Rob Kaplan
Rob Kaplan is making his first run for Boulder City Council in 2025. He said he decided to run after watching Council meetings where they were discussing wildfire issues, and realizing he could have added a valuable and experienced voice.
“I knew I had something to bring, which was real boots on the ground experience. I was on the Marshall Fire, I’ve been on many fires here, as well as structure fires, EMS, and safety in general. So, I could tell by some of the questions that the council was asking specifically when they were doing the Wildland Urban Interface update, the International Code, that there was a lack of understanding. And it’s not to fault any council members. It’s just there are certain subject matter experts on the council. I just knew I have a wide skill set that I can bring to the city council,” said Kaplan.
Mini-Bio
Kaplan grew up in Gary, Indiana, a steel town which he described as “pretty rough,” mentioning that it had a high murder rate per capita in certain years while he was living there. He graduated from William A. Wirt High School, which is no longer there, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.
He got his start in real estate by purchasing foreclosed homes, but said he was able to make arrangements to keep at least three of the former owners in their old homes until they were ready to leave.
In 1993, things changed, and he was ready to leave Gary because it was dangerous with lots of crime, pollution, and no places to send kids to public schools. He had visited Boulder and decided to come here, at first getting a job at a Morgul Bismark bike shop, then starting his own bike shop called Pro Peloton. He sold that business in 2000, and transitioned into commercial real estate, but became a volunteer firefighter after the Overland Fire. He was eventually hired as a professional fire fighter, and recently retired from Boulder Rural Fire Rescue as a captain.
Kaplan was appointed to the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in 2025. He said he joined right during “budget season,” and found it “eye-opening” to study issues including departmental funding, fees, maintenance, access to facilities for groups like lower-income residents and seniors, and the many venues and facilities within the city.
His campaign website is https://www.rob4boulder.com/
Concerns about Boulder’s economic future?
According to Kaplan, it will be important for Boulder’s economic future to help make sure small businesses don’t face excessive barriers to entry and operation. He suggested going through city codes and regulations to identify areas of redundancy, outdated regulations, and other items that could be removed. He then told a story of a local restaurant owner who had a condiment shelf in the building, but the city remotely held up plans because of the location of the shelf.
“He was being advised that the plans needed to be changed and a hallway needed to be moved because it was the kitchen area. And he kept explaining it was just a shelf. It’s just a shelf. Finally, six months later, that staff employee came out and physically saw it, got eyes on it, apologized profusely. And that was six months of no revenue for the city, no revenue for the business owner,” said Kaplan.
On a positive note, he said Boulder’s quantum computing sector holds real economic promise, and added that “this town is built on research and innovation.”
Does Boulder spend taxpayers’ money wisely?
Kaplan said he thinks a poll where about half the respondents said the city doesn’t spend money wisely provided a “valid statistic.” He noted that he’s personally seen many areas in the city where road conditions are poor, and that snow removal on city streets needs improvement. He lives near the west edge of town, a little higher in elevation than Broadway, and said between a lack of sidewalks in the area and a lack of plowing that it’s treacherous to walk or bike down to Broadway.
He also said the city doesn’t currently have the funding to replace a South Boulder Rec Center that he believes is past its useful life. Moving forward, he said he takes conservative views on budgeting, and hopes to use it for core city services, maintenance, and planning for reasonable worst-case scenarios.
Crime Concerns?
With Boulder Rural Fire, Kaplan worked on hiring public safety personnel, and said it’s important for personnel to be paid competitively so they don’t leave, and so organizations don’t have to spend time hiring replacements and training new staff. He said this is a concern in Boulder, and he talked to an officer who said some officers are considering working in other cities where they might get better compensation and work what he called “frankly, an easier job.”
Moving forward, he believes it’s important to ensure safety on public paths, underpasses, and in Downtown Boulder. He said he’s witnessed open drug use, and heard from others about unregulated camping or concerns about not feeling safe after dark. He suggested more patrols to keep public areas clean and safe.
Homelessness Objectives
According to Kaplan, one-size-fits-all solutions to homelessness aren’t possible because “everyone is having their own personal experience,” whether it’s troubles with finances, mental health, substance abuse, or even if they just like the unhoused lifestyle. He spoke positively about the part of the recently-released “Clutch Report” recommending that the city should highly prioritize services for unhoused people with connections to the Boulder community, while those without strong local connections should have initial access to services but should eventually be re-routed to areas where they might be reunited with family or friends.
He also suggested the city should consider having a central hub for data and communications accessible to the multiple entities working on homelessness issues. Kaplan said he personally witnessed an interaction between two people who had similar information but on different platforms, and was “shocked that they literally work right next to each other all day, all year, and they’re using completely different systems that don’t communicate together.”
Core Arterial Network Projects
Kaplan said he was initially “not a fan” of the proposed Iris project because he expected congestion and problems with emergency evacuation, but dug into the issues and eventually changed his mind. He said the project might lead to slightly longer travel times for drivers, but would be much safer for kids and new e-bike users, plus a bike path could be re-purposed for emergency vehicles if needed. The project isn’t funded yet, and moving forward Kaplan said, “I’m always open to having my mind changed as I get more data.”
Council Meeting Open Comment Period
At the time of this early September interview, Kaplan had just attended a Council meeting where he said there was “quite an outburst.” Despite new Council policies on Open Comment, Kaplan said there was still room for improvement, in part because some of the people creating what he called a “tense environment” at the meeting weren’t from Boulder. “It takes a lot of time and energy out of city council, it’s distracting, and we have so much work to get done. I am all for free speech. I don’t want free speech limited, but it needs to be done with respect and decorum,” he said.
Boulder and International Issues
Kaplan simply said, “The name implies it’s the City Council. So my belief is that, unless it’s directly impacting us, we focus on city affairs.”
New Administration in Washington and Boulder Impacts
According to Kaplan, the city needs to “walk a fine line” moving forward to help make sure Boulder doesn’t become a target like Los Angeles or other cities. Also, the city might still be in the running for federal grants or other funding. “So you have to have a little finesse in dealing with somebody, an administration that may not be so conducive to your funding, your way of life, your community, your culture,” he said.
Performance of “Progressive Council”
Kaplan said he interviewed with Boulder Progressives and met members, saying there are “some amazing, intelligent, and passionate people in that group.” He didn’t get their endorsement, but said he would work with them if elected. “This city won’t run without collaboration. You can’t have an ideology and just run with living in an echo chamber of confirmation bias. We need ideas, we need perspectives, we can agree to disagree on things, but if we can find a kernel of truth and commonality, then that’s what matters, and that’s why it’s called a community,” said Kaplan.
Climate Action
The former firefighter said there’s no doubt in his mind that climate change has caused conditions in this area to get hotter and drier, so fire mitigation will be essential. He suggested actions including creating defensible space around structures, “limbing up” trees to help reduce risks of fire spreading, and using 1/8th-inch screening on homes to keep embers from entering the home.
He also mentioned the common estimate that 60,000 drivers in-commute into Boulder daily, and said the city needs to find ways to encourage people to consider other modes of transportation in the interest of less congestion and reduced carbon emissions.
Need More Housing?
When asked if the city still needs more housing, Kaplan said it makes sense to have denser housing along CAN or transit corridors, but it might not make sense in western Boulder where more cars might exacerbate difficulties in case of a fire evacuation. He said the city ought to address possible development in the Area III Planning Reserve in north Boulder “with kid gloves,” because it’s one of the last areas available in the city for significant new development so planning should be done with the future in mind. He is also interested in “land lease” possibilities, where the city might own land, have middle-income homes built on that land, and use strategies like down payment assistance and deed restriction to help with affordability.
CCRS Ballot Measures (City of Boulder Issues 2A and 2B)
Kaplan supports both CCRS ballot measures.
County Mental/Behavioral Health Tax (Issue 1B)
During this early September interview, Kaplan said he wasn’t ready to offer a position because he wanted more information on issues like assessment metrics, where the money would go, and accountability.
Endorsements
Kaplan has earned endorsements from Open Boulder, Boulder Fire Rescue Local 900, Boulder Rural Fire Rescue IAFF Local 4415, PLAN-Boulder County, Boulder Action, Safer Boulder, Moms Demand Action, Stop Antisemitism Colorado, Engage Boulder, and approval from Planned Parenthood Votes.
Follow The Money
Kaplan has received the maximum of $11,994 in total contributions, including $100 maximum donations from current Council member Mark Wallach; former Council members Jan Burton, Bob Yates, and Steve Pomerance; and former District Attorney Stan Garnett.
