About Steve Pomerance
I moved to Boulder in 1966 to go to graduate school at C.U. in mathematics. But I was also motivated by Boulder’s great environment and the accessibility of outdoor activities, including rock climbing, back-country skiing, mountaineering, and biking. And after being here a while, I found that Boulder residents were equally engaging and accessible, and had strong interests in everything from physics to meditation.
My involvement with Boulder politics started when I was building my solar house in 1975, and realized that people’s access to energy from the sun was not protected. I ended up researching and designing what became Boulder’s solar access law in 1982.
One thing led to another, and I ran for city council in 1985. I was elected, and ended up serving from 1986 to 1993 and from 1995 to 1997. I had the opportunity to work on many diverse issues, ranging from Boulder’s first Raw Water Master Plan, which led to the purchase of Barker Reservoir and a more secure water supply, to the Community Housing Affordability Program (CHAP), our first real effort to create and fund permanently affordable housing.
After being on the council, I helped with the design of Boulder’s Climate Action Plan tax (CAP) the first citizen voted carbon tax in the country, and have stayed involved energy policy and many other issues.
I started writing for the Daily Camera because I saw the need for more detailed policy analysis to make it into the public realm. I found I liked doing the research and analysis, and then trying to write up my conclusions in a way that was accessible. I expanded this work into doing policy papers on various subjects. And I continue to find it rewarding, and hope you find it useful.
Sincerely — Steve
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Early Mountain Biking, CO |
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Salmon River, ID |