Jill Grano is running for Boulder City Council on a platform of expanding workforce and middle-income housing, rebuilding public trust in city spending and strengthening the local economy.
Grano previously served on the council from 2017 to 2019, when she resigned to become director of community affairs for U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse. She has since acknowledged that her departure disappointed some voters.
“I calculated that I could better serve Boulder by helping build a congressional office than by casting losing votes,” Grano wrote on her campaign website. “Knowing what I know now about how the resignation landed for the people who elected me, I would not make that choice the same way.” She said her focus is now local.
Housing and real estate are central to Grano’s professional background and campaign. She worked as a real estate agent before joining Neguse’s office and returned to the field afterward while earning a master’s degree in housing and human geography from CU Boulder. Her graduate thesis, “Landscapes of Privilege,” examined 150 years of Boulder housing policy.
Her platform calls for more workforce and middle-income housing, as well as housing affordable to residents earning 40% or less of the area median income. Grano also serves on the Boulder Housing Partners Board of Commissioners and CU Boulder’s Center for Leadership board.
Her other priorities include filling commercial vacancies, rebuilding Boulder’s local economy and balancing the city’s budget. She opposes the proposed $400 million Recreation and Safety Bond, arguing that the city should conduct a more detailed analysis before returning to voters.
Grano is endorsed by the Boulder Progressives and prominent local Democrats, including Neguse, state Sen. Judy Amabile, state Rep. Junie Joseph, Mayor Aaron Brockett and several city councilmembers. She said, “I don’t really see myself as ‘progressive’ or ‘moderate’ in the Boulder context. I have always cared about issues that cross party lines.”
Grano first moved to Boulder in 2002, intending to transfer from William & Mary to CU Boulder. After becoming pregnant with her son, she completed college in Virginia and moved back to Boulder after graduating in 2007.
She lives in an Old North Boulder condo that is partly deed-restricted as affordable housing through Boulder Housing Partners. She and her girlfriend co-parent four children, ages 12, 10, 7 and 4.
Occupation: Real estate agent
Neighborhood: Old North Boulder
Rent or own?: Own
Age: 44
Endorsers: Boulder Progressives