Coffee Talk with KC Becker

Yesterday morning, I had coffee with KC Becker. Unlike my other meetings with candidates for Boulder City Council, there was no video camera. This was just a chat.

In general, I found myself agreeing with much of what KC had to say. She has a nice blend of experience which helps her reach common ground with many different types of people. Having environmental and business experience helps. She's worked with organizations like the Sierra Club, as an environmental attorney, in sustainable real estate development, and currently serves on Boulder's Planning Board. It's important to speak the language if you want to understand the concerns of parties on all sides of issue.

We need people with strong environmental convictions in positions where they can direct and influence business activities, not just protest against them.

My talk with KC covered a lot of topics. We discussed our backgrounds, compatible development, and politics in Boulder. We even touched on the somewhat similar experiences that led to each of us making Boulder our homes.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 gave many people pause to reflect on what they were doing with their lives. For me, it meant leaving New York and Wall Street, searching for ways to do more meaningful work. For KC, it meant leaving Washington DC and her legal efforts on behalf of the National Park Service. At points, we both found ourselves in real estate development - for her, green building including Sustainable Village and Stapleton. For me, helping to restore a Vanderbuilt mansion for a new community organization before venturing into advising people on real estate.

One point we agreed on: more people with experience in sustainability and environmental issues should get involved in business, including real estate and development. The idea that working in these industries somehow taints you is short sighted and ridiculous. We need people with strong environmental convictions in positions where they can direct and influence business activities, not just protest against them.

KC Becker also represents a demographic that is missing on City Council and often ignored in the debate; young families. Perhaps it's symbolic that Boulder schools like Washington and Mapleton are being replaced by housing for seniors. In this election cycle, there are several candidates like KC who represent the younger generation of Boulder's citizenry. Their election can potentially restore some generational balance to our local government. They're worth your consideration.

As with my interviews with Candidates Matt Appelbaum and Jyotsna Raj, this isn't a public endorsement. I share my experience with KC in the hope it adds valuable insight to the information that you're considering when making a decision in the current election.

And please, don't forget to vote!
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