Nicole Speer

Nicole Speer is running for re-election to Boulder City Council in 2025. At the start of this interview, she said she was concerned about the direction of the nation when she first ran in 2021 and wanted to make a difference locally, and she wants to do try basically doing that again in 2025 but with four years on Council under her belt.

“The main reason that I am running again is that there’s a lot of knowledge in relationships that I have built up over the last four years that will be very helpful as the city navigates the next three years. So I’m running again to be of service, provide my knowledge, skills, relationships, not just locally, but also at the regional and state level to try to help the city navigate this very challenging time, particularly having a pretty in-depth view of the budget, how the city’s funded, the history of how we have approached city funding, and where we’re headed,” she said.

Mini-Bio

Speer was born in Portland, Oregon, but her parents soon moved to Gladstone, Oregon, and she graduated from Rex Putnam High School in Oregon. She then enrolled at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, but after a year she transferred to the nearby Scripps College where she earned a degree in psychology.

She then attended grad school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she earned a PhD in psychology. She met her husband while at Washington, and the couple moved to Boulder for post-doctoral fellowships at CU-Boulder in 2005. She went on to work for a nonprofit in higher education policy research, then landed a position with CU at the Anschutz campus in Aurora, and later took a job studying human adaptation to new energy technology with the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute.

She became the Director of Operations at CU’s Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium, a brain imaging research facility, but recent federal funding cuts cost her this job and she’s currently looking for new employment.

Speer earned her first term on Council by finishing 3rd in a race for 5 seats in 2021, receiving 16,287 votes. She ran for Mayor of Boulder in 2023, finishing 3rd in “first-choice” votes in a ranked-choice voting election, but was able to stay on Council because there were two years left in her term. She served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2024, served as a Council representative to Mile High Flood District, chaired the nominating committee with Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), is on DRCOG’s new Regional Building Decarbonization Oversight Committee, and serves on the City Council Process Working Group.

Her campaign website is https://nicoleforboulder.com/

Concerns about Boulder’s economic future?

Speer said she was “terrified” about the prospects for the local economy after the 2024 election. Concerns about layoffs and federal funding cuts started coming true in early 2025, and some of the people laid off were professionals earning middle-income or better. She said it’s already affecting home sales and rental prices, along with small businesses as people “like me” pull back on spending.

“For me, the solution here is our economic vitality strategy – being mindful about what the industries are, and the jobs are, that we might be able to attract into Boulder. that align with Boulder’s values. We really need to be mindful about and work together with the business community to understand what the opportunities are,” she said, adding that some job retraining might be necessary to meet local needs.

Does Boulder spend taxpayers’ money wisely?

While a recent survey said about half the respondents don’t believe Boulder spends money wisely, Speer noted that the survey didn’t say “why.” To find out, she said there will be a “Fund Our Future” campaign within the city’s Long-Term Financial Strategy, which will use additional surveying and other outreach to determine peoples’ priorities. “Frankly, I wish we had it about a year ago, but this will still be enough time to be useful,” said Speer.

Crime Concerns?

Speer noted that crime rates are generally going down in Boulder, “but that doesn’t mean it’s gone.” She said one of Council’s top roles in governing, including in policing, is to help create strategic plans and make sure they’re being implemented. During her first term, the Council approved a plan called “Reimagine Policing,” and she said the relatively new Police Chief Steve Redfearn has done a good job in carrying out the plan’s steps. Speer said there are different community perspectives on Boulder’s safety based on “how you move through the world,” but she does hear from people who don’t feel safe. She does not believe there is a “silver bullet” that will change things rapidly, but does believe the policing plan mentioned above and the homelessness strategies to be mentioned below will make a difference.

Homelessness Objectives

While the city received homelessness recommendations from the Clutch Report, Speer says it will be important in a time of fiscal restraint to see what “foundational” aspects the city can accomplish with limited funds. For example, she said part of the report said the city could spend $13 million per year on single adult homelessness, but the city won’t have $13 million for that purpose next year. She added that while the city might focus on a “diversion” recommendation to help unhoused people with little or no connection to Boulder move on to other locations, it’s not clear how that would work with existing budgeting and staffing. She said it’s important to find ways to “resolve the camping issue in our public spaces versus just telling them, you can’t be here, but we’re not providing any alternatives.”

Core Arterial Network Projects

According to Speer, the CAN proposals are science and evidence-based plans that she believes will make corridors “safer for every single person who is using those roads, in every single mode of transportation that they’re using. That, to me, is the key piece.” The city has had a “Vision Zero” effort for about a decade in which it’s trying to eliminate severe crashes and fatalities in Boulder, and Speer said she believes the CAN designs will “help get us there.” She acknowledged that people have had disagreements with some of the plan aspects, and said it will be important to “make tweaks and change things” if needed. Still, she said she has been hit while driving and “narrowly avoided being hit” while crossing a street with her bike, and emphasized wanting to make Boulder’s roads “safer for everyone” during this interview.

Council Meeting Open Comment Period

Speer said she did support the recent policy changes Council made for the Open Comment period, and believes they’re “starting to work, in terms of creating an environment that allows everybody to be heard at open comment.” She said she pushed for trying to limit Open Comment to 45 minutes total, no matter how many speakers, to help make sure Council meetings don’t use a “disproportionate” amount of time on Open Comment.

Boulder and International Issues

According to Speer, it would be her preference to have a “clear, transparent, predictable process for when and how we take on international issues, if at all.” She spoke of other serious worldwide problems beyond Gaza, including massive famine in Gaza, death and destruction in Ukraine, the recent Russian incursion into Poland, and environmental and human destruction from cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said “it’s fine” with her if locals want to discuss international issues, “but let’s also make it really clear and predictable, if and when we’re going to do that, so that it’s not confusing for the community.”

New Administration in Washington and Boulder Impacts

Speer believes one major concern moving forward will be federal policy impacts on the immigrant population, in part because “without immigrants, our community is lesser in so many ways,” but also because economies are so dependent on availability of an immigrant workforce. She also said it will be important to consider finding ways to not be as dependent on resources from outside Boulder in areas like food production, energy production, or housing production, noting that local food production is a discussion in the current Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update.

Performance of “Progressive Council”

“I think we like to be tribal as humans,” said Speer, but she said she does not believe the performance and voting records of the current Council fit neatly into tribal categories. She noted that at times she and fellow Boulder Progressive-endorsed Council member Lauren Folkerts are the only two voting a certain way, but also at times it’s her and not-Boulder-Progressive-endorsed member Mark Wallach as the only two voting a certain way.

She said some of the impacts from recent Council decisions might not be felt for decades, but nearer-term impactful accomplishments include the Core Arterial Network, moving toward outcome-based budgeting, and housing policy and zoning changes designed not to create affordability “right at this moment” but to slow the pace of cost increases. “Every single person on council is doing what they feel is best in the best interests of our community. And I don’t know how that will play out in the long term, but in the short term, I do see some real progress overall,” she said.

Climate Action

Speer believes there are needs to focus to some extent on climate adaptation, since there are strong likelihoods of conditions like higher temperatures, drier climates, air pollution and extreme weather events into the foreseeable future. She’s encouraged by what she called “nature-based” solutions the city is working on regarding fire and flood mitigation. She also called out a regional Building Decarbonization grant DRCOG received from the EPA, which will help fund efforts in the region like building energy efficiency upgrades, heat pumps, and implementing “climate-friendly” ways to moderate indoor air temperatures.

Need More Housing?

The past few Councils have approved significant amounts of housing, and Speer noted the city’s near the housing quantity numbers along transportation corridors needed to meet state mandates. She said she does not believe the city will meet demand for people earning at or below 60% Area Median Income “by building alone.” According to Speer, a relatively new Regional Housing Needs Assessment effort through DRCOG will focus on issues including how to meet demand for affordable low-and-middle-income housing not just in Boulder, but also in nearby regional communities. “It is something that I believe needs to be done in partnership with surrounding communities, considering patterns of where people work, and how they move around the region as they move through different stages of life,” she said.

CCRS Ballot Measures (City of Boulder Issues 2A and 2B)

Speer supports both CCRS ballot measures.

County Mental/Behavioral Health Tax (County Issue 1B)

Speer supports Boulder County Ballot Issue 1B, primarily because many segments of the community are reporting increased needs for behavioral health services, while funding from other sources is either getting cut or might not be dependable.

Endorsements

Speer has been endorsed by Boulder Progressives, Better Boulder, New Era Action Fund, Colorado Working Families Party, Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group, Moms Demand Action, Boulder Area Labor Council, Colorado Black Women for Political Action, Stop Antisemitism Colorado, Blueflower Fund, Communications Workers of America CO/WY, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Daily Camera, and approval from Planned Parenthood Votes.

Follow The Money

Speer has received the maximum of $11,994 in total campaign contributions, including maximum $100 donations from current Council members Ryan Schuchard, Aaron Brockett, Matt Benjamin, and Lauren Folkerts; former Council members Macon Cowles, Jill Grano, and Matt Appelbaum; state Representative Junie Joseph; and $50 from County Commissioner Marta Loachamin.