Tina Marquis has served nearly three years on Boulder City Council and is seeking a second term. Her priorities include housing for families, addressing homelessness and public safety, strengthening wildfire resilience and ensuring accountable government.
Marquis ran in 2023 with endorsements from PLAN-Boulder County and Boulder Elevated, two political groups generally aligned with Boulder’s moderate Democrats. This year, she secured the endorsement of the Boulder Progressives, broadening her political support. If she again receives backing from the more moderate groups, she would be one of the few candidates with support across Boulder’s political factions.
The Boulder Progressives’ endorsement came in part because of Marquis’ vote against placing the creation of a Downtown Development Authority on the ballot. Marquis entered the meeting as the undecided swing vote and opposed advancing the measure, saying she wanted broader community support first. The decision may have cost her support in the business community while strengthening her standing among progressives. The Boulder Progressives later cited the vote in explaining its endorsement.
“It’s certainly the case that not all of her votes have been in alignment with our priorities, but some of her most significant votes have been the tiebreakers on things that I think really matter to progressives and to people in our community,” said Lisa Sweeney-Miran, a Boulder Progressives board member, citing the DDA vote and Marquis’ support for the transportation maintenance fee. She said the group was also swayed by Marquis’ “commitment to transparency and accountability” during her time on the council.
“One of our favorite things about Tina is that she’s very clear on the fact that she is not willing to make a decision on an issue that’s coming to a vote until the conclusion of public comment,” Sweeney-Miran said.
Marquis defines herself as “moderate to liberal” and says she sees less distinction between Boulder’s political advocacy groups than she did five years ago.
Marquis is generally seen as nonconfrontational. She has described herself as an introvert who does not like to interrupt people. She rarely takes the most polarized position on contentious issues facing the council and frequently votes with the majority when the council is divided. Her endorsers, including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and state Sen. Judy Amabile, describe her as detail-oriented and willing to take time to understand complex issues.
Before joining the city council, Marquis served for eight years on the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education, including four years as president. Her involvement in local politics began nearly 20 years ago, when she volunteered at her children’s elementary school, Foothill Elementary. She has also served on the district’s Accountability Committee and chaired the board of CU Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs. She has volunteered with the Democratic Women of Boulder County.
Marquis moved from New York City to Boulder in 2002 to start a family in a smaller city. Her family bought a home in Newlands in 2003, where she and her spouse raised two daughters. Marquis worked in marketing and sales before leaving the workforce to focus on raising her daughters and serving on the school board.
Occupation: City councilmember
Neighborhood: Newlands
Rent or own?: Own
Age: 55
Endorsers: Boulder Progressives