Posts tagged business
former city council women Angelique Espinoza Spin doctor for Boulder Chamber blogs and blabs:
Jul 29th
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This month I have a lot to share with you on what’s happening with the potential ballot issue on forming a City owned power utility (municipalization). And I am particular proud to announce that we are the first Chamber of Commerce in the state to come out in support of the Bright Colorado Initiative for statewide education funding.
We are also excited to relaunch a couple of popular event series, the Global Business Forum, and the program “formerly known as” Climate Leaders. Check out our upcoming online naming contest!
Your membership helps the Boulder Chamber engage on your behalf to ensure a strong local economy. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any ideas, concerns and suggestions to help make Boulder the best place to do business.
Sincerely,
Angelique Espinoza
Public Affairs Manager
Boulder Chamber
303-442-1044 xt 122
In This Issue
BBI Sponsorship Opportunities
Municipal Power Utility Closer to Ballot
Chamber Endorses Bright Colorado Initiative for Education
City Council Race, On Your Marks…
Quick Links To Ongoing Issues
CITY OF BOULDER:
Floodplain Ordinance(Critical Fac. and Mobile Pop.)Planning Board Meeting August 4th
Capital Improvements Plan
Affordable Housing Task Force
Other Hot Topics
BOULDER COUNTY:
Energy Smart for Business
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The Boulder Business Insider
Issues, Decisions and Events Affecting the Boulder Area Business Community
July 28, 2011
Boulder’s Energy Future is Your Business’s Future: What You’ll See On the Ballot
Correction: In June’s issue I jumped the gun by saying we would see two competing items on November’s ballot. Since then, an Xcel franchise with an innovative wind purchase agreement has come on and off the table. Council is still considering amendments to the proposed ballot language which, if voters approve, would authorize the City to pursue forming a municipal power utility to replace Xcel. Whatever happens, the results will determine your future energy rates.
The Chamber convened a small policy working group of business people, both supportive and skeptical of municipalization, to provide specific recommendations for the proposed ballot language. Main themes were proportional representation of ratepayers on a depoliticized governing board with decision-making power, competitive regional rate parity, a cap on bonding authority, and specific “off-ramp” triggers.
Council was mixed in their response to these recommendations and will vote on these and other details at the August 2nd Council Meeting, which begins at 5 pm and will be televised on Channel 8 in Boulder. If you have something to say to Council on this, you can sign up from 4-5 pm at the Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway, or during the public hearing on the item. Get up to speed with materials and videos available at www.boulderenergyfuture.com. Businesses constitute over two-thirds of Boulder’s energy users and the Chamber will continue to advocate on their behalf.
Boulder Chamber First in State to Endorse Bright Colorado Initiative for Statewide Education Funding
When the Boulder Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the Bright Colorado Initiative 25, which would provide five years of increased funding for K-12 and Higher Education in Colorado it became the first Chamber of Commerce in the state to do so. “Boulder has been somewhat less impacted by statewide cuts in education,” said CEO Susan Graf. “But our neighboring communities have suffered a lot. We felt it was important to support this stopgap measure to protect the economic vitality of the whole state.”
“Our board had concerns about the tax impact and expressed the need for more education reform” added the Chamber’s Public Affairs Manager, Angelique Espinoza. “With [Senate Bill] 191 passing last year, though, we agreed progress was occurring and that a five-year return to 1999 tax levels was a worthy investment. It fit with our policy agenda statement that supports education as fundamental to our mission.”
Boulder’s State Senator Rollie Heath proposed Initiative 25, and said he did so because he believes Colorado’s recent cuts to education funding are unacceptable. “It’s short-changing our most important resource for the future – our kids and young adults,” said Heath. “Also, you can’t separate education and economic development, especially in today’s knowledge-based economy. We think it’s worth it, and we are thrilled that the Boulder Chamber thinks so too. We really appreciate their support on this important issue.” For more information on the Initiative, visit www.brightcolorado.org
Relaunch of Two Popular Event Series Last evening we relaunched our popular Global Business Forum series with a visit from the Global Business Team from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. They gave us some great information about upcoming grant opportunities for companies looking to open new export markets for their products. A Big Thanks to Caplan & Earnest for sponsoring this series. If you’d like to get on the mailing list for upcoming monthly events, please send me an email with Global Business Forum in the subject.
In August we’ll also be relaunching a series formerly known as Climate Leaders. The new series continues our partnership with the City of Boulder’s EnergySmart program to offer businesses tips and best practices for energy and cost efficiency. The new focus will be to address the specific needs of particular business sectors. Check for details, coming soon on the Chamber website. Don’t miss out on the naming contest for the program!
Boulder City Council Race Almost Underway From August 2nd to August 22nd, aspiring City Council candidates will be garnering the 25 Boulder voter signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. Five Council Members are up for reelection, Crystal Gray, George Karakehian, Lisa Morzel, Susan Osborne, and Ken Wilson. It seems likely that one or two may choose not to run. This means we may see a crowded field vying for the “open” positions and to unseat the incumbents. Check with your favorite Council Member or potential candidate to see if they are having a “signing party” at the Municipal Building in August.
The City is offering three trainings for potential candidates and committees. Check here for details. For many years aspiring local candidates for public office have come to the Chamber for its College of Political Knowledge series to learn about the realities, best practices and legal requirements of running a successful campaign. An archive of invaluable takeaways is available to anyone interested in becoming a candidate or campaign manager. Contact Angelique Espinoza at 303-442-1044 xt 122 for details.
Visionary says Photographer killed Jon Benet Ramsey
Jul 16th
Occasionally, we get someone who feels they have some insight to the Murder of Jon Benet Ramsey on Christmas Night 1996. Here is one such vision. Interesting because it goes down the road of Stephen Singular s “Presumed Guilty an investigation into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, the media, and the culture of Pornography” In his book he makes connections between the child Pageantry world, pedophile followers, the weirdness of the mothers involved, the porn industry and more.
In the 1990s we interviewed strippers who said they came up through the child pageant business. there are other books and studies done which show the connection between the pageant business , porn, deviant sex crimes and all of it.
The question remains Could a child pageant photographer have killed little Jon Benet??
In the 1990s we interviewed strippers who said they came up through the child pageant business. there are other books and studies done which show the connection between the pageant business , porn, deviant sex crimes and all of it.
The question remains Could a child pageant photographer have killed little Jon Benet??
“My vision concerning Jon Benet Ramsey
By David Figueroa”
“I, David Figueroa lived in Tyler, Texas. on 26 December 1996, I was working for Jack O’Diamond Lincoln Mercury. The news flashed on television concerning the murder of the little girl from Boulder. I had moved to Tyler, Texas. on February 1996 in pursuit of my “Dream” to fulfill God’s plan for my life. I wanted to be the Crusade Director for R.W. Schambach Revivals. I was not successful in obtaining the job.
After much frustration I decided to move back to Tulsa, Oklahoma., on June 1997 where I formerly lived. I was driving my car on Lewis avenue when suddenly I was pulled over by a Tulsa Police Officer for having my license plate wrongfully displayed. To my devastation I was shocked to receive the information that I had a warrant out for my arrest for a)indecent exposure & b)sexual battery. This crime occurred in July of 1994 after I met Tulsa’s leading Master Tarot Card Reader. I was studying the prophetic ministry, metaphysical knowledge and the world of the Psychic Realm. The evening of that July in 1994, I was studying material by the late Dr. Lester Sumrall on the subject of Demonology. (I should have been at Braums Ice cream) At about 11:00 pm I received a call from Master Tarot Card Reader “Miss So-n-So”. We had a 2 hour conversation which covered different topics including her personal life. I was single, 30 years old, lonely and the interest of meeting her was something I entertained. I had gone through a divorce 5 years earlier and wanted to meet a nice lady, and this gave the occasion being that she indicated she was single. She invited me to her place of business. She said she owned a hair salon and it happen to be on 31st Sheridan & I lived on 21st Sheridan. We talked about the possibility of me even getting a hair cut from her. She also said she gave readings and charge $40.00. She invited me over and told me that she would be alone there on her day off but that she would be there for me.
I prepared to go to work but I made plans to meet with her and get to know her. At 10:00am the designated time given to meet her, I walked in to her Hair Salon and introduced myself. She was there with another lady. She was in progress of a Tarot Card Session. I said to her; I thought you wanted to meet me? She just sat there in a hypnotic state of mind and I told her I was leaving. As I did an about-face and walked off, I was overcome by a force and turned around and expose myself. When I snapped out of it, I was alarmed and pushed the other lady out of the way as she stood and I ran out. I think that I was confused by the material I was studying the previous night and the extent and content of the conversation I had with “Miss So-n-So.” That night I called her back and several times afterward. I was really confused with all the junk I was studying.
The next day a Det. Richard Smith from the Tulsa Police Department called me at exactly 11:00pm. He told me there was a homicide and wanted to talk to me about it. He ask if I knew “Miss So-n-So”, the Tarot Card Reader. I said; Yes. He said; she has been murdered and you need to come talk to me tonight. I went to the police station and met with the Detective. He gave me a cup of coffee. He questioned me; do I know Miss So-n-So? I said I did. And, then He continued by saying I have been accused of indecent exposure but it is a misdemeanor, do not worry about it. I went home and I was worried and confused.
Three years passed by and I was in Tyler, Texas. When I decided to return to Tulsa on 1997 I had no idea I had a warrant out for my arrest. It just so happens that the arrest took place on the same day the incident happened on 1994.
I was devastated. I was sentenced to 2 years at John Lilley Correctional Center. I served 6 months in the Tulsa County Jail. While at John Lilley Correctional Center I had two visions. I saw an inmate who was a Christian packing his belongings and I heard a voice that said; “tell him tomorrow to pack his things because in 3 days he will be leaving”. The inmate was there for 20 years! Then right after that vision, Jon Benet Ramsey appeared to me. She had a camera strapped around her neck and she said to me three times; “the photographer did it”. Then she vanished.
The next day I saw the inmate who was a believer in Jesus Christ in the dorm. I approached him and told him; “The Lord Jesus told me to tell you in a vision to pack your things because in 3 days you will be leaving”. He looked at me as if I was nuts. And, there were about 4 other inmates there with him. He told me: “David you better be right because if you are not I am going to come looking for you”. About that time his name was called out in the intercom. It was exactly 1:00pm. Three hours later he approached me because he was looking for me. He was grinning from ear to ear with the good news that was given to him by the case manager who told him to “pack his things because in 3 days he was leaving”. Three days later he was gone.
I believe God has given me the answer to the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey.
I was released from John Lilley Correctional Center on 28 January 1999. Soon thereafter I landed on a job at The Petroleum Club of Tulsa. I rented a room from my manager Jeannie Thorton. While off of work one afternoon, I had woke up from bed and proceeded toward the hallway to the restroom,when suddenly at the bottom of the stairs stood Jon Benet Ramsey. She had a camera strapped around her neck as in the vision at John Lilley Correctional Center and said to me three times; “the photographer did it”. And then she vanished. This premonition occurred a few more times thereafter. I was so convinced that it was from God that I told Clp. Randy Lawmaster from the Tulsa Police Department about it.
I am a Catholic. I grew up in church all my life except for the ages of 14,15 & 16, when I rebelled.
If this vision is a mistake I do apologize but I think it is from God. And, the answer to the murder concerning Jon Benet Ramsey has to do with a camera or photographer.
Boulder Xcel deal falls apart: condition ends talks about possible wind deal
Jul 15th
Xcel condition ends talks about possible wind deal
Several weeks of intensive and committed negotiations with Xcel Energy about the possibility of a wind purchase plan with Boulder ended this week, when Xcel refused to drop a condition that City Council agree to put a 20-year franchise on the ballot in November, without a corresponding wind agreement.
Xcel wanted City Council to put both the franchise paired with a wind deal and the franchise by itself on the ballot. City staff had been working with Xcel to develop a proposal for council that could have included the franchise if it were paired with the increase in renewable energy that was associated with the possible wind agreement.
City staff advised Xcel multiple times that council support for a standalone franchise was unlikely. During each of these conversations, the utility’s representatives indicated they wanted to keep negotiating and take that issue “under advisement” later. On Tuesday, July 12, Xcel communicated a final determination that it would not agree to a wind deal at all if the standalone franchise was not a part of the proposal to council.
The city’s energy future goals include stable rates, more local control and a decreased carbon footprint. While the franchise paired with significantly increased renewable wind energy would have moved toward some of these goals, the franchise by itself does not.
Since then, Xcel Energy has continued to provide electricity to homes and businesses in the city without a franchise agreement, as required by state law. The city, meanwhile, has worked to define the community’s goals for its energy future and analyze a variety of paths for achieving them. One of these has been the possible creation of a municipally owned power utility.
In late May, Xcel outlined a proposal that could help the community achieve some of its goals without creating its own utility. The proposal involved the city paying increased initial costs associated with the construction of a new wind farm in eastern Colorado. The turbines would have put 200 megawatts of new wind power onto the state’s grid. Boulder, in return for its investment, would purchase the Renewable Energy Credits. While the city was interested in exploring a wind agreement, both the staff team and council members had significant concerns about the proposal. Among them was the level of financial risk the city would assume in this venture. Representatives of the city, Xcel Energy and wind developer NextEra Energy Resources began negotiations in hopes of resolving these concerns.
Many of the questions were addressed; however, Xcel’s insistence on a standalone franchise ballot option has brought the discussions to an end.
“The City of Boulder understands why Xcel Energy wants a 20-year franchise agreement, and it is possible that council and voters might have approved that, if such an agreement came with a well-negotiated wind purchase plan,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “But we know that a franchise by itself would tie the city to a long-term energy future that remains largely dependent on investments in coal and a business model that prevents local communities from making decisions about their own energy futures. This runs contrary to the goals Boulder wants to achieve.”
City Attorney Tom Carr said the city appreciates Xcel and NextEra’s interest and work on the proposal, but that successful passage of this option, given the utility’s demand, was unlikely.
“We spent many hours at the table, and it was clear that all the parties were committed to trying to reach a mutually acceptable agreement,” Carr said. “I thank everyone for their participation, but sometimes there are problems for which there are no solutions. This appears to be an obstacle we could not overcome.”
Carr plans to provide a written update on the status of the wind negotiations as part of a memo that council members will receive prior to their July 19 meeting. He will also give a brief verbal presentation on July 19 under a section of the meeting called Matters from the City Attorney, which typically occurs near the end of the evening. A public hearing on other energy options will proceed as planned. Because the staff team does not believe that it can make a good faith recommendation that council consider a standalone franchise, and because Xcel has said it will not move forward without one, the wind proposal will not be a part of that hearing.
The full memo to council will be available at http://www.boulderenergyfuture.com before Tuesday’s council meeting. Additional information and previous memos are available at that same website now.
