Why I Choose to Live in Longmont, INSTEAD of Boulder

I have grown up in Boulder County. I lived in Boulder for 19 years and another 4 split between Louisville and Nederland. But Longmont is where I have chosen to make my home for the last 8 years, and where I have chosen to raise a family. I chose NOT to live in Boulder, and the last thing I want is for Longmont to try and become another Boulder. For years we laughed at the ridiculous decisions of Boulder's City Council. Now our council is in the same position.

Longmont's new council has been in place for less than a month, and their record is already questionable. During her campaign, Karen Benker noted that the city faces economic issues and that she wanted to put in to action the plan that the economic task force put together last year. Yet, in her first weeks leading the new council, and with the other members of the "bloc of 4" blindly following her lead, she voted to KEEP an ice rink that, while festive and fun for the winter, is a money pit (and mind you, I'm a hockey player!). Fiscal responsibility went out the window.

Do we want a council that governs on the basis of wanting to make everyone "feel good" or do we want a council who will analyze facts and figures, and who are willing to make cuts, when cuts are needed, in order to ensure a better tomorrow for our city? Why do we have an ice rink this year when the numbers said we couldn't afford it? Is it because Boulder has an ice rink? Is our council going to start voting to change Longmont into Boulder? If you question why that's not a good thing, here are a few points to consider:

• Boulder hasn't built any new school buildings since the 70's - their building regulations have made property values increase to the point that young families can't afford to live there so the school age population has been dwindling. Do we want to emulate a model that has destroyed any chance at diversity by creating an elitist enclave?
• At a recent Boulder city council meeting, members discussed ways to get the Boulder population to move towards ownership of smaller cars. Some ideas that were thrown out in the past, and at that meeting were ideas such as making the lanes on city streets more narrow (and more dangerous?) to force people to drive smaller cars. Another idea is to tax those who drive bigger cars, or to require all cars in the city to be "clean" with the feeling that if Boulder is a leader, and sets the law, that "technology will follow" (I guess they don't know you can't legislate technology!)
• In 2004, the Boulder city council voted on an "emergency/interim ordinance" - to increase the waiting period to kill prairie dogs! I guess I didn't realize that prolonging the life of a rodent an additional 100 days was worth an emergency vote of a city council?

I could fill page after page of outrageous decisions by the Boulder city council. But I feel that most of you already have formed an opinion of Boulder, and I would guess that it's not a good one.