Effective Governance

Trust, Transparency, and Accountability

Good governance isn’t just about process; it’s about trust. It means ensuring residents know their city government is working efficiently, transparently, and responsibly to reflect their values and deliver real outcomes.

Boulder has made meaningful progress. We’ve strengthened long-range planning, equity in decision-making, and public engagement on major initiatives like the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, transportation projects, and the updated Homelessness Strategy. And our dedicated city staff continue to deliver high-quality services, even with stretched resources.

But we still have work to do. Our planning and permitting systems remain too complex. Our budgeting doesn’t always show whether we’re getting results. And while we excel at collecting community feedback, we often fall short in closing the loop and showing how input influences decisions.

To move forward, Boulder must embrace outcome-based governance. That means setting clear goals, tying budgets to measurable impacts, and reporting progress with transparency and accountability.

TL;DR

✅ Outcome-Based Budgets

Budgets should reflect real impact—not just line items

🧾 Modernize city codes

Simplify permitting and remove outdated rules

📊 Share progress clearly

Expand dashboards + real-time reporting for public trust and better transparency

🔍 Evaluate capital projects often

Monitor and adapt capital plans to meet evolving needs

🤝 Partner regionally

Coordinate with the county, RTD, and state for shared solutions

📣 Prioritize equity & voice

Reach underrepresented residents + close the feedback loop

Outcome-Based Budgeting

Budgeting should be about more than spreadsheets. It should be about real-world outcomes that matter to residents, like pavement quality, housing production, and reduced homelessness.

How I'm Working On It:

Advocating for citywide adoption of outcome-based budgeting practices
Supporting the alignment of all major investments with measurable community impacts
Prioritizing budget transparency so residents can track what they’re getting for their tax dollars

Streamlined and Modernized City Codes

Boulder’s city codes, especially for land use and permitting, are still too complicated. This creates delays, confusion, and cost increases for projects that align with our values.

How I'm Working On It:

Pushing to simplify and modernize planning, building, and land use codes
Advocating for clearer, more predictable processes that allow staff to apply rules consistently
Removing outdated regulations that serve as barriers to progress

Public Transparency and Data Sharing

Residents shouldn’t have to dig to find out how we’re doing. Public-facing dashboards and performance data build trust and make government more accountable.

How I'm Working On It:

Calling for expanded dashboards tracking key metrics like housing, climate, wildfire, transportation, and equity
Supporting more real-time reporting so the community can see progress and hold us accountable
Promoting open data policies and clearer communication on results

Continuous Evaluation of Capital Projects

Big capital projects must evolve with the times. We need to consistently ask whether they still serve the community’s current needs.

How I'm Working On It:

Advocating for regular reevaluation of large city projects to ensure alignment with fiscal reality
Promoting a culture of course-correction and responsiveness in long-term planning
Ensuring Council oversight includes not just approval, but ongoing monitoring

Strengthening Regional Partnerships

Boulder doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Housing, homelessness, and transportation all require regional solutions and cross-jurisdictional coordination.

How I'm Working On It:

Working with Boulder County, RTD, and neighboring cities to build shared solutions
Supporting policy alignment across jurisdictions to make our dollars go further
Advocating for stronger partnerships at the state level to address shared challenges

Equity in Governance

Equity is not just about who benefits. It’s also about who’s heard. Embedding equity into both process and outcomes helps build a government that truly serves all residents.

How I'm Working On It:

Advocating for inclusive public engagement strategies that reflect Boulder’s full diversity
Supporting new methods of outreach to reach underrepresented voices
Emphasizing “closing the loop” so residents see how their input influences decisions

Let’s Govern Like It Matters, Because It Does

Boulder deserves a government that is transparent, efficient, and deeply accountable to the people it serves. By tying our investments to outcomes, simplifying how we operate, and strengthening trust through transparency, we can build a government that works better for everyone. Let’s keep pushing for progress that is principled, pragmatic, and people-centered.