Office and district sought: House District 54
Name: Richard Alward
Party: Democrat
Website: richardalward.com
E-mail: alward@richardalward.com
Age: 44
Last degree earned: Ph.D. 1999. Ecology. Colorado State University.
Occupation: Owner and principal ecologist. Aridlands Natural Resource Consulting.
Hobbies: hiking, skiing, kayakin
Family: Wife of 10 years, Tamera Minnick.
How long have you lived in Colorado? Where did you live before? 10 years. Moved to Fort Collins, from Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1993; returned briefly to Nebraska (Lincoln and Ogallala) at the end of 1998; moved in Grand Junction in 2002.
Last book read: John McPhee’s “Uncommon Carriers.”
Civic involvement: Vice-president, Concerned Citizens Alliance; volunteer with BLM and NPS; judge, Western Colorado Science Fair; scout leader and area commissioner, Elulakeni Troop, Swaziland, Africa.
Major endorsements: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Why are you running? To ensure that the people of Colorado are restored to being the principle special interest group to which our state government is responsible.
What are the top three challenges facing Colorado or the institution you seek to represent?
1. The breakneck pace of energy development threatens our Western Colorado quality of life.
2. There are too many under-insured, working Coloradans; we need comprehensive reform to improve the accessibility and affordability of health care in Colorado.
3. Over the next few years we need to address the budgetary contradictions in the Constitution; the first steps will require rebuilding the public’s trust in representative government.
What is your top priority in the next session if you should win? Modernize the mission and goals of the COGCC so that the state’s responsibilities to protect public health, safety and welfare receive priority above industry promotion.
What proposal in the last session did you oppose the most? There were a number of silly, short-sighted, and/or mean-spirited proposals that were fortunately killed in committee during the last session.
What proposal in the last session did you agree with the most? Proposals providing funding for critical programs (raided during the economic downtown) made possible because citizens passed Referendum C (e.g. higher ed, preschool, childhood medical care, affordable housing).
