Boulder Weekly sent candidate questionnaires to all candidates on Boulder County ballots. These are their written responses, edited for length and clarity. Read more Election 2024 content.
Mike Foster
mikeforsuperior.com
Relevant experience
I’ve worked in local government most of my career including 15 years with the City of San Jose, three with Jefferson County and the last three with Boulder County. I’ve also worked in the private sector for several years at Pacific Gas & Electric Company. I’ve spent the last four years as the chair of the town’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES) and was elected to the Home Rule Commission where I served as vice-chair, crafting a charter for the town.
Throughout my career, I’ve utilized my creative talents to develop and recommend cutting edge sustainability programs that have enhanced the local community for residents and businesses. Experience has taught me how to build strong, productive relationships throughout and across organizations as well as creatively solve challenging issues. My passion for helping to build a world where stewardship is the centerpiece of public policy has shaped my career and public service so far. With this experience, I will bring innovation and change to Superior.
Priorities
Broadly speaking, these are my long-term priorities for the town:
- Economy: The economic impacts felt by the town due to the Marshall Fire have been tremendous. One key issue that has been brought clearly into focus is the need to diversify the town’s tax revenues. Target and Costco represent the majority of sales tax revenues for Superior and with Target being closed for eight months after the Marshall Fire, underscored the importance of it needing a more diverse revenue stream.
With the build out of Downtown and the potential the Superior Marketplace offers, the town needs to position itself to find creative ways to encourage and welcome a diversity of businesses. Doing so will help the town ensure we have a more resilient tax base.
- Environment: The science is undeniable, human caused climate change is real and while there has been some recent movement at the federal level, the important actions will happen locally.
Superior can and should be an example for the State of Colorado in the reduction of carbon emissions though leading by example. The town has been advocating for policies and programs that support local climate action but more needs to be done. We can be a test bed for innovation that helps companies scale and bring climate solutions to the market more quickly.
- Equity: The rising cost of housing is quickly making Superior unaffordable for many in our community including seniors, teachers and health care workers. To have a thriving community, we need to do more to ensure that some of the most foundational members of our society can afford to live in Superior. Without attainable housing, we risk losing great people to communities with more affordable housing options.
Having more affordable housing options in Superior also means that the people that work here can afford to live here, which ultimately leads to fewer vehicles on the road, which improves air quality and reduces carbon emissions.
Lightning round
Should Superior join local efforts to explore an increase to the minimum wage? Explore, happy to have the conversation.
Do you support an end to the state prohibition on rent control? No. We need more housing supply through market driven solutions. Rent control policies in cities like San Francisco have not had the outcomes originally intended. Building a more diverse housing stock (e.g. condos, townhomes, duplexes, etc.) affords more people an opportunity to gain homeownership and an opportunity for those individuals to build equity.
Do you support interventions for human-caused climate change? Yes. Much of my career has been dedicated to reducing human impact on the planet.
Do you agree with the Superior resolution opposing HB24-1313 (Housing in Transit Oriented Communities) unanimously passed in April? Yes. This is why passing the Home Rule Charter is important – local control.
Do you support the adoption of a home rule charter for Superior? Yes.
Do you support for SB24-157, which narrowed the definition of what constitutes a public meeting? Yes. Providing elected officials some flexibility when communicating with each other outside of meetings is important. I’ve witnessed firsthand that when elected officials are prohibited from talking to each other outside of public meeting, such the Boulder County Board of Commissioners, meetings take much longer because very simple things, mundane things can’t be discussed outside of a public meeting and does not serve the broader public interest. For example, not knowing/understanding someone, say a fellow Board member, hinders one’s ability to advance shared ideas/values and when that happens, public policy can suffer. SB24-157 still provides for written communication to be disclosed when it’s requested, so the greater public interest of transparency is still served.
When was the last time you paid rent? How much was it? And where? The last time I paid rent was 2020 at the Bells, just prior to moving into my home in Downtown Superior. I paid about $2,100 per month.
Tell us about your decision to run for Superior’s Board of Trustees. Why are you running, and why now?
I’m running for trustee because I believe in giving back to my community through service. After having served on the town’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES) the past four years and getting elected to the Home Rule Commission last November, I believe I can contribute to the town’s governance in meaningful and thoughtful ways. Much of my career has been working for large and small local governments, giving me unique insight into how to creatively solve challenging public policy issues.
I initially ran for trustee in 2022 and narrowly lost. Since then, I’ve continued to be involved in the community, building relationships and demonstrating my commitment to the town. This commitment has earned me endorsements from the current and former mayors, five of the current trustees, and many other community members and leaders.
What would you say are the top three issues facing Superior, and what are your plans to address them? (If different from your priorities, please explain why.)
- Fire Rebuild: Ensuring that the town does everything in its powers to help those return home to our community. I’ll continue to be an advocate for rebating permit fees and town use tax until everyone that wants to return has returned.
- Airport: Solving the airport noise and lead pollution issue is of critical importance. I support the town's lawsuit to stop this nuisance in our community and if elected, I’ll press for the following:
- File an injunction to stop further expansion of the airport (runway, hangers, etc.) pending the outcome of the lawsuit.
- Lobby the new airport director and JeffCo commissioners to impose a nighttime flight ban (10 p.m. – 6 a.m.) for all non-emergency flights.
- Lobby Jefferson County to impose landing fees.
- Rally the Superior community to attend Jefferson County Commissioner meetings to protest airport noise.
- Deferred Maintenance: The town has done a lot over the past few years to repave Coalton and McCaslin and it’s taken a big first step to repave Rock Creek Parkway. We also have a number of other maintenance needs including rehabilitating our pools, parks and playgrounds, and much more. Approving the proposed 0.315% sales tax increase ($0.315 on every $100) will provide much needed revenues to help the town accelerate these projects. Coupled with this, I would engage the community in a new and dynamic way during the budget setting process to identify where the town should prioritize spending and can cut expenses.
The Superior Board of Trustees often votes unanimously. Is that a good sign, representing the ability to reach consensus, or a bad sign, representing a lack of diversity in opinion? What is a recent decision you agree with, and why? What is a recent decision you disagree with, and why?
From my experience, having watched most of the town board meetings, there are vigorous debates and discussions on important and complex issues. There are often disagreements among the trustees, however, they are able to discuss these issues from each of their unique perspectives and often find a compromise that’s in the best interest of the town. I appreciate this, and I expect my representatives to discuss and debate issues while finding ways to compromise to move the town forward. Occasionally, there are subjects where the trustees aren’t able to reach consensus and there is a split vote and that’s fine too. That’s democracy in action.
A recent decision I agree with: Because the Rock Creek HOA stopped providing money for holiday lights, the town board voted to scale back the locations of those displays to help save money and instead focus holiday lights around the business areas of town. With the budget challenge facing the town, I support that decision to cut back on spending.
A recent decision I disagreed with: The repaving of Rock Creek Parkway presenting a unique opportunity to accomplish two things: much needed repaving work and traffic calming on a busy road. The board chose to restripe the street for two lanes in each direction instead of one (similar to Via Appa in Louisville). Restriping for one lane would have still provided egress during emergencies, because the road would still have been paved, but would have also provided a much safer experience for bicyclists riding along the street and pedestrians trying to cross a very wide road.
Given the realities of a changing climate and limited government resources, how do you plan on balancing mitigation and adaptation for already-impacted populations in Superior?
As the chair for the town’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability for the past four years, it’s been my mission to help find resources outside of the town to help us achieve our sustainability goals. We’ve leveraged Xcel’s Partner’s in Energy program to provide discounted home energy audits for residents, offered free energy technical assistance on town facilities, collaborated with town staff to provide more publicly available EV charging stations and have supported and secured grant funding to advance the town’s Sustainability Action Plan. As a trustee, I will continue to advocate for securing outside funding to help the town achieve its carbon reduction goals.
How do you think Marshall Fire rebuilding and recovery efforts are going? What do you think is going well and what is something you think the town should be doing differently?
Marshall fire rebuilding and recovery is strong in Superior. Building permits have been issued for 77% of the buildings destroyed (307 of 398), which is a testament to the elected officials, town staff and our community coming together to make this happen. The sheer number of occupancy permits that have been issued, 258, is something to celebrate as well.
With the direct fire damage my home experienced, I was able to get permits quickly so that repairs could get underway. Overall, I think the town is doing a wonderful job helping residents rebuild and return home and am grateful for the board and town staff working so hard to make this as easy as possible.
Do you believe there is a need for more affordable housing in Superior? If so, what is your plan to make it happen?
As the population of Superior changes, a variety of housing types will be needed. Whether it’s housing for seniors, first-time home buyers, empty nesters, or teachers, having attainable housing options for all residents helps create an inclusive and dynamic community. Research shows that having attainable housing options also improves economic resiliency through increased spending and property taxes, which are vital for providing community services.
If elected, I will work to remove regulatory barriers to support the construction of a variety of housing types. I’ll build on the work the town has already done to allow ADUs and seek out partnerships and grants to help us achieve a more diverse housing stock.
How do justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) factor into your policy making?
The rainforest is a resilient and thriving ecosystem because of its diversity of plants and animals. I view JEDI through the same lens: having a diversity of ideas, people and cultures creates a thriving, inclusive and resilient community. I want to make sure that all voices are heard during policy making; it’s the only way to ensure that we are thoughtful in our deliberations and avoid unintended consequences.
What efforts do you make in your daily life to consider and understand people with different lived experiences from your own?
I actively seek to understand and engage with people who have different lived experiences. One of the primary ways I do this is by fostering genuine connections. I make a conscious effort to listen attentively to those around me, particularly individuals from diverse backgrounds. Whether it’s through casual conversations with coworkers or more intentional discussions in community settings, I try to create a space where others feel comfortable sharing their stories.
Volunteering is another significant aspect of my approach. By participating in community service, I gain firsthand insight into the challenges they face. These experiences not only deepen my understanding but also allow me to contribute positively to my community.
Additionally, I strive to engage in conversations that challenge my viewpoints. I often seek out perspectives that differ from my own. This helps me develop a more nuanced understanding of complex topics and fosters a culture of respect and openness.
When’s the last time you changed your mind about something, and what was it?
When the town initially filed its lawsuit against Jefferson County, I was opposed because I thought it took too many other creative negotiating options off the table. However, after talking to residents in south Rock Creek, learning more about what the former airport director said about the Roundtable, and reading the lawsuit, I now support it.
What question would you ask a fellow candidate on the ballot?
What’s a decision/recommendation that you’ve made on behalf of the town that you would do differently?