Building on our progress in a final two-year term
I’m proud of the progress we’ve made through community partnerships, voter support, and collaboration on council. If I’m reelected, I’ll keep working to make Boulder more inclusive, resilient, sustainable, and equitable.
My next term will focus on expanding housing choices, keeping wildfire preparedness a top priority, continuing our climate work, and making city government easier to work with. Equity will guide decisions across all of these priorities.
My Priorities
- Bring more affordable and attainable housing to Boulder
- Build homelessness solutions to get people off the streets and into housing
- Improve our mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Fight climate change by reducing emissions
- Prepare our community for the harms of climate inaction
- Wildfire preparedness and climate action: Keep reducing emissions and strengthen our community’s resilience, including additional wildfire-safety requirements in high-risk areas.
- A city that is easier to work with: Reduce burdensome regulations and improve permitting and other city processes.
Create a more inclusive community
More housing choices and stable homes
Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. I want Boulder to offer more types and prices of housing for people at different stages of life and income levels.
We’ve supported permanently affordable housing and expanded help for people at risk of losing their homes. The city’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Services program grew from a community ballot initiative approved by voters in 2020. It provides rental assistance, legal services, and mediation. Learn about the program.
Working with community partners, including All Roads, we’ve also expanded housing-focused support for people experiencing homelessness. The Day Services Center connects people with housing resources, case management, meals, showers, and laundry. Read about these services.
The city’s summer unsheltered count fell 48% between 2023 and 2026. This count is a snapshot of one night and does not measure everyone experiencing homelessness throughout the year. The improvement is encouraging, and the need for safe, stable housing remains. Read the city’s count results.
I’ll keep working on housing innovation and opportunities to expand the range of homes available in Boulder. More housing choices should help more people find a place here that fits their needs and circumstances.
Support our social service nonprofits.
Boulder has the good fortune to be a relatively affluent community, but our community still has many people who are in need. We should do what we can to support the nonprofits that are working hard to provide a safety net for our community. City government can take action by allocating additional funding for social service nonprofits and by focusing on policies that support the neediest among us.
Wildfire preparedness
Wildfire preparedness must remain a top priority for the city. Protecting our community means paying attention to homes and neighborhoods as well as the surrounding landscape.
I support additional wildfire-safety requirements for homes in high-risk parts of the wildland-urban interface. We need to build on the city’s existing work and keep community resilience at the center of our decisions.
The city provides maps and guidance explaining wildfire risk areas, existing requirements, and steps residents can take to reduce risk around their homes. Explore the city’s wildfire guide.
Protect and maintain the best things about Boulder
Support for culture and the arts.
Boulder has a dynamic artistic and cultural community with many extraordinary people working in all art forms. City government should support these individuals and groups by removing barriers to success and by providing funding to and strengthening our public art program. I will continue to work to include public art in new development, enable public art in spaces where it isn’t currently allowed, support our cultural institutions, and create opportunities for artists to perform and display their work in civic and public spaces.
Support our vibrant business and start-up communities.
Boulder has an active entrepreneurial spirit that encompasses many different sectors. As a city, we should encourage and build on that innovative spirit. A strong job base and economy create the revenue the city needs to fund the services that benefit us all.
Focus on management in Open Space.
Our city’s open space program is among the best in the world, a true community treasure. As the system matures, we should turn our focus from acquisition to management. We should preserve healthy ecosystems, restore damaged lands, work on our maintenance backlog, and look for targeted opportunities to add new trails and amenities.
Fight climate change at the local level
Create more 15-minute neighborhoods.
If people live and work near the services they need, they don’t have to get in their cars to meet daily and weekly needs. I advocate for creating neighborhoods that provide those services, putting housing near jobs and vice versa, and locating services near both. Boulder residents should be able to walk and bike easily and pleasantly to take care of their regular needs. We are making great strides in this area in East Boulder and in Boulder Junction, and we need to continue that work.
Promote alternative transportation.
Boulder has great facilities for biking, walking, and taking transit. We should build on our successes and make these activities so pleasant, enjoyable, and convenient that Boulder residents who are able to do so would rather take alternative transportation than drive. Safety should be a focus of our efforts, with continued focus on our Vision Zero program to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads and paths. We should also add the next generation of regional transit, with bus rapid transit lines to Longmont, Lafayette and other places.
Climate action and resilience
I’ll remain dedicated to reducing emissions and making our community more resilient in a warming world.
Boulder’s updated 2026 Climate Action Plan connects emissions reduction with resilience, affordability, and equity. It provides a current framework for work across energy, buildings, transportation, and natural systems. Read about the updated plan.
I’ll keep working to build on that effort. Our climate work must address the challenges ahead while helping make Boulder a healthier, more resilient place to live.
A city government that is easier to work with
I’ll prioritize reducing burdensome regulations and improving permitting and other city processes. Residents and businesses should find it easier to work with the city.
That work is part of supporting Boulder’s economic vitality and the people who contribute to it. Our community’s businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and cultural organizations help make Boulder a vibrant place to live.
Sundance’s arrival in January 2027 is an opportunity to build on our arts and cultural strengths. I’ll keep working to make the city easier to work with as our community prepares for what comes next.
Equity across every decision
I’ll keep equity at the center of this work. As we make decisions about housing, wildfire preparedness, climate, and city processes, we must consider who benefits, who faces barriers, and how more people can share in Boulder’s future.
The mayor works with council colleagues, city staff, residents, and community partners. I’ll bring that collaborative approach to a final two-year term and keep listening to the people our decisions affect.
Share your priorities
What would make Boulder work better for you? I’d like to hear from you.
Email aaronboulder@gmail.com or call or text (720) 984-1863.
