By Gwen Dooley
In these polarized times of opinions – with facts and evidence versus no facts or evidence in support of an opinion – it’s still a great shock to find that the politics of fear, misinformation, denials of reality and dirty tricks have landed in Boulder. Actually blasted their way into our community propelled by a rocket fuel of such loaded charges as elitism, racism, economic inequality and what else? Oh yes, white supremacy and privilege.
When some of this is promoted by current or previously elected officials, it’s most troubling indeed . Our current mayor has said that the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan had the CU South property primarily slated for housing. Not true. In 1978, when the BVCP was finally adopted by the city and county four- body review, I was on council and one of the signatories on that document. Of the 308 acres, 220 were designated as open space.
As for the ‘dirty tricks’ happening now in Boulder: One of our council candidates has been trolled by false websites established in his name; and citizens were falsely told they could sign our Save CU South Referendum petition on-line, causing us to lose signatures because only a physical, in-person and witnessed signature was valid,.
Meanwhile some previously elected officials are pushing the fear buttons in Frasier Meadows and stating “NO MORE DELAYS “ and “FLOOD PROTECTION NOW” on their anti-302 yard signs – long after city staff stated in a public meeting that their actual flood mitigation plans for CU South could not happen before 2024. As for denials of reality? Try telling folks the 100-year flood protection plan will save them when we’re seeing 500-year events worldwide and most likely in Boulder’s city-wide future as well.
Then on Sept. 21 – just 17 days before our ballots were mailed out — our acting city attorney opined that council’s passing the annexation ordinance as an emergency measure would make a YES vote on question 302 “null and void.” WOW! So much for democracy in Boulder. Trying to undermine Boulder voters’ confidence in our very long history of Home-Rule and self-determination is unacceptable. Unfortunately, however, this kind of administrative manipulation has been systemic in Boulder for some years.
Our previous city manager and city attorney were extremely non-supportive of our citizen activism even as they spoke of “listening sessions” and “reaching out” to citizens. For example, they waived at least two legally required Public Notices — posted outside on a Historic District property facing imminent demolition — on one of the visual landmarks of our lives so people didn’t know to object. The point of a Public Notice? To notify the public of something important so the public can act on it.
Much earlier these two attorneys — she had been a Boulder County attorney in previous years — had turned our beautiful, well-designed, even uplifting Greco-Roman council/public meeting room (named after long-time public servant Janet S. Roberts, Walter Orr’s widow) into a dark, wood-paneled courtroom. Our two, easily accessible public speakers’ stations, which allowed speakers to que up in a timely fashion, were replaced by a single podium facing “the court.” The decades-old accessible, functional and comfortable public seating was removed and replaced by uncomfortable moveable cheap-seats. The study sessions there appeared on TV to be held in someone’s basement rec room. Finally, another give-away on citizen activism being side-lined was the many decades-old, two-way communications of “Citizen Participation” at the beginning of council meetings. It was replaced by a one-way “Public Comment’” agenda item, namely, “Say what you want, but we don’t have to respond to it.” We weren’t supposed to notice?
Today our current council is obviously oblivious to citizen-activism as they continue to ignore our over 11,000 signatures gathered in objection to their rushed actions to annex CU South before we can vote YES on 302. While they and CU pursue more expensive and expansive growth, pretending that more growth is beneficial for Boulder citizens, that it will create housing diversity, inclusion, and an equal choice in housing. But that’s not what we’re seeing in what’s being demolished or being built in Boulder, is it?
How does this end for our City? This election will tell us. Please vote YES on 302!
Gwen Dooley has been a member of the Citizens Community Development Block Grant Committee; Boulder City Council; Open Space Board of Trustees (serving two terms, four years as chair); Parks & Rec Advisory Board; Downtown Alliance; Boulder County Open Space Task Force; West Trail Study Area Community Collaborative Group and served as Housing Authority Commissioner.
