2025 City Council &
Mayoral Candidates

We asked all of our Regional City Council and Mayoral Candidates their thoughts on Hunger within our Community- Here is what each of them had to say!

Boulder

Jenny Robins

Hunger in our community is about more than food. It’s tied to deeper issues like poverty and racism, and if we want lasting change, we have to address those directly. Data continues to show that hunger remains a significant issue within our community. While immediate relief programs are crucial, addressing the upstream causes of hunger is essential for long-term solutions. How do you plan to tackle the root causes of hunger, such as poverty and racism? * Hunger in our community is about more than food. It’s tied to deeper issues like poverty and racism, and if we want lasting change, we have to address those directly. That means making sure people can actually afford to live and work in Boulder. Housing and small business support all matter, because when families are stable, food security follows. The city also needs to put its dollars where they make the most impact by supporting programs that reach underrepresented communities. Supporting local food systems is key. We should invest directly in the people who grow and distribute food in our region, expand programs like Double Up Food Bucks, make EBT and WIC usable in more locations, and protect community gardens and urban farms through smart zoning so that healthy, local food is available to every family. We can also build stronger distribution networks by supporting regional food hubs and storage facilities that help small producers reach more people, while working with nonprofits to ensure culturally relevant food gets to every neighborhood. At the end of the day, addressing hunger means listening to the people most impacted and building more efficient systems. That’s the approach I’ll bring to City Council.

Rachel Isaacson

Hunger in Boulder is not merely a problem of food access, it reflects broader systemic inequities, including the high cost of housing, stagnant wages, and persistent racial and economic disparities that limit opportunity for many residents.

Rob Kaplan

Hunger is a symptom of deeper issues like poverty, inequity, and lack of opportunity.

Nicole Speer

I strive to work simultaneously toward the short-term relief needed by people suffering from inequitable policies and the long-term changes necessary to shift the exploitative and extractive systems that perpetuate poverty, racism, and economic exclusion.

Mark Wallach

I am sorry to say this, but there is little that the Boulder City Council, in a city of approximately 107,000 people, can do to cure poverty.

Matt Benjamin

Hunger is not just about food—it’s about poverty, inequity, and systemic barriers that keep families from meeting basic needs.

Lauren Folkerts

Hunger doesn’t happen in isolation, it’s a symptom of deeper inequities in our community.

Max Lord

We of course need to support our non profits, and the existent relief programs.

Aaron Stone

I believe we need to keep working towards a living wage in our city.

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Rob Smoke

I think we collectively experience a shortfall of basic protection for vulnerable communities that extends into a range of areas, but especially housing and food availability.

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Monserrat Palacios

Affordable housing, sustainable living wages, and access to education are all priorities we need to address in Boulder City Council.

Broomfield

Guyleen Castriotta

Tackling hunger means confronting the underlying issues that drive it: poverty, racism, lack of affordable housing, inadequate access to healthcare, and barriers to education and employment.

Kimberly Groom

Did Not Reply

Liz Law-Evans

Did Not Reply

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Julie Ann Twiss

Hunger is absolutely rooted in larger challenges like poverty, inequity, and the rising cost of living.

Austin Ward

Did Not Reply

Colin Dielmann

In 2024, the local food bank, Community Food Share, reported that 1 in 12 residents in its service area, which includes Broomfield, was struggling with hunger.

Peter Crouse

I do not have a specific campaign plan to combat racism or poverty.

Sarah Braun

As a Councilmember, I will be uniquely positioned to design policy that advances social equity in our community and be a strong advocate for local system change.

Larry Hardouin

I am knowledgeable of the work FISH is doing and have volunteered there.

Sean McKenzie

I know firsthand what it feels like to be hungry. Growing up, my family sometimes survived on just $4/day, and there were many nights when food was not in abundance.

Todd Cohen

Tackling root causes require a multipronged approach. I support our efforts, which include providing workforce training and job fairs to help residents find employment;

Chad Swenson

Did Not Reply

Lafayette

Luke Arrington

Did Not Reply

Kyle Beaulieu

My experience at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) working on overseas humanitarian assistance in response to natural disasters and manmade famine taught me that hunger is never just about food, it’s about access, opportunity, and dignity.

Josh Beryl

Increase minimum wage, hold corporations and big business functioning Lafayette to paying higher tax rates and paying livable wages to employees.

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Crystal Gallegos

Hunger remains a serious challenge in our community, and it is closely tied to systemic issues such as poverty and racism.

Adam Gianola

Hunger is a symptom of a complex set of structural problems - many of which are intentionally or unintentionally built into the legal and bureaucratic fiber of municipalities.

Rob Glenn

Lafayette is already a regional leader in developing affordable housing, but there is still much work to do.

Annmarie Jensen

Lafayette has a human services fund voted in by the voters to help with unmet community needs.

Eric Ryant

Tackling the core reasons of hunger, as well as poverty and racism is an issue that I am focusing on.

Saul Tapia Vega

The data is correct; hunger stems from larger issues, such as poverty, inequality, racism, and lack of a social safety net that allows access to food and resources.

Michael Watson

Those are large and systemic issues, and not really things that I think our community is plagued with.

Longmont

Diane Crist

Poverty and Racism are best addressed through the proper use of our 12% inclusionary rule.

Sarah Levison

One of my prime initiatives, if elected, will be to end the regressive 3.53% city sales tax on food.

Shakeel Dalal

Food is the most fundamental of human needs. We should strive to create a society where every person has easy access to delicious, nutritious food for themselves and the people for whom they care.

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Susie Hidalgo-Fahring

I am a long-time SVVSD educator in a Title I school, I see firsthand the impact of hunger and food insecurity on children.

Alex Kalkhofer

Growing up my family faced food insecurity. We relied on food banks, Medicare and my grandmother’s help just to get by.

Crystal Prieto

In my years of service to the community, and in my own home life, I have seen firsthand that too many low-income families are forced to put food last on the expense list after paying for rent, utilities, and other necessities.

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Jake Marsing

Hunger is often a symptom of deeper challenges like poverty and housing insecurity.

Steve Altschuler

Our Constitution says that "All men (and women) are created equal. This does not guarantee an equal outcome.

John Lembke

I will continue campaigning regardless of the outcome of this election for more progressive and efficient taxation.

Riegan Sage

We have a truly unique opportunity to address this problem locally, while simultaneously preserving the agricultural spaces that make Longmont unique.

Matthew Popkin

The costs of living, childcare, and transportation are usually the 3 most significant expenses for families.

Teresa Simpkins

One of the primary causes of poverty is not enough living wage jobs. As a city, we must do better to attract a wide variety of large-scale employers who can offer positions of varying skills and experience at livable wages.