Trustee candidate Andrew Joslin expressed wanting to have run against more candidates for the available positions.

Photos by Christopher Kelley

Mayoral candidate Nichole Sterling is running against Mayor Billy Giblin, seeking his third term.

Photos by Christopher Kelley

Trustee candidate Matthew Kennedy wants to be more of a part of the Nederland community by running for public service.

Photos by Christopher Kelley

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NEDERLAND — Nederland locals were given the opportunity to Meet the Candidates at the Nederland Community Library on Tuesday, March 10. Voters were able to ask pointed questions about the most pressing community concerns to those running for Mayor and for the Town Board of Trustees (BOT). 

From issues surrounding the potential acquisition of the neighboring ski resort, to the long-awaited construction of an emergency egress road and second bridge across Middle Boulder Creek, residents came to the 2026 Candidates Forum hoping that the fresh, and familiar, faces running for public service could provide clarity and a stance on how progress should be made on these important issues.

For the position of Nederland’s Mayor, Billy Giblin is running for what would be his third term, and Nichole Sterling, the Town’s current Mayor Pro Tem, is running against him.  

Only two candidates are running for the three available positions on the BOT, Andrew Joslin and Matthew Kennedy. The low number of candidates is a somewhat drastic change from the 2024 election, when there were seven candidates for open Trustee positions.

For further information about Nederland’s Mayoral and Trustee candidates, read the Candidates Profiles in this edition of The Mountain-Ear. 

Opening Statements 

Barbara Hardt, Editor-in-Chief of The Mountain-Ear, presided over the forum. Hardt welcomed the candidates and granted them the time to give a brief introduction to the crowd before getting right into questions curated from dozens of emails submitted by Nederland residents. 

Sterling spoke of her work promoting resident engagement on the Housing Needs Assessment, overhauling the BOT’s Strategic Plan Process, and acting as lead on many aspects of the Eldora acquisition. She negotiated with POWDR and instituted the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format for communicating information to the public. 

“I’m the only member of the BOT who has handled a previous hundred million dollar acquisition,” Sterling said. “I’ve already been doing the hard work that’s taken us to this point, and I am committed and ready to do the rest of the hard work. I am not going to let this fall through.”  

Giblin spoke of his last three and a half years of service as Nederland’s Mayor, highlighting his leadership qualities. Those include his temperament and ability to be “calm and measured,” his approachability and relatability to the community, and his assurance that decisions are made “slowly and carefully.” 

“I know when to lead from in front, I know when to lead from behind, and I know when to lead from within,” Giblin said. “We’ve got a lot of work yet to do: Big Springs egress, working with [Caribou Village property owner] Tebo and CDPHE [Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment], and striving to make sure that other things are being paid attention to as well as Eldora.”  

Kennedy, a photographer and filmmaker who has focused on climate change communication, described wanting to run for Trustee to “really dig into this community” by participating in Town politics, to give back to the community that he and his family love. 

“Thinking outside the box and trying to communicate different things to a broad community, I feel like that’s what a town needs to do for the people that live there.” Kennedy said.  

Joslin spoke about his work with the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) as Fire Marshal, specifically how his position has taught him more about the Town’s “unique needs,” and also about the importance of volunteering in one’s community and engaging with Town government. 

“I would encourage you to reach out and know that I will listen, and as I make mistakes I intend to correct them to the best of my ability or at least explain where we’re coming from,” Joslin stated. 

Curated Questions 

The first question from the community was submitted by eight different people and was focused on Nederland’s lack of mountain biking opportunities.

Sterling mentioned her support of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board’s trails master plan and suggested that Nederland’s trails be made ADA compliant.

Giblin shared his belief that pursuing mountain biking trail creation at the ski area and trail connectivity around Nederland was important, but not an immediate priority: The Town’s other projects, such as Big Springs egress, will also require delicate discussions with neighboring jurisdictions like Boulder County and the U.S. Forest Service, he said.   

Kennedy agreed that there were other priorities, though noted that a trail connecting the town to the Nederland Middle-Senior High School would be ideal. Joslin spoke of forest mitigation, which he hoped to see integrated into any trail maintenance and creation — not just for safety but also for the potential of accessing certain grant funding.  

 Candidates were asked about how they would act to preserve local history, to which Giblin spoke about the challenges of “funding and bandwidth,” and stated that seeking historical designations should be a first step. Kennedy agreed and added that historical designations would provide helpful context to newcomers. 

Joslin, having minored in history, spoke of how an understanding of local history can help communities to grow together. Sterling spoke of a need to “think outside the box” in response to the challenges of funding, and that technology and AI can be utilized as helpful tools to pull data from Nederland’s visitors to create matrices and a historically-based program and phone app. 

To the question of how candidates would support aging-in-place for Nederland’s older citizens, Kennedy suggested true support will require a community effort. Joslin agreed and added to that idea the position of a community liaison, presumably hired through the Town, to communicate with and check in on Nederland’s older adults and at-risk population.  

Sterling highlighted her work on the Denver Regional Council of Governments, which has a focus on strategies for supporting aging-in-place. Those include allowing property owners to subdivide their housing plots and enforcing Plant Investment Fees (PIF) to be paid upfront. She added that new sidewalks for Nederland’s downtown were also a priority. 

Giblin, while mentioning the efforts being made to create affordable and senior housing, agreed with Sterling’s statement that the Eldora acquisition would provide the Town “independence” from being reliant on sales tax revenue and grant cycles. He disagreed with PIFs being paid up front, suggesting that payment plans would be more appropriate.   

The next question continued on the issue of PIF in regards to how candidates would support reducing costs for the construction of affordable housing. Joslin stated that, though he supports affordable housing, there needs to be a balance in fees to ensure that the Town’s infrastructure needs are also being met. Sterling agreed and added that the Town needs to review its permitting system and “dial it in.” 

Giblin reiterated his support of PIF payment plans, and noted the Town needs to focus on water storage as the “key” to Nederland’s survival. The ultimate cost of water storage will determine how much future PIFs will be, he said. Kennedy wanted to see a focus on making the administration process more efficient and comfortable for those seeking affordable housing.  

To the question of what should be done with the Nederland Community Center’s west wing—being evacuated, cleaned out, and either renovated or completely rebuilt— Sterling stated the BOT had opted for restoration and renovation. The funding of the project was “at the mercy” of another grant cycle, she said, so dates for the start or end of construction have not yet been set. 

Giblin added he believes restoration of the west wing will be more cost effective for the Town in the long run. Though no decision had yet been made about what was going to reside within the restored wing, the ideas of senior housing, a laundromat, and a precinct for Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) have been discussed. 

Kennedy and Joslin both approved of the plan to restore the west wing rather than rebuild, though Kennedy suggested that any business displaced by the Lakeview Fire should be “shortlisted“ and be given priority to space in the new west wing. Joslin stated that the Town should fulfill its contractual obligations to BCSO first. 

Candidates were asked about whether they favored representative democracy or having matters go to ballot to be voted on by the electorate, to which all candidates said that they believed in both. Kennedy mentioned that having all matters go to ballot would be time consuming; Joslin reiterated the importance of listening to experts and outside perspectives.

Giblin noted the Town could become a Home Rule-governed municipality so to solidify what issues go to ballot, and explained how, legally, a public vote was not required on the Eldora acquisition. Sterling stated her belief that the issue was with engagement from the public and that the structure of Nederland’s governance needed to be reevaluated, adding that the Town did not have to adhere to a 100-year old system.   

Asked about dwindling enrollment to Nederland’s schools, Kennedy suggested a “pipeline” of support for young families needed to be provided, starting with preschool and day care options, home availability and affordability, and better salaries for teachers. 

Joslin spoke of his support for extracurricular activities and after-school programs; Sterling suggested schools can broaden their capabilities by researching innovation being done beyond our borders; and Giblin offered more opportunities for outdoor mentorships and recreational programs. 

Candidates were also asked to provide their thoughts about the need for an emergency egress route out of the Big Springs neighborhood, and for a second bridge across Middle Boulder Creek —two contentious projects that have plagued the Town for decades due to issues with sourcing funding and complications with private property owners.  

Joslin joked NFPD would love to have several bridges across the creek, though admitted to the aforementioned challenges affecting that prospect. He did state that he was proud of how close the Town was getting to a shovel-ready design for an egress route out of Big Springs after it has been a thorn in the government’s side for over 20 years. 

Both Sterling and Giblin admitted to not feeling confident about the safety of the Big Springs neighborhood, or of the Town, in the event of a “wind-driven fire event.” Sterling adamantly stated the egress route “has to happen,” while adding that feasibility studies of the four chosen possibilities for a second bridge needed to be completed before further discussion can occur. 

Giblin spoke of his direct work with County engineers and with JVA, the Town’s engineering firm, in choosing and perfecting the design of one egress route, which will reportedly be shown to the public soon. Kennedy detailed how he and his family had moved to Nederland the week of the Cold Springs fire, and had decided to move out of the Big Springs neighborhood specifically due to the lack of egress. 

Lightning Round and Audience Questions

Candidates were then given 30 seconds to answer “Lightning Round” questions. They were asked to clarify their position regarding recent issues discussed by the BOT or on the minds of Nederland residents, including whether they preferred the Town continue to contract with BCSO or pursue restarting its own police force. 

Sterling and Giblin were in agreement that the contract with BCSO was untenable, but that the transition to reinstating a Nederland Police Department would be a long, difficult, and costly one. Kennedy and Joslin both highlighted the quality of service from BCSO and suggested continuing to contract with them.  

As to whether the Nederland Visitors Center should be run by the Town or contracted to a third party business, all candidates agreed that having a business run it, with proper oversight from the Town, would be ideal.  

As for whether candidates approved answering the public’s questions directly in-person or indirectly through curated FAQ documents, all candidates agreed that FAQs can be an effective tool for communication when required —as was the case with the Town being under an NDA regarding the Eldora acquisition— but that direct communication was the best method.    

The audience was then given 20 minutes to ask the candidates questions. The first was about Giblin and Sterling’s working relationship with Boulder County Commissioners. Giblin highlighted his three and a half years working alongside Commissioners, and Sterling reiterated her work on DRCOG, adding how it was just as important to stand one’s ground as it was to maintain a strong relationship. 

To the question of how the candidates would improve public engagement, Kennedy suggested reaching out to the youth more frequently; Joslin promoted the accessibility of the Town’s new website; Sterling suggested more volunteering and use of technology as helpful tools; and Giblin noted that actively listening to constituents was the best way to rebuild after “frustration and distrust” has been grown amongst the community. 

The regular municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7.

Written requests for an absentee ballot can be submitted to the Town Clerk by written request emailed to townclerk@nederlandco.org or mailed to P.O. Box 396, Nederland, CO 80466. The last day to request an absentee ballot will be Friday, April 3.