Rachel Rose Isaacson
Rachel Rose Isaacson is making her second run for Boulder City Council in 2026, but this time with a more-developed base of support and a few new experiences under her belt. She first ran just one year ago, and spoke during this early September interview about some of the policy topics she told this writer about last year, but was especially proud about how last year’s campaign helped set the stage for this year’s contest.
“So last year, I really enjoyed the campaign, and really enjoyed everyone I got to meet all around the community. Even after the campaign ended, I was meeting with about four people a day on my days off work. And so, I’ve stayed very busy and very connected, and this campaign season’s been awesome. I feel like all of the seeds that I planted last year are coming up thriving. I was the first person to get my petition in, and was the first person to reach the threshold to get matching funds,” she said.
Mini-Bio
Isaacson grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and also lived not far away from Columbus in Yellow Springs, Ohio. At age 17, she began drafting state-level legislation to protect LGBTQ youth in Ohio, and while there were Republican legislative majorities in Ohio and this legislation didn’t pass, she said she also worked to try and “change peoples’ hearts” around LGBTQ issues.
The experience with drafting legislation led her to earn a bachelor’s degree in political economics from Antioch College, and then a master’s degree in public administration and leadership from Ohio State University. During her undergrad years, she worked with others and got the bill that didn’t pass the state legislature passed in the City of Columbus. She also served for two years in AmeriCorps.
She said she “drifted away from politics” for some time in Ohio, working for a time for a nonprofit dedicated to regenerative policy, which in short she described as “ways to scientifically make ourselves and our systems more resilient.” But in 2023, there was a toxic train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, and she said she was exposed to toxic chemicals while an entire bioregion was poisoned. She traveled to Boulder with 2023 Boulder City Council candidate Aaron Neyer, and since settling down here she worked on Neyer’s campaign, and also did what she called “more pertinent work” on Rep. Junie Joseph’s campaign for the state House of Representatives.
Isaacson ran for City Council in 2025, not winning a seat but picking up 5,085 votes in her first campaign. Since 2025, she was nominated and elected to the board of Sierra Club – Indian Peaks Group, where she said she’s been doing advocacy work “in the intersection of social justice and environmentalism, including fighting for additional protections and safeguards for the aerial spraying that Boulder County was planning that was going to impact our local regenerative farms.”
Her campaign website is https://www.rachelrose4boulder.com/
On The Issues
Q – Directly Elected Mayor?
Isaacson noted that the current Mayor Aaron Brockett was directly elected in 2023, but also selected by a vote of Council two years earlier, and quipped in a friendly manner that “if you’re someone in the community who likes Aaron Brockett, then you’ve been pretty happy.” She added that the new directly elected system allows the people to have a more direct say on who holds the Mayor’s position, and there will be an election every two years to follow so people can express their choices relatively often. She said it’s not a “strong Mayor” position and the Mayor doesn’t have extra weight when Council votes, but said the Mayor leads meetings and is the “face of the community” for events and other happenings.
Q – Contentious Council Meetings?
In 2025, some Council meetings got heated and had to be called into recess when some attendees used the meeting to protest the situation in Gaza. Council adopted policy changes at some point to try minimizing disruptions. Isaacson said she believes the new rules helped make people feel safe to attend Council meetings, and said the city has done a good job ensuring safety and order while still “giving a fair amount of room for people’s First Amendment rights.”
Q – Boulder’s Economic Status and Ideas?
With recent federal attacks on traditional Boulder economic strongholds like the local federal labs, Isaacson noted that the current administration has done “major harm” to Boulder’s economy, but she’s running for City Council and believes there are things that can be done locally. She noted that local residents face serious challenges with employment instability and the increasing cost of living. Like many candidates, she spoke about the challenges local businesses face in starting up a new operation, thanks in part to Boulder’s notoriously difficult and time-consuming permitting process. In essence, excessive time spent in process means the business faces expenditures and more than likely little or no revenue, which is not a good equation. She added that this might contribute to advantages that corporations might have over smaller local businesses, noting that a national chain (that shall remain nameless here) took over a space in the Table Mesa shopping area after it sat vacant for months. Her current job is in the food and beverage industry, and she mentioned it will be important to local businesses to have a more resilient and dependable electrical supply. During the last major power outage, she said her business lost thousands of dollars’ worth of perishables, plus employees lost hours and the business lost profits.
Q – Status of Boulder’s Public Safety?
According to Isaacson, statistically speaking crime rates seem to be actually going down, but she believes “different demographics of folks in our community feel safer than others.” For example, she noted that people felt traumatized after the 2025 firebombing attack on Pearl Street, and some people “feel nervous navigating more highly populated areas.” She supports having more security measures in said highly populated areas. While some candidates spoke about wildfire mitigation during questions about climate, it’s certainly a public safety issue, and Isaacson said the city needs to become more wildfire-resilient but also must make sure it has emergency planning measures in place.
Q – Surveillance Cameras and Personal Liberties?
Isaacson very simply said “Sanctuary cities should not be having Flock cameras. I just don’t support them.”
Q – Is Boulder Ready for Sundance?
While Isaacson said she believes Sundance will be a “great thing for us economically,” she has concerns about the day-to-day lives for members of the Boulder community. Her concerns include whether the local transit system will be able to handle the influx of visitors, and whether long-term renters might become displaced due to short-term festival rental opportunities. She said Boulder needs to have the “right investments in place to ensure that the day-to-day lives of our community are not too interrupted.”
Q – Should Boulder Continue Pushing for More Housing?
According to Isaacson, part of her reason for running is because “working class people should be able to stay in the community where they live, work, and love.” She directly answered the question in the subtitle above by saying she doesn’t believe Boulder needs more “luxury” housing, but should create more housing that meets the needs of lower and middle-income residents. She supports infill – especially near major commercial centers or near transit lines – over sprawl. She also taught this writer a word by saying she supports the “condoization” of ADUs – in essence allowing ownership opportunities as opposed to renting. “Currently, ADUs can only be rented and it’s just seen as a part of the other house. But I support lot splitting and allowing for the ADU to be its own house for people to live in,” she said.
Q – Should City Council be Involved in International Affairs?
Isaacson said “we have a lot of major challenges facing our community that I think we need to be prioritizing,” but added that it’s fair to acknowledge that recent international events have brought what she called “residual trauma” into the community and into Council meetings. “These conflicts have made an impact on our community, and I think that we need to figure out a way to bring us together, because this has been a very divisive conversation as well,” she said.
Q – Should There Be a New Reliance on Fees or Property Taxes?
When asked about alternatives to traditional municipal reliance on sales taxes, Isaacson said she does favor caring for the local economy in ways that might increase sales tax revenue. She said some fees make sense, for example if utilization of public services warrants additional revenue that might come from a fee. She opposes reliance on punitive measures for city revenue, like traffic or parking tickets.
Q – Downtown Development Authority?
Isaacson said she would have voted against sending a DDA proposal to DDA voters had she been on Council this year when they voted. Like many candidates, she said she didn’t believe there was enough stakeholding among the many groups or interests that might have been impacted by the DDA, and said members of the community didn’t support tax increment financing revenue from DDA taking revenue from voter-approved dedicated funds. She again emphasized her support for permitting reform as one way to potentially bring economic activity to business districts and address commercial vacancies.
Q – Climate Action?
The newly-elected Sierra Club member said she believes it will be important to invest in “native plants in this bioregion,” as a foundation of an ecosystem that can in turn help prevent the acceleration of climate change. When it came to City of Boulder climate action policies, she said the city should make clearer the return on investment it’s getting from climate initiatives. “We are using public dollars, and anytime we are using public dollars, we need to have a very robust system for transparency so that people can feel more confident that the investments we are making, are making a real difference, and worth it,” she said.
Q – How is Boulder Doing with Homelessness?
Isaacson started by saying she believes the city’s doing the best it can given current restraints, and feels like the city’s “on a good trajectory” in helping people find housing and/or services. She mentioned during this early September interview that Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) had run out of funding to help people struggling to make rent, which was concerning because inability to pay rent can lead to homelessness. She said she appreciates the city’s current approach of trying to prioritize assistance for people with actual ties to the Boulder community, “because certainly people in our own community are struggling enough.”
Q – Deferred Maintenance and Rec Centers?
Isaacson noted that she has a master’s in public administration leadership, to lead into a statement that she finds it “disturbing” that the city has acquired facilities for decades but had “no strategic plan for the lifetime cost of those assets.” She acknowledged that there have been funding challenges, including tough financial times during the start of COVID, but said there needs to be a strong, transparent plan for ongoing facilities maintenance moving forward.
2026 Ballot Measures
- City of Boulder $400 Million Bond: Isaacson supports this measure, saying facilities needs are only going to become more expensive, but wants to see spending from it phased out over time, and questioned whether the Municipal Building project mentioned in the bond should be part of a measure titled “Recreation and Safety Bond.”
- City of Boulder Vacancy Tax: She supports it, adding that in part it should help contribute to the local economy if people are actually living in Boulder homes instead of having them sit vacant.
- Boulder County Childcare Tax: Yes
- City of Boulder Debt Limit Increase: She supports it, in part to align with other cities, but added that “we need to ensure the right safeguards.”
- City of Boulder Firefighter Collective Bargaining: Yes
- Boulder County Increase 3 Commissioners to 5: Yes
Endorsements: Isaacson has earned organizational endorsements from Boulder Progressives, Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group, Boulder Area Labor Council, and Working Families Party Colorado.
Follow The Money: Isaacson has received maximum $100 donations from Mayor Aaron Brockett; current Council member Nicole Speer; former Council members Rachel Friend and Jill Grano; current state Senator Judy Amabile; and current state Rep. Junie Joseph.
