Matt Benjamin

Councilmember Matt Benjamin, 43, moved to Boulder to study astronomy at CU Boulder and later worked at the Fiske Planetarium. He said he helped establish the nation’s first dark sky reserve in Idaho and now works as a photographer and freelance astronomer. Benjamin helped pass the 2020 “Our Mayor, Our Choice” ballot measure, which created Boulder’s ranked-choice mayoral elections. He has made middle-income housing, wildfire resiliency and the economy his top priorities.

Endorsements: Boulder Progressives, Open Boulder, Sierra Club Indian Peaks, Better Boulder and Stop Antisemitism Colorado

Answers to questionnaire: 

Perspective and experience: What perspective or lived experience would you bring to city council, and how would it shape your approach to policy?

I bring both professional and personal perspectives that shape how I serve on City Council. As a former astronomer and educator at CU’s Fiske Planetarium, I learned to approach challenges with a science-based, data-driven mindset while also communicating clearly and accessibly with diverse audiences. That background influences how I evaluate policy, grounding decisions in facts, but always making them understandable and relatable for the community.

As a longtime Boulder resident raising a family here, I also bring the lived experience of a parent navigating the challenges and opportunities many families face. The past four years on city council have made me a stronger, more effective leader. I’ve advanced housing reform, launched Boulder’s first economic development strategy, reimagined how we protect cars and cyclists, and strengthened wildfire protections, all while pushing for accountable, outcome-driven government. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to find common ground on tough issues, ensuring that our progressive values translate into real, lasting solutions.

This experience has prepared me to keep leading with pragmatism, urgency, and a clear focus on building a more inclusive and resilient Boulder. My approach to policy is always guided by the question: Does this decision make Boulder a more inclusive, resilient, and thriving community for the next generation?

Camping ban: Should Boulder enforce its camping ban when the All Roads shelter is full? Please answer yes or no and explain.

Boulder has and will continue to enforce its camping ban. I do not believe Boulder should enforce its camping ban during extreme weather events when the All Roads shelter is full. Enforcing the ban in those circumstances criminalizes people for having nowhere else to go, which is neither just nor effective. 

That said, the new Homelessness Strategy (Clutch Report) reframes how Boulder approaches this issue. It recognizes that unsheltered homelessness is both a public health and a public safety challenge. Under the strategy, enforcement is tied more directly to services and outcomes —ensuring that outreach, rapid rehousing, diversion, and day services are part of the equation. 

Enforcement remains a tool, but it is no longer the first or only response. The strategy also calls for greater accountability: tracking by-name lists, expanding prevention and housing exits, and clarifying when and how enforcement should occur. This makes our approach more transparent and focused on reducing homelessness, not just moving it. Enforcement must be paired with shelter and services. With the new strategy, Boulder is shifting from a housing only model toward one centered on housing, accountability, and community safety.

Wildfire mitigation: Should the city require wildfire mitigation and home hardening, such as a five-foot buffer of noncombustible material around the home, or banning wood fences and gates within eight feet of a home, for existing homes? Please answer yes or no and explain.

Yes. I support requiring wildfire mitigation and home hardening measures for existing homes because the risk of wildfire in Boulder is too urgent to ignore. The Marshall Fire showed us that fire doesn’t stop at the wildland–urban interface; it can sweep through neighborhoods and destroy lives and property in minutes. 

Science shows that steps like creating a five-foot buffer of noncombustible material around homes or limiting combustible fencing near structures dramatically improve survivability. These are practical, proven measures that reduce the likelihood of homes igniting from embers or spreading fire between properties. I also recognize these requirements may create financial and logistical challenges for homeowners, particularly in denser neighborhoods. That’s why I believe mandates must be paired with education, phased timelines, and financial assistance programs such as grants, rebates, or low-interest loans. 

This ensures residents aren’t left on their own to shoulder the costs of resilience. Protecting our community requires both individual responsibility and city leadership. By adopting common-sense wildfire mitigation standards, while supporting homeowners with resources, we can reduce risks for families, safeguard first responders, and make Boulder a more resilient community in the face of climate-driven wildfire.

Housing supply: Boulder needs thousands of new homes by 2032 to meet demand and keep rents and home prices from rising further out of reach. Yet projects often face cost overruns, community pushback or zoning hurdles. What specific steps would you take to address the city’s housing shortage?

Boulder must take bold but practical steps to address our housing shortage if we want to remain an inclusive and vibrant community. 

First, I will continue the work of this council to streamline and modernize our planning and permitting process. Every month of delay adds costs that get passed on to renters and buyers. Simplifying reviews, reducing redundancies, and setting clear timelines will make housing more attainable without compromising community values. 

Second, we must reform our land use code to allow more diverse housing types, ADUs, duplexes, townhomes, and cottage courts, especially near transit corridors. These “missing middle” homes provide attainable options for families and workers currently priced out of Boulder. I am proud to help lead Council in this direction with the update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. 

Finally, I support revising our Inclusionary Housing ordinance so it better incentivizes middle-income housing. Paired with state tools like the Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit, this can finally produce housing for working families, teachers, nurses, and first responders. 

We need to act with urgency, cutting red tape and aligning incentives so Boulder can build the homes we need, while protecting affordability, equity, and resilience.

Council’s role on foreign affairs (and Gaza): Should the Boulder City Council take positions on foreign affairs? Regardless of your answer, what actions, if any, should the city council take in response to Israel’s war in Gaza and the related disruptions and demonstrations in council chambers (e.g., open comment rules, safety, hate speech, First Amendment considerations)?

I do not believe the Boulder City Council should take formal positions on foreign affairs. Our responsibility is to focus on the urgent challenges facing Boulder, housing, climate resilience, public safety, and good governance. When we wade into international conflicts, we risk dividing our community, distracting from local priorities, and making symbolic statements that do not materially affect foreign policy. 

That said, the terrorist attack in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza has deeply impacted members of our community, and the emotions expressed in Council chambers are real and raw. Council has a duty to create a space where people can share their perspectives while also protecting safety, order, and respect in the public process. 

We must uphold the First Amendment while also speaking out against the gangrenous rise of antisemitism. We must enforce the rules that prevent disruptions, hate speech, or intimidation. City staff, Council, and the public deserve to feel safe in civic spaces. While foreign affairs should not drive Council’s policy agenda, we must remain a forum for civil discourse, protect constitutional rights, and model respect, even in moments of deep disagreement.

Budget priorities: With sales tax growth slowing, the city manager imposed a hiring freeze this year and the city council faces tough trade-offs. The city also has an estimated $380 million capital maintenance backlog and uncertain federal funding. With limited dollars, what are your top priorities, and what would you cut or delay?

Boulder is facing real fiscal challenges: slowing sales tax growth, a hiring freeze, a $380 million capital backlog, and uncertainty around federal funding. In this environment, we need to be disciplined and clear about our priorities. My top budgetary priorities are core services that directly impact safety, equity, and resilience: 

● Maintaining and repairing our streets, bridges, and water infrastructure, which are essential for safety and economic vitality. 

● Accelerating wildfire and flood mitigation, because delaying resilience investments will cost us far more later. 

● Work urgently to reinvigorate our local economy by streamlining permitting and offering economic incentives.

To balance the budget, I believe we should review ongoing programs with clear outcome-based metrics, funding what delivers measurable results, and rethinking what does not. We also need to boost city revenues by going all in on our new economic development plan. Lifting up our small businesses and driving local tourism to our downtown cores is essential to strengthening our budget. Finally, we must explore new, sustainable revenue sources beyond sales tax to reduce volatility. My approach is pragmatic: protect the essentials, invest in resilience, delay what can wait, and hold ourselves accountable for outcomes.