran taking this.

Duran: A bit of rambling about the Daily Camera that is leaving me confused. I thought the q was about co-ops..?

Joesph: Housing is a human rights issue. We have to use every tool in our toolbox to ensure everybody has housing. Co-ops fill in a gap in our community.

Next q: Would you have done a home size limit? Why or why not?

Friend and Orba get this one.

Friend: I might have advocated for that. I think it gets to how do we want to use our land and move forward with goals of affordable housing. It's important to tether those ideas.

Orba: Yes. I believe if you want to build big, you should be made to do a carbon offset for your house. There's a carbon market already; I would tap into that.

What kind of development do you focus at Alpine-Balsam? Mix of housing vs. city/county offices? Wallach and McIntyre (the Marks) get this one.

McIntrye: Housing, yes, and pretty darn dense housing.

Much cheering from the audience to McIntyre's comments. "We have an urgent housing need and AB is a community asset that needs to respond to that urgent housing need."

Wallach: It's unclear to me what the city's financial objective is in developing. They bought it for $41M. Are they contributing $41M? If so, you can build affordable housing. If they want to get $41M back, they're going to get market-rate housing.

"We don't have a housing shortage in Boulder; we have an affordable housing shortage."
Applause and then heckling from the audience: "60,000 in-commuters!!!"

Other than flood mitigation, is a partnership with CU and the city important, and what projects should they be working on?

Friend and Cure.
Friend: I'm devastated the words flood mitigation are in my q and I'm not supposed to speak to that. CU is the heartbeat of Boulder and why we are Boulder, so yes, that relationship is important.

"We are not showing CU due respect right now with flood mitigation. We could be better allies. I'm sure there's 1,000 things we should be working with them, but I don't think it's up to me to say. I don't have any great ideas."

Cure: Student housing. Lives by the Hill neighborhood. "What rights do citizens of Boulder have?"

Some qs from Attention Homes clients: How would you address youth homelessness in Boulder?
Haynes and Orba taking.

Haynes: Being a kid who grew up with a working mom who sold blood to feed us, I remember sitting in social services line for food stamps. There's a lot of LGBTQ kids who are homeless. Keeping them in school is critical. Also just basic needs.

Mental health support, education, food, clothing, transportation support.

"I don't have an answer for this, bc it really does need to come from the ppl who are living it and working on the front lines with this youth." But city can empower them with a budget.

Orba: I've worked with a lot of teenagers and I know how to reach them. I'd give every single one of them an EcoPass, first and foremost. I'd ask the community to step up for mentorship.

Lightning Round!!

Do you think Boulder has safe options for walking and biking to most destinations: Only 2 nos, from Haynes and Duran.
Is Boulder at or approaching its max population? Yes from McIntyre and Wallach.

Should Boulder seek to limit job growth? Yes from Swetlik.

Do you personally know at least 5 neighbors within a block of your home? Yes from everybody.
Do you support Boulder's muni? Nos from McIntyre, Benjamin and someone else I couldn't see.

Do you believe in dense urban development as a way to limit climate change? No from Swetlik and Wallach.

Is developer a dirty word. No from everybody.
Are climate goals important enough to pursue in the face of opposition? Yes from everbody.

Other than open space, have you used a city service or facility in the last 2 weeks? Yes from everybody.
Should Boulder allow fourplexes in SF zones? No from Swetlik and Wallach.

Should Boulder reduce parking minimums or increase parking costs? Yes from everybody
Renters or common walls (condos, etc.) Nos from McIntyre, Wallach and Duran

Correx to earlier tweet: Brockett did NOT answer the fourplex question.

What roles do walking/biking/bus service play in reducing traffic in Boulder?
Brockett and Joseph taking this.

Joseph: What types of structures are we creating around Boulder to give ppl the ability to walk? How do we build better roads? How do employers make bikes more accessible? We can't just say ppl need to walk and bike; we have to provide them opportunities.

Brockett: We've got to finish gaps in the sidewalks, walk and bike networks, make our roads safer. We've got to do better on transit.

What can we do to promote racial and economic diversity?
Cure: I think he's saying we need representation in leadership. "A lot of times it's sitting back and listening and not be determined to force communication on ppl."
How about housing, an audience member shouts out?

Swetlik: We can add it through affordable housing program. We can make that a factor, and we can make it happen. On the economic side, look at the ppl who are trying to profit the most from our community and start taxing them.

Q from Cassa: Do you support muni? Why or why not?
Benjamin: There is a cost to being green, and it can be too great. Has not supported muni in the past, bc economy is pushing every utility to green up.

"Is that hundreds of millions of $$ we can spend on homelessness, getting cars off the road? These are the decisions we get to weigh."

I'm having trouble following Haynes answer, but I think she's supporting it...? "This is the way forward."

How do mobile homes fit into affordable housing?
Wallach and Friend.

Friend: Ppl in mobile homes are not given due respect. We need to support the housing that is in place and come together. As community leaders, we also need to show up and be present.

Wallach: City has done good things to protect mobile homes by zoning for them. Also could do rent control if we ever get to that point locally.

"Thing I want to see least is large investment funds coming in and buying them."

What remedies if any do you have for Boulder's at-large council election system?
McIntyre: I would advocate strongly for a ward or district-based system, with some at-large seats, would enlarge council, pay council a living wage and advocate for rank-choice voting.

Duran: This issue gets at social justice, economic justice, economic diversity. It really does stop the engagement, deter the engagement, squash the engagement of PoC. Districting would make complete sense.

Last q of the night to Joseph and Orba: How would you accomplish flood mitigation for South Boulder?

"If we need to redesign, that's what we need to do. We need to up it in priority. I would consult with the best minds and make sure it happened."
Moyer: Are you familiar with options on the table?
Orba: I'm not.

Joseph: Flood mitigation is about protecting human life. CU students need housing. So there is a lot of components to this issue. There's a disconnect in city council; members aren't taking account of ppl's voice and are leaving out the most important stakeholder.

That's a wrap for tonight. Thanks to everyone for following along; I'm not sure I captured everything, but there's some good stuff in there.

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!