Office and district sought: State Representative; District 41
Name: Nancy Todd
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Website: www.nancytodd.us
E-mail: electnancy@yahoo.com
Age: 57
Last degree earned: Masters in reading from the University of Northern Colorado, 1990
Occupation: Retired public school teacher, Cherry Creek School District (25 years)
Colorado State Representative (2004-2006)
Hobbies: Reading, skiing, travel, theater, concerts, hiking
Family: Married 35 years to Terry Todd (retired teacher & army reserve Colonel); two grown married sons, Geoff (Christian youth ministry) and Lindsay (interior decorator) and Matt (3rd year law student) and Sarah (school teacher). We’ll be grandparents in April.
How long have you lived in Colorado? Where did you live before? I have lived in Colorado since 1970 when I moved here from Lawrence, Kansas
Last book read: The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeline Albright
Civic Involvement: Greenwood Community Church usher/ambassador; Rotary; AAUW; PEO; Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Major endorsements: AFL-CIO; CACI (Colo Association of Commerce & Industry); CEA (Colorado Education Association); Aurora Association of Realtors; Colorado Nurses Association; Colorado Professional Firefighters
Why are you running? Quoting Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” I have been blessed to be a Colorado resident for 36 years. I believe I can contribute back to this great state by listening to the needs of our citizens and being a voice of action for them. I’ve served for two years and want to continue putting Colorado back on track!
What are the top three challenges facing Colorado or the institution you seek to represent?
1. Jobs and the economy are factors that determine each citizen’s well being.
2. Health Care that is affordable and available for all Colorado citizens is a challenge facing our state.
3. Education that is available from preschool to post secondary options for all of our citizens is essential to build a strong work force that can contribute to our state.
What is your top priority in the next session if you should win?
My top priority will be to work on strengthening our educational options from pre-school to post secondary opportunities for all of our students. I believe that we need to emphasize prevention by continuing to improve the quality and number of pre school slots for high risk children and their families. In addition, I believe we need to equip our K-12 schools with highly skilled teachers and principals to create positive and engaging learning environments for our students. Finally, we must continue to make higher education a reality for more students through financial aid and seamless transitions from high school.
What proposal in the last session did you oppose the most? There was a proposal in the House Education committee for all school districts to adopt the same start and end dates state wide, beginning after Labor Day and ending at Memorial Day. This would have created problems with local control for school districts and reduced the opportunities for alternative calendars and year round schools.
What proposal in the last session did you agree with the most? I agreed with the smoking ban because I believe it may contribute to reducing the number of people who contract lung cancer, heart disease, and other health issues. It was many of the restaurant owners who were also very convincing of its necessity, as well as medical professionals.
