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Members of our Community Editorial Board, a group of community residents who are engaged with and passionate about local issues, respond to the following question: There is no time for a fresh start like a New Year. Boulder needs some New Year’s resolutions to kick off 2025 on the right foot. Your take? As Elon Musk continues to cosplay as president-elect, the political nepobabies line up for public office, while I doomscroll and hope that I am under the radar of corporate smishing.
My spidey sense tells me that language continues to shift in the 21st century as the Republican GOAT awaits his coronation. Sometimes I feel like I cant keep up, that I am constantly confuddled. But a new year needs new language and new metaphors to propel us into a future we can only imagine.
At the end of each year, the old metaphors persist. We are told that we are at a crossroads, or worse, have reached a dead end in a post-democratic world, that pluralistic liberal democracy is in decline. We are not at a crossroads.
We are on a frontage road. As part of the democratic diaspora, I know exactly where I stand, I know the road I’m on and my traveling companions. I am not making a decision about the future, I have already decided.
I am not confused about the way forward. I am on the frontage road. I see the highway alongside me, fast, sleek with millions of cars cut off by billionaires, driving way too fast.
I see the speed and direction in which they are going, headlong into consumer oblivion. So many fatalities on this highway. On the frontage road, I move to the same future but at a slower pace.
I am mindful of cars that wish to merge and act with courtesy. On the frontage road, I can read the constitutional signposts and know the path up ahead is not a dead end. My GPS informs me that we need to double down on the New Deal, not discard it.
My hope for Boulder is that it travels the frontage road. The desirability of our town is off the charts. Breathtaking vistas, superlative health care, great schools, encircled by a caring community, we know where we stand.
We must use our privilege to be more inclusive and shift our language. The homeless are not a problem, they are our neighbors. The elderly are not a burden, but a resource.
Young people are not the future, but the present. We must choose new narratives of inclusivity and reject the notion that the billionaire class is directed by the needs of the common good. Fr.
Daniel Berrigan once said, “Find out where you stand and stand there.” We know where we stand. We know the road we are on.
We need the strength to move ahead, holding hands, ensuring that the “least of us” are not thrown to the side of the road. Happy New Year. Jim Vacca, jamespvacca1@gmail.
com With 2025 upon us , it’s the perfect time for Boulder to set its sights on meaningful resolutions. My resolution? For the City Council to approve the Climate Action Plan (CAP) update. As someone who boxes, I see clear parallels between this plan and a fight in the ring.
In boxing, you can’t predict every punch your opponent will throw. Even the best strategy requires adaptation the moment the first jab lands. That’s why fighters enter the ring with a flexible game plan — one that’s not rigid but provides a framework to navigate the fight.
Similarly, Boulder’s CAP update offers a strategic approach to addressing climate change — a challenge our community is determined to tackle. The CAP is a “living document,” a strategy that evolves with each round. Using my boxing analogy, the plan delivers its punches through updates to building codes and electrification projects.
But the opponent, climate change, counters with unexpected challenges, like AI threatening to strain the energy grid. Just like a boxer, Boulder must adapt — bolstering resilience, finding new opportunities, and staying focused on the overarching strategy. The fight isn’t decided with one punch but through persistence, adaptability and a steady commitment to progress.
In the ring, you look for openings in your opponent’s defense. For Boulder, this means seeking grants, forming partnerships with other cities and exploring private sector opportunities, like philanthropic funding, when needed. External challenges — such as a potentially unsupportive federal government — can test morale, much like a hostile crowd at a match.
That’s when you turn to your corner. For Boulder, our corner is the community: the businesses, residents and organizations that stand behind climate action. Together, they help us push through the toughest rounds.
During the Dec. 19 presentation of the plan to Council, councilmembers expressed a desire for more specificity — such as a play-by-play strategy with a line-item budget. As someone who has served on the Environmental Advisory Board for four years, I understand and share that sentiment.
At the same time, I recognize the challenges Staff face in balancing flexibility with structure in a plan of this scale. This document isn’t designed to dictate every move; it’s a framework to guide decisions, prioritize actions, and adapt to emerging challenges. Given the scale and complexity of climate change — and the size of our city — this plan provides a strong foundation to move forward.
And that’s something we can feel confident about. A boxing match isn’t won in the first round, and the same goes for tackling climate change. What matters is having a strategy, staying adaptable and adjusting as needed.
Boulder’s Climate Action Plan provides that strategy, and passing it is an essential first step toward meaningful progress in 2025. The work will be ongoing, but with the CAP in place, we have a clear path to guide our efforts forward. Hernán Villanueva, chvillanuevap@gmail.
com.
