Summit starts with dash of hope

BOULDER – A local economist is beginning to feel optimistic about the economy, the state’s director of economic development believes Boulder will lead the state out of the recession, and a college professor is challenging people to put on their thinking caps when it comes to planning sustainable communities.

Economist Richard Wobbekind, Don Elliman and professor William Shutkin on Monday kicked off the 2009 Boulder Economic Summit, presented by the Boulder Economic Council at the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University of Colorado.

Wobbekind, director of CU’s Business Research Division, told a breakfast crowd of about 300 people that he doesn’t expect…