CU student and mayoral candidate Jameson Goldstein poses for a portrait outside the Engineering Center, Oct. 2, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
This midterm election, a University of Colorado Boulder student will appear on the Boulder ballot.
James Goldstein, 21, is a junior studying business at CU Boulder. One of his main objectives in running for mayor is to get the student body more involved in local politics. Goldstein said if elected, he will be a voice for CU Boulder students.
While some are skeptical of his legitimacy, Goldstein said he is “100% serious” about running for mayor. To run, candidates must be at least 21 years old, be a United States citizen, have lived in Boulder for at least a year, and have to get 25 Boulder voter signatures between Aug. 4 and Aug. 24. Goldstein spent time at the Boulder Farmers Market and outside of local grocery stores to collect signatures.
Other CU Boulder students have assisted Goldstein throughout his campaign offering. Kendra Machala, a junior strategic communications major, helped Goldstein develop his social media strategy.
“At first, I thought he was joking,” Machala said. “Then, talking to him further, I was like ‘You know that’s actually legit,’ once he said that he was going to be on the ballot, and I was really impressed. He knows his policies.”
Goldstein has several major policies he is focusing on during his campaign, including noise ordinance issues, Flock cameras, enforcing more audits, electric bike safety and keeping the Boulder Municipal Airport open.
“I’m going to fix this noise ordinance issue,” Goldstein said. “I love local Boulder bands. It’s horrible what’s going on right now because they can’t do what they love to do, and people love to hear bands.”
If elected, Goldstein said he would do “everything in his power to eliminate Flock cameras.” According to The Colorado Sun, Boulder’s 2022 contract with Flock was $82,500. The city has 31 Flock cameras according to the Boulder Police Department.
Additionally, Goldstein said he wants to crack down on Boulder spending by bringing in an independent auditor to monitor city spending. While Boulder has an independent auditor that conducts an annual audit of city funds, it does not have an independently elected city auditor.
“I’m calling for a watchdog independent of city management to review spending and ongoing projects and share whether they’re delivering what residents were promised,” Goldstein said. “I haven’t committed to making it an elected position; the priority is independent oversight.”
For many, e-bikes offer a fast commute to school or work, but for some, their high speed poses a threat to pedestrians.
“There are e-bikes that are essentially electric bikes that go over 20 mph, which is way too fast,” Goldstein said. “People are driving them on the road like cars, so I want to change those to become licensed vehicles.”
Aside from his policies, Goldstein said he is committed to local government and plans to balance his studies and his position as mayor if elected. Historically, the position of mayor is structured as a part-time role, allowing mayors to hold other employment.
“Young people founded this country,” Goldstein said. “Alexander Hamilton was only 21 when he was freeing the United States. So young people can do great things and have accomplished some of the greatest feats in history.”
Contact CU Independent News Editor Chloe Fischer at Chloe.Fischer@colorado.edu.
