editor’s note: Each week during the legislative session, Denver Post political reporters will sit down with Capitol newsmakers. This Q&A was edited for length.
Mark Waller ran for the legislature in 2008, knocking out Rep. Douglas Bruce in the GOP primary in one of the most closely watched races that year.Waller’s an attorney and a member of the Air Force Reserves.
Waller, 40, and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Truman, 11, and Camille, 7.
Q: In 2008, you successfully challenged Douglas Bruce, the author of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. What made you take on your fellow Republican?
A: I felt my kids were not on his radar. He didn’t care about whether our kids had schools. He had one thing in mind: eliminating taxes. I don’t think he cared about anything else. It’s not that we shouldn’t pay any taxes; it’s that we should pay our fair share of taxes.
Q: When you’re home with your family what kinds of things do you do?
A: I do a lot of hanging out with my kids and my wife. Sports are big for us, huge. I did a Wii bowling tournament at my house over Christmas. I’m a big sports fan. My kids love to play sports. When I got home from the legislature Thursday night, my wife took my daughter to gymnastics and I took my son to baseball practice.
Q: What kind of legislation interests you?
A: Almost everything I have worked on has been criminal-justice-related just because that’s my background. My big bill of the year is a bill reforming our possession-related drug offenses. We’ve reduced some of the felonies, and we’re going to take some of that money and apply it toward treatment and recidivism reduction.
