2011 City Council Candidates
Candidates
• Dan King
1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
Half of the funding from the increase in due to the 2010 Accommodation Tax increase approved by the voters (from 5.5% to 7.5%) was recommended for dedicated to the CVB at the City Council meeting on Sept. 13. This amounts to an increase in CVB allocation from $732,000 to $1,237,000. I voted for and strongly support this action.
The hospitality and restaurant industry currently does a great job at attracting visitors to Boulder and bringing an important source of revenues. I would continue the programs currently in place and meet with people in the motels and hotels of Boulder to learn of their concerns, issues, and suggestions. Initiatives such as the Boulder Creek Quality Inn and Suites' installation of 112 solar panels and local hotel commitments to aggressive recycling programs (Quality Inn, St. Julien, and Boulder Outlook) are important national models that make these hotels a destination point, putting Boulder on the map. Events such as the Open House Art Gallery walk on the Pearl Street Mall every first Friday of the month, our Open Studios for 2 weekends in October, the Boulder Creek Festival, the Farmers' Market, the Bolder Boulder, Cinco de Mayo festivities, Chatauqua, the Dushanbe Teahouse, the Pearl Street Mall, the Boulder International Film Festival, and the University of Colorado are only a few of the many events and special places Boulder offers to the local to international visitor. Our Open Space and Mountain Parks lands attract more than 50% of its visitors from outside Boulder County. We should continue to find ways to support local events and the arts to generate significant revenue for Boulder. It is also important to make sure venues such as the Boulder, Fox, Macky Theaters and the Shakespeare Festival remain viable. Completing the Valmont Bicycle Park has certainly drawn regional interest. The return of the Morgul Bismark bike race and Boulder's participation in hosting the The USA Pro Cycling Challenge have been successful attractions. All of these activities make Boulder unique and are synergistic with restaurants, lodging, and retail generating significant revenue for Boulder.
2. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder
According to a CO-LABS sponsored study "Impact of Federal Research Laboratories in Colorado, 2009-2010" released on March 31, 2011, net economic benefits of federal laboratories to Boulder County total $463.8 million. Clearly our federal labs are key economic drivers in our community, and they contribute in many other ways, according to CO-LABS, by providing "benefits through research delivered to many constituents, outreach to schools, seminars, and public and private research collaborations. Colorado businesses and residents are among the beneficiaries of research conducted at these facilities, as well as companies that locate in Colorado to be near federal and academic research centers."
I strongly support retention of all of our Federal Labs and will work forcefully to meet any challenges, as the City did when Oklahoma tried to lure some of our labs away a few years ago. Mostly, I will continue to work to make Boulder a safe, pleasant, stimulating, and economically viable place to live with thriving engineering, scientific, and environmental communities. Together with the University of Colorado and our entrepreneurial business environment, we offer a combination of amenities, facilities, libraries, computing power, and brain power that is unmatched in other communities.
3. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
I first would want to identify what are the needs and what is working and not. The recently introduced innovative and very successful events in Boulder such as the Boulder International Film Festival, the International Fringe Festival, the Bike Summit (Boulder used to have the very successful Pedestrian Summit), the Eco-Arts Fair this fall are all events that draw interested people and participants globally. I would continue to support these types of events and encourage others to be innovative. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary obstacles in obtaining permits is also an important factor. I will continue to support adequate funding for the CVB, as I did when addressing the amount of increase to the Accommodation Tax in 2010.
4. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
First, I would expend the necessary resources to improve the facilities we have, so that we can entertain events. I would make this a priority for the City’s economic vitality staff. We need to communicate that Boulder is open for business. Events such as the Bolder Boulder provide such a great deal of income for the entire community that we need to make it more efficient to host these types of things. The community has to have an efficient and welcoming process to increase the number of these types of events.
5. How do you propose to enhance our existing facilities – recreational, athletic, social and meetings spaces - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and to ensure the quality of life we want for our residents?
The City recognizes a significant gap exists in its ability to fund and repair its existing infrastructure. This is why the Council this year placed on the ballot, initiative 2A, which if passed, successfully will increase the city's bonding capacity to $49M to specifically fund critical infrastructure problems. This is only a first step.
The City has really focused on improving its parks the last few years. This past summer, the city opened the Valmont Bicycle Park that now sees dozens to hundreds (depending on the day) of enthusiastic daily users. Pleasant View Fields is another destination for many locally and regionally to use and compete on class A soccer fields. In late August 2011, the City re-opened its newly renovated East Boulder Community Park where 2 multi-sport fields with synthetic turf were added to our existing field; this project also improved existing tennis and handball courts, playing fields, dog park, and paths. It should be noted the Boulder's Parks and Recreation Department won the 2011 Barb King Environmental Stewardship award from the National Recreation and Park Association.
While CU is considering a conference center at Grandview Terrace, I personally think the better location would be to redevelop the Millennium Hotel site due to its compelling and easy to access location along US 36, Canyon, bike and transit paths between the University of Colorado, our Boulder Junction Transit Village, 29th Street Mall, and downtown.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
I feel that Boulder's relevance and survival is strongly dependent upon the initial 'seed' income we receive from visitors to Boulder. Visitors come here for vacations, our educational facilities, the Federal labs, and the businesses that cater to the outdoors and healthy foods industry in addition to exploring the choice of relocating their business or families here. It is important in an ever more competitive economy that we ramp up our funding to keep Boulder in the forefront of those deciding where to visit and why they should choose Boulder over other locations.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent?
As a businessman I know the importance of reinvesting a portion of our revenue back into advertizing and promotion. The proportion depends upon the economic times wherein you should invest more in lean times for the competition is more challenging. It is just as important to constantly maintain and upgrade our facilities to keep them at the cutting edge. As an owner of rental investment property and a construction company I know firsthand that deferred maintenance is really just neglectful management. We should not be pushing the problem of a tight budget down the road as this makes the problem worse in the long term.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder
We need to maintain a strong relationship with our Senators and Congressmen to insure their continued support of Boulder being the right place for the labs to be located. The challenge will come with other cities' attempts to recruit them away with special deals involving giveaways and financial incentives. This tactic is a slippery slope for any city to employ, especially with regard to attracting new businesses, and in the long run is not always the best practice. We are fortunate to have a stunning natural environment, a greater percentage of highly educated and experienced population, in addition to a higher quality of life offering which, in this new energy economy, will play a greater role in how we choose to live and conduct business. This Boulder branding is vitally important and one that we need to consistently promote and maintain.
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
Anything that helps the long term financial viability of our community needs to be kept in the forefront. This does not mean that we are 'giving away the store'. Educating our own citizens that 'where we go one, we go all' has a very deep impact on affordability and livability. It is a balancing act requiring constant vigilance and response to any imbalance that lessens the health of any one sector of our business and citizen population.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
The City Manager has implemented the budget process that prioritizes budget importance and needs, instead of across the board cuts or funding method. I fully support this approach. I would encourage more emphasis on the need for constant maintenance and improvement funding in order to avoid the more costly approach of deferred maintenance which, in my opinion, is really neglect. We are facing this very issue with the request this current election to fund capital improvements.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
As a council member, I will continue to support the funding of the CVB and honor the legislative intent that was part of the passage of the accommodations tax in 2010. Support from BHMA was predicated on the continued funding of the CVB and reinvestment into our tourism sector. Although the city has moved away from dedicated taxes, there is a clear understanding that those dollars will flow back to the CVB. In addition to respecting the legislative intent, it simply makes good business sense for the city to reinvest money in the CVB because we get such a high rate of return on our investment!
2. With the increase in the accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Council's outlined letter of intent?
The council's legislative intent declares that up to 20 percent of the revenues generated by the tax be appropriated by future city councils for the purpose of promoting programs and bringing increased tourism to the city. As a council member I will support the legislative intent of the tax and make sure that we honor our agreement. I think it is very appropriate that the funds are directed to the CVB, which will enhance visitation to our city and increase our tax dollars. I also support the increase in the marketing budget to $1 million.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the federally funded labs in the city of Boulder?
The federal labs are a critical part of Boulder's economy, and they also drive a large part of the visitation to Boulder. We need to be very proactive to make sure the labs stay in Boulder and remain well staffed and well funded. One thing we can do is lobby our delegation of federal lawmakers to fight hard to keep the funding for the labs and to keep them here in Boulder. This is particularly important given the dire financial scenarios now playing out in D.C. Another thing we can do as a city is to make sure we have a good working relationship with the labs and try to remove barriers to their being able to complete their mission here in Boulder.
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
I look at improving the off season occupancy as an opportunity for both the city and BHMA to increase revenue and economic vitality. Enhancing the CVB's current programs and investing in sales and marketing programs focused on the off-season months is a great idea. More events scheduled for the off-season months would also help bring in visitors. I am also intrigued by the idea of a facilitator position at the city, whether a full FTE or less. But, I also understand that would have to be balanced against other needs in a tight budget.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing city facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs—so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
For both residents and visitors alike, the condition of our parks and public spaces is critical in providing quality of life and reasons to visit Boulder. We have improvements slated for our parks, libraries and other community assets through our regular city capital improvements program, though not nearly as much as we need. We also have an additional capital improvement strategy for issuing bonds this year, ballot issue 2A, that, without increasing taxes, will allow us to address some of our most pressing needs. I enthusiastically support the ballot issue! However, we may still need to look for additional revenue sources. I am also supportive of the concept in the Tourism Plan to assist the city in prioritizing projects which require improvements and additions to the city's infrastructure both to benefit residents and attract additional visitors.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
I agree that tourism is an important contributor to Boulder's economy, and something we should continue to celebrate and foster. Maintaining Boulder's brand and our high quality of life is very important to our economic vitality and drawing people to our community. If elected, I look forward to working with the BHMA and BCVB on these issues.
I support the original agreement outlined in the City Council letter of intent, including the intent to provide 20% of the increase in the accommodation tax to the Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau to be appropriated by future city councils for the purposes of promoting programs and services that bring increased tourism to the city.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent?
In answering this question, we should focus on what draws visitors to Boulder in the first place, and work to preserve and/or enhance the uniqueness and quality of those assets.
Clearly, maintaining the esthetics of our beautiful outdoor setting and the high quality of life that flows from it—such as our open space program, extensive bike trail system, and the Pearl Street Mall—is essential to continuing to retain residents and increase visitors to Boulder. To that end, we need to continue to invest in adequately maintaining and periodically updating and enhancing our civic spaces, park facilities, bike paths and open space trails. I also believe that small touches—such as flowerbeds and beautiful medians at the entrances to and throughout the city—help to reinforce Boulder's welcoming tone for visitors and residents alike. I recommend that the BCVB partner with the City in promoting such investments.
In addition, we need to continue to reinforce and build Boulder's brand, including fostering our federal labs and CU, as well as the natural foods, active living and clean tech sectors that so define Boulder's character. Because the greater portion of our business and recreational visitors come to Boulder because of business with our organic foods sectors, outdoor recreation, federal lab conferences and university events, I would prioritize our tourism attention on actions that help to sustain, reinforce, or grow these sectors of economic activity. For example, given the political relevance and high visibility of Colorado as a showpiece of the "New Energy Economy," we could sponsor a regular high-profile conference with the federal labs and congressional delegation to showcase the latest climate science research and local Boulder clean tech businesses that are developing the latest technology to spur a low-carbon energy future.
Given that Boulder is synonymous with outdoor recreation, I think it is also worth continuing to invest in some high profile events—even if during the high season—that help to retain Boulder's stature in the outdoor community. The Boulder Bolder is certainly such premiere event, and I think we should also push for a stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge bike race, as well as continue our investment in local events such as the Run Boulder downtown race series that foster both resident and visitor engagement.
I would also explore promoting "staycations" for local residents to keep local residents here to spend their recreational dollars— in particular during the off-season. Perhaps we should survey local residents to see what activities would keep them in town? What activities are they leaving town to do and can Boulder provide them locally? Such a strategy would capture more money for the local economy (not to mention reducing GHG emissions and vehicle miles traveled by local residents).
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder?
The federal labs are an integral element of the Boulder brand, contributing to Boulder's reputation for climate and energy research, bringing in large sums of federal funding, and fostering innovation and spin-off companies. Unfortunately, our labs are very much under threat due to the federal budget situation, with funding cuts of up to 30% being discussed.
Boulder should do its utmost to continue being a good partner to the labs, and exercise what limited leverage we have to help bolster their visibility and funding prospects. To that end, City representatives should continue to invest in the following actions, including: traveling periodically to Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional decision-makers and the Department of Commerce to underscore the importance of Boulder's federal labs; cultivating strong and productive relationships with our congressional delegation to encourage them to champion the labs; and writing letters of support to help make the case for the value of the labs' research and products.
The City could also encourage or help sponsor conferences that highlight and bring visibility to the work of the labs. To that end, the City and BCVB could explore using some of the increase in restaurant-accommodation tax revenue to subsidize the cost of federal conferences in the offseason to directly incentivize tourism in the off-season and directly help support the labs.
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off-season?
First off, I would coordinate between the top four sectors (federal labs, the university, outdoor industry and natural food sectors) to schedule a year-round flow of events, and in particular to see if they can schedule more events during the off-season to spread economic benefits more evenly throughout the year, and to better take advantage of cheaper off-season costs. Of these sectors, I think federal lab and CU events/conferences could be more easily scheduled on the off-season as the academic year overlaps with the off-season. I would explore the efficacy of supplying direct incentives for such off-season events and conferences—whether through reduced accommodation rates, complimentary or reduced rate tickets to local music events or skiing at Eldora, or coupons to spend with local retailers.
Events such as our Conference on World Affairs or the Boulder Independent Film Festival help to draw broad diverse audiences and cultivate/highlight Boulder's cultural assets. I would explore with the university, the federal labs, and music establishments such as Boulder Theater the possibility of additional venues during the off-season months—perhaps co-sponsored by the BCVB or high profile businesses. Similarly, we should explore what additional sporting events could take place during the off-season or shoulder seasons—what about bike races at the Velodrome?
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
Investments in city infrastructure and facilities are a "win-win" that benefits both residents and visitors alike. I very much support the idea of increasing our investment in the city's infrastructure to repair basic infrastructure and enhance public parks and facilities—such as being proposed in ballot initiative 2A, as well as larger projects being discussed for future ballot efforts in coming years.
As a lifelong athlete, I also support the need for ongoing maintenance and enhancement of our athletic facilities. For example, in my experience as a competitive ultimate Frisbee play for over 20 years, the limitation of playing fields constrains how many ultimate Frisbee tournaments that can be hosted in Boulder—although the two tournaments that we are allowed per year at the Pleasant View soccer fields bring in thousands of ultimate players into Boulder who stay in hotels, patron restaurants, and bring attention to Boulder's quality of life. I would encourage the BCVB to work to ensure that we are making the most use of existing facilities and perhaps do a "gap analysis" of what additional new or expanded facilities might return the greatest investment in terms of enhancing the outdoor recreation sector.
A strong case has been made for the need for a new convention center in Boulder to ensure that our city can accommodate larger events. It makes sense to partner with CU on such an undertaking, but to also ensure that the City has a seat at the table to help with location and design of such a center. To help pay our portion, the City might want to consider setting up a fund from some of the restaurant-accommodation tax to bond against. That said, to justify such a high capital investment cost during these current fiscally constrained times, we need to make sure that large facility demand still remains high, and that such a facility would see frequent and year-round use and not compete against existing hotels with meeting facilities. We may also need to be creative about exploring other mechanisms to address infrastructure needs, such as:
• Look for opportunities for voluntary fee collection at trail heads to help sustain recreation trails.
• Support the City in adjusting recreation event fees to better reflect true costs, including maintenance and refurbishment costs (while still allowing for subsidization of those residents most in need).
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
Funding to the CVB is an investment by the City in this critical sector of the Boulder economy. The CVB has been a leader in providing the City with measureable results for its investment. I would expect the CVB to continue to provide the City with these measurements, and that they will provide the justification for continued funding from the city. As the CVB absorbs the planned increased level of funding in 2012, I would anticipate that there will be a learning curve over the first several years as the CVB fine tunes how best to invest these additional funds.
To some extent this is a larger question about the City's support for business in general. I am a strong proponent of sensible economic development funds. Boulder cannot achieve any of our shared goals without a strong economy and employment base. We must be competitive with surrounding communities. I will support these programs. I will also insist that these programs provide measureable results for these investments, much like the as the CVB has historically provided.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent?
I am not sure precisely what this question is asking. As I discussed with Neale Ward, the City is intending to allocate one half of the increase in accommodations tax to the CVB. I will support this allocation as set forth above. The additional one half of the increase is currently slated to support the bond payment on the proposed $49MM capital bond that is the subject of Ballot Issue 2A on this year's ballot. If this ballot issue passes these funds will be committed for 20 years.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder
The Federal Labs are a critical component of Boulder and Colorado's economy having provided an economic impact of $1.5 billion in 2010. They are also a highly desirable in terms of their fit within the local Boulder economy. They employ a highly skilled and well paid staff, are low impact from an environmental perspective, are a natural partner with the University of Colorado and provide opportunities for spin off businesses.
We should never be surprised that from time to time other states will make strong efforts to relocate the labs to their jurisdiction. We need to be diligent and flexible in terms of our efforts to keep the labs in Colorado. This includes support of the efforts of CO-Labs and our elected representatives in Washington, DC. We should be prepared to meet any effort to move the labs with a counter effort that will be strong enough to keep them here.
4. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
I would think that this type of operational process is something best handled by the private sector – a consortium of hotels/motels, event sponsors, cultural facilities, sporting organizations, etc., and not directly by the city (and certainly not by city council members!). However, the city could no doubt help facilitate this, and via the CVB budget, help to fund it. Perhaps a conference center could be a catalyst for creating such a program. I would add that – while perhaps not directly related to booking – we do need a more comprehensive approach for supporting meetings and small conferences (perhaps a sustainable tourism master plan, as other cities have created). This would, for example, help provide a clearer and more complete picture of the many lodging, meeting, and cultural facilities we have, such as Chautauqua, Macky Auditorium, the library, the Dairy Center, Farmers Market, city Open Space trails, downtown mall/creekside events, etc.
5. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
As a business person, I recognize the importance of a healthy local economy as the under pinning to achieving the goals we share as a community and the services we enjoy. There are segments of the national economy, which Boulder is not well suited to compete in. Fortunately there are areas in which we are well positioned. Tourism is an excellent fit for the local economy. The CVB should take the lead in developing the plan for attracting additional tourism to the market. The draft Sustainable Tourism Plan is a step in this direction. The city should be an active participant by working closely with the CVB to remove barriers to these efforts.
Sometimes it has been difficult to attract events due to the relatively cumbersome process in obtaining the City's support from a variety of separate departments. I would support a designated liaison between the City and the CVB to obtain the necessary permission to host suitable events. This liaison should have the full support and authority of the City Manager to get departments to the table in a timely manner. I believe that the lead should still be maintained by the CVB, but that the liaison should be available to navigate the city process in a timely and efficient manner.
6. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
The primary reason that I am running for office is to focus on the budget. Based on the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission of Revenue Stabilization II, of which I was a member, the city has adopted a Priority Based Budgeting Process (PBB). I support this process. PBB will, over time, establish a means to compare priorities between departments in a transparent manner. One of these priorities will be investment in capital items.
The city has fallen behind in capital investments over the last decade. It is easy to understand why. Politically is it difficult to tell the community that there are insufficient funds to support visible services. It is easy to "delay" or defer maintenance items. The community does not readily recognize these delays for the first few years, and the political system does not feel pressure. Ultimately deferred maintenance items will reach a critical point when they cannot be delayed further, and when in all probability the cost of the maintenance will exceed what it would have cost if the maintenance had been performed in a timely manner. Our community is nearing this point, as evidenced by the work of Boulder's Capital Investment Strategy Group, of which I was chair. Implementation of PBB will force us to recognize these decisions in a transparent manner.
The demand for a Convention Center in Boulder has been clearly established. It will take a convergence of efforts on the part of private investors, the City and probably the University of Colorado to make a Convention Center a reality. If elected to city council, I will be a proponent of these efforts.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
I will support CVB funding by: a.) honoring the CC letter of intent, b.) recognize the return on investment of close to 100:1 as reason to fund, c.) recognize the minimal costs/impacts incurred by visitors, per dollar spent and d.) recognize the measurable direct and indirect spending that multiply the dollars involved in the local economy as four damn good reasons to fund CVB projects. This, to me, is a no-brainer.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent?
I support the initiatives proposed in the draft report from HVS, specifically, better "gateway" definitions at a variety of gateways, including roads, transit services, web portals, realtor's welcome packets, CU information sources and elsewhere to expand and clarify the sense of arrival and strengthen the Boulder brand, to compete with regional competitors who are cannibalizing what "Boulder" means and where it is. (It's here, not there.) This intent will require coordination with Liz Hanson's work, planning staff, signage regulations and other agencies to support concrete action, which I also support.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder
I understand that leisure travel is only a fraction of total tourism in Boulder and that corporate, federal lab and university travel is a very large part of this business. I recognize that working travelers want a desirable destination when doing business here, so they will, in turn, want the labs, university and businesses to stay here, and those businesses and institutions will want to stay here because this is an attractive and enticing place to live and work. The Lodging experience serves as an introduction to this community and can also help attract potential employees to want to work here – if that experience is great. To that end, I support not only the growth and expansion of CU, the Labs and our mature businesses, but I also support improvements to the neighborhoods and lands that surround these places. One example: Martin Acres borders several labs along Broadway. The edge of that neighborhood should be developed to respond better to the character of Broadway, with more intensive mixed-uses, including hospitality functions that would attract and serve visitors and people working in those labs, while also serving the Martin Acres community, while also buffering the interior of Martin Acres from the Noise and traffic of Broadway. I discussed this kind of idea with that neighborhood and won their broad support in the last campaign. That kind of win-win-win planning can happen in many places in Boulder, if you understand the dynamics involved. Building great walkable attractive edges around the labs, CU and mature business and helping the neighborhoods welcome these fine neighbors will help them feel welcome and want to stay here.
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
Events that build the Boulder brand, like bicycle races, the Boulder Bolder, Green Industry Conferences, Creative Class Think tanks, the World Affairs Conference and similar events need staff level support as well as Council's enthusiasm. Council needs to adopt a much stronger pro-business environment and culture and partner with the business community whenever humanly possible.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
Dedicated funding makes budgeting a particular challenge in Boulder. While we are buying up Jefferson County open Space, to stop development there, our own city facilities are decaying for lack of funds. The current plan to borrow millions for maintaining capital assets, is proof that the general fund is underfunded. Without the ability to refocus revenues and reprioritize government spending, Council's hands are tied pretty tight. There isn't that much unrestricted money in the general fund to allocate and there is fierce competition among hundreds of special interest groups for every penny. However, Council can change some of the rules that currently constrain businesses and generate more revenues, which can then be applied to improve our infrastructure. I don't believe we can raise taxes further, especially in this recession, but we can enable businesses to operate more efficiently, for example, by increasing the density allowed on commercial property, to increase the economic performance and ROI of expensive land, and thereby feed the city budgets and, in turn improve the infrastructure. Again, Council needs people who understand how dependant the city is, as a whole, on healthy businesses efficiently using their own assets, so those businesses can fund the kind of beautiful city that attracts visitors, employees and customers, in the first place.
I also support building a conference center (500-600 seats has been mentioned) but since these facilities are typically "loss-leaders" and city budgets are strapped, I would encourage exploring partnering with CU to take advantage of their different capital sources, lack of planning and building constraints and ability to get things done quickly and beautifully, to distribute some of the risk involved and also to create opportunities to use their active season to balance your softer shoulder season on the demand side. I also would support related development partnerships all around the edges of CU's campus, where there are existing hospitality businesses, and where CU is already expanding its housing, but where the city is frequently down zoning and otherwise suppressing improvements, rather than taking advantage of CU's initiatives to create synergy that could benefit both Town & Gown. I am excited to lead the charge and defend major improvements around CU, to create walkable mixed use neighborhoods that become attractive "facilities" in themselves. My website has more on this.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
I, as you know was a past member of the CVB. There is no guaranty in the future, your return on investment is so strong it is hard to imagine a Council would walk away.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent.
City has already committed it's portion to fund ballot issue 2A.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder.
I will continue to keep lines of communication open with the labs. As you know Federal Funding cuts are coming..
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
I don't know what the City could do in this area, but am open to discussions. I know there are ongoing discussions going on regarding the USA Pro Bicycling Tour in 2012. I will help in any way I can.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
Please encourage your friends to vote for Ballot Issue 2A.. Also, I have been pressing the University to build a Conference Center for years. I was part of the last 2 attempts for the City to build it's own Conference Center… It is high on my priority list.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
In recognition of the proven cultural and economic rewards of investing in tourism, it seems clear that we ought fully support the CVB. Additionally, I feel it is important to faithfully follow any letter of intent in order that city stakeholders can continue to trust in their representatives and in the predictability of city policy. I aspire to clearly convey my positions, uphold my word and hold others to the same standard.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent?
I believe that the entirety of the accommodation tax should enure to those who have born its costs. Contrary to how some may view taxation, the costs to the taxpayer cannot be separated from lost earning potential of the provider. In this case, the hospitality industry - represented by the CVB - deserves to direct the funds as it sees fit.
Those who assert that a portion should cover tourists' use of city services need only be reminded that sales tax revenue already compensates for the amenities used by any Boulder visitor (day, overnight or otherwise).
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder?
I consider labs in the same way that I would any business. Being competitive in the modern market requires a flexible, affordable real estate market; a simple, sound regulatory environment; and local amenities that attract talent. We do very well on the last item, but need to recommit ourselves to the first two. We also need to maintain our presence in the larger political context by continuing to work with our federal representatives, our city lobbyist, and the Department of Commerce. If given the appropriate attention, I'm confident that we can provide for the needs of our Federal Labs throughout the future.
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
At the very least, the city should provide the security and logistical support necessary for any independently run event and, whenever reasonable, should furnish city land and facilities. Providing a foundation upon which our citizens and businesses may pursue their interests is not only a basic obligation of local government, but also a source of great cultural and economic rewards.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
Citizens and visitors alike should expect nothing less than excellence from Boulder's core services and infrastructure. Unfortunately, special interests have drained funding from these important assets and put them in jeopardy. I would act decisively to relieve the city of failing programs, divert funding back to the essentials and avoid the double price of deferred maintenance. Considering the economic times, budget shortfalls and backlog of capital improvements, there is no question as to whether this is the appropriate path for Boulder's immediate future.
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1. How would you support and insure the continued funding of the CVB as outlined in the City Council letter of intent.
There are two main reasons the CVB should enjoy continued funding from the city. First, and foremost, tourism is one of our winning strategies for bringing money into Boulder. The CVB plays a significant part in magnifying this source of revenue. For example, in the memo addressed to city council from the CVB on October 29, 2010, their promotion of Boulder seems to have increased accommodation tax receipts by over 5% relative to 2009. The second reason the CVB's funding should be secure is out of fairness. If the voters agreed to raise taxes for hotel rooms, it should be only proper that some of that money be returned to the industry sector that generated it.
2. With the increase in accommodation tax the City will benefit from the additional revenues. How do you propose to use these funds to support tourism in the City and uphold the City Councils outlined letter of intent.
My idea to promote tourism in Boulder is to create a festival in the late fall or early spring that would celebrate the Boulder way of life. We have a unique city that would draw national attention. The festival would feature all aspects that make Boulder shine like a star that is seen from around the world.
• Our healthy lifestyle (i.e. accessible hiking trails, local foods, and a passion for organics)
• World class athleticism (i.e. maybe a mini Bolder Boulder)
• Alternative and holistic healing modalities
• Alternative modes of transportation (e.g. the B-360)
• Commitment to the greater good (e.g. non-profit tabling opportunities)
• Yoga & Spirituality
• "Green" and Sustainability issues
• Alternative energy entrepreneurship I believe a festival that featured these facets of Boulder would generate a lot of excitement and draw people from distant parts of the country.
3. How would you support and help retain the presence of the Federally Funded Labs in City of Boulder.
I worked at NCAR for seven years and NOAA for three years. I am intimately familiar with their operations. These labs are committed to performing at the highest levels of scientific excellence. Their "presence" in the community is not a particularly high priority. For example, NOAA offers tours to the public on Tuesday afternoons. One tour a week is not sufficient. And how about this page (http://www.boulder.nist.gov/tours.htm)!? These institutions can be far more welcoming to visitors and still retain their scientific acumen and satisfy their security needs. What is really required is a small shift in priorities. Perhaps one of the hotels in town would be interested in offering a science tour of Boulder, hitting all the hotbeds of research (NOAA, NIST, NSIDC, LASP, NCAR, CU Museum of Natural History, the planetarium, star gazing from Flagstaff Mountain, etc).
4. What would you do to enhance cooperation between the city and the BCVB to facilitate and attract events during the off season?
In addition to promoting the festival I mentioned above, I would focus on transit. I believe one of the best things about Boulder is the ease with which it can be navigated by bike, bus, or on foot. Why don't we promote Boulder as the destination city that people can enjoy without the need to rent a car? By saving $50 a day on car rental, tourists will be inclined to splurge on other things such as a fancy dinner. We need to make sure our hotels are extremely well served by bus routes and that tourists feel comfortable using them. This will give our hotels a big advantage over cheaper options that may exist along the US36 corridor. Of course we also need to accommodate day trips up to RMNP, skiing, and Blackhawk. But hopefully tourists return to Boulder to stay.
5. How do you propose to address the deterioration of the existing City facilities, recreational, athletic, social and meeting space (Convention Center) needs - so that they are sufficient to both encourage visitors and ensure the quality of life for our residents?
I do believe Boulder suffers from the lack of a large and well-apportioned convention center. Perhaps that would be an appropriate use for the space at the west end of the Pearl Street Mall (formerly the Daily Camera building).
I also am aware of the lack of quality athletic fields. It wasn't long ago that I was an avid Ultimate Frisbee player. Both field quality and availability were constrained resources here in Boulder. I think the city should provide adequate ditch water to keep the fields we currently have on our public school grounds irrigated. Although I am a friend to prairie dogs, they are not welcome at athletic facilities. I would support aggressive non-lethal measures to protect our assets from encroachment such as relocation and cost-effective barriers.
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