Go to: Candidate Q&A home page · Denver Post Voter Guide
Rick Bowness Democrat
Residence: Parker, CO
Profession: Copywriter
Education: BA, Dalhousie University
Experience: Spent 12 years as sports administrator (NHL, NCAA, CHL & NLL) + 9 years in marketing/communications, including a stint at an IES-funded research firm in Centennial.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Data center accountability. Large data centers are poised to potentially strain our grid, with Parker families footing the bill. I’ll push for disclosure and cost-sharing so corporations pay their share of infrastructure costs.
2. Housing affordability. Rising valuations and corporate home-buying are pricing out longtime residents. I’ll push for an expanded homestead exemption and limits on algorithmic rent-setting.
3. Water security. Growth is outpacing our water infrastructure. I’ll push for water use disclosure for large developments and policy grounded in real science.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Parker families are squeezed by rising property valuations, corporate home-buying, and utility bills climbing as data centers draw power without paying their share of infrastructure costs. I’d push for an expanded, portable homestead exemption for long-term residents and seniors, limits on corporate bulk-buying of starter homes, and a ban on algorithmic rent-setting software. I’d also require large-load data centers to pay their proportional grid costs instead of shifting them to ratepayers. Beyond housing, I support a living minimum wage indexed to inflation and lower prescription drug costs through state pricing accountability.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
Wildfire readiness, water infrastructure, and broadband access aren’t partisan issues. They’re basic governance that every Douglas County family needs regardless of party. Republicans and Democrats alike want fully funded, well-equipped firefighters and modernized water systems built for a drought-prone future. Data center accountability also crosses lines: ratepayers of every affiliation are watching their bills climb, and holding large-load facilities to fair cost-sharing standards is common sense, not ideology. I’ll work with anyone serious about protecting Colorado’s infrastructure, water, and family budgets. The work matters more than the party label attached to it.
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?
A new administration means a fresh shot at land use and permitting reform that stalled under local control pushback, real accountability for data centers’ water and grid impacts, and a statewide push on housing supply that matches the actual shortfall, not half-measures. I’ll also push harder on requiring transparency from AI-driven pricing tools, an issue that gained little traction previously. Parker families can’t wait another four years for Colorado to catch up to problems already reshaping their bills and their neighborhoods.
John H. Sutton and Anthony Hartsook did not return the questionnaire.
