Lisa Widdekind has collected a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot in the Boulder County Commissioner Democratic Primary this June.

“While I am also participating in the Caucus and Assembly process, I chose to also petition to the ballot. It’s been a great experience! I’ve already talked to thousands of voters standing in front of stores, going door-to-door. It feels like a very democratic approach to earn your way onto the ballot.”

Talking about climate, equity, housing, and labor, Widdekind said enough registered Democrats in Boulder County thought she should have the opportunity to run. “I love talking to people about ideas. We have so many passionate, smart people here in Boulder County. I think sharing dialog with them is great preparation for governing. If elected, I would definitely want to increase the level and quality of our community engagement,” Widdekind explains.

As a sixteen-year veteran of Boulder County Public Health, she thinks county employees need and deserve a voice. That’s why she’s been working with the Boulder Area Labor Union to form a Union for Boulder County Employees.

“If you want a great organization, you need great people. Great people want to be treated well. Boulder County needs to walk their talk when it comes to employment practices and a union would hold them accountable to their stated mission and goals.”

Widdekind is a long-time climate activist, previously running the Renewables are Ready program for the Union of Concerned Scientists and working as the Development and Outreach Director for the Boulder Energy Conservation Center. She now volunteers with 350 Colorado among others. “I think we must continually push the envelope on what’s possible to rein in this climate catastrophe we’re experiencing. We might not always win, but we have to try.”

Finally, Widdekind proposes a major effort to convene stakeholders to address the housing crisis. “I believe that if you live in a community and contribute to its success, you deserve to live there. The gap between the cost of living and wages is one of the most inequitable challenges we face. Everyone is going to have to own their part and do their part if we are going to get there. I think we have a community that defines itself as generous. I think we can live up to that.”