Palacios: Seeks Issue-By-Issue Realism

Montserrat Palacios

Montserrat Palacios is making her first run for Boulder City Council, and for elected office in general, in 2025.

“I attended a Boulder City Council meeting a couple of months ago, and after that, I just felt compelled. I kind of felt called to run. I’ve always been a part of the community wherever I’ve lived. And it just kind of felt, you know, it felt like a calling. I’ve always wanted to be a voice for the community, so it just kind of fell into place. I’ve always helped people, and I’ve always wanted to be a voice for everyone. So, I think that kind of just sparked my interest,” said Palacios on her reasons for running.

Mini-Bio

Palacios was born in Mexico, and both of her parents are from Mexico. She spent part of her childhood in Spain, between Barcelona and Salamanca, and said she is named after “Our Lady of Montserrat” in Barcelona.

She attended elementary school in Washington, D.C., then for middle and high school she was homeschooled in Palo Alto, California. She graduated from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. with a degree in art history, and then worked for about eight years in New York at a gallery and in other positions.

Her family has lived in Boulder for about 10 years, and Palacios came here to live full-time about a year-and-a-half ago. She said she took political science and sociology courses in college, but was never formally involved in politics before running for Council.

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

Concerns about Boulder’s economic future?

Palacios said she is concerned about Boulder’s economic future, and she already believes she sees too many empty storefronts around town today. “I think we need to work together with developers in real estate, commercial real estate offices, to really come to terms and help bridge a gap and help local businesses and small businesses be able to survive,” she said. On the positive side, she said Boulder is a tourist and events destination, between the University of Colorado and sports and concerts, while landing the Sundance Film Festival will make Boulder more of a destination into the future.

Does Boulder spend taxpayers’ money wisely?

Palacios said she believes the city spends money both wisely and carelessly at the same time, but added, “you’ll find that anywhere.” She understands that the city is facing budget shortfalls, and believes that “every department needs to really reevaluate their priorities” and make cuts as necessary. She does not support raising city taxes at this time.

Crime Concerns?

While she said she does not believe the level of crime in Boulder is “highly alarming,” Palacios does believe it’s important to properly fund the police because “they’re crucial to our safety.” She also said it will be important to partner with the University of Colorado to help address crime on University Hill. There will be more on her views on homelessness in the next section, but for this question on crime she said she believes Boulder does have a problem with some unhoused people in public spaces, such as parks, paths, libraries, and business districts.

Homelessness Objectives

Palacios said the recent Clutch Report was a “good step,” but the city doesn’t have the money to fund some of its recommendations, and she believes the city needs to be “a little bit more realistic” in its approach to homelessness. She said the city has a “camping ban,” but it needs to enforce it. While she said the city should do what it can to make sure there are beds for the unhoused with a connection to Boulder, it should “never be a destination town” for unhoused people coming here from elsewhere. She supports mandating treatment for substance abuse if that’s an unhoused person’s problem. “I think it’s (homelessness) been an issue for the past couple of campaigns, and I think we really need to come at it with compassion, but a little bit stricter,” she said.

Core Arterial Network Projects

Palacios spoke positively in general about CAN projects like the Iris proposal. She said that while the CAN projects might reduce some lanes for automobile traffic, Boulder should move forward with more sustainable transportation and “it’s essential to have bike safety.”

Council Meeting Open Comment Period

Palacios said it’s important to her that everyone’s voices are heard, but also believes some issues don’t belong at regular Council business meetings. She proposed having special quarterly Council meetings where people could bring up and discuss issues that might not be part of a regular Council business agenda.

Boulder and International Issues

While she understands that international issues may be very important for people in the community and even other Council candidates, Palacios said she does not believe the Council should take up international issues, partially because the city can’t really do anything to seriously impact these issues.

New Administration in Washington and Boulder Impacts

This interview took place very shortly after late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel got pulled from the air, and Palacios said this is a time in which “everyone should be concerned about free speech.” She said “there is a lot of terror” in the nation due to actions of the new administration, adding “we are in an alarming state.” According to Palacios, it will be important for the city, its residents, and its partners to work together on issues including protecting underrepresented community members, but in ways that don’t attract repercussions.

Performance of “Progressive Council”

Palacios said she believes she would push for change from the current “progressive” direction, but intends to form opinions and take actions on an “issue by issue” basis. “There are good things, both in progressive and conservative standpoints. From what I’ve heard from talking to members of the community, I think a lot of people would like to see more of a conservative side. And I don’t necessarily disagree with them,” said Palacios. She said she is a “truly independent” candidate who is not seeking endorsements from the major Boulder endorsing organizations.

Climate Action

While she doesn’t believe any city is doing enough to fight climate change, Palacios said Boulder is doing a great job reducing carbon emissions through transportation measures and solar energy. She believes education about how people can help manage climate issues is an important first step. Fire mitigation is also important to her, including considering what to do with flammable trees or plants on peoples’ properties. She said while not everyone might be able to add solar panels to their homes, perhaps people could invest in solar farms not on their property to generate clean electricity.

Need More Housing?

Palacios supports more housing, specifically denser housing, in Boulder. She said while “we have to be realistic that not everyone can live in Boulder,” the city also needs housing attainable for people including teachers, doctors, police, service workers, nurses, and others who are typically not wealthy. To her, the housing focus moving forward should not be on more expensive single-family homes and luxury condos, preferring instead affordable townhomes, and calling out the Holiday Neighborhood in north Boulder as an area with the types of housing she would like to see pursued. She said she wants to support Boulder’s Open Space greenbelt and building height limits, “but I do think we need more housing.”

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

During a mid-September interview, Palacios was undecided on the CCRS ballot measures.

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

During a mid-September interview, Palacios was undecided on Boulder County Issue 1B, but noted that it’s “extremely important” to address mental/behavioral health issue, adding that she preferred using local resources to prioritize the needs of people who are actually “part of the Boulder community.”