What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
My top priorities for next year are cutting the cost of living and saving people money, building a Western Colorado that is more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, and championing working families.
Too many Coloradans can’t access health care or afford to call Western Colorado home. I’m grateful for the work of the state as we’ve recovered from the pandemic, but we need better support for our ranchers and farmers struggling with drought, and our small towns that face ongoing instability. And, we must make mental health resources better available for children and folks struggling to get by.
The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
As a trained wildland firefighter, we see every person impacted by fire, Democrat or Republican, as equally deserving of safety and support in emergencies. Thatap the spirit I’ll bring to the legislature.
My small business is a translation and interpretation company. I help people navigate deceptive insurance rules, and I also help them navigate overly complicated governmental bureaucracy. I share the Republican frustration with red tape, and will look forward to opportunities to make government work for people, not bureaucrats.
What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
I was proudly naturalized as an American just a few years ago. That brings an important perspective that has shaped my life as a Latina immigrant. I worked through college and to support my family as we earned our special American dream.
Though many of my future colleagues have a long history in politics, this is the first office I’ve run for and I come to government as a small business owner and fire fighter. That will bring an important perspective to the General Assembly as a whole, and also to the Democratic Party.
What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
We need to take on the special interests and lobbyists who have dictated affordable housing policies for too long, and start thinking outside of the box. For example, we were promised by lobbyists that construction defect legislation would cut the cost of housing, and it didn’t.
One way I’ll fight to ease housing costs is by working with the Governor’s office and the Joint Budget Committee to make sure that the infusion of federal funds towards affordable housing is not suspect to politics, and is deployed to our hardest to serve areas, many of which are in Western Colorado.
Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
This bill was the product of important community outreach, including with law enforcement, parents, educators, and more. Though not everyone agrees with the outcome of the legislation, I do agree with the philosophy of treating people suffering with addiction as human beings that need help, and believe in punishing drug dealers with severe penalties. I look forward to seeing how this law is implemented and how we can improve it in the future.
Perry Will has not returned the questionnaire.
How candidate order was determined: A lot drawing was held at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 3 to determine the general election ballot order for major and minor party candidates. Colorado law (1-5-404, C.R.S.) requires that candidates are ordered on the ballot in three tiers: major party candidates followed by minor party candidates followed by unaffiliated candidates. Within each tier, the candidates are ordered by a lot drawing with the exception of the office of Governor and Lt. Governor, which are ordered by the last name of the gubernatorial candidate.
