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Junie Joseph (i) Democrat
Residence: Boulder
Profession: Lawyer
Education: BA/MA/JD
Experience: Lawyer, former city council member and adjunct professor, human rights advocate, and international election observer with experience in law, public service, education, and democracy.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Renter’s Protection 2) Transportation & Environmental Justice 3) LGBTQ+ Rights
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Affordability requires addressing housing costs, taxes, and the everyday costs of living. I support increasing affordable and workforce housing, including allowing housing authorities to ask voters to approve revenue measures to build more housing. I support suppressing eviction records to prevent past evictions from becoming barriers to future housing and pushing renters toward homelessness. I also support giving county commissioners the authority to ask voters to approve targeted excise taxes to fund essential social services. Finally, I support targeted tax relief for working- and middle-income Coloradans and fair revenue policies that ensure those who benefit most from our economy contribute their fair share.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I see actionable common ground with Republicans on issues where individual rights, accountability, and limited government intersect. I would work across the aisle to reduce the influence of money in politics and strengthen transparency and accountability in our elections. I also see opportunities to protect Fourth Amendment rights as surveillance technology becomes more sophisticated. For example, I am working with a Republican colleague on legislation to ensure landlords cannot use surveillance technology to monitor short-term rental guests without appropriate notice. Regardless of which party is in the majority, protecting privacy, individual liberty, and the integrity of our democratic institutions should be shared priorities.
A new governor will take office next year. What opportunities are there for legislation or other changes that did not gain traction under Gov. Jared Polis?
I am excited about the opportunities a new administration can bring, particularly on issues that did not gain traction under Gov. Polis. I want to bring back HB25-1277 to educate consumers about the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of petroleum products through clear labeling at gas pumps. The bill was blocked and ultimately failed in the Senate, and I believe there is a real opportunity to bring it forward again and pass it. I also believe the right to unionize should come back. Workers are essential to our economy, and Colorado needs both strong businesses and strong workers.
