Hispanic technology entrepreneur seeks to lead Boulder’s future

ENTREPRENEUR AND COMMUNITY LEADER| Aquiles LaGrave, candidate for Mayor of Boulder. (Photo/El Comercio de Colorado)

AQUILES LAGRAVE COMPITES TO BE MAYOR

Jesús Sánchez Meleán

El Comercio de Colorado

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Arriving in the city of Boulder in 1995 represented the beginning of a path of profound effort, transformation, and dedication to service for Aquiles La Grave. As a member of the first and only Venezuelan family identified in the city at that time, this young migrant, educated at Naropa University, turned every opportunity into a successful career as a technology entrepreneur and social leader.

Today, after three decades of education and active presence in the Boulder community, he stands as a prominent executive in the high-tech sector and makes history by becoming the first Hispanic candidate seeking to hold the office of mayor of the city of Boulder. The city has elected its mayor directly since 2023, following a reform approved in 2020. Previously, mayors were elected by the members of the city council.

Executive vision and community roots

His professional career combines business leadership with community initiatives of broad local impact. Among his most relevant contributions, his role as co-author of the “Fire Adaptable Boulder” plan stands out—a proposal developed by him, as co-author, alongside climatologists and experts to protect the city against the constant threat of wildfires.

LaGrave also led decisive causes such as defending the North Boulder Little League baseball fields, coordinating the project to build more than 100 housing units for seniors, and collecting over 18,000 signatures for the Big Ten Boulder County initiative, aimed at expanding the number of commissioners from three to five. This initiative will appear on the ballot this November.

La Grave’s political proposal focuses on “administrative efficiency and participatory leadership”. “I bring a professional and executive background that has been greatly lacking in the Boulder mayor’s office. The city needs a leader with experience not as a politician, but as an executive capable of managing complex systems and interconnecting the community with public institutions,” stated La Grave.

IN INTERVIEW| Aquiles LaGrave alongside Jesús Sánchez Meleán.

Diagnosis and solutions

In his diagnosis of the city, the candidate highlights the urgency of revitalizing the downtown area and stopping the constant exodus of young families to neighboring municipalities. “Boulder contributes $10 billion in wages to the entire Front Range region, but more than 70 percent of those resources move to outside economies because thousands of employees cannot find viable options to live within the city,” he asserts.

LaGrave warned, “Furthermore, we face the harsh reality that more than 30 percent of our downtown office space is vacant. And we have suffered the painful loss of 3,600 children from local schools”. To reverse this trend, the mayoral candidate proposes incentivizing the construction of affordable housing for young families, streamlining the permit process for construction and businesses, and reviewing taxes that make daily life more expensive.

The candidate says he is pragmatic and uses common sense. “The problem in Boulder is not progressives versus liberals or young people versus seniors, but the ability to transform big ideas into concrete solutions. In just a few weeks, we have seen neighbors from all political backgrounds collaborate around common-sense proposals that seek to make our city a much more adaptable and dynamic environment,” he affirmed.

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