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Ruth Blackmore for City Council

"The real experts in solving Boulder's problems are
the people most directly affected by them!"

Vote for Livable Neighborhoods.
Vote for Accountable Government.
Vote for Ruth Blackmore.
Vote November 7, 1995!

Growth

Fact: Between 9-13 million sq. feet is available for commercial, industrial, CU and federal labs development. This is the equivalent of 13 more Crossroads Malls and 40,000 employees. To plan carefully for the future, we must:

• Promote managed and balanced growth through the Slow Growth! Initiative and the Careful Choice Charter Amendment
• Make growth pay its own way
• Support local businesses over out-of-town chains
• Balance the jobs/housing ratio through regional cooperation

Transportation

Fact: A significant amount of our traffic congestion and air pollution is caused by the 44% of people commuting to Boulder for jobs. We must:

• Address the in-commuting traffic problem
• Provide more effective inner city bus service
• Resolve the cut-through-traffic problems within neighborhoods
• Enforce speeding laws
• Promote alternative modes of transportation
• Build more bike paths
• Institute satellite parking, downtown shuttles
• Create city/employer incentives to coordinate schedules with transit modes­staggered work hours
• Promote Eco-pass

Government

Quote: "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of a society but the people themselves." -- Thomas Jefferson

We must:

• Hold elected officials and city government accountable
• Encourage open and participatory government
• Promote citizen participation
• Work for county wide intergovernmental cooperation

Neighborhoods

Fact: When you defend the livability of your neighborhood, you get labeled. What happens at the neighborhood level affects the livability of the city and of adjoining areas. We must:

• Promote citizen involvement in planning and
• maintaining livable neighborhoods
• Empower people to be involved in neighborhood and community wide issues
• Enforce speed of traffic through neighborhoods
• Require sub-community plans to be completed before major development in neighborhoods
• Improve relationship between neighborhoods and city government

Housing

Fact: The middle class is disappearing from Boulder. Where does this leave the low-income? We need to provide for a diverse community through affordable housing by:

• Permitting cooperative housing and co-housing
• Buying mobile home parks
• Providing for community land trusts
• Promoting programs such as Community Housing Assistance Program (CHAPS) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
• Having CU provide more housing for their students to free up some lower priced housing for the non-student population

Environment

Fact: Boulder County is the most polluted county in Colorado in toxic chemical waste and Boulder zipcode area 80301 is number one in toxic waste in Colorado.* We must:

• Improve air quality; reduce toxic emissions
• Promote recycling and county wide solutions to solid waste problems
• Protect the wetlands and wildlife corridors
• Continue to purchase open space
• Provide for neighborhood parks

Human Services

Fact: From 1989 to 1995, Boulder's median household income decreased for single-parent families (-$5,000) and ethnic minority households (-$4,000). We must:

• Support child care assistance programs for the low-income
• Promote programs for youth and seniors
• Provide for basic human needs

Experience

Current memberships
Majestic Heights Neighborhood Association, Co-Chair
Eco-Cycle Block and Region Leader
B.R.E.A.T.H.E., Board member
Boulder Chapter of the ACLU, Board member
Boulder Community Alliance
Sierra Club

Past memberships
Boulder Newcomers Club, President
Business and Professional Women's Club
First Call for Help, Editor of Directory
Alpha XI Delta, Alumnae Director of the states of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina

Skills
I have 27 years of business skills in management, research, and budget analysis as well as professional training as a community organizer.

Dear Voters,

For the 16 years I have lived in Boulder, I have worked on issues pertaining to schools, traffic, housing, growth, environment, parks and civil rights. The last 10 years of my work life with a foundation have been devoted to working on social, economic and environmental justice issues. I work full time with grassroots community organizing groups across the United States for the empowerment of the low-income, minorities and disenfranchised people. I am dedicated to maintaining fair and accountable government and to promoting citizen participation as vital to a healthy democracy. I encourage all people to take an active role in shaping their community and in running their government instead of letting it run them. You hold the key to Boulder's future with your vote. I ask for your vote.

-- Ruth Blackmore

Paid for by Ruth Blackmore for City Council.
Anne Fenerty, Chair; Macon Cowles, Treasurer
Advisory Committee: Curtiss Coughlin, Paul Danish, and Bob Wells
A copy of our report is on file with the Boulder City Clerk.