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Iris Halpern Democrat
Residence: Denver
Profession: Attorney
Education: Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree
Experience: Civil and Workers’ Rights Attorney and Partner at Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Affordability and the rise of record wealth and political inequality
Provisions of essential services including, but not limited to, education, transit, healthcare, and public safety
Constitutional and civil rights
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Revisit state laws that prevent municipal innovation in rent stabilization and other local affordable housing strategies; implement additional statewide minimum housing development standards; grow direct public investment in housing solutions; support a graduated income tax and other forms of tax reform reducing tax burden on majority of salaried, working families; close corporate and stock-related tax loopholes to provide money for essential services; expand universal free childcare hours and subsidized assistance for home eldercare services; reduce cost of utilities by incentivizing long-term development in renewable energies; reduce corporate anti-competitive practices and technologies like use of algorithms as part of consumer, tenant, and employment protection laws.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
Many bills each session have significant bipartisan support so the parties should be able to identify many areas where common ground can be found, but some obvious areas include water conservation, data centers, some AI regulation, mental health and substance addiction supports, affordable housing efforts, rural healthcare access, and other areas of concern.
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 hope we can work more closely and better align on unionization/labor policies and tech industry regulation.
Kathleen Angel did not return the questionnaire.
