Annexation Proclamation (Boulder Issue 2A)

City of Boulder Issue 2A would, with a number of exceptions, force a public vote on new annexations by the City of Boulder. As with many citizen initiatives, it focuses on one problem and comes up with a one-sided solution, without concern for any unintended consequences.

Who came up with the list of exceptions? Why force a vote on annexations on not on any other issue that our elected officials vote on? Why can't we just hold our elected officials accountable for what they do, instead of keeping them from doing anything that might possibly cause a problem?

Now, I'm as anti-growth as anybody. When North Boulder exploded with new construction over the past few years, I was shocked. Acres of grassland were turned almost overnight into row after row of ugly (in my opinion) houses. I'm not sure how this could happen within the constraints of our 1% annual growth limit. (An issue, perhaps, for another day's rant.)

However, Issue 2A is not the way to solve this. Hampering our elected government's ability to work in good faith on our behalf is not consistent with our founding fathers' vision of how our country should work. We need to elect officials who represent our best interests, and then allow them to do their jobs, while continually monitoring them and letting them know what we think.

Vote NO on Boulder Issue 2A.