On November 3, the voters of Boulder spoke – and they resoundingly rejected measures 300 and 301. These ballot issues would have divided our community, and would have locked measures into our city charter that would have stifled community efforts to provide affordable housing, to reduce our carbon footprint, and to maintain a dynamic economy.

Voters also elected 5 council members, including three who were endorsed by Better Boulder – Aaron Brockett, Suzanne Jones, and Bob Yates. None of the council candidates who supported 300 or 301 were elected. One of the newly elected council members, Jan Burton, while not endorsed by Better Boulder, is a supporter of smart land use, and we think will be a strong voice on the issues we work on.

The Daily Camera described the election results well in their editorial the morning after the election: “By a convincing margin, Boulder voters said no to citizen initiatives 300 and 301, and yes to modernity. The initiatives were pitched as growth-control measures, but many opponents agreed with Mayor Matt Appelbaum that their effect would be to close the door and make Boulder in effect a gated community. Both measures trailed 60-40 percent most of the night, a landslide in electoral terms.

The decisive outcome suggested a majority of Boulderites agree that the suburban model governing Boulder’s build-out in the latter half of the 20th century is sub-optimal in the age of global warming. Denser, mixed-use developments that allow residents to traverse residential, retail and office uses without driving long distances are key to reducing per capita carbon emissions.

Just as important, the outcome said Boulder, with its progressive tradition, is unwilling to devolve into an ever older, ever whiter, ever richer enclave.”

We could not have achieved this without you – the people who walked door to door delivering literature, wrote letters to the editor, licked envelopes, waved signs at streetcorners, and just talked to their friends and neighbors about these crucial elections.

Now comes the next phase – healing the divisions in our community, and working together, as one Boulder, to address the complex issues that do face us – how we can make meaningful progress on housing options for all income groups, move forward on our climate goals, maintain a strong entrepreneurial economy, and give people real transportation choices. We look forward to working with all of you to make Boulder even better.

– Will Toor