2025 City Council Candidate Forums
SEPT 27 | League of women voters forum
SEPT 24 | Boulder Wildfire & Leadership Forum
SEPT 8 | Open Boulder, PLAN Boulder & Better Boulder Forum
2025 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Responses
September 15, 2025
City Council Candidate Press Release
Open Boulder Announces Endorsements for 2025 Boulder City Council Election
Formed in 2014 to improve community awareness and involvement in Boulder’s local government, Open Boulder has a proud history of advancing good governance, strengthening citizen engagement, and supporting pragmatic solutions to the city’s most pressing challenges.
Open Boulder’s 2025 City of Boulder Platforms include:
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Good governance
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Financial responsibility, accountability and transparency
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Community safety and emergency preparedness
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Community vibrancy & affordability for small businesses and residents
This year, after an extensive evaluation, we are excited to endorse four outstanding candidates— two new voices and two experienced incumbents—who will bring focus, practicality, and a needed change in policy balance to the Boulder City Council.
New Candidates
Jenny Robins is an advocate for targeted zoning reform to expand housing choices for all families, wildfire protection and public safety, and more effective community engagement—all priorities that align closely with Open Boulder’s platforms. With her public service experience as Chair of the Parks and Recreation Board, she brings valuable budget expertise and a track record of thoughtful leadership. Jenny has demonstrated her commitment to doing the research, exploring new perspectives, and advancing practical solutions, always measuring success through clear, outcome-based results. Jenny’s dedicated leadership ensures that pragmatic, forward-thinking policies will shape a more inclusive and resilient city.
Rob Kaplan shares Open Boulder’s commitment to making local government more effective and community-driven. As a former fire captain, he brings unique expertise in wildfire preparedness and public safety, offering the leadership needed to build a safer, more resilient Boulder. Rob’s collaborative style emphasizes coordination with county and state partners to ensure both readiness and rapid response to emerging threats. Beyond safety, as a former Boulder entrepreneur, he is deeply invested in Boulder’s economic vitality, supporting small businesses and the arts as essential parts of a thriving community. With this balanced approach, Rob is ready to deliver pragmatic solutions that advance Open Boulder’s mission of transparent, accountable, and effective government.
Incumbents
Councilmember Matt Benjamin exemplifies evidence-based decision-making and good governance, both core to Open Boulder’s mission. He is committed to rebuilding trust between residents and their city government by ensuring it operates efficiently, transparently, and responsibly. A strong supporter of local businesses and restaurants, Matt takes a pragmatic approach to economic policies such as minimum wage while also prioritizing wildfire mitigation and advocating for urgent, science-based action. With a data-driven mindset, he champions clear timelines, measurable outcomes, and accountability to deliver real results for Boulder.
Outspoken and candid, Mark Wallach has earned a reputation as the realist on City Council when it comes to fiscal responsibility and provision of basic services. He is deeply focused on ensuring that Boulder delivers core services—like reliable snow removal, well-maintained streets, and effective support for our unhoused neighbors—with accountability and competence. Guided by a commitment to practical solutions, Mark also recognizes the urgent threat of wildfire and is dedicated to strengthening the city’s preparedness and safety policies. His steady, forthright voice on the Council and the community “Hotline” continues to be both important and enlightening.
With this slate of candidates—Jenny Robins, Rob Kaplan, Matt Benjamin, and Mark Wallach—Boulder has an opportunity to elect a Council that embodies good governance, financial responsibility, safety, and community vibrancy. Together, they represent the kind of thoughtful, practical leadership Open Boulder has long championed. From leading the successful campaign to pass City Council term limits in 2017, to spearheading the “Our Mayor, Our Choice” ballot initiative in 2020 that brought ranked choice voting and direct mayoral elections, Open Boulder has consistently worked to empower residents and bring accountability and transparency to local government. We are proud to endorse these candidates who share our priorities and look forward to working with the community to elect them this November.
Media Contact:
Jan Burton
Chair, Open Boulder
janburton@me.com
214-632-6289
September 15, 2025
We hosted a first-ever Collaborative Forum for City Council Candidates
Photo courtesy of Gnurps
On September 8th, Open Boulder collaborated with PLAN Boulder and Better Boulder to host a forum moderated by Steve Fenberg, former Colorado Senate President.
With 175 members of the public joining us, we invited city council candidates to mingle with the public and answer questions during our social hour, and then each had a chance to speak onstage about their policies and platforms.
This event was generously hosted by Nomad Theater in North Boulder.
In case you missed it, you can watch the recorded candidate forum below:
SURVEYS
2021 city of BOULDER ISSUES
position statements
North Trail Study Area
white papers
carrying capacity
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Literature Review: Carrying-Capacity of Recreational Settings
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Civic Recreation: The Promise of Uniting Outdoor Recreation and Environmentalism in the 21st Century
trail stewardship
conservation theory
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Conservation in the Anthropocene—Beyond Solitude and Fragility
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Conservation Social Science: Understanding and Integrating Human Dimensions to Improve Conservation