I don't want to make this diary gigantic so first here are all the posts from my blog, from oldest to newest.
Boulder City Council members on a deserted island
Boulder Council Candidate web pages - a review
Boulder City Council Election - location, location, location - with google map
Boulder City Council Election - Prairie Dogs
Boulder City Council Election - Budget Experience
Boulder City Council Election - The Big Line
ColoradoPols has The Big Line for Colorado state races. So here I am stealing their idea to do the same thing for the City Council race. Comments about the odds very welcome - especially on my blog as it is being read by lots of Boulder voters.
It's difficult to gage the odds because mostly no one cares. There is no big issue dividing the electorate here. Twenty-Ninth is in and looks to be successful (although I predict Island Burger will last under a year). Prairie dogs are out of the sports fields and otherwise treated as royalty. The look but don't touch group and the lets hike on every square inch of open space seem to have settled into a comfortable hate/hate relationship.
We even have a final decision to bring in more expensive parking meters for the people to lazy to go buy a roll of quarters from the bank for their car. In other words, will this candidates vote matter? Yes it will but no one is sure exactly how and so, most people will vote because they should - not because they see it as important to any issue.
Front Runners
Ken Wilson (2-1) : Ken is the appointed candidate. He has endorsements from the Sierra Club, BOC, 3 council members, and 2 county commissioners. And I am sure he will get the PLAN - Boulder endorsement.
Alan O'Hashi (3-1) : Alan has worked tirelessly on diversity issues. On them he digs in, thinks things through, and is highly respected. He is also a very nice guy and that counts for a lot.
Matthew Applebaum (3-1) : Matt has name recognition from his monthly Camera column and credibility for sitting on the council before. However, he has burned some bridges (personally I like that in a person - it means they are willing to do something unpopular).
Have a Chance
Shawn Coleman (5-1) : Shawn is the real wildcard in the election. He is clearly a thoughtful and qualified candidate. And he has a regular job and lives East of 28th street. Most voters have more in common with Shawn than any other candidate. That could resonate big time.
Eugene Pearson (8-1) : Eugene is second in the endorsement sweepstakes with 2 council members and 1 county commissioner. And he is almost certainly the second choice for the Sierra Club, PLAN - Boulder, etc. But Ken Wilson gets all those votes so he is left with the votes he will pull from his work on AIDS.
Not going to happen
Angelique Espinoza (14-1) : She will get the co-housing vote and maybe a couple of people in the high-tech industry. But that's it - she has no call on anyone else.
Eric Bodenstab (19-1) : He is mounting a serious effort, but where is he going to pull his support from?
Not really even in the race
The rest (100:1) : Philip Bradley has more biking events that voter outreach in his schedule, Frank Zoldak got his website up (empty but up) yesterday, John Welsh is using the race to get free press for his cigar bar. The list goes on...
Boulder residents - please post comments about odds on my blog as it is linked to by the Daily Camera and other sources and so more Boulderites will see them.
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