All Boulder City Council candidates are warmly invited to contribute an article to elephantjournal.com. So far, three have submitted articles. This is the first we’ve posted. ~ed.

Waylon Lewis is Not Running for City Council, Now What?

~ by City Council Candidate Kevin Hotaling.

In the wake of Waylon’s announcement that he won’t be running for council, rather than be happy to see a smaller field, I’ve been stuck with a regret that Boulder has lost not only a great candidate for council, but also a strong contender to build a future for the 74% of Boulderites under the age of 45.

I now feel a stronger burden to make my campaign as robust as possible. While the experience and wisdom that come with age are certainly assets to city leadership, there is also something to be said for the creativity and perspective that come with youth.

My campaign focuses upon balance—balance between the needs of young and old, and between idealistic goals and economic realities. The tensions that have arisen due to the differing goals of students, young professionals and families can be alleviated only through an understanding of one another. Furthering our sustainability goals may seem easy during times of plenty, but becomes much more difficult when simultaneously dealing with a budget shortfall.

Too often, our grand aspirations are held back by the belief that taxation and legislation are the way to effect positive change. Many of the greatest advancements of our time have come from talented, mindful leaders working for both private and public causes.

elephant is just one of dozens of local for-profit solutions to the needs of the 21st century. This diversity of sustainable businesses comes as no surprise, considering that Boulder has a strong legacy of innovation, strong businesses and green leadership. When other cities were building tract homes, we were establishing the blue line and buying our green belt. When they were transitioning to a more corporate landscape, we were protecting our local businesses and building our preeminence in the emerging LOHAS market. When they were focused upon consumption, we were focused on quality of life.

Now it it time to show leadership by empowering our small businesses by simplifying legislation, freezing taxes and displaying the true capacity of Boulder’s mindful populous.

Kevin Hotaling
Candidate for Boulder City Council

Learn more about my platform here:
http://councilmanh.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Councilman-H/107569272866?ref=ts

And don’t forget to check out my first campaign video on youtube!