Taishya Adams
Taishya Adams, a current Boulder City Council member, decided to run for Mayor of Boulder in 2026 instead of another term on Council. If she does not win the Mayor’s position, she will no longer be on City Council either, but during an early September interview she said she believes Boulder’s at a “turning point” and she wanted to set her sights on a leadership position.
“We are in a polycrisis right now, and it is essential that we have leadership that is ecologically, economically, and ethically rooted in that reality; has the clarity, conviction, and courage to center not only what I perceive as piecemeal policy making, but really, are we willing to connect the dots across what is urgent and important, with what is necessary for intergenerational or future generations to thrive. We need a leader who is willing to hold the line against the geopolitical tyranny that is happening, whether that be ICE raids or how are we responding to the federal pushback and active engagement against some of our climate goals and human rights goals? … We need the courage, the clarity, and the conviction to make sure that our investments and our resources are aligned for the urgent and immediate, but also for future generations to arrive,” she said.
Mayoral Considerations
Q – What is the Role of the Mayor?
Adams said she “comes from a soccer family,” and compared the Mayor’s position to that of a team captain. She said that everyone has gifts, and the Mayor should recognize those gifts and harness them toward solving challenges or building on opportunities. She said she does not intend to “exceptionalize one group over another,” and would intend to seek quality feedback from all groups so their input could be part of eventual policy decisions.
Q – Contentious Council Meetings?
In 2025, some Council meetings got heated during protests over the situation in Gaza, but after a period of time the Council adopted meeting policies that reduced the number of disruptions. Adams said one of the reasons she ran for Mayor was because she believed there was a need for “better facilitation” and more equal implementation of rules. She said she’s had “30 years” of facilitation experience in her various roles, including during contentious discussions, and said it’s important to seek fairness and build relationships during the process. She mentioned sort of a “three-strike” approach to discipline, and said after a second disruption, “If I have to talk to you again, you’re out. That’s it.” Adams did not support most of the new council meeting rules except for limits on the size of signage, saying rules including not putting people testifying virtually on video, and starting meetings at 5:30, disproportionately impacted marginalized communities.
Mini-Bio
Adams was born in a suburban area of northern Virginia, noting that her family was one of the few African-American families in the area, but also recalling it was forested and nature-rich. She went to Los Angeles for middle school, and to New York City for high school, in the process building “cultural understanding and geographic understanding” from living on both coasts. She earned undergraduate degrees in political science and film production from Vassar College, and a master’s in international education from George Washington University.
She started working in public education, noting that she realized relatively early in life that “the whole thing is made up – our political system is made up by people,” and took a job with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools. In the education field, she’s worked in arts, international programs, and accountability systems among other pursuits. She said at some point “the umbrella of my work in education was not broad enough,” so she moved toward environmental work and became the first national policy and education director for Outdoor Afro. She later founded the Mukuyu Collective, which she described as a collaborative effort including contributions from governmental agencies and conservation groups to “transform systems through policy and play.”
Adams was elected to her first term on Council in 2023, finishing third in a race for four seats. Since being elected, she’s expanded Mukuyu to include film, music, and monologues, in part because she believes “changing a rule or changing a policy without changing culture is not enough.” She serves on a working group for the Colorado State Land Board, where they’re looking to diversify revenue used for public school construction. She said she’s a graduate of the Water Fluency Program, offered by Water Education Colorado, in which she learned more about water law, infrastructure, and management. Adams also serves on the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources committee for the National League of Cities.
Her campaign website is https://www.adamsforboulder.com/
On The Issues
Q – Boulder’s Economic Status and Future?
Adams said she supports a “circular economy” which includes considerations of issues like recycling, composting, and deconstruction, and she would like to see the city do better in using its 16,000 acres of agricultural land to bring local produce to local restaurants and residents suffering from food insecurity. She sees a problem in that there are many vacant commercial properties in town, some that have been vacant for years, and would like to see Boulder adopt a procurement policy that would make sure the city spends more with Boulder businesses as opposed to with companies in which the economic benefits wind up outside of Boulder. Adams is concerned about a looming economic crisis that might be worse than 2008, adding “that’s not Taishya talking … learned economists are telling us this.” She also expects water and energy costs to increase. In any event, she wants a Boulder economy that “honors its small businesses” and makes sure its resources benefit local residents.
Q – Public Safety Status and Future?
According to Adams, many crime statistics in Boulder are going down, but said she “honors” people in Boulder who are feeling scared around issues like visible homeless populations in public areas and open drug use. The 2026 city bond measure includes a mention of using money to build a new public safety building, by some estimates costing around $170 million. Adams would prefer using public money on an “evidence-based model of police substations” distributed around the city, in which Boulder could “move back into more of a community policing model.” She does not believe evidence supports that more police equals more public safety, and believes evidence does support that crime rates come down if people have access to basics like housing, food, and employment.
Q – Public Safety FROM Public Safety?
According to Adams, she’s concerned about privacy issues related to use of surveillance systems such as but not limited to Flock cameras. She said during an early September interview that she’s “waiting for more council agreement to really have the council talk about what policies that we want to implement related to privacy.” Adams is a former member of the city’s Police Oversight Panel (POP), in which members of the panel can review incidents involving law enforcement and make recommendations on discipline or future policies. She said she’s been disappointed lately in that the authority of the POP has “diminished,” and noted that former POP members have reached out to Council with concerns, yet “there’s been not enough change. We need to be able to be responsive.”
Q – Is Boulder Ready for Sundance?
Adams said she’s excited for Sundance to build on Boulder’s value of supporting arts and culture, the probably sales tax revenue, and to honor Sundance founder Robert Redford who initially wanted the festival to be in Boulder. She added that the city’s Climate Initiatives Department is working with Sundance to make it “the most zero waste, low impact, sustainable festival of its size that’s ever happened on the planet, as far as I’m concerned.” Adams is concerned about the quantities of food and water that will be needed to support perhaps 30,000 people during the first few days of Sundance, availability of public transit and housing, and the possibility that Sundance might lead to an increase in people who don’t live in Boulder year-round owning second homes that might sit vacant for much of the year.
Q – Climate Action?
While some residents might say Boulder taxpayers spend a lot on climate action programs, Adams noted that a single parking garage can cost more than the Climate Initiatives Department’s yearly carbon tax revenue. “So actually, I could argue that we’re not spending enough on the climate initiatives when we consider much more invested in things that go against our climate initiatives,” she said. For example, she mentioned that the city invests in the auto manufacturer Toyota, and in PepsiCo, which creates significant demand for plastics – which contribute heavily to worldwide carbon emissions. The recent Water Fluency Program grad added that one-third of Boulder’s water comes from the Colorado River, but that’s what she called “paper water” because it’s based water rights that might not always be available as “wet water” when needed. Adams said the city should also consider issues like biodiversity, healthy soil and food, climate equity, and repaying the debt to indigenous members of the community since she considers Boulder to be on “unceded land.”
Q – Downtown Development Authority?
Adams voted against putting the DDA measure before DDA voters, and it did not go to a ballot because the motion failed on a 4-4 tie vote. She said her major criticism stemmed from the State of Colorado policies for forming a DDA, which she said “allows corporations to have more rights in the decisions of formation than community members who have been invested in the downtown area since its formation.” While she said she appreciated what the DDA was trying to do, she also called the an example of “piecemeal” policymaking, since resources would have gone toward Downtown Boulder and University Hill and not to other parts of the city or even the Wildland-Urban Interface. In the absence of DDA revenue, she believes there could be things the city could do to benefit the district, including taxing vacant commercial properties, creating a city renewable energy enterprise, and creating more housing in the downtown area.
Q – Should Boulder Continue Pushing for More Housing?
In Adams’ opinion, the city needs to increase its availability of permanently affordable housing to meet what she called “unbelievable” demand. She said she knows of families that have access to permanently affordable housing vouchers, but there isn’t sufficient affordable housing stock in Boulder. The City of Boulder is planning to move city offices from certain existing buildings into the new complex going up at Alpine-Balsam, and Adams is interested in having a discussion around if the buildings could be converted to housing. While answering this question, she once again mentioned trying to create more Downtown Boulder housing. She also mentioned a number of concerns that might impact Boulder homeowners or renters, including probable increases in utility costs, fuel costs, and even the potential for food system collapses. She again used the word “polycrisis,” and asked rhetorically, “what do we need for the entire community to thrive?”
Q – How is Boulder Doing on Homelessness?
To Adams, there has been good investment into the All Roads shelter, and she believes Boulder is “seeing the results of that investment.” She said it will be important to work not just within the city, but also with the county and state, to make sure resources are devoted toward programs and policies known to work. She added that, “It’s not enough to just build housing. We also need to make sure that there’s substance abuse and mental health treatment, that there are pathways to workforce, and workforce training.”
Q – Bonding and Property Taxes?
Adams said she thinks in general that bonding is one way to address the city’s capital needs, but is not in favor of the $400 million bond that will be on the 2026 ballot. She said there has not been “sufficient community engagement for the level of responsibility our community will have in paying for that.” However, she said that since sales tax revenue is flat, it will be important for the city to diversify its revenue sources. While answering this question, she again mentioned the possibility of a city energy enterprise, which could provide some revenue for facilities needs.
Q – Deferred Maintenance at Facilities?
When considering the projects mentioned in the bond measure, Adams said it’s important to look at what’s “nice to have” but more importantly, what’s essential. She considers the two fire stations mentioned in the bond measure as “legitimate deferred maintenance,” while showering upgrades at the North Boulder rec center are more like “nice to haves.” But she said the city “absolutely” needs to do a better job staying on top of maintenance into the future.
2006 Ballot Measures
- City of Boulder $400 million bond measure: No
- City of Boulder residential vacancy tax: Yes, and she noted in the question about Sundance that the festival might contribute to vacancy tax revenues if more people purchase second homes here.
- Boulder County Childcare Tax: Yes
- City of Boulder Debt Limit Adjustment: Yes
- City of Boulder Firefighter Collective Bargaining: Yes
- Boulder County 3 commissioners to 5: Yes
Endorsements: Adams received organizational endorsements from Boulder Democratic Socialists of America and Working Families Party Colorado, a “first-choice” endorsement from Boulder Area Labor Council, and “second-choice” endorsements from PLAN-Boulder County and Daily Camera (this is a ranked-choice election).
Follow The Money: Adams has received a maximum $100 donation from former Council member Lauren Folkerts.
