our agenda

Open Boulder is the only organization in Boulder formed specifically to improve the effectiveness of local government, both through Council member changes and in good governance initiatives.

During the 2020 election cycle, Open Boulder conceptualized and led the successful Our Mayor, Our Choice ballot initiative (in spite of numerous COVID- and political obstacles), which won with nearly 80% of the vote. And in 2019, Open Boulder--as a member of the Coalition--helped elect four new City Council members out of six slots (the top three candidates each broke records for the highest number of votes in City’s history). In 2017, we successfully advocated for and helped pass term limits for Council members.

The trajectory for 2021 is very positive—future initiatives could be ranked choice voting for Council, increased Council pay, etc.—and we don’t want to let up now. As we look to 2021, we hope to again be recruiting and training board and commission candidates in January (which helps us build a pipeline of talent and installs the right kind of people into the governance process). And beginning in April, we will begin our work to finally gain a majority of more progressive candidates in the 2021 City Council election.

OUR VIEW

We are a grass roots, nonpartisan movement of open-minded, pragmatic and moderate individuals of all ages, cultures and economic backgrounds who want to ensure that the amazing assets that brought them here are open for all for generations to come. We are parents, we are young and not-so-young professionals, students and recent grads, long-time residents and recent arrivals. We are employees and business owners, entrepreneurs and technology workers. We are outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor athletes, we are animal lovers, and we are environmentalists.

Government Transparency - Local city and county government decisions are the ones that impact us the most. We believe it is the citizens’ responsibility to hold our local representatives accountable. Open Boulder will support and encourage initiatives that will improve representation for Boulder’s broader population and encourage openness and accountability in local government decisions.

Access to Open Space - Open Boulder’s mission is to connect people to our community’s treasured places in a sustainable manner. Environmentalism and active outdoor recreation go hand in hand. Many of us actively use Open Space & Mountain Parks to hike, climb, run, bike and walk our dogs, and we value the ability to experience nature so close to an urban environment. We gladly pay open space taxes, but our local government does not always value active recreation. In response to increasing use, land managers often implement further restrictions rather than expanding opportunities for visitors to recreate responsibly. We believe that connecting people to our community’s treasured places in a sustainable manner is exactly what we need to do to build support for conservation.