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October 8 - 14, 2009
editorial@boulderweekly.com
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Jyotsna Raj, 58
Artist
Q 1. How should the council balance the rights of private property owners with the council’s ability to implement zoning and other regulations that reflect the community’s values on growth, development and density?
A. 1. Many homeowners live under the covenants and rules of homeowner’s associations. In order to maintain the livability of Boulder, we need council to use zoning and other regulations to implement our community’s values, always drawing the citizens of Boulder into this process, so that we reach consensus on what is best for our city.
Q 2. Do you believe medicinal marijuana dispensaries should be banned in the city? Why or why not?
A. 2. This is a confusing issue, as the state has legalized the use of medical marijuana, but nobody, including the Boulder County district attorney, seems to have a clear idea as to how it should be made available. Since this is supposed to be for medical use, marijuana dispensaries should be considered pharmacies, but I don’t know of any pharmacy that sells just one medicine! To regulate them using the model of liquor-licensing rules seems to sanction a more recreational use of marijuana.
Q 3. In managing the city’s public lands, there seems to be a tension between preservation and recreation. If city planners must err on one side or the other, which way do you believe they should lean as the West TSA process moves forward?
A. 3. The West TSA process should be allowed to continue, because all of the people who are involved in it should be able to reach a consensus that acknowledges the rights of many different users of these lands. However, if we do not seek first to preserve the land, and its flora and fauna, we will no longer have an environment that we wish to use for recreation. In order to be able to enjoy our natural environment, we must work to preserve it for ourselves and future generations.
Q. 4. Which do you see as a higher priority right now: environmental efforts, affordable housing or the city’s financial stability? Why?
A. 4. I believe the city’s goals of achieving financial stability are not antithetical to pursuing our environmental goals. In fact, implementing greater energy efficiency in our homes and commercial spaces will help us bring down costs, and finding new energy solutions to help us achieve our Climate Plan goals will also help us create new eco-friendly businesses in Boulder. The ClimateSmart program can increase energy efficiency in affordable housing and help the people who live there save both energy and money.
Q. 5. What would you do if you found a prairie dog burrowing in your backyard?
A. 5. I am a gardener, and would not like to see a prairie dog burrowing under my bulbs and plants. I would help him relocate to where he could enjoy the company of other prairie dogs!
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Barry Siff, 54
Entrepreneur and writer
Q 1. How should the council balance the rights of private property owners with the council’s ability to implement zoning and other regulations that reflect the community’s values on growth, development and density?
A. 1. Individual property owners’ rights are extremely important. For most people, their property (home) is their most important and valuable asset. Therefore, I am reticent to significantly regulate this area. Family situations change, and needs may grow. However, this should be done in a “neighborly” way, where such should not significantly cause adverse impact upon a neighbor or neighborhood. The current effort by our city’s planning department on “Sustainable Streets and Neighborhoods” is a step in the right direction for planning of growth, development and density.
Q 2. Do you believe medicinal marijuana dispensaries should be banned in the city? Why or why not?
A. 2. Medicinal marijuana dispensaries have not been deemed illegal, under prescribed conditions, and should not be banned in Boulder. Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett has recognized that marijuana has “medical benefits that cannot be had elsewhere,” and foresees the day when marijuana is likely to be decriminalized. At some point, relative to dispensaries, we may need to consider some land use/zoning issues (such as proximity to schools)… perhaps looking at dispensaries in a similar light as liquor licensing.
Q 3. In managing the city’s public lands, there seems to be a tension between preservation and recreation. If city planners must err on one side or the other, which way do you believe they should lean as the West TSA process moves forward?
A. 3. We obviously must strike a careful balance, and the process developed for the West TSA initiative seems on track. On principle, though, we must continue to build our economy on our assets, and our city’s public lands are a significant asset. The beauty, environmental and conservation aspects are of high importance, and we must — as the West TSA process is doing — work to integrate this with the “carbohydrate-based economy” and population that lives in, and visits, Boulder. We must avoid considering two distinct communities — environmentalists and recreationalists.
Q. 4. Which do you see as a higher priority right now: environmental efforts, affordable housing or the city’s financial stability? Why?
A. 4. Our city’s financial stability is of paramount importance. Our environmental efforts, affordable housing, and all the wonderful services we have in our city are vital; however, they must be paid for. With our continued decreasing sales and use tax dollars, we must seek new revenue streams, and carefully analyze our spending as a city. Portland, Ore., is an absolutely wonderful and nation-leading city when it comes to environmental efforts; however, with a 12 percent unemployment rate, and one out of every four people without health insurance, even their mayor recognizes the need for a focus on financial stability.
Q. 5. What would you do if you found a prairie dog burrowing in your backyard?
A. 5. If I found a prairie dog in my backyard, I would be shocked. I would probably check for a parachute to see how it got there. Prairie dogs are colonial animals, needing company, and I’d be concerned for its loneliness and well-being. We may consider letting him stay (as we love animals), if we could isolate him in an area with fencing and signage. More likely, though, I’d follow our Wildlife Protection Ordinance, whereby I would make a reasonable effort to relocate the animal and, if unsuccessful, use the most humane method of lethal control possible, as prescribed by the ordinance.
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Rob Smoke, 53
Care provider for people with major illness
Q 1. How should the council balance the rights of private property owners with the council’s ability to implement zoning and other regulations that reflect the community’s values on growth, development and density?
A. 1. Boulder has an elected body that does not collectively appreciate divergent views. During the recent compatible development discussions, I attempted to create the opportunity for negotiation. One side was willing,; individuals on the council side were not. So, we now have a ballot issue likely to negate the work that was done within a year. That said, restrictions on house size are reasonable — the method needs a second look. I see some unfortunate flaws with the ordinance; we all have to learn how to be better listeners.
Q 2. Do you believe medicinal marijuana dispensaries should be banned in the city? Why or why not?
A. 2. I think marijuana is, at its core, a gentle medicinal substance; however, whether we use the word ‘medical’ or ‘medicinal,’ we should not ban dispensaries. Medical marijuana is not a fad; it’s a movement towards basic human liberty and the rejection of prohibitionist policies that serve no one. As an aside, a prosecutor that would make a weak medical marijuana prosecution one of his priorities is an individual our community ought to reject as public servant.
Q 3. In managing the city’s public lands, there seems to be a tension between preservation and recreation. If city planners must err on one side or the other, which way do you believe they should lean as the West TSA process moves forward?
A. 3. Forget the TSA for a sec; the elephant hiding on the living room couch is the Boulder reservoir, where the city has favored motorized recreation over quiet use, driving away people who want to swim, kayak, row, sail, sailboard, and so on. This is all aside from the fact that it’s drinking water for many residents. It’s time to stop. Let’s put in a white sand beach, a swimmer’s dock, a year-round locker/clubhouse facility… and make it a great recreation spot — without noisy and polluting motorized craft.
Q. 4. Which do you see as a higher priority right now: environmental efforts, affordable housing or the city’s financial stability? Why?
A. 4. Environmental efforts are nice, but they embrace an indeterminate future while real, live people shiver in cars outside of our homeless shelter in the middle of winter. In our new economic frontier, we have to consider ways we might expand so-called affordable housing and meet at least some of the needs of very low-income residents. A 300-square-foot studio isn’t much, but it’s a lot compared to being out in the cold on a winter’s night. We need to change the paradigm.
Q. 5. What would you do if you found a prairie dog burrowing in your backyard?
A. 5. Take it inside, feed it a three-course meal, then kill it. In all seriousness, my cat (and campaign manager), Sita (pronounced ‘see-ta’) — a fully clawed Maine coon — might be intrigued, but I think I’d put a call in to animal control just the same.
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