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Issue #1 — Monday, September 14, 2026
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$400 Million? Say What?
Five Incumbents Asking for Your Vote in November Boulder City Council Elections
This Engage Boulder Newsletter reflects the personal opinions of Dan Caruso, written with the support of the Caruso Ventures team.
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The City of Boulder is asking its residents for permission to borrow $400 million. It is a ballot measure in this November’s election.
A lot is being written about this request, and it is genuinely hard to follow. Over the next two months, I am going to try to make sense of it.
Let’s start with the voices of others.
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“It’s like how someone goes bankrupt: Slowly, then all at once.”
— Bob Yates, former Boulder City Council member, The Boulder Bulletin, June 2026
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“This is not a problem 60 years in the making; it’s a problem of 5 years of poor execution.”
— Jan Burton, former Boulder City Council member, Daily Camera, August 5, 2026
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“Over the past two years, I have watched with increasing frustration as the Taj Mahal of office buildings has been painstakingly constructed at the old hospital site on North Broadway.” and “Drumroll please, we are talking about a minimum of $304 million for the Alpine-Balsam project.”
— Terri Brncic, Open Boulder board member, Boulder Reporting Lab, August 18, 2026
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“In other words, the city adopted a maintenance plan, failed to fund it, and watched the problem grow. Now they want voters to bail them out.”
— Jan Burton, Daily Camera, August 5, 2026
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“Having $1 billion in real estate with $400 million in unfunded deferred maintenance is like owning a $1 million house with $400,000 in needed repairs but no income to cover the costs.”
— Bob Yates, The Boulder Bulletin, June 2026
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“Are past city councils to blame? No, ALL city councils, including the current one, are responsible. No one gets a pass.”
— Mark Wallach and Ryan Schuchard, Boulder City Council members, Boulder Reporting Lab, April 16, 2026
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“Boulder voters have been generous. We have passed tax after tax in good faith. But generosity is not the same as a blank check.”
— Jan Burton, Daily Camera, August 5, 2026
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“Where is the oversight? Where is the transparency? Where is the leadership willing to ask hard questions and hold people accountable, instead of leaving it to individual residents to file records requests to bring basic financial facts to light?”
— Terri Brncic, Boulder Reporting Lab, August 18, 2026
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“Kicking the can down the road is no longer a viable policy for this community.”
— Mark Wallach and Ryan Schuchard, Boulder Reporting Lab, April 16, 2026
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The ballot measure is not all you will be voting on. Boulder also elects a mayor and five City Council members this November — six of the nine seats on council. Five of those running already hold office.
Aaron Brockett is running for re-election as mayor. Taishya Adams, a sitting councilmember, is running for mayor rather than defending her seat. And three councilmembers are on the ballot for re-election: Tara Winer, the Mayor Pro Tem; Tina Marquis; and Ryan Schuchard.
As you read the quotes above, ask yourself a question. Should those who have been running our city be reelected? Or should Boulder voters elect a fresh slate?
Kevin Daly, proprietor of Mountain Sun Pubs, wrote to his mailing list on September 2: “Good intentions are not enough. Government must execute, measure results and change course when something isn’t working.”
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I agree with Kevin. When something isn’t working, a course change is appropriate.
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Bob Yates, The Boulder Bulletin, June 2026 — republished by Boulder Channel 1
Jan Burton, Daily Camera, August 5, 2026
Terri Brncic, Boulder Reporting Lab, August 18, 2026
Mark Wallach and Ryan Schuchard, Boulder Reporting Lab, April 16, 2026
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