Office and district sought? State House District 37
Name: Angela Engel
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: www.AngelaEngel.com
E-mail: angela@angelaengel.com
Age: 35
Last degree earned: M.A., University of Colorado, Denver, Education; specializing in Policy Studies, 2004.
Occupation: Writer/researcher
Hobbies: Writing, reading, cooking, gardening, singing with my children, dancing with my husband, bicycling.
Family: Married 13 years to Paul Engel; two daughters, Grace and Sophie
How long have you lived in Colorado? Colorado native
Last book read: Educating for Human Greatness by Lynn Stoddard
Civic Involvement: Founder of University Kids Club, a mentoring and tutoring program; founder and president of The Eleanors; 15-year children’s advocate; Volunteer “Art Start” teacher at Runyon Elementary School
Major Endorsements: COPOPS; Firefighters Association; Nurse Alliance; Working families; Colorado Education Association
Why are you running? Because I’m too mad to sit and watch from the sidelines. I’m tired of the partisan politics and bickering. I want answers; I want solutions; and I want to bridge the divide so we can restore responsive government and return to serving the needs of the people.
What are the top three challenges facing Colorado or the institution you seek to represent?
Skyrocketing costs of health care with diminishing benefits.
Neglecting our infrastructure needs (e.g., water, energy, roads), expensive health care, and shrinking investments in higher education have compromised businesses, weakened our economy and have made Colorado less attractive to industry.
What is your top priority in the next session, if you should win? I will bring bipartisan-partnership-forging experience to building innovative and enduring strategies to meet District 37’s needs; will support effective programs to improve graduation rates and student achievement via personalized instruction and returning schools to local control; will work to relieve the taxpayer burden caused by the current health care crisis via innovative partnerships with the private sector to bring quality health care at low rates to the thousands of Coloradans who can’t access basic medical treatment; will work to reduce crime, unemployment and homelessness through the repair of Colorado’s woefully inadequate mental healthcare system; will work to protect and improve our infrastructure (e.g., renewable energy and transportation advancements)
What proposal in the last session did you oppose the most? HB 1023 sponsored by Keith King that originally removed the requirement for school administrators to have earned a Masters degree.
What proposal in the last session did you agree with most? HB 1289 The Parents Choice Bill – empowered parents in their child’s assessment process, ensured the validity of CSAP data was not contaminated with made up numbers, and removed the negative government penalty currently assessed to schools when parents choose to not have their children participate in the CSAP.
