What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
Making Colorado a more affordable place to live: too many families and individuals across the state — and in our rural, resort, and mountain communities especially — grapple with overwhelming housing, healthcare, prescription drug, and child care costs.
Preparing and combating drought, wildfire, and climate change: the communities I hope to represent are living with these threats every day.
Creating solutions for the housing crisis: we must continue the momentum we have made in investing in affordable housing development for our workforce.
The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
I welcome bipartisan collaboration as I have practiced that my entire legislative career. Our best policies are those gaining agreement and support from all sides.
For example, I’ve partnered with Western Slope legislators from both parties on bills pertaining to water conservation, affordable housing and workforce development, and wildfire detection, mitigation, and prevention.
Senate District 8 is politically, economically, and culturally diverse so it will be a priority of mine to work with both parties to achieve results for my district and our state.
What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
I am well-versed in one of the most important issues facing our region: water. I have worked in water law and have been serving on the Water Resource Review Committee throughout my tenure at the legislature. With this issue being a major challenge facing our state, the State Senate needs serious and experienced voices to craft water policy.
Further, I am a Democrat who has worked in law enforcement as a Deputy District Attorney. I hope to continue bringing my balanced perspective of support for law enforcement and common-sense criminal justice reform.
What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
The 2022 legislative session resulted in the single-largest investment in local affordable housing development in Colorado history. Millions of dollars will be awarded to communities and nonprofits to catalyze projects and increase our housing stock. But we cannot slow our momentum now – there’s more we can do to ease housing costs.
Steps we can take include iterating upon our work providing grants to organizations seeking to increase our housing stock, expanding low-income housing tax credits for Coloradans, and incentivizing local communities to rework their land use, zoning, and building codes to spur more affordable housing development.
Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
I voted for stiffer penalties for fentanyl possession this year given the danger this drug presents to our state. While those amendments did not pass, I supported the overall bill because of its increased penalties on fentanyl dealers and historic funding for addiction treatment, overdose response, and public education about the dangers of fentanyl. Balancing incarceration and treatment is a difficult task but we took an important step in the right direction this year.
I look forward to monitoring this issue closely and would support further resources for treatment and law enforcement funding to keep our communities safe.
What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
I aim to represent Senate District 8 in a balanced way. My overall legislative priority is to ensure the General Assembly fosters individuals, communities, and businesses. Specifically, my top three legislative priorities are: (1) reduce or eliminate many of the newly implemented fees that are harming small businesses and individuals; (2) repurpose our state dollars and stop the budget gimmicks so that our dollars are actually being used for students and teachers; and (3) retool some of the criminal justice reform bills to ensure our communities are safe from the scourge of fentanyl.
The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
I feel that we can agree on most issues that come before us, as our constituents, communities, and state come first. I believe there is a lot of room for collaboration on economic and environmental sustainability legislation; legislation to help reduce the fees, costs, and regulations that are harming businesses in Colorado; criminal justice and community safety; affordable housing for our rural and urban citizens; wildfire prevention; helping our farmers and ranchers; and protecting our water rights in the Colorado River Basin.
What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
I bring experience from having started, owned and operated small and large businesses and also working in the public service sector as a paramedic, deputy coroner, U.S. Military contractor, and as a twice-elected member of the Eagle Town Council. This combination of skills and experiences offers a balanced perspective that lends itself towards visionary discussions and practical solutions that will help support Colorado, its people, businesses, and communities.
What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
We need to work collaboratively with developers and other corporate partners, as well as local communities to fix this problem. We also need to reduce regulations, fees, and costs that make it more expensive and burdensome to develop property and build housing in our state. I think we can model our approach after the individuals in Grand Junction and Mosaic Housing who are building a new, large facility that will build modular housing and address the state’s need. There are solutions out there, we just need to be willing to engage with anyone and everyone we can.
Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
I do not. The current law would not have been necessary if our majority party had not decriminalized fentanyl three years ago. That legislation directly contributed to the problem we are facing today. I think the bill was jammed through and amidst its passage created more problems than it solved. I do support getting resources for treatment to those who need them, so they can, hopefully, win their battle against addiction. I do think there is much more work to be done.
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.
