Yellow Scene Magazine (YS) has earned a reputation for producing one of the most exhaustive election guides in our area. We recently won first place at the Colorado Press Association Annual Better News Awards for our 2023 election coverage. Compiling all the information in one place is no easy feat—the spreadsheet alone takes weeks to flesh out. No single source in our region (Boulder County and the North Metro) has compiled all the information YS has gathered below. We are also the only source we know of that requires live interviews—no email interviews, ever, as a matter of policy. With much reluctance and only under a blue moon, we have allowed email interviews, and we believe it has happened fewer than five times in 24 years.

This election guide covers everything from presidential to local races and, of course, the ballot issues. We hope our interviews help you make the best decision for yourself and your community. Our Editorial Board offers their final consensus on who they, as a group, endorse. The board and staff of writers include Ray Manzari, Hope Munoz, Owen Swallow, Lexi Miller, Mohammed Ahmed, Charlotte Piper, Chris Aguilar, Annie Stefanko, and Ryan Sullivan. YS’s Editorial Board conducted live, recorded interviews with all participating candidates and then met to finalize the endorsements.

The interview with Jill Stein happened last minute, and Julie River stepped into conduct it, but did not serve on the Editorial Board.

This year, we noticed a decline in Republican candidates making themselves available for interviews compared to previous years. (The response rate also depends on the year and the type of election.) Off-year elections generally have a higher candidate response rate then the General Election. However, we are still determining the feasibility of municipalities’ local participation in General Election years—though there are two this year. General elections typically see lower response rates due to the sheer number of races. We’ve even attempted to secure interviews with presidential candidates, but it seems we may need to start streaming to make that happen. Over the past decade, we’ve observed a shift in the number of conservative candidates responding. YS had an 85-90% response rate during the George Bush era, averaging around 80-85% during the Obama administration. During the Trump administration, we saw a drop in Republican candidate interviews, coinciding with Colorado becoming a Democrat supermajority state. Between 2016 and 2022, YS labeled some candidates “Too Extreme.” In 2024, only one candidate earned that label.

(If you’re wondering what warrants a “Too Extreme” label, the most common reason was the idea of sending the unhoused and those with substance abuse disorders to “special places”—in other words, internment camps. Thankfully, we didn’t hear that kind of language this year—just mass deportation, so there is that.)

Regardless of Lauren Boebert’s notoriety, Colorado is currently a Democrat supermajority. With abortion rights on the ballot—Amendment 79 (which we support with a YES vote)—Coloradoans will be viewing this year’s election through multiple lenses.

It’s a bit strange when candidates are on the ballot but don’t show up for interviews with recognized local outlets—especially in a Democrat supermajority state. A closer look reveals that those who skipped our interviews avoided other local media. Yet, some who bypassed local outlets found time to interview with media outside the community. It begs the question: why would a candidate in Erie prioritize talking to Boulder over engaging with the people they’re hoping to represent here?

For more on the Erie races, check the Publisher’s Note. For transparency, our Editorial Board is not participating in endorsements for Erie’s election. Since our publisher lives there and is actively involved in local elections, the best we can offer for Erie is the Q&A interview and her personal preferences listed.

There are a few tricky amendments to watch out for,  Proposition 130 (vote NO) and Proposition 131. Don’t let the language fool you—this initiative uses deceptive wording and hides the fact that it allows more money to influence political races. A NO vote on 131.

Now, onto the ballot itself.

D = Democrat, R = Republican, L = Libertarian, U = Unaffiliated, Unity Party

E = Endorsed* (requires interview), S = Support, Q = Qualified, SQG = Maintain status quo in Gaza

STATE AND US CONGRESS QUESTIONS

The questions our team asked were determined through consensus and were the same for all candidates. Each candidate was asked identical questions.

IMMIGRATION (two-part question)

• There has been a high degree of misinformation and disinformation regarding immigration policy and statistics. What role should federal and state governments have in setting the record straight on the issue of immigration?
• What is your stance on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that was unable to pass earlier this year?

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

• Housing is rapidly becoming unaffordable for many families across Colorado, especially in fast-growing areas. What policies do you support that ensure both low- and middle-income families can afford to live here? How do you think governments, local, regional, and statewide, work together to help resolve homelessness?

WAR (two-part question)

• Do you support the military aid the U.S. provides in major conflicts like those in Gaza and Ukraine? If your support differs between these conflicts, what are the reasons for your stance?

GAZA (two-part question)

• It’s been almost one year since the genocide began in Gaza. According to a Lancet study, the Gaza death toll may be between 180,000 – 280,000 Palestinians who have been killed by Israel. Roughly 60% are children. What is your stance on a calling for a ceasefire in the region?
• Or an end to supplying weapons to Israel and are there are there any actions taken by the Israeli state that you have found objectionable in how they have handled the conflict with Hamas?

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING
(two-part question)

• Our schools are under several assaults from Colorado, being one of the lowest for education funding to active shooter drills. What would you do to both help fund our schools and keep guns out of them?
• It’s been almost one year since the genocide began in Gaza. According to a Lancet study, the Gaza death toll may be between 180,000 – 280,000 Palestinians killed by Israel. Roughly 60% are children. What is your stance on calling for a ceasefire in the region? Or an end to supplying weapons to Israel, and are there any? Are there any actions taken by the Israeli state that you have found objectionable in how they have handled the conflict with Hamas?

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE
(two-part question)

• Fires in Boulder County destroy the delicate ecosystems of microorganisms in the streams where they occur. Do you have any solutions to prevent fires from starting and spreading?
• In addition, Colorado has one of the largest oil and gas exports in the United States. What part does that play in accelerating climate change and fires?

CRIME

• According to Colorado Crime statistics, violent crime is trending downwards after a small spike in 2022, following national trends that are also declining. However, voting polls suggest that controlling crime is high on the list of priorities for most voters. What crime in your district are you most concerned with, how serious of a problem is it, and what approaches do you think are best to solve them?
• There have been several high-profile reports of citizens who have been brutalized or even killed by law enforcement officers in Colorado. How do you intend to hold law enforcement officers who abuse their power accountable, or how should we hold law enforcement accountable?

ECONOMY

• Inflation has hit many American families hard, and while there is evidence that inflation is now beginning to fall, many still feel the financial impact. What do you believe the government’s role (either federal, state, or local, depending on the candidate) should be in stabilizing the economic situation Americans are facing?

ABORTION

• The 2022 US Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruled the precedents outlined in Roe v. Wade. How do you view Colorado’s proposed ballot measure to allow the use of public funds for abortions and mandate coverage under health insurance plans?  Furthermore, do you advocate for any federal legislation that would either protect or ban abortion on a national level?

PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D) – SUPPORT, (SQG)

Did Not Interview

 

 

 

Donald Trump (R) – TOO EXTREME, (SQG)

Did Not Interview

 

 

 

 

Cornel West (Unity) – STRONGLY CONSIDERED

IMMIGRATION

Immigration reform would have to be part of a larger diplomatic process of the leaders in the region so we could create a context in which people want to stay home. For those willing to come, we’d have a fair process, but it would not in any way violate their rights or their dignity, and we would have a welcoming spirit.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

You look at housing simply as an object to buy and sell and make a profit on rather than for it to be what a home you would hope is. You say that home is where the heart is, and if you’re looking at a piece of property solely as a commodity and not a place where it creates a context for human beings to flower and flourish, then you end up with gentrification on steroids,

WAR

We should be a dignified nation. We don’t need 800 military bases around the world. We don’t need 130 special operations in over 100 countries; therefore, when it comes to the matter of the outright genocide, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid-like conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, just on moral grounds, we ought to pull the plug financially.

There has to be an end to the (Palestinian) occupation, and we’ve got to come up with a way in which precious Palestinians and precious Jews can live together in such a way that both groups have safety, equality, dignity, and security. 

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I do believe in gun control, but as long as you have the hearts and minds of people tied to wanting to destroy others, they’re going to come up with ways of doing that. We have to be able to speak to people’s mental health because there is a slice of our fellow citizens who are suffering from deep mental health programs that are too readily able to gain access to guns. 

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

You have to have the courage to say that fossil fuel companies tied to short-term profit have to be rendered accountable, and we have to think of the long run and not just the short-term profits.

CRIME

Crime is a very complicated phenomenon. I’ve seen so many schools and poor and working-class neighborhoods, black, white, Indigenous people or whatever, and there are more police in the schools than there were nurses or counselors. That’s a sign of the militarization of the schools. If we reinforce that sense that the only way to deal with crime is more punitive, more punishing orientations, it just creates a cycle. And the cycle of crime has become a perennial one. If we can create different venues for people who have proclivities toward committing crimes that would decrease crime.. 

ECONOMY

Low unemployment rates can exist because people work two jobs and live in poverty. That’s nothing to celebrate at all. Inflation is just one way in, and inflation is partly tied to corporate greed. 

ABORTION

I very much support that bill at the state level. it’s very important that women have reproductive freedoms and have control over their bodies. 

Jill Stein (Green Party) – CONSIDERED

Editors Note: Dr Stein’s interview looks slightly different from the others, as we ran out of time to pare it down. Due to a scheduling error by YS, we were not able to interview Dr. Stein until October 19th, 2024.  Julie River stepped in and spoke with Dr. Stein on Saturday. However, when we announced we secured the interview with her, no other candidate got the kind of commentary she did. It is for these two reasons we are publishing the interview in full. 

First a physician, then an activist, and eventually a politician, Dr. Jill Stein has become one of the most prominent figures of the far-left and one of the most controversial figures in modern politics. Having run as the Green Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 2012, 2016, and now the 2024 election, she’s often accused of being a “spoiler” candidate and “siphoning” votes from the Democratic candidate and, thereby, helping Republican candidates win elections.

Regardless of whether or not that’s true, Stein continues to push for more progressive solutions to America’s problems. If you put aside the “spoiler” accusations, she has a lot of positions that those on the left, including many who vote for Democrats, would certainly agree on. But the “spoiler” label continues to dog her, causing many who otherwise agree with her positions to view her as a menace to the modern political landscape.

One thing that struck me as I sat down with her to discuss her political positions for our election guide was that, for all the talk of Stein being a political outsider, she’s as polished and as careful of a speaker as any politician from the two major parties, and certainly far more articulate than some candidates that have won the office of President. Far from being an unhinged radical, Stein is careful and measured in her responses, much like any other professional politician. While the likelihood of her ever finding her way into the Oval Office still seems slim—in spite of her assertions about what she plans to do on “day one” in office—her positions on a lot of the issues are truly fascinating.

IMMIGRATION

Julie River: So there has been a high degree of disinformation regarding immigration policy and statistics in this country. What role do you think federal and state governments have in setting the record straight on the issue of immigration?

Jill Stein: So obviously, at the level of president, there’s a critical role in correcting the record. And the record has been seriously distorted. At the level of the president, we need to both set the record straight and make the urgently needed changes in public policy and immigration policy.

 First, on the record, migrants are not the source of crime in this country. In fact, their rates of crime are far lower. Specifically, they make the country safer. They are not bringing drugs into this country. Drugs are brought in by red-blooded Americans, which are not coming in over the remote areas of the border. They’re coming through portals of entry. The wall does no good whatsoever for keeping drugs out. And migrants, when they are allowed to work, are the source of prosperity for our communities’ expansion of our economies and greater employment. This is exactly the opposite of what both major parties and their candidates are currently saying, so that’s setting the record straight.

In terms of policy, the most important and effective thing we can do to fix the immigration crisis is to stop causing it in the first place through regime change operations, endless wars, overturning other democratically elected governments, economic neo-colonialism, and addressing climate change, which puts millions of farmers out of business, and also the drug wars, which the United States largely finances. This war on drugs, which, by making drugs illegal,  make the drug cartels very rich and powerful. There are important steps we can take to address that. But I first want just to name the drivers, the key drivers of migration, and I would also add economic sanctions on countries like Cuba and Venezuela in particular, where the sanctions devastate the economies and create poverty that leads many people to flee.

 Again, the most important thing we can do, and the most effective thing we can do, is reverse those policies. Stop interfering with other governments. Put an end to the economic sanctions in Cuba and Venezuela, for example. Deal with the climate crisis. Stop increasing the flood of fossil fuels and begin to rapidly phase them out, as well as provide climate justice and climate reparations support to other countries so that they can deal with their climate crisis and not watch millions of farmers go out of business and have to flee their homes.

 Finally, on the drug wars, by treating drug use as a public health issue rather than a criminal issue, we can pull the rug right out from under the violent drug cartels. And we can also deal with the problem of drug addiction and so on. But by legalizing cannabis, for starters, and taking it off the list of scheduled drugs, we can massively reduce the power of the drug cartels and the violence.

 That’s one piece of our migration policy, and the other, just to summarize,  instead of throwing billions of dollars into a wall that kills people, it also kills wildlife and ecosystems instead of draining our resources in that dead-end corporate profit boondoggle for construction companies, instead we should be putting those dollars into actual civil service infrastructure, asylum attorneys and so on so that we can properly and promptly do background checks at the border and give people their papers who pass their background checks and are here in good faith and (are) not violent criminals fleeing law enforcement from south of the border. We can provide people with their papers, they can go to work, and then they are an economic resource for our communities.

 They’re not just self-supporting. They are community building and economic building. So that’s the way forward based on the actual realities of the migration situation, not this immigrant bashing that’s being espoused by both the Kamala Harris campaign and the Democrats and the Republicans and Donald Trump.

 JR: What is your stance on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that was unable to pass earlier this year?

 JS: It takes the worst aspects of the Republican approach to immigration, and basically, the Democrats adopt it, and it makes it even worse. It’s a very punitive, inhumane, and ineffective policy.

 HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

JR: The next section is on housing, which is a big concern for families in Colorado. Housing is becoming very unaffordable, especially in fast-growing areas. What policies do you support to ensure that low- and middle-income families can afford their homes, and how do you think the governments local, regional, statewide, and national can work together to resolve homelessness.

JS: Yeah, and we are having a really severe crisis. Homelessness is at record highs. 50% of American families and Americans in general who rent their homes, their apartments, are severely economically stressed right now by the rising cost of rent and the failure of wages to keep up. People are paying 30 to 50% of their monthly income just to keep a roof over their heads, which doesn’t leave the money that you need for healthcare, to pay your student loans, car insurance, etc. So this is a real crisis.

And rents, of course, are skyrocketing. Neighborhoods are gentrifying. People are getting thrown out. There are some solutions that are beginning to improve the crisis right now, and then there are longer-term solutions. Some of these can be implemented at the local, state, and federal levels, though I’m speaking predominantly about the responsibilities at the federal level.

So we advocate for adopting a nationwide federal rent control program to stabilize rents right now so that your landlord can’t throw you out because they want to raise the rent or because they want to remodel and then raise the rent. So that’s one piece: rent control to stop the rising rent rates. In addition, we call for ending the buy-up of available housing, which includes both rental units and homes. Currently, those are being scooped up in huge numbers by the private equity industry, which has a lot of cash. They buy this stuff up, they take it off the market, and then the shortage of housing drives up the price, so it’s very convenient for them. And a lot of this housing is just sitting vacant. So we would both prohibit this practice by private equity to steal the available housing and sit on it. We would implement a vacancy tax, making it impossible for the private equity holding onto this housing now. They would then be paying a very steep added tax on vacant housing, effectively forcing that housing back onto the market. That’s a second step.

A third step is we need a tenant bill of rights that ensures you cannot be thrown out on a whim or simply because your landlord wants to remodel and raise the rent and gentrify the neighborhood. As part of that tenant Bill of Rights, we ensure that there are proper legal services when people are being challenged by their landlords.

Then, most importantly, we call for building 15 million new units of affordable housing, so-called social housing, which we used to call public housing. That all came to a screeching halt back in the 1990s under Bill Clinton, when this bill called The Faircloth Amendment was enacted that forbade any more money going into public housing, which provides housing for those who are most in need. And so that public housing stock has been degraded, it hasn’t been expanded, and the need has absolutely skyrocketed.

So, building out 15 million units of environmentally sound, energy-conserving housing which is concentrated so it doesn’t contribute to sprawl and traffic problems, and which is built in conjunction with public transportation so people don’t have to get cars, and, in addition, which is built to preserve open space, so that the residents have access to green space, is critical for the health of our communities and the health of people. People are just much healthier if they have green space that they can go and walk in and be in the woods or in nature or whatever we want to be. Protecting green space is really critical for protecting the environment and biodiversity, cleaning the air, and all that.

It’s one way that we address the housing crisis while addressing multiple other crises at the same time. Those are some of the basics that we would oversee from the federal government level.

WAR

JR: Getting into more international issues: Do you support the military aid the US provides in major conflicts like those in Gaza and Ukraine, and if your support differs between those two, what are the differences?

JS: We are currently in several very dangerous wars. I mean, these are the two biggest dangers right now: the war on the border of Ukraine and Russia and the genocidal war that Israel is conducting with the full support, military equipment, funding, diplomatic cover, intelligence, etc. (of) the US, (which) is a full partner in this war. It’s not really a war because it’s a massacre and a genocide on Gaza that is expanding now, which Israel has been attempting to do from the very start, to expand this war and to drag the US into a larger war involving the West Bank and Lebanon and several other countries that are under attack. And we know that Israel will soon be attacking Iran as well, which could make this whole thing go absolutely ballistic. So this is like a pre-World War I-type of situation involving all kinds of countries. This could turn into—I mean, it’s already becoming a regional conflict—but it could very quickly become a global and nuclear conflict.

 There’s no justification for this whatsoever, except as Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Defense expressed back in the 1980s, Israel is the “unsinkable battleship” for the US in the Middle East. Those were basically his words. Essentially, Israel allows the US to have a strong ally and a sturdy outpost from which to control the flow of oil in the Middle East and control who gets that oil. So, this is an extremely dangerous war.

 It can be stopped in the blink of an eye, in the same way that Ronald Reagan stopped Israel’s war that had gone into Lebanon at that time, and thousands of innocent civilians were being massacred. Now, in the current war on Gaza, it’s somewhere around 200,000, but that count has not been updated in a long time. And these are mostly women and children. This is an absolute all-out massacre. People are being displaced by gunfire. Housing has been destroyed. People are living on the street and there’s a massive embargo on food and water, which is not getting into the country. People are dying. There are currently half a million people undergoing starvation in Gaza right now. I mean, this is the worst genocide in modern times being live-streamed onto our phones.

 Most Americans are aware of what’s happening and vehemently oppose it. Going way back to November, just after it started, 68% of Americans were on record as wanting an immediate diplomatic solution, and more recently, in the last several months, over 60% of Americans have come to support an immediate weapons embargo to make this stop.

 Joe Biden could simply pick up the phone and instruct Bibi Netanyahu, as Ronald Reagan did back in 1982, that it’s over because the US is in control because we have control of the funding, the weapons, the diplomatic cover, etc. The war will be over, which would be a good thing because we are right now sitting on the verge of possibly World War III, which could happen, really, any day now.

 This is a disaster for the whole world, not to mention that our incredibly bloated, endless war budget has huge consequences here at home. The war machine budget occupies half of our congressional spending, and what do we have to show for it? Lots of catastrophic wars, failed states, and mass refugee migrations. These wars are not solving anything, but the US keeps getting into them over and over again because we’ve had a very misguided foreign policy based on economic and military domination rather than coming into the modern era as part of a multipolar world, working in conjunction with other countries based on international law, human rights, and diplomacy.

 That’s the direction we need to go, and that applies to both the crisis of Israel’s genocide ongoing right now as well as the crisis in Ukraine. And, in terms of how we fix this, the International Court of Justice has already clarified exactly what international law calls for, which is an end to the genocide, an end to the ethnic cleansing and the occupation and the practice of apartheid by the Israeli government. So, in a nutshell, that’s our position and our immediate solution that could be enacted in the blink of an eye in terms of the Israeli-US war on Gaza.

 In Ukraine, likewise, this is a devastating war that has been long in the making, going all the way back to the 1990s, roughly, with the breakup of the Soviet Union, when the US promised Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union at that time, that NATO would not move one inch to the east if Russia would be okay with East and West Germany reuniting. That deal was made, Germany reunited and joined NATO, and the Soviet Union broke up. Russia understood that NATO was not going to be coming to its doorstep and that Germany would not be invading again.

 In a nutshell, what’s happening now is like the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Russia put nuclear missiles on our border in Cuba, which was actually in response to our putting nuclear missiles on Russia’s border in Turkey. But just to keep it simple for now, let’s focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis, where we went nuts, and we had nuclear bombs in airplanes—which is how they were sent back in those days—in the air, and we were ready to go to nuclear war right then and there in order to defend our border. That’s the position that Russia is in right now.

 It’s not all that hard to understand. Russia doesn’t want nuclear missiles on its border, just a five- or 10-minute missile flight from Moscow. All Russia wanted was neutrality for Ukraine. That was very clear, and that could have easily happened had the US been willing to support neutrality for Ukraine. There were many opportunities to avoid this war. But, unfortunately, NATO kept on marching, and Russia responded as it said it would, and, regrettably, began this all-out invasion.

 I must say, the invasion was part of a longer ongoing war that had begun in 2014 as well. There were a lot of provocations here. The war in Ukraine didn’t start suddenly. In 2022, there was a long run up to it, where the US played a major role in establishing a very hostile government in Ukraine, on Russia’s border, contributing to the chaos and the civil war going on in Ukraine and then refusing to make a very simple peace deal to avoid provoking Russia into this horrific invasion, which has been absolutely deadly for the people of Ukraine.

 The Secretary of Defense for the US stated very clearly that the war in Ukraine is essentially an effort by the US to bleed Russia, to use Russia’s resources, and to weaken Russia, and that’s being done at the expense of the Ukrainian people. This is Russia’s border, so they have an enormous vested interest in ensuring that it’s safe. For us to be provoking war and providing the arms with which Ukraine goes to war, and more and more Ukrainians are being slaughtered, (is) basically a Mission Impossible. The US and NATO are not going to get control of Russia’s border with Ukraine without provoking nuclear war here.

 We are escalating our way up to nuclear war on this front, as well as in Israel and its war on Gaza. Ee need to step back. We need to stop throwing fuel on the fire here, which is absolutely devastating to the people of Ukraine and endangers all of us with escalation toward nuclear war. We need to sit down and support a real peace deal.

 Russia showed that it would do that in good faith, and it did, including making real compromises. It did that just after the war began. Under the auspices of Turkey, there was a peace deal that was negotiated, but the US and the UK then came in at the 11th hour and said, No, you have to keep fighting Ukraine; we’re not going to let you make peace. And here we are.

 We don’t have the money that we need right now for critical things here in this country. We just gave another 8-9 billion to Israel to expand its war in the Middle East, and we are about 9 billion short for FEMA to assist American communities that are in dire straits with the ongoing climate crisis. In a nutshell, that’s what’s wrong with this picture where we are consuming and squandering our precious tax dollars on wars that are not making us safer, that are just killing a lot of people and making the whole world less safe, and especially several regions in the world. We should not be squandering those tax dollars, endangering us, and at the same time impoverishing us so that we don’t have the dollars we need for the urgent and dire health, housing, education, and climate needs that we have in this country right now. This covers our position on those two conflicts around the world.

 SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

JR: In Colorado, one of the issues we’re dealing with is our schools are under several assaults, being one of the lowest for education funding to active shooter drills. What would you do to both help fund schools and also keep guns out of them?

JS: As a kid, your education should not depend on your zip code. Right now, schools are funded largely by property tax in communities, reflecting whether you have low-income or luxury housing. If you have luxury housing, you’ll have a big school budget and very well-educated kids. If you’ve got low-income housing, the most vulnerable kids, who most need education support, are not going to have a budget for it. That’s what we need. We need to rectify that so we have the resources. If we weren’t so busy creating war, violence, and chaos all around the world, we would have the dollars that we need to put into our urgent needs and real security here at home.

 We propose not only taxing the rich who are not paying their fair share right now but also cutting this wasteful, bloated, endangering military budget and putting those dollars into essential needs here at home. That includes providing baseline support for communities, especially for low-income communities, to help bring up their resource base so they have quality schools from the get-go.

 In terms of school safety, that’s inseparable from gun safety, so we need to implement common sense solutions that the American people already support, and that includes things like an assault weapons ban on further sales and a buyback. That’s a voluntary buyback; we won’t get them all, but we’ll get a lot of them, a buyback of assault weapons so that you don’t have these very dangerous weapons just out there in the community. We need to end the gun show loopholes and ensure that there are background checks so that you can’t just have anybody who’s very unstable, threatening suicide, etc, or extremely troubled youth, you can’t have them walking in and buying guns off the street. We need to have background checks.

We also need to have safe storage laws, and these are supported by gun owners as well, who, on the whole, support of gun safety. It’s just the gun lobby that does not. These are common-sense solutions that the American people endorse. We need safe storage for guns, and for that to be a requirement. We also need liability laws so that parents know they’ve got to keep their guns stored safely so that kids can’t just take them. That’s one thing we can do to support gun safety in our schools is to get those guns under control so they’re not just out there for anybody to use.

In addition, we need to support the mental health needs of our students, and that means having social workers and mental health workers available right now. Those supports are in such desperate supply. But we also need youth programs, sports programs, and after-school programs so that we are providing things to help support the mental health of students in our schools as well because when people are neglected and they are at their wit’s end, and they’re feeling hopeless, which is exactly when you get into trouble with weapons that are available. Basically you have students that are committing suicide while they’re committing murder as well.

We know how to fix these problems, and we need to be investing in them, again, not squandering our tax dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest corporations who are not paying their fair share, and not squandering our resources on the military, which is not making us safer.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRES

JR: One issue we’ve been dealing with here in Boulder County is wildfires, which destroy the ecosystems of microorganisms in the streams where they occur. Do you have any solutions to prevent fires from starting and spreading?

JS: We need to address drought, which is a huge problem, and heat waves, which means we need to come to terms with the climate crisis. And for that, we call for an emergency Green New Deal, which will create jobs by declaring a climate emergency on the first day in office. If we are so lucky as to be in that position, we will declare the climate emergency on day one, which then unleashes over $600 billion every year to create jobs in critical industries that transition us from dirty energy to clean renewables, efficiency, and conservation that also go with public transportation, and healthy and sustainable agriculture system and sustainable, environmentally sound housing as well.

 Those are some of the pillars of a Green New Deal that would ramp down fossil fuel production. That’s not going to turn wildfires around overnight, so there are other things that we need to do as well, and one is not be building out in very vulnerable areas where people are likely to get trapped and into a lot of trouble from the wildfires and the forest fires. We need to ensure that we are funding our forest service so that proper conservation practices are put into effect.

 We need proper water conservation. You’re probably aware that the Colorado River is about a year away from drying up. And, while that doesn’t affect Colorado so much, it’s more downstream in California, where the Colorado River shutdown is going to be devastating. It puts us into a real drought situation in the area, basically, the California agriculture system, where most of the fruits and vegetables, about half of the entire nation, are produced. So we’re going to see food prices skyrocket.

 The drought, in general, impacts Colorado and many other areas of the country. So we need to seriously conserve water in our agricultural practices, lawns, etc. We really cannot afford to have green grass lawns, which are extremely water-consuming. We need proper plans and implementation to conserve water so that we have that water when we need it, and we’re properly protecting our forests so that we’re not running into forest fires, and we’re able to protect communities and homes when those fires do break out.

 CRIME

JR: According to Colorado crime statistics, violent crime is trending downwards after a small spike in 2022, which follows national trends. Our voting polls still suggest that controlling crime is high on the list of priorities for most voters. How serious of a problem do you think this is, and what approaches do you think are best to solve it?

 JS: We need our elected officials to be telling the truth about this. We see a lot of demagoguing on violence, a lot of real hyping of the problem because there’s a big divide-and-conquer push, and a lot of fear-mongering in our elections. We need to be able to tell the truth and be believable to the American people.

 There’s a huge lack of trust and outright cynicism towards the government. A lot of that has to do with the money in politics. The fact that our political system is bought and paid for by industries and businesses that are not helpful to the American people, like big pharma, the fossil fuel industry, the real estate development industry, health insurance, all the things that people are struggling with are the ones who bought and paid for our government and policies that are not serving the American people. We’re in crisis, basically, in every division of our lives.

 One of the generic things that we’ll be doing is moving to a public financing system so that you can’t have politicians serving their big donors rather than serving their voters. Another thing we intend to do is to revive town hall meetings where elected officials used to have to meet with their constituents. They need to feel that heat again so that they’re again meeting with their constituents so they can be instructed in how their constituents would like their representatives to represent them instead. Elected officials are too busy meeting with their donors, raising big money, and then turning around and serving those industries.

 If you want to combat disinformation about violence, with a problem actually being far smaller than it is (depicted), we need to basically reinstate trust again and demand that our elected officials be accountable to us, meet with us, represent us, and not take the big money from corporations and powerful industries.

 JR: There have been several high-profile reports of citizens who have been brutalized or even killed by law enforcement officers in Colorado. How do you intend to hold law enforcement officers who abuse their power accountable?

JS: Very good question. And I think this also relates to your prior question. If we want to address violence, we have to address violence from law enforcement. The numbers are significant, the numbers of people, especially people of color, who are killed under horrific circumstances. This is just far too common. And there are good, common-sense solutions here.

 One is that we need police review boards that are controlled by the community, not by, say, the mayor or the City Council, and often tend to be in buddy-buddy relationships with the police department. We actually need to be able to watchdog the police department. We need elected representatives of the community, who then have the power to hire, the power to fire, the power to do inquiry, to issue subpoenas, and so on, to stop these tragedies before they happen because so often violence from police forces is coming from bad actors who’ve already been abusing people and have been violent to people even before they then murder them. And then you also have the issue of white supremacists on police forces, and there needs to be a zero-tolerance level for that.

 You need the community to be able to be a watchdog on its police so that the police and community operate hand in hand. At the end of the day, the community needs to be in control of its police, not the police controlling the community.

 In addition, there are very good programs now which are being used around the country. I think one is in Toledo, Ohio, and another one is in New Mexico somewhere. These really great model programs that create additional providers who are not police; they’re not armed, but they’re really good at dealing with the stuff that police are not good at dealing with. Many of these tragedies happen to people who are having a mental health crisis. What is more heart-wrenching than a family calling for help from the police because their son is having a mental health crisis, and then the police come, and they shoot and kill the person who’s having a crisis? We hear about this all the time.

 We need to have mental health workers who can go out sometimes they’re called police diversion programs, and what they do is, when they take the 911 calls, they reassign calls that do not require the skills of police. They assign them to teams of social workers and mental health workers, or sometimes, the police go out in conjunction with them. This both saves communities money, and it saves communities a lot of heartache and violence, and it enables us to use police for what we need them for, not to have them in situations that they’re not good at dealing with where they tend to escalate violence, where violence is not needed. There are good programs now that can really help us invest in community safety in a broader way that doesn’t just rely on a police force.

ECONOMY

JR: Inflation is another issue we want to talk about. It hits a lot of American families hard, and while there’s evidence that it’s now beginning to fall, many still feel the financial impact. What do you believe the federal government’s role should be in stabilizing the economic situation Americans are facing?

JS: We need to remedy the situation we have right now, which allows the rich to get richer and everybody else just to be pushed further into struggle and poverty. We’ve seen poverty rates in children triple in the last three years or so while billionaires doubled their wealth. When we talk about inflation, we’re talking about rising prices, but that’s part of this bigger picture whereby resources go to the richest and not to low-income people.

We’ve also become a financialized economy that is driven by debt, consumer debt,  medical debt, health care debt, and, again, college debt, which is just going through the roof. So we need to be sure that we have an economy that’s working for working people and that people are not strapped as they are right now by their expenses. For one thing, we can massively reduce health care costs, which bankrupt a lot of people right now, and prices health care out of reach for so many people, like 18 million people from the most recent year where statistics are available, I think it was 2022, somewhere around 18 million people could not afford their pharmaceuticals. It is outrageous when pharmaceutical companies are making huge profits hand over fist.

We need to adopt a Medicare for All system. That’s what we will be pushing very much from day one, moving to Medicare for all, which cuts our healthcare costs massively at the same time that it expands healthcare to cover everybody comprehensively, including mental health, dental health, reproductive health, hearing aids, eyeglasses, etc, chronic care. You need your parents to have chronic support. You can keep them at home and have home health care under this kind of system. It’s a great system. In spite of expanding care, the total price is reduced by about 30%, and we would save half a trillion dollars a year. That’s one thing we will do as a solution that is owed to the American people.

Another is to bring down the cost of housing. It’s outrageous how people are being raked over the coals right now with their cost of housing. We talked about some of that before, such as rent control, stopping the private equity buyout, forcing that housing back onto the market, and building out real affordable housing on an emergency basis so that we have quality housing for people. That should be a human right.

Another big one is to end student debt. Public higher education should be free. It is an enormous productive investment in our economy and in our youth. We know that for every dollar we put into higher education, we get returned to the general economy $7 in worth. And it’s time, basically, to make public higher education free, as well as bail out the students, so we just cancel student debt, as we should also do to medical debt. By doing that, we give consumers such a financial boost that we can tip the scale so that people are not struggling over these prices, which have risen steeply over the last several years. They’re not rising very much right now, but they are too high because they rose so much in recent years.

We need to really bring down the costs, as I mentioned, where people are really strapped and are just paying to the teeth. We can fix that and bring down those costs right now. In addition, we can use antitrust laws to break up large corporations that use monopoly power to drive up prices. That’s one way that we can prevent prices from rising, as well as the other policies I mentioned earlier, which essentially offload major pieces of the economic burden that families and communities are carrying right now,

ABORTION

JR: The 2022 US Supreme Court decision Dobbs v Jackson overruled the precedent outlined in Roe v Wade. In Colorado, there’s a proposed ballot measure to allow the use of public funds for abortion and mandate coverage under health insurance plans. Do you support actions like that? And is there any federal legislation you would advocate for or implement that you think would either protect or ban abortion?

JS: Our view is that healthcare is a human right, and it should be available to everyone at the point of service and then paid for through a very progressive tax base, which reduces the burden on low-income and middle-income people and raises the burden at the level of the multimillionaires and the billionaires. That is a just system, and providing reproductive health care is part of that.

 As a medical doctor, I believe healthcare decisions should be made between individuals, men, women, and their healthcare providers. I don’t think the government has business dictating healthcare policies to people, except in extremely unusual circumstances. Women have a right to full reproductive care, including the choice of an abortion. If a woman and her health care provider think that that is an appropriate option, that decision should be on them.

 Providing public funding for abortion is appropriate—I would support that if we don’t have the health care system that we should have. Let me say also, that Roe v Wade should have been codified so that the Supreme Court would not have overridden it. And the Democrats promised over and over that they would do that. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden came into elected office saying it would be the first thing they would do, but they never got around to it. Obama had the supermajority in the Senate that could block a filibuster, which could have ensured that that happened. Biden had a majority whereby he could have changed the filibuster rules to ensure that reproductive health and rights would be protected.

 The Democrats could solve this problem right now by using military bases or other federal land to build reproductive health care clinics, abortion clinics, or even health care clinics. The federal government could ensure that women have a right to an abortion and that this epidemic of rising mortality and very serious problems in the perinatal period, both before pregnancy and after delivery, (is addressed). There have been just horrific problems with lack of access to abortion, especially among African-American women, whose death rates have skyrocketed now related to pregnancy. This is a healthcare emergency, and it should be fixed, and it could be fixed. The Biden-Harris administration has the power to do it. If they care as much as they say, they could do something about it.

BONUS QUESTION

JR: That covered all the standard questions we ask everyone. I’m running out of time, so I don’t want to get into too many other things, but there’s at least one question I wanted to ask specifically for you. I know you get a lot of the accusations of being the “spoiler” candidate and that you allegedly siphon votes from the Democratic candidate. I understand the importance of a third party and want to see us move beyond a two-party system. I’m absolutely on board. At the same time, as a queer person, I have a lot of anxiety that a new Trump administration is going to roll back my rights. I think a lot of queer people are afraid of that. A lot of women are afraid of what’s going to happen to their abortion rights. Migrants are afraid of what’s going to happen under a Trump presidency. With people afraid of losing freedoms in this election, what would you say about why voting for you is in their best interest?

JS: At the end of the day, we need a strong democracy if we’re going to protect our rights to abortion, the right to be who you are, and to love who you love, and to have your gender identity, whatever it is. Those rights are critical, and they go hand in hand with our rights of free speech, our rights of protest, our right to demand redress of grievances, our right to health care. We need to stand up and protect many rights together because it’s together that we can be a real force to contend with. If we’re not together, it’s forever a game of divide and conquer.

Let me just mention some other rights that are under very serious threat right now, not only our rights to free speech, our right to be free from surveillance,  our right not to be stopped at the border. In Texas, within 100 miles of the border, you can be stopped simply because you look like a Latino, and then excuses can be found for you to be searched. We have a right to freedom from surveillance and freedom from search as well. Right now, the draft has been reimplemented, so names are now being reported to the draft board, and people are being registered across the board between the ages of 18 and 25. If you are a man, or considered a man by the government, then you are on that list.

We are heading right now into a potential World War III, as our extremely reckless warmongering government in both parties is conducting a genocide in Gaza, which is expanding, and Israel is on the verge of attacking Iran. Iran is in a military alliance with Russia. Russia has nuclear weapons, and Israel has nuclear weapons. This could become very complicated very quickly, and if you’re between the ages of 18 and 25 and the government considers you to be a male, they know where you are, and they will come and get you. And all that has to happen is for the President to say, Hey, we are in a wartime emergency, and we are reactivating the draft.

They’re already in the process of sending boots on the ground right now into Gaza to assist Israel with conducting this genocide. We need a government that protects all of our civil liberties and protects us from needless war and warmongering. Right now, half of our congressional budget is being spent on the endless war machine. It’s, on average, $12,000 per household just for this last year. According to Jeffrey Sachs, the economist, those are figures as to what the warmongering tendencies of the Democratic and Republican parties are delivering for us. This has consequences for everybody.

Our rights to justice, to peace, to a secure future are very broad and are very much under threat, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and the rights of immigrants. And remember what happened there? You had immigrants who Republican demagogues have bashed for quite some time, and now the Democrats have adopted that policy because it sells and because they think they can manipulate people around that. Well, LGBTQ people could be next for who the Democrats are going to manipulate. They may be slightly supportive now, but they may not be tomorrow.

These are political parties that are bought and paid for by corporate America, the war machine, Wall Street, by health insurance, and big pharma. Their interests are not our interests. Our campaign represents a politics that is people-powered. We do not accept the big money that runs the big parties. You can write a million-dollar check to a Democrat, to Kamala Harris, or to Donald Trump—or to RFK, for that matter—or to the Libertarian candidate. They use these loopholes for legalized corruption. We do not do that.

What the Green Party and my campaign represent is what we, the people, actually need. We are accountable to no one except everyday people and young people, especially the queer community, (are) very much a part of who we are and who our campaign is. That is who we represent. To my mind, that’s where real security for all of us lies in being a coalition that is of, by, and for the people that is incorruptible, that’s not taking marching orders from Wall Street or AIPAC or the health insurance industry, those who are looking basically for predatory profits off of our backs. We need community-based development economies, a healthcare system that’s working for all of us, and real guarantees for our rights across the board, our civil liberties, our civil rights, our rights to expression, who we are, our various identities, we have a right to be who we are and to be respected, to have full access to the benefits of society, regardless of who we are, our gender preference, our race, our religion, etc, our sexuality. We all have an equal right that needs to be equally protected, and that is what our campaign stands for, and that is where our real security for a future we can survive in lies. 

The threats are on all fronts right now, including these cop cities, which are supported by democratic municipal governments across the country, most notably in Atlanta, where there’s a big fight over these cop cities. Who’s training the cops there? It’s the Israeli Defense Forces who are training the cops in these very violent, fascistic techniques of crowd control, and they’re building some 80 of these cop cities all around the country.

We all have very good reason to be concerned about our security about our democratic and constitutional rights, and we all very much need to stand together on behalf of all of those rights so that we’re all protecting each other. If we’re just protecting our community and not the broader community at risk here—by that, I mean people of color, low-income, working people—we’re all very much at risk. We need to be protecting each other here in a society that’s going to work for all of us, or we’re going to have a very, very rocky road ahead because it’s already pretty rocky and getting rockier, so we need to work this out together and be a strong coalition for an America and a world that works for all of us.

Chase Oliver (L)

Did not schedule interview in time

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U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

2ND DISTRICT

Joe Neguse (D), Incumbent – SUPPORT

Did not schedule interview in time

Marshall Dawson (R) – REFUSED INTERVIEW

 

 

Cynthia Munhos de Aquino Sirianni (Unity Party) – CONSIDERED

IMMIGRATION

I oppose the demonization of immigrants. Reason Magazine reported that Donald Trump’s proposal to arrest and deport 13 million undocumented immigrants would cost nearly one trillion dollars over ten years. It would devastate the economy due to the loss of workers in industries such as construction that are struggling to find enough labor.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I support a universal basic income as a safety net to eliminate poverty in the United States. Livable wage laws should allow local communities to secure livable wages so that workers don’t need to spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Higher-density housing should enable workers to live in the communities where they work. We must protect elderly homeowners from high property taxes.

Homelessness is an increasing problem. We have to study each case individually to determine their needs, whether it’s mental health help, job placement, help to transition to living indoors again, or even if they want to live outdoors. I met some people in that state of mind. There should be areas where they can securely camp.

WAR

I oppose foreign military aid and foreign military intervention. We must end the US government’s involvement in endless wars and cut the destructive waste of the world’s largest military budget. The United States must stop providing military aid and political support to governments behaving like Israel. I support South Africa’s legal case in the International Court of Justice, charging Israel with genocide against the people of Gaza. I join Susan Hall, Ron Tupa, and Adam Withrow as Unity Party candidates calling for peace with justice and respect for human rights in Palestine and Israel. I support the call for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. I support an international arms embargo against Israel. I support self-determination for all people, but a two-state solution is not practical. I support a one-state representative democracy for the people of Israel and Palestine.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I don’t agree with taking guns from people. They can carry guns anywhere they want to. This is the law of the United States. 

I support publicly funded education from early childhood, education through college, and homeschooling support. I support the forgiveness of federal student loans. There should be a strict separation between church and state. Religious education should be given at religious centers, not in publicly funded schools. I support conflict resolution training, empathy training, and anti-bullying programs in public schools. Mental health should be an important component of education, along with physical education, civic participation, arts, and creativity.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

We should declare a climate emergency. I support carbon taxes, including the cost of environmental impacts in prices, and policies to shift away from petrochemical agriculture and factory farming to sustainable and natural food production methods. On the issue of fire, Canada uses controlled burns for its fire management. We must find natural ways to prevent fires.

CRIME

I support federal legalization of cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms. Incarceration should be for people who commit crimes that violate the rights of others. The use of excessive force against unarmed civilians by any person under public employment should be subject to immediate review by civilian grand juries. I oppose three-strikes laws and mandatory minimum sentencing. I support evidence-based restorative justice and alternative sentencing options.

I support funding for shelters where survivors of domestic abuse can live with their children if they need to flee their homes. Law enforcement has to be held accountable. There should be empathy training for police; they should discover if they have any untreated mental issues. Police officers cannot act in a certain way towards another human being, especially because they’re being paid to protect us.

ECONOMY

I believe we should have a livable wage. I support a transition to an environmentally sustainable economy with pollution taxes to account for the cost of environmental impacts. A guaranteed minimum income should balance this to secure basic human needs. Local governments should establish livable wage laws to account for the cost of living. People should be able to afford housing in the communities where they work.

ABORTION

I support a single-payer Medicare for All national healthcare program that provides birth control and abortion services. I support a constitutional amendment to guarantee the natural right of women to reproductive freedom, including the right to get an abortion when they choose to do so.

Gaylon Kent (L) – REFUSED INTERVIEW

8TH DISTRICT

Yadira Caraveo (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED, (SQG)

IMMIGRATION 

I would have voted for that bipartisan immigration package, except for the Republican’s blocking it.

We need to address border security and immigration responsibly, without dividing people. It’s essential to create a legal framework for immigration while respecting and acknowledging the contributions of immigrants, including my own family.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I introduced bills to reduce excessive late fees for renters, which drive up housing costs. Federally, we need to invest more in affordable housing and streamline construction. We also need to address housing discrimination in lending, renting, and home-buying to ensure a fair process for all.

At the federal level, it’s about providing the financial resources for states and local communities to address homelessness and housing. We need innovative practices to increase affordable housing supply, allowing states and localities to tailor solutions to their specific needs.

WAR

It’s the United States’ responsibility as a major force in the world to continue to uphold democracies wherever they may be. So whether it’s terrorist attacks like the one that Hamas perpetrated against Israel just over a year ago or whether it’s the continuing conflict in Ukraine, we need to make sure to stand up for our allies and ensure that democracy persists. 

Israel has a right to exist and a right to defend itself, but we also need to take into mind the humanitarian toll that we have seen. As a pediatrician, it is heartbreaking for me to think of children who are starving and that there are polio outbreaks in the area. I can’t even imagine how doctors are taking care of patients with little to no resources. We really need both sides to come together and negotiate the release of hostages so that the conflict can end. I would like them to come to a solution that eventually leads to two states and brings an end to the conflict, with the release of hostages.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING 

We have a long history of responsible gun reform and gun ownership, the institution of background checks, red flag laws, and regulating large-capacity magazines. The biggest issue around school shootings is access to guns, and living in a world where five-year-old’s has to go through active shooter drills is absurd to me. We need laws at the federal level. A lot of safety issues come with instituting common sense gun reform.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

As part of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I’ve supported several bills on bio-wildfire preparedness, including one of my own to improve NOAA and the National Weather Service’s fire weather prediction. We’re investing in mitigation efforts and new, science-based tactics to address the challenges of year-long fire seasons.

The Eighth District is one of the richest areas for oil and gas production, providing many jobs that support local families and the economy. At the same time, we can invest in the next generation of energy—like solar, wind, and future innovations—to ensure Colorado’s continued role in energy production.

CRIME

I’ve supported common-sense policies that ensure that law enforcement continues to be well-funded and can disrupt organized crime. I carried a bill with Representative Buck that looks at that in particular and protects Colorado families and businesses. I’ve also made sure to invest in programs that look at high-traffic crime areas and ensure that we’re investing in local police forces. Just last week or a week or two ago, I helped Greeley win a grant that increases the number of officers they will have on the force.

That is the balance that we have been seeking, in particular at the state level, and making sure that we have rules for the road to make sure that a few bad apples in the law enforcement community don’t ruin things for the whole bunch. When, for example, we voted to provide body cameras, making sure that there’s funding for that at the state and federal level so that we can make sure to get these out in our communities and have people feel safe in all aspects of law enforcement.

ECONOMY

I’ve introduced bills to ensure we’re not burdening them with excessive paperwork. I’ve brought the administrator of the Small Business Administration here to talk to Latinos about entrepreneurship and how to start their businesses. We also have to make sure that when we’re looking at tax policy, for example, next year, a lot of the tax breaks that Trump put in place are going to expire; a lot of those benefit people who make over $400,000 a year or about benefit wealthy corporations — making sure that we’re cutting taxes for the middle class, that we’re having the rich in corporations pay their fair share, and that we’re doing things like extending the Child Tax Credit, which puts up to $1,800 a month in families’ pockets to make sure that they can take care of their kids.

ABORTION

On the federal level, we need to restore Roe v. Wade and make sure that people have the freedom to have an abortion, to use birth control, and to use IVF to start a family. As a doctor, I’ve been in rooms having those conversations around high-risk pregnancies or around whether somebody wants to have a kid or not. I never thought that the government would be coming into the exam room and trying to make that decision for me or for the women that I was taking care of. We need to codify Roe v.Wade and leave the decisions around reproductive care and abortion care to women and doctors.

Gabe Evans (R) – REFUSED INTERVIEW

Susan Hall (Unity Party)

IMMIGRATION

We should be a compassionate country. After the war with Mexico, we agreed to honor the people, their language, and culture. Many Native Americans moved across these lands, and some immigrants may even be their descendants. Climate change is going to force more people to move as they lose their homes. Instead of sending $95 billion abroad to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, we could have used that money to help immigrants here or in their own countries. Another big issue is water in Colorado, especially since seven states and 25 Native American tribes rely on the Colorado River, which also flows into Mexico.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I wish we had focused first on the issue of providing weapons worldwide, especially to Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine. That $95 billion could have been better used here. It would have been great for the government to allocate it to different states, and then we could have figured out the best ways to use it locally.

WAR

I don’t think we should be sending weapons to Taiwan. Ukraine is a bit more complex, but we did promise Russia not to expand NATO there, and then discussions started when Zelenskyy took office. Thousands have died at the border. The most troubling issue is Israel—why are we bombing civilians in schools, hospitals, and homes? It’s been labeled a genocide, and many, including U.S. citizens and 140 journalists, have been killed. Our presidential candidate, Dr. Cornel West, is firmly against supplying Israel with weapons, and neither of us would ever accept money to change our stance.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I support no-nonsense gun legislation. I’ve heard teachers say they’d quit if forced to keep a gun in their classroom, and I don’t blame them. We’ve also talked about supplying weapons to other countries, but the more we do that, the more likely they’ll end up back here. It exposes our kids to the wrong ideas, when we should be teaching them negotiation and leading by example. We should also have healthcare for all, including mental health.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

The Forest Service certainly would be a place where we could have more jobs and more people working to keep it cleared out.

We need better public transportation, especially buses. Gas prices should be higher, and bus fares should be lower. South American countries are investing in trains, and Europe is doing the same. Electric cars are a good idea, but from what I’ve heard, there’s not enough lithium to supply everyone.

CRIME

Drugs are a major concern linked to mental health, so we should offer counseling, job training, and vocational support. Public education should cover at least the first two years of junior college, as times have changed since my parents’ generation.

Law enforcement needs to be held more accountable. If officers are reported for abuse—even before a shooting—they should face serious penalties, possibly even termination.

ECONOMY

We should be spending less than $95 billion on weapons. That money could provide support in many ways—healthcare for all, mental health services, job creation, housing, and shelters for those living on the streets.

ABORTION

Every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body, in consultation with her doctor. This should be covered by insurance like any other healthcare need, and if we have universal healthcare, it should be included.

COLORADO STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES

District-29 Broomfield

Shannon Bird (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED, (SQG)

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS 

I’ve sponsored legislation to fund affordable rental housing and help first-time homebuyers through down payment assistance grants. In the upcoming session, I plan to introduce a bill to incentivize more condominium construction. Addressing homelessness will require collaboration across all levels of government to solve this crisis.

 

WAR

Israel is our ally and the only democracy in the Middle East. I support U.S. efforts to help Israel defend itself against terrorist attacks and to seek lasting peace in the region. I also support military aid to Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion violates international law and threatens U.S. allies in Europe.

CRIME

I sponsored legislation to make it harder to resell stolen catalytic converters and to increase penalties for car theft in our state.

ECONOMY

There are certain things that the state government can do to ensure that families can afford to pay their bills. A major expense facing every family in Colorado is our energy costs. All people must be able to afford heating and cooling their homes and we must be able to afford the energy needed to live our daily lives.

ABORTION

I support protecting a woman’s right to abortion in our state constitution. I have cosponsored legislation to protect abortion rights in our state and, to secure this right, I believe it should be included in our constitution. Reproductive health care is healthcare, so allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans is the right thing to do. A woman’s right to choose should also be protected by federal law. 

Evan Hunt (R) – REFUSED INTERVIEW

District-33 Broomfield/Brighton

William Lindstedt (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED (SQG)

IMMIGRATION

We’re in this situation because Congress hasn’t fixed the issue. We need stronger border security and a faster process for people to gain legal status, not one that takes seven years. The federal government can solve this by working together to pass a reform bill that everyone supports.

I had hoped the immigration bill would pass. We should reward bipartisan efforts when people come together to solve tough issues that both sides care about. It’s too bad that politics in DC tore it apart.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

The affordable housing tax credit for lower-income earners, the new middle-income housing tax credit, and efforts to ensure communities build housing near transit all aim to lower housing costs. It’s a huge issue, and I’m proud of my record of passing various housing bills over the past two years.

We have to work together. This is an issue where we’re all contributing as different communities. We all need to come together to solve it, build more low-income units, and make sure that people have access to services when they need it. 

WAR

I’m running for re-election to the State House, so we don’t really vote on any, international relations, and otherwise, very rarely. But I do support the United States’ continued role in aiding our allies in those situations. That’s the limited capacity I have in the state legislature. 

I’m running for re-election to the State House, where we rarely vote on international relations. However, I support the U.S.’s continued role in aiding our allies in those situations, though my capacity to influence that is limited at the state level.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

In the last legislative session, we fully funded schools for the first time since the Great Recession by ending the budget stabilization factor. I also have a 100% record on gun violence prevention. As Colorado is the birthplace of the modern mass shooting, I proudly support gun violence prevention legislation in the state house.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

Climate change is the challenge of our generation. I support policies to help Colorado meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. There’s no time left to waste. I sponsored the Clean Power Plans legislation to ensure electric providers have plans to meet those goals, and I’m proud of Colorado’s aggressive stance on the issue.

Transportation and oil and gas are the two biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in our state. Last year, I’m proud we passed a several hundred million dollar fee on oil and gas to fund mass transit, cleaner transportation, and help address some of these emissions. 

CRIME

While Colorado’s crime rate is trending downward, we need to address the issue comprehensively. This means providing access to necessary services, increasing enforcement when appropriate, and ensuring law enforcement has the tools and flexibility to protect public safety.

Colorado has made significant progress. On city council, I helped fund a co-responder program, and we were the first county to require body cams. There’s still more to do to ensure everyone feels safe with law enforcement.

ECONOMY

Most voters mention inflation. As a state lawmaker, it can be difficult to address national issues, but we can lower housing costs and make living here more affordable by ensuring industries and jobs stay and keep pace with inflation. I’m glad to see inflation starting to curb down.

ABORTION

I endorse the ballot measure for constitutional protections for abortion access. Everyone should have access to the healthcare they need, including abortion services. I’m proudly the pro-choice candidate. 

Michael Martinez (R) – DID NOT RESPOND

Mark Bromley (U) – (SQG)

IMMIGRATION

Our government must be responsible for the fact that they left an open border. They allowed a lot of refugees to come across seeking asylum. When they cross the border, they say their home country should probably be more Americanized. Let’s get more involved in global politics so we can bring American democracy to their home countries. 

If it didn’t pass the House or the Senate, there had to be some really big issues with it. It’s a dead bill. We’re going to have to redraft a new bill that will address the people who did come here seeking asylum and want to contribute to the United States. 

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

We need to ensure people have incomes that cover rent and still leave room for disposable income. If necessary, the government may need to impose limits on the housing market to bring it under control.

At all levels—local, state, and national—we should create programs to help the homeless start businesses, find jobs, and contribute to the economy. I want to work with state legislators to end homelessness.

WAR

We have to support those who can be our allies. If Ukraine can truly join the NATO alliance and the allied sphere of things, we should help them as much as possible. As for Israel, they are moving up in the ranks and handling foreign policy in the region.

It’s just terrible that a terrorist organization is so cowardly that it has hidden itself behind human shields. I don’t think the Israelis have treated it correctly because they decided to go through the civilians to get to their objective. I think the United States has to enforce some security protocol to make sure that Israel isn’t killing innocents because innocents become enemy soldiers in the future.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

If you teach the students what they’re supposed to learn and the parents are more involved with their students, they don’t need guns. I went through high school here. Nobody had guns in the schools. When you make it a political and personal issue, this is where you get your violence. So, if we roll back the political aspects of our schools, it’s one way we can decrease violence because it just infuriates students.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

The Marshall Fire was bad legislation, bad policies, and bad elected officials. They changed fire protection codes for their cities, not realizing the true danger there. 

We have to have energy independence. Right now, solar and wind energy have large footprints and require large investments. These are detrimental to the environment because they take up a large footprint and require heavy maintenance. 

CRIME

Our crime is questionable at best. People have a right to have a portable stop sign with them if they’re going to run into criminals. Crime statistics are just a number that can be manipulated depending on the political party that’s in power. I would never say there’s a decrease in that kind of activity, but I would suspect politicians would lie to the public. 

It comes down to making sure that the police have better training and a better understanding of how to be strong, sensitive, and caring enough, but also effective and creating the intimidating presence that they need. A lot of people don’t realize that you don’t have to sit there and be violent or mean; you just have to be imposing as a law enforcement person and have to be effective. 

ECONOMY

To stabilize the economic situation, we need to start understanding who was elected, how we’re electing them, why they’re down there, and what they’re legislating. Recovering is simple; it’s ensuring that our banking and financial systems can create new businesses, stabilize new businesses, stabilize the employment sector, and return a large portion of our society to positive growth by encouraging disposable income and ensuring fair prices. 

ABORTION

I go for a whole new policy. I call it miscarriage laws. Miscarriage laws allow us to specifically tailor legislation and identify what we’re talking about and when we’re trying to terminate a child. I think everybody should understand that human life starts at conception. Giving alternative methods to provide for the life of the child is the most positive thing that we should be doing. 

Alex Winkler (Colorado State Party) – DID NOT RESPOND

District-19 Tri-Town/Erie

Jillaire McMillan(D) – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

I believe that media literacy, misinformation, and disinformation are top issues we should care about. Everyone has the right to free speech. We need comprehensive immigration reform in this country. We know that we need to secure our border, and we know that there are people who want to come here. 

HOUSING/ HOMELESSNESS

One of the main issues people are bringing up is the rising cost of living, and affordable housing contributes to that. Some of the things that we can do for that would be to look at our zoning laws and see where adjustments can be made.

WAR

I’m in favor of the United States trying to help bring peace to the world. I recognize that sometimes that is a matter of supporting our allies, and so it’s a tricky balance.  

We need to move towards a cease-fire in Gaza because there is a lot of humanitarian suffering there. There has been so much suffering that we need to move towards a peaceful solution that ends the fighting.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

My commitment and my priority is to maintain that fully funded level. Our schools aren’t used to being fully funded, but now they are. I want to make sure that we have a high-quality education.

I support gun reforms that will make our communities and our schools safer while not infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

We need to partner appropriately between state and federal land management and municipalities to mitigate the danger by clearing properties properly. 

The oil and gas industry is really important, especially in my district. We know that we need to transition to cleaner energy sources. Fossil fuels are finite and have a negative effect on our environment. 

CRIME

I support law enforcement and back Proposition 130, which will create a $350 million fund for police grants. This will increase salaries, provide hiring and retention bonuses, and fund additional education and training.

I want to ensure officers receive more training on de-escalation and support co-responder programs that pair law enforcement with behavioral health specialists.

ECONOMY

We can address inflation by supporting labor and wages so people can live where they work. Reducing housing costs, preventing grocery price hikes from mergers, and enacting consumer protection laws will help. Increasing healthcare providers will also make a difference.

ABORTION

We must protect women’s right to access the care they need and develop policies that support women, children, and families. It’s discouraging and alarming that some argue this should be a state’s decision. Access to care shouldn’t depend on where you live.

Dan Woog (R) – REFUSED INTERVIEW

District-49 West Boulder

Lesley Smith (D) – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

Our job as individuals and as elected officials is to spread the facts. I’m a scientist, so I am very data-based. The bipartisan immigration reform bill sounded ready to pass until the former President told the Republicans not to vote for it. As a result, it did not pass. I hope that, come this election, we have a new administration, and we can work on this seriously and get something done.

HOUSING/ HOMELESSNESS

HD 49’s boundaries are very large and quite diverse. It’s a great bill that passed, where the state requires that individual cities develop a housing plan and how they will implement that.

In my district, especially in the mountain areas, many retirees are worried about increasing property taxes and whether they can stay in their homes.

WAR

I support aid going to the Ukrainians because they’re right next door to the NATO countries. And we’re part of NATO. I don’t want to see it spilling over into NATO countries and starting World War III.

I would like for the President to sit down and work with Hamas, diplomats, and the other Arab countries to come up with a deterrent, free the hostages, and stop the war.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

As a former Boulder Valley School Board member during the Great Recession, I know how hard it is to make cuts. We need to eliminate TABOR. One idea to increase funding is a measure like Amendment C—a five-year timeout for K-12 and higher education.

As for firearms in schools, fortunately, Colorado is a model in this country. It passed some really good gun laws.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

Fire mitigation is crucial in HD 49. We need block-by-block efforts along the WUI and encourage homeowners to fireproof their homes.

As a scientist with a background in water, I know we were out of compliance with ozone levels this summer. We can address this by holding oil and gas companies accountable for methane emissions.

CRIME

The jail is overcrowded, with many inmates waiting for competency evaluations at state hospitals. We need to work with the unhoused to keep them housed and clean.

In Clear Creek, we recently had the tragic case of a young man killed needlessly by police, and those officers are being retried. We must ensure that officers can’t move from one department to another without any record or accountability.

ECONOMY

At the federal level, we’ve been waiting for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, and that’s started. We’ve also provided tax breaks to families with children. I met with Healthy Food Colorado about free school meals, which helps parents by covering breakfast and lunch costs.

ABORTION

I was one of the first people to sign the petition for the ballot measure, and I’m pretty hopeful it will pass. It’s very important that Medicare can cover abortion and abortion procedures. Talking to people at Cobalt and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, there are so many women coming to the state f that they’re just overwhelmed. I know having that coverage through Medicaid would be very helpful.

Steve Ferrante (R), (SQG)

IMMIGRATION

We need to stop illegal immigration as much as possible to vet people and prevent bad actors from entering the country. 

We should make legal immigration easier. While it’s a contentious issue, I believe states should fully cooperate with federal immigration officials to curb crime and protect citizens.

HOUSING/ HOMELESSNESS

Housing costs are rising due to several factors: the high cost of construction, materials, and the overhead for construction companies.

To support lower-income housing, municipalities should waive fees and possibly contribute land owned by local or state governments for building projects.

WAR

If the Palestinians, Iranians, or others put down their weapons, there would be peace. But if Israel disarmed, there would be war, as others would try to wipe out Israel.

Europe isn’t contributing its fair share to Ukraine. While it’s a global issue, it’s more localized to Europe. Still, with our NATO commitments, we need to do what we can to support our allies.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

We also need to raise the behavioral standards for students. We need to raise the expectations on the way they perform. 

We should have school resource officers and offer training for teachers and staff who want to step up. While I don’t want to turn our schools into military zones, but I want our kids to be as safe as possible.

CLIMATE CHANGE/FIRE

Why can’t we harvest the trees and get this fuel load out of there? It would, for one thing, bring down the cost of lumber and it would make us a lot safer.

If we look at this globally, we need that oil because we need energy. We need to harvest energy from all means possible and to develop new forms of energy and not implement those new forms prematurely.

CRIME

People are concerned about the crime of homelessness. They’re concerned about auto theft and physical assaults, primarily from homeless people. 

We need a mental health system that prevents unnecessary incarceration. Officers must receive high-caliber training, both in the police academy and through ongoing education.

ECONOMY

The government is addicted to spending, and excessive governmental spending contributes to inflation. The government needs to become more responsible in its spending.

When you go to the grocery store, when you pay your house, car  insurance, workers’ comp insurance, and things of that nature, when you have to put gas in your car, the inflationary pressure is real and tangible. The biggest issue is excessive governmental spending.

ABORTION

People can come in from out of state, and then we will have to pay for it. And you’re going to force people who don’t believe in abortion, such as myself to pay for it.

Secondarily, you’re going to take away the rights of parents from having input into the life of their child because it takes away the parental notification aspect of this. 

District-12 East Boulder County

Kyle Brown (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

Enforcing immigration policies is the federal government’s responsibility. My focus is on keeping the state’s role clear, and I will continue to ensure that everyone in Colorado, regardless of documentation status, is treated with dignity and respect.

I hope a common-sense approach to immigration will acknowledge the vital role newcomers play in our economy and communities, while also helping to enforce our immigration laws.

HOUSING/ HOMELESSNESS

Housing affordability is a top priority for me and the community I represent. I’ve championed policies to increase the supply of affordable housing and will continue to support common-sense solutions to make housing more accessible for families in Boulder County.

WAR

I believe Ukraine and Israel can defend themselves from aggression, but all parties in conflict must abide by international law. However, this issue is beyond the scope of the state office I currently hold.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I’ve made school funding a top priority in the legislature. I supported ending the budget stabilization factor, which brings state education funding up to the Constitution’s requirements. 

I fight every day in the legislature for common-sense gun violence prevention, including leading efforts on a bill that prohibited  guns in  preschools and on college campuses in Colorado.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

Wildfire resiliency and recovery have been central to my work at the statehouse. I’ve passed eight pieces of legislation to help lower rebuilding costs, expand insurance options, keep people in their homes with reverse mortgages, and provide a sales tax refund for rebuilding.

I sponsored legislation that will ensure that people can build their homes and fences with fire-resistant materials.

CRIME

We need to address crime and criminal justice in ways that prevent issues long-term. For too long, the criminal justice system has relied on mass incarceration, disproportionately impacting communities of color.

No one should fear interventions by law enforcement because of the color of their skin or where they live. Police officers need to be accountable to our laws on the books. 

ECONOMY 

We have an affordability crisis. We need to make healthcare, housing, food, and other essentials more affordable for working families in Colorado. The government can help build a vibrant economy where everyone can succeed, and everyone should contribute their fair share to the resources and services we all rely on.

ABORTION

Abortion is healthcare, and I will continue to ensure everyone in Colorado has access to both abortion and reproductive care. I support the ballot initiative to roll back the prohibition on using public funds for abortion care because access to basic healthcare shouldn’t depend on wealth.

Mark Milliman (R)

IMMIGRATION

The federal government is failing to enforce immigration policies, and that’s not up for debate. This is having a significant negative impact on Colorado. We have our own people to care for and other challenges to address in the state.

Unfortunately, this isn’t misinformation; it has impacted crime. It’s impacted trafficking, including child sex trafficking, and it has increased the flow of drugs.

HOUSING/ HOMELESSNESS

Housing is one of the top issues. The government has been a major contributor to the increase in the cost of housing. We need to change the zoning, make it easier to build houses, especially less expensive houses. 

We need to get them the social services they need and career counseling so that they can get a job, a stable place to live for a while, substance abuse treatment that they may need, and mental health care. 

WAR

We’re not given enough information to make informed and knowledgable decisions about these conflicts. The situation in Ukraine needs to end. We should stop funneling billions into the military-industrial complex.

We need to realize that in the Middle East, the situation with Israel and Hezbollah, neither one of them wants a two-state solution. So, when we talk about a two-state solution, that is unacceptable. 

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

We spend a lot per capita or per pupil on students. It’s not necessarily more money, but how we use and apply the money matters. They’re expanding the role of their schools, we need to educate our kids. 

School safety starts at creating a good environment and a healthy economic environment. The other thing to provide safety is parental accountability, and that includes parental rights. 

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

The truth is that most of the fires that start are man-made causes.  We weren’t doing a good job with mitigation for a long time. ??So, we need to continue investing in fire mitigation in the county. 

It doesn’t behoove the oil and gas industry to have an environmental mess because it costs them money to clean it up. So, my take is to use the right fuel for the right job and do it responsibly.

CRIME

Whether crime is decreasing or increasing doesn’t matter—it’s still above traditional levels. My biggest concern is drug trafficking and human trafficking, especially of children, which many people like to think doesn’t exist in Boulder.

I’m a strong supporter of law enforcement. Unfortunately, they’re doing a very tough job in a very tough environment. Having said that, I have no tolerance for any law enforcement officer who steps across the line. 

ECONOMY

Technically, inflation isn’t falling—prices are still rising, though the rate is slowing. We need to tighten our belts because overspending contributes to inflation. All of the regulations (all of these things that we think are helpful) that the government does end up increasing costs. Even the increase of the minimum wage in Boulder County has an impact. 

ABORTION

Asking taxpayers to fund abortion is wrong, and forcing insurance companies to cover it isn’t the role of the Constitution—that’s for the legislature to decide. This issue is going to continue to divide us even farther apart. We need to start coming back again and start believing in the same things.

District-10 Boulder

Junie Joseph (D) – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

Immigration is very important to our economy. Our job at the state level is to educate one another. My job is to ensure that Coloradans are protected, no matter their immigration status. We strive to ensure that there is no discrimination at the state level.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

We need to ensure housing is not substandard for community members. Additionally, we must address middle-income housing, as Boulder’s high costs make it unaffordable for teachers, firefighters, and police. I will continue to support tax credits to fund affordable and middle-income housing as the vice chair of finance.

WAR

My job is to ensure that I am a good legislator for everyone, whether you’re from Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, or Israel. My job is to ensure that everyone in our community feels supported.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

Education is the bedrock of our democracy. I supported a bill that provided more equitable funding through the state. 

I am working on a bill that will protect gun violence protection. But we also have to protect our kids when it comes to mental health.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

During my first session, we passed two bills to buy two helicopters to help with fires. We also have to keep educating community members on how not to start fires in open space and provide more funding for fire-hardening their homes.

CRIME

Most people are good and decent. If someone falls into crime, the question is how we have supported them as a society and as a community. We need to raise the minimum wage and help people reintegrate into the community after committing a crime.

ECONOMY

Food costs more at the grocery stores, and something must be done. We have passed tax credits for single parents so they can afford more.

The price of gas is way too high. I  passed a bill, House Bill 24-1272, that gives money to community members who want to buy e-bikes and electric vehicles.

ABORTION

I believe that reproductive rights are human rights. Not only do we need to do the work on abortion rights, we also need to work on reproductive justice. What that means is that we have to protect women when it comes to infant mortality and maternal health.

William B. DeOreo(R) – DID NOT RESPOND

District-32 Adams, Unopposed

Manny Rutinel (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

It is our duty as legislators, to make sure we are correcting the facts, to make sure we are crafting policies that end up benefiting people as opposed to crafting policies that pertain to, let’s say misinformation in the broader public.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

Housing affordability is complicated on two fronts: First, we need to significantly increase the supply of affordable housing. Second, we must address demand by providing relief to those facing eviction and ensuring welfare programs are available for working families..

WAR 

Refused Answer

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

We have a limited supply of resources, but we can still ask voters for additional funds to support teachers and programs. Regarding school safety, we must address gun legislation and propose measures that tackle the mental health issues related to gun violence.

CRIME 

We need to confront crime directly. My approach is to be tough on the root causes of crime—addressing the factors that lead to socially inappropriate behavior. We must ensure people have the resources for food, housing, and healthcare.

ECONOMY

On the demand side, we need to provide working families with the resources to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Expanding the earned income tax credit would give families a significant rebate, allowing them to address various challenges.

ABORTION

I believe abortion is a civil right. Such rights shouldn’t be left to the whims of state politicians; they must be protected at every level to ensure access to essential reproductive healthcare centers.

District-35 Westminster

Lorena Garcia (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

The federal and state government and even local governments have an obligation to make sure that whatevers said about our communities is factual. It’s really disappointing to see that local elected officials and state and national elected officials are only fueling the flames of what is really dangerous messing with information. 

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

We need to build partnerships between state, interstate contacts, and local communities to ensure long-term services for the unhoused. We should learn from Denver’s mistakes and never resort to violent sweeps of the unhoused again.

WAR

I prefer not to spend over a third of our federal budget on the Department of Defense. Military aid to Israel should stop, and a ceasefire is necessary to pursue a diplomatic solution for Palestinian sovereignty while ensuring Israel’s continued existence without Netanyahu at the helm.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

We need to repeal TABOR. As long as it exists, we’ll struggle to operate effectively. Our state budget is high, and we have significant wealth that we can’t fully utilize until TABOR is eliminated or significantly reformed.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

We are making progress in fire mitigation, but we must protect our planet, especially as Colorado becomes drier. It’s essential to focus on both short- and long-term mitigation strategies that prioritize our environment. We need to be unafraid to pursue an aggressive transition plan.

CRIME

We’ve passed bills to strip immunity from police, but we need to ensure they aren’t finding workarounds to maintain it. After shooting someone, officers shouldn’t just receive paid administrative leave—it’s not accountability. There must be firm consequences for their actions.

ECONOMY

I argue that our free market system harms the economy because it prioritizes profiteering over families’ financial well-being and their ability to thrive. For a strong society, we need to eliminate price gouging and prevent taking advantage of situations for profit.

ABORTION

There must be absolute protection for abortion; it should never be banned. We cannot eliminate one vital healthcare service while protecting another that often leads to the need for abortions. 

Lee J Knoll (R) – DID NOT RESPOND

District-34, Thornton 

Jenny Wolford (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I support policies that expand affordable housing through tax credits, public-private partnerships, and zoning reforms. First-time homebuyer assistance is crucial for low- and middle-income families. We need collaboration among local, regional, and state governments to coordinate housing strategies, including addressing homelessness with supportive services and affordable housing development. I also advocate for increased funding for mental health services, addiction treatment, and permanent supportive housing to address the root causes of homelessness.

WAR

Refused Answer

CRIME

I support community policing initiatives that foster trust between law enforcement and residents, particularly in high-crime areas. As a member of the Community Engagement Team (CET), I’ve seen its positive impact and advocate for its expansion. School Resource Officers, who are highly trained—including in mental health—collaborate with school districts in HD31, building trust among students, law enforcement, and the community. 

ECONOMY

I support tax relief measures for working families, such as property tax reductions and increased child tax credits. Focusing on workforce development and offering incentives for businesses to create good-paying jobs, especially in clean energy and technology, is essential. I advocate for lower taxes and grants to help small businesses facing inflation. I support the continuation of federal assistance programs like food stamps and unemployment benefits for those still affected by inflation.

ABORTION

I support Colorado’s proposed measure to allow public funds for abortion services and ensure abortion coverage is included in health insurance plans. I will continue to advocate for federal legislation that codifies the right to abortion nationwide, ensuring access regardless of state laws. I stand firmly against efforts to ban or restrict abortion access and support a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health care.

Audio recording issues on Immigration, Schools and Climate Change. Rather than misrepresent the candidate’s positions, we chose to leave these out.

Craig Sullivan (R ) – DID NOT RESPOND

District-31 Thornton

Jacqueline “Jacque” Phillips (D), (SQG)

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

 support policies that expand affordable housing through tax credits, public-private partnerships, and zoning reforms. First-time homebuyer assistance is vital for low- and middle-income families. We need collaboration among local, regional, and state governments to address homelessness and coordinate housing strategies. Additionally, I advocate for increased funding for mental health services, addiction treatment, and permanent supportive housing to tackle homelessness’s root causes.

WAR

Refused Answer

CRIME

I support community policing initiatives that foster trust between law enforcement and residents, particularly in high-crime areas. As a member of the Community Engagement Team (CET), I’ve seen its positive impact and advocate for its expansion. School Resource Officers, who are highly trained in mental health, partner with schools in HD31, building trust among students, law enforcement, and the community.

ECONOMY

I support tax relief for working families through property tax cuts and increased child tax credits. We must focus on workforce development and incentivize businesses to create good-paying jobs, especially in clean energy and technology. I advocate for lower taxes and grants for small businesses facing inflation and support continued federal assistance programs like food stamps and unemployment benefits for those affected by inflation.

ABORTION

I support Colorado’s measure to use public funds for abortion services and ensure coverage in health insurance plans. I will advocate for federal legislation to codify the right to abortion nationwide, ensuring access regardless of state laws. I firmly oppose efforts to ban or restrict abortion and support a woman’s right to make decisions about her healthcare.

Audio recording issues on Immigration, Schools and Climate Change. Rather than misrepresent the candidate’s positions, we chose to leave these out.

Heidi Pitchforth (R) – DID NOT RESPOND

STATE SENATE

District-23 Adams to Weld

Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) – DID NOT RESPOND

Joseph Bobko (write in) – Did not schedule interview in time.

District-17 Longmont, Erie to Lafayette

Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

We’ve provided humanitarian services and resources to support those in need, demonstrating Colorado’s caring and compassionate nature. I want to continue exemplifying these values in the state senate.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I wrote an affordable housing bill focused on ancillary dwelling units (ADUs) and we need to explore various segments of affordable housing. If we can have an administration like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz that offers a $25,000 tax credit for homeowners, that would be a great start.

WAR

I do believe that Israel has a right to defend their country, but the carnage has been horrific, and I would like to see an immediate ceasefire. The hostages that are still being held should be released.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

Colorado has woefully underfunded public education. I have a 100% rating from the Colorado Education Association and fully support maximizing funding for schools. However, our ability to fund education is limited by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, and I would like to see that modified to ensure proper funding for public education.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Constituents have contacted me about their homeowner’s insurance being canceled due to living in a wildfire urban interface, which increases their wildfire risk. We need to do more to protect these homeowners and address those being left behind regarding insurance. This is an issue I plan to work on in January if I’m reelected.

CRIME

I’m guided by data driven policy and taking a look at outcomes in similar situations and what can we learn from that. A crime I’m concerned about is what is happening in the schools. I would like to see us do more around acceptance and inclusion in the school system so that students feel safe.

ECONOMY

A recent report shows that facility fees at Colorado hospitals and clinics have risen significantly above the cost of living. I’d like to take a look at lowering facility fee costs for those that are receiving health care. 

ABORTION

I support reinstating the rights established in Roe v. Wade, which were reversed by the Dobbs decision, leading us in the wrong direction. I fully back Amendment 79 on the Colorado ballot, which will provide state employees with access to reproductive health and abortion services.

Tom Van Lone (R)

IMMIGRATION

State government gotta follow the precedent set in the laws by the federal government. They should all work together starting with the governor’s office and ICE and the immigration offices of the federal departments of all of that. You can’t make your own policy. You must support the feds.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

The government needs to work together, but every new law raises housing costs and the overall cost of living. We have too many laws that do little but increase expenses—700 were introduced last year at the state level. This is a waste of time, and we should cut the Department of Regulatory Agencies in half.

WAR

Ukraine is a product of the war machine, and I do not support the war there. I advocate for ending the conflict by any means necessary and would have wanted a ceasefire yesterday to address the situation. We need better negotiators, as the current ones aren’t getting the job done.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

Our schools are consistently underfunded, but I propose leveraging technology to enhance education. Each child should have the opportunity to interact with AI programming at their own level. We learned during COVID that online learning is effective, and I believe we can tailor a curriculum to individual needs using technology.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

I want our ecosystem to be cleaner than ever, as it seems we’ve overlooked cleaning up highways and other areas. Colorado is doing well with rebates for various energy sources and will improve its funding efforts. Technology will dictate the pace of electrification, but I remain optimistic about the future.

CRIME

Most crime stems from varying social and economic strata. The solution lies in technology and education. Technology can facilitate learning in the comfort of one’s home, alleviating discomfort in traditional classroom settings. A better curriculum that openly addresses the effects of crime and drugs could be beneficial.

ECONOMY

Government actions contribute to inflation. Supply and demand is what a capitalistic society runs on. Any regulations that disrupt this balance can lead to inflation or deflation. If elected to the Senate, I will work to reverse many actions that cause inflation.

ABORTION

Abortion should be a federally protected issue, similar to the Second Amendment. While I prefer not to use tax funds, I also oppose raising welfare-babies. I’m concerned about the number of abortions and question whether we understand the causes of pregnancy. However, I’m optimistic about the future and believe technology will once again save humanity.

District-18 Boulder

Judy Amabile (D), Incumbent – ENDORSED

IMMIGRATION

We have to help people, do what we can to ensure that they have a place to be and food, and not be vilified.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

I sponsored the bill for accessory dwelling units that integrate rental units into single-family zones, creating naturally affordable housing. We need to protect renters by ensuring access to legal counsel. For individuals with serious mental illness or addiction issues, treatment should be provided in supportive settings, such as hospitals or residential care.

WAR

I’m for peace everywhere. I certainly wanna see that the people in Israel are safe and protected, and I certainly wanna see that the people in Gaza are safe and protected.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I have promoted and sponsored gun violence prevention bills and supported all such measures passed in the legislature over the past four years. While we face limitations on revenue collection, we’ve implemented creative workarounds, including collecting fees that have been helpful. However, there is still much more to do.

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

We’ve invested in fire mitigation, which I believe will yield results. We also purchased two firefighting helicopters for quicker state responses to emerging fires, helping us extinguish them sooner. Additionally, we’ve passed funding measures to support firefighters and train more individuals to become firefighters.

CRIME

We need to develop crime prevention tools. While most individuals with mental illness are nonviolent, those living on the streets often have serious conditions. We aren’t doing enough to get them the care they need. Establishing a continuum of care is essential to provide help before they end up in the criminal justice system.

ECONOMY

We need to make sure that healthcare is affordable. We have to create more affordable housing so that people are spending less of their income. We should have local control over minimum wage, and wages have to come up. We have to do that in a thoughtful way that doesn’t hurt the business community. But we have to make strides towards raising wages so that people have a fighting chance.

ABORTION

I think Colorado is really leading the way because this ballot measure not only says you can get an abortion, but it also says we can help you access abortion care. We should be doing what we can to help people from other states– who don’t have the protections that we have– to get access to abortion care.

Gary Swing (Unity Party) – FAVORITE

IMMIGRATION

Freedom of travel and migration is a natural human right, regardless of borders. Everyone should be treated fairly under the law, regardless of citizenship status. I support reasonable pathways to asylum, legal residency, and citizenship in the U.S., along with legislation to facilitate this.

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

Increasing residential capacity and density in Colorado to tackle the affordable housing crisis, as well as ending the state prohibition on local rent control is imperative. We should leverage new federal guidelines allowing states to use Medicaid for housing and food. The high cost of housing is the leading cause of homelessness in Colorado.

WAR

I oppose U.S. foreign military aid and believe the country should focus solely on non-offensive defense of its territory. I’m pro-human rights and support a one-state system with proportional representation. Schools should include conflict resolution education to teach respect and empathy among individuals.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

I support public funding for education at all levels, along with empathy and conflict resolution training in schools. I advocate for gun-free school zones and addressing mental health issues to combat the culture of violence in our country. Nonviolent training is essential in education at every level.

CLIMATE CHANGE

A significant factor in climate change is the displacement of native wildlife populations by humans. We must develop an ecologically sustainable economy and society that enables people to live within planetary boundaries, ensuring life on Earth can thrive. I support transitioning to alternative transportation modes and advancing renewable energy development.

CRIME

Drug use should be viewed as a health issue rather than a crime. Individuals imprisoned for non-violent offenses should receive compassionate treatment through drug education and rehabilitation programs, allowing law enforcement to focus on violent crimes.

ECONOMY

I support transitioning to an environmentally sustainable economy that includes pollution taxes to reflect environmental impact costs, balanced by a guaranteed minimum income. It’s essential to ensure people have enough income to cover basic living expenses—housing, healthcare, public education, and transportation. We need a robust safety net to lift families out of poverty.

ABORTION

I support constitutional amendments both at the state and national level to guarantee a woman a safe legal abortion. I support public funding for birth control, family planning programs, and age-appropriate sex education in public schools. I don’t think the U.S. government or other state governments should have a role in regulating abortion.

District-19 Westminster

Lindsey Daugherty (D), Incumbent – DID NOT RESPOND

Sam Bandimere (R) – DID NOT RESPOND

Ryan Van Gundy (L)

IMMIGRATION

They should release all the statistics that can be provided to the American people. There are a lot of things that need to be discovered and corrected. There are not a lot of statistics that fall within the FBI standards. A lot states don’t report, especially sanctuary states, they don’t report a lot to the federal agencies. There’s always a little bit of misinformation, but immigration policy shouldn’t be as difficult as it is anyway. 

I don’t think it [The immigration bill] went far enough. It was more like a money laundering thing, like most of our federal government does. What we need is a comprehensive thing that makes an easier path to citizenship. But we do need a sovereign border at the same time and that, that legislation really did nothing to resolve that. 

HOUSING/TAXES/HOMELESSNESS

We’ve been seeing this since the Gallagher Act got repealed, and the cost of living has skyrocketed here. So we need to reinstate that if we could, or something way better than that. We can also work on the property taxes. What you purchase your house at is how much you should pay. You should pay that much in taxes. If you refinance, you could get a new tax adjustment. 

We can’t just always say housing is the only thing is that everybody needs because homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all issue. Some people are homeless because they have addiction problems. Some people are homeless because they need job and housing resources or have mental health issues. If we don’t build all those pillars, we will never be effective in helping. We have to get the state resources down there to the local governments to help.

WAR

I’m not an isolationist, but I do believe that we should have a strong, sovereign military. We should not be getting involved in other people’s conflicts. If you’re funding people, then you might might as well be involved in the war yourself. With all of these wars and the things going on in Ukraine and Israel, nobody has really tried diplomacy.

War sucks. It’s awful for everybody involved. I don’t know any way that Israel could handle that without always being the victim of being attacked by Hamas. I don’t know what collateral damage they could do differently. I wish that they could get a ceasefire, but they’re not working with the best of actors to try to adjudicate that. I have no right to tell these other people how they can defend themselves.

SCHOOLS/GUNS/FUNDING

We have a lot of taxes that should already be allocated for schools. We need to make sure that the money is going the way it needs to go. Sadly, we shouldn’t have to have active shooter drills. That being said, we need to fund schools and stop making them self-targets. We need to make sure the money is going to them. 

CLIMATE-CHANGE/FIRE

The climate is changing but we also lost a lot of our forest management systems. We don’t really do the things that we used to do back in the day. Whenever something goes off it’s always way worse than what it should have been and we definitely need a better firefighter response. They kill it but we need to get them better resources so that way they can handle these fires more rapidly.

We don’t have the best breathable air here, so climate change is definitely affecting Colorado. We need a more robust energy system, so we’re not so reliant on natural gas and things like that. That may help down help to cut the fires down a little bit. But I don’t know if that’s the be-all angle that could fix such a thing.

CRIME

We need to help our police department and give them the resources. Probably focus more on victim crimes instead of victimless crimes. The resources are stretched thin, just pulling people over for speeding tickets and things like that. That way, they can just focus more on stopping crimes and being more out in the presence of the community.

We have to start holding the union accountable. People are being stopped, like the poor Elijah McClain. I mean, he was stopped for no reason, just because he was in the wrong place. That’s a victimless crime. He can be whatever the heck he wants. I don’t know why the police were even interacting with him. If they’re not held accountable, the families and the victims should be recompensed for it. 

ECONOMY

We need a federal amendment that forces our government to balance the budget and not just print money. They’re the only ones that create inflation. They print the money, they’re the only ones with the purse strength. As the cost of everything goes up they get more revenue. 

ABORTION

I don’t think anything should be covered under public funds, but I also don’t think that the government or citizens have any right to force or deny health care to anybody. If abortion is what you need, then nobody has a right to tell you that you can’t have that.

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION & CU REGENTS QUESTIONS

IN-STATE ENROLLMENT

• CU Boulder has a lower percentage of in-state students than many comparable public universities in other states. What is your stance on prioritizing enrollment for Colorado residents versus out-of-state or international students at CU-Boulder?

CURRICULUM

• Should CU adopt a faster-track curriculum to help highly motivated students graduate earlier to enter the workforce or maintain a more traditional, core-course model?

DIVERSITY/PROTESTS

• How do you plan to maintain a diverse class of students at CU, both in terms of identity and ideology? Where do you plan to draw the line when dealing with protests on campus or at campus events?

TUITION COST

• Soaring higher education costs are important for many voters with children they hope to send to college and for young people who hope to go. How do you plan to ensure tuition remains affordable for Colorado families?

RESEARCH

• How can CU advance research and innovation in industries important to the state?

SUSTAINABILITY

• What role should CU play as a leader in sustainability and climate initiatives within the state of Colorado?

COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 2

UNOPPOSED

Kathy Gebhardt, (D) – ENDORSED

EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY

I see it as an opportunity gap, not an achievement gap. Funding is key to offering equal opportunities to students at risk of lower academic outcomes. We need to invest in programs like Career and Technical Education (CTE), art, music, and sports to keep students engaged. The focus should be on expanding opportunities for all students, not just closing gaps in test scores.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS  

The State Board establishes standards, while curriculum decisions are made locally. We are focused on ensuring that standards promote post-secondary and workforce readiness (PWR). I support CTE programs and believe school districts should receive credit for strong PWR initiatives. St. Vrain Valley’s CTE and Innovation Center exemplify how to prepare students for future careers.

SCHOOL FUNDING

Every school is underfunded; the question is by how much. Facility funding can be addressed with one-time resources like tax rebates, but operational funding requires ongoing support. TABOR limits our revenue-raising ability, and the current budget won’t resolve the issue. We may need to ask voters for additional taxes to fully support public education and address operational shortfalls.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Paying teachers a living wage is essential, but we also need strong support systems, such as mentoring programs for new teachers. First- to third-year teachers should have a safe space to ask questions and receive feedback outside of evaluations. Mentorships can enhance teacher retention by fostering supportive relationships and professional growth.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parent engagement is crucial. While on the Boulder Valley School Board, I helped establish the BVSD Community Leadership Academy for parents to learn about district operations. We also launched BVSD Connects, holding sessions in schools twice a year to listen to parents. Additionally, parents can join district and school accountability committees, and we ensure bilingual families are represented through Spanish-language groups.

SCHOOL CHOICE

I support both public and charter schools. District 2 has strong charter schools, and I believe in school choice. Unfortunately, the tension between traditional public schools and charters has become adversarial. I wish we could shift the focus to working together for the benefit of all students.

CU Board of Regents

Elliott Hood (D) – ENDORSED

IN-STATE ENROLLMENT

CU is subject to state law, which requires that a majority of our students come from in-state rather than out-of-state or international backgrounds. I support that law.

CURRICULUM

I support faster pathways for students who wish to graduate early, saving time and money while reducing student debt. I also back concurrent enrollment for high school students to earn college credits before attending CU, and community college transfers should receive maximum credit for their completed courses.

DIVERSITY

This is a major priority for me. The Regents recently passed a comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion policy that commits the university to these issues and requires campuses to develop specific plans to meet diversity goals. The Regents will review these plans to hold the university accountable and ensure budgeting supports these objectives.

I believe in the right to protest, but those using university property must adhere to rules governing the time, manner, and place of protests. These rules ensure protests don’t disrupt classes or access to buildings and must be applied equally, regardless of the message. As long as the rules are followed, I support free expression.

TUITION COST

This is my top priority. I view this challenge as not just about tuition, but also reducing overall education costs and student debt. Some ideas include: locking in tuition rates, increasing affordable housing, lowering material costs, and expanding the endowment. We must control the frequency and amount of tuition increases while maintaining expected academic programming.

RESEARCH

We must ensure our research aligns with the state’s needs and goals by collaborating with stakeholders in government, industry, and academia to identify areas for impactful research. Our programs and resources should be tailored to address these needs.

SUSTAINABILITY

We need to enhance our research on sustainability and climate solutions. As a leader in this area, CU must commit to becoming more sustainable as an institution. This includes reducing energy use, transitioning to renewable sources, and aiming for carbon neutrality in the coming decades. Many universities and companies have made this commitment, and CU should follow suit.

Eric Rinard (R) – QUALIFIED

IN-STATE ENROLLMENT

There is  some nuance in this issue. As a former in-state student myself, I believe it’s crucial to maximize the number of qualified in-state students admitted across all campuses, including Boulder.

CURRICULUM

I have no objection to a faster track for students capable of taking on more credit hours per semester. Flexibility can benefit those ready to move into the workforce sooner.

TUITION COST

Tuition is currently unaffordable, influenced by various factors beyond the university’s control. I will carefully evaluate any actions by the Regents that could lead to cost increases and tuition hikes. My goal is to explore alternatives and work toward lowering those costs.

DIVERSITY/PROTESTS

The university should do more to welcome diverse viewpoints. While CU aims to align its enrollment demographics with the state’s population, we can enhance efforts to attract diverse student applicants. True diversity in higher education begins with strong preparatory programs like P-TECH, which enables high school students to earn college credits or even an associate’s degree.

Free speech is a core American value, but interrupting someone else’s speech is not protected. To enjoy your own right to free speech, you must respect the speech rights of others.

RESEARCH

The university recently achieved a record in research funding, primarily from the government. However, I would like to see more collaboration with private industry to support research. We should explore expanding our partnerships to benefit key industries further.

SUSTAINABILITY 

CU has many opportunities to advance research that improves everyday life. I’m a big fan of electric vehicles (EVs)—they’re clean, quiet, and efficient—but I have concerns about lithium batteries due to their expense and short lifespan. I’d like to see more research into alternative energy forms and better battery technology, such as the promising “million-mile battery.”

TJ Cole (Unity) – QUALIFIED

IN-STATE ENROLLMENT

We should focus on making CU the top choice for Colorado students. Building strong connections with local high schools is crucial for improving enrollment. While programs like ASSET are already in place, we need to enhance outreach to rural areas and inner-city communities to ensure their students have access to CU.

CURRICULUM

I believe CU already provides flexibility for individual learners. There are pathways for motivated students to graduate sooner if they choose, while more traditional options remain for others. I think the current system already accommodates both approaches.

DIVERSITY/PROTESTS

The most important thing we can do is improve collaboration with inner-city and rural communities. Expanding the ASSET program to these areas will help ensure students from diverse backgrounds have access to CU. By increasing opportunities for earning college credits early, students are more likely to continue their education at CU, which will help us maintain a diverse and inclusive student body.

I believe in the first amendment and support protests as long as they are peaceful and safe for the community.

TUITION COST

A key part of my platform is fiscal prudence—ensuring we use public dollars efficiently. We can keep tuition manageable for in-state students by expanding collaborations with local high school districts through ASSET programs. This allows juniors and seniors to take college credits early, reducing the amount of time they spend in college and, ultimately, the total cost of their education.

RESEARCH

CU is already a leading research institution in the Western region, and we need to continue building on that. Supporting our professors and ensuring they have the resources and funding they need is key. By fostering more innovative ideas, we can strengthen CU’s role in driving research that benefits Colorado’s industries.

SUSTAINABILITY

CU can leverage its research capabilities and maintain fiscal responsibility to be a leader in sustainability. This includes ensuring we don’t overuse natural resources and converting older buildings into more eco-friendly facilities. By being mindful of our spending and resource use, CU can continue to lead in sustainability efforts.

Thomas Reasoner (Approval Voting Party) – DID NOT RESPOND

TOWN OF ERIE MUNICIPAL ELECTION QUESTIONS

DEI

• The town has made significant efforts to be an inclusive employer. What are your plans to continue supporting and expanding these programs?

BUDGET

• How would you help/propose the town manage capital improvements while maintaining fiscal discipline?

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE-TWO QUESTIONS

• O&G isn’t going away. What steps would you take to ensure public health and environmental safety With Erie growing as much as it has and future developments on the horizon/planned?
• Red Tail Ridge is a development proposed on an old Oil and Gas field, do you approve of this development or oppose it and if so, why?

OPEN SPACE

• What is your plan for growing and maintaining open space in Erie?

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

• Describe how you would work collaboratively with the Planning Commission and Planning Department to encourage developers to submit proposals for strategic & sustainable growth. How would you communicate those plans to the community in an effort to educate and inform them?
• Describe how you would work collaboratively with the Planning Commission and Planning Department to encourage developers to submit proposals for strategic & sustainable growth. How would you communicate those plans to the community in an effort to educate and inform them?

PUBLIC TRANSIT

• Erie has weak public transit options with very limited availability. What would you do to improve those choices for residents?
• How do you plan to poll voters on their desires around public transport?

*In full transparency, the publisher, Shavonne Blades, has lived in Erie for more than 30 years. She is involved in the community and the local elections. It matters to her who is representing her. We have noted which candidates she personally supports, however the Editorial Board refrained from endorsement to maintain division.

Mayor

Justin Brooks, Incumbent – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

We are very proud that we’ve been able to embed not only our hiring or training but also our retention policies. We have incorporated a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer into our HR department, and we have regular classes that we send our staff and senior staff to teach them how to navigate crucial conversations and provide feedback.

BUDGET

We prioritize the projects that are most important or highest on the list and consider the cost of waiting to have them done later versus having them done later.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RANCH

At this time, we have no intention of creating a heavy industrial zone in the town, so that said, there will not be any new oil and gas applications approved under my administration.

I did not approve of it [Redtail Ranch] based on the many risks surrounding it. There were oil and gas pads to the north, a landfill to the east, a landfill to the West, and toxic dumping sites. IBM, I think, was a Superfund site at one time. He was just nearing as well, and I think that the residential development sighting at that location was not well thought out.

OPEN SPACE

Today the Planning Commission and the town council don’t have a lot of direct collaboration when it comes to strategy and planning and those types of things and they’re developing a comp plan they do have an opportunity to engage with the council to give feedback on elements.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

For those who know me, my last campaign and monitored the various initiatives since I was elected, affordable housing is deeply important to me and I think that having the ability to not only purchase or rent to put a roof over your family’s head it’s important for you to not be distressed in your home for you to be able to put food on your table and pay your bills at the same time is extremely important.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

That’s another area that’s deeply important to us. Erie High School is the only high school in the school district that is not on an RTD public right of way, so it’s not served by public transit that’s a problem, and we’ve been working with RTD and with CDOT to increase the transit quality in our area.

Andrew Moore – REFUSED INTERVIEW

We sent Mr. Moore a list of topics we would be discussing; Mr Moore’s response to our writer was as follows, “Thanks for reconnecting.  After reviewing the original request, I noticed that the topics are not focused on Erie. Can you clarify the questions?”

Our publisher responded, but we did not receive any further correspondence after this.

DISTRICT 1

John Mortellaro – DID NOT RESPOND

Andrew Sawusch, Incumbent – DID NOT RESPOND

Anil Pesaramelli  – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

The town needs to hire talent from other places. As of now, Erie is in the top 50 best places to work. It is important to have a place where people can work and live, so affordable housing is important.

BUDGET

The bottom line is to have a place where people can work and live, so providing actions for affordable housing also helps them come back, and this can be done through grants and at the state level.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE

Oil and gas is not going away, and we need to find ways to coexist with them by ensuring proper maintenance and enforcement of existing wells. I’m opposed to any development over existing wells and believe we should address any contamination and damage that has already occurred. Open spaces and parks are vital for quality of life, and we must work to preserve them.

OPEN SPACE

I engage in conversations at various levels and remain open to input. As a good listener and a professional engineer, problem-solving is part of my daily routine. I aim to bring that approach to the community, encouraging the public to join in solving these issues.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

This is a great question and one I’m passionate about. My son is graduating from CU Boulder and has said, “Dad, I think I need the basement. I’m looking for a job but need somewhere to live.” This situation highlights that many people are in the same boat. The city has acquired more land for affordable housing, which I fully support. Many seniors also want to downsize but find it challenging.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

I’ve talked to some city staff about the transportation issue. RTD is doing studies, but not every road in Erie is part of them. Some things are currently being worked on, and my voice will be part of that as well.

Richard Garcia  – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

The town has made a lot of progress in hiring people of color. One of the things that I want to contribute once I get on the council is to conduct more conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, not just for the city employees but also as community support conversations.

BUDGET

Our general operating budget includes about 10 or 11 funds, with capital improvements being one of them. Approximately 53% of this budget is generated from sales and property taxes, while the rest comes from other sources. I want to explore ways to increase the capital improvement fund without depleting general operating funds, and I plan to collaborate with city staff and trustees on this.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE

I propose creating a larger presence to influence policy by forming a task force of citizens and council members, and hiring a lobbyist to advocate with our state legislature. This will help us influence legislation that protects our city from unsafe activities in our community.

I oppose Redtail Ridge because they consider retail as part of their affordable housing plan. I believe we shouldn’t place people near a toxic dump.

OPEN SPACE

I would engage the community by holding town meetings to inform them and gather input on decisions related to this topic.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The school district is one of the largest employers in Erie, yet our teachers cannot afford to live here. When considering diversity and inclusivity, the high cost of housing is a significant barrier to enhancing both in the town of Erie.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

I’m unsure of the current involvement with the original transportation systems, but we need to establish our own transportation system, especially as we consider constructing town centers.

DISTRICT 2

Dan Hoback, Incumbent – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

I want to retain the existing staff because there remains a segment of the town that is intolerant toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s important to maintain our current structure.

BUDGET

We review the regular budgets about 3 times a year, we always know where we are and we are usually very close to budget if not beating budget and by the end of the year.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE

I’m not aware of any planned projects, but we need to enforce stringent rules and limitations to move forward. I voted no on that proposal for several reasons, including public health and safety. I was one of four council members who voted against Redtail Ridge, while two voted for it. If it fails, it can’t return for another 12 months, and I’m unsure of the plans.

As the liaison to the Open Space and Trails Advisory Board, I work to ensure we have a target list of properties that may become available. If not, we maintain contact with the owners to check on potential availability.

OPEN SPACE

What we need to do is continue to push the developers to add some high density air density medium density mixed use density to do their plans because that’s how you create a sustainable community.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

It’s definitely a problem that we need to address …We just need to keep driving it.

TRANSPORTATION

Public transport is a big ticket item that Erie can’t really do on its own. We’re working on a shuttle service similar to what other instabilities have for the most the most necessary of our residents and we work with RTD to try to get more services.

Brandon Bell, Incumbent – DID NOT RESPOND

Dan Maloit – DID NOT RESPOND

Ben Hemphill – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

I plan to work with the town manager to cultivate a culture of respect and ensure that everyone knows they’re welcome to work with everyone in the town and on the council.

BUDGET

I would work with the other councilors and the finance department to determine our priorities and what makes the most sense.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE

I would work towards robust monitoring, working with the town legal department to understand the penalties that can be given to companies found out of compliance.

I plan to maintain open spaces to effectively use our mixed-use zoning to provide the density that we need for a sustainable tax base throughout the town. I also plan to designate land that doesn’t have any actual revenue coming in but can still be enjoyed by the community.

OPEN SPACE

Collaborating with the Planning Commission would be straightforward for me, as I currently serve on the Planning Commission. We need to approach quasi-judicial items carefully while ensuring regular communication, likely through study sessions where the council and Planning Commission can work together.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable housing is an important part of Erie. Many of my fellow candidates talk about it, and I generally agree with them. We must ensure that people who work here, be they teachers, first responders, or service workers, are able to live in Erie.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

The first step would be for the Weld County residents to vote to expand RTD into Weld County would allow Gary to the entirety of Erie to be in an RTD district, so if that happens, then work closely with RTD to evaluate the expansion of routes through Erie.

DISTRICT 3

Brian O’Connor – DID NOT RESPOND

Travis Pinz – DID NOT RESPOND

Emily Baer, Incumbent – *Publisher Endorsement

DEI

I do support those efforts and I have taken advantage of all of the diversity equity and inclusion training that this town has offered. I was the liaison to the DEI task force and justice equity diversion system.

BUDGET

Last October we voted to take extra funds over our recommended 20 to 25% reserve funds and put those into a capital improvement fund so that we’re able to ensure that our budget is serving the community.

OIL AND GAS/RED TAIL RIDGE

I advocated for Senate bill 181 and 2019. Bill 181 did not was not the end all, be all. We know that it’s important to stay engaged. It’s important that Erie has a voice at the decision making table.

I have opposed it, I voted against it twice I believe this year. And, it is not on an old oil and gas field it is on a current frack site the Waste Connections and frack sites are located on that land.

OPEN SPACE

The Planning Commission and planning department are really great assets and resources for the town council. We do work very closely with them in strategic growth to include consideration for our community’s needs.

DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABLE HOUSING

It’s extremely important that we are being planful so that the town is able to position ourselves forward to take advantage of things like grants and funding that comes from the state and federal dollars that we’re able to purchase land and position to support our affordable housing goals.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

I’m excited about Erie’s on-demand service, which will start early next year. They’ll be a service for residents. They can call or use an app to get a car directly to their house and take them directly to wherever they want to go, whether they live in Vista Ridge or want to go to the new King Soopers at 9 miles.

SUPERIOR MUNICIPAL ELECTION QUESTIONS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT NOISE

• Rocky Mountain Regional Airport is receiving a lot of complaints from residents and is currently in litigation with Boulder County over noise. They mainly express they are concerned about the increase in traffic, the low-flying airplanes and the ongoing noise. What is your stance on the lawsuit and what will you do to help resolve their concerns? 

OIL AND GAS

• What actions will you take to lessen Superior’s dependency on natural gas?

OPEN SPACE

• Having enough open space to serve as a greenbelt is also high on residents’ concerns. What are your plans for development and in particular open space for Superior?

YOUR AGENDA

• Residents really want us to ask is your one specific agenda idea without being general?

CLIMATE CHANGE/NATIVE GRASS

• Native grasses are an obvious concern of Superior residents, which is in overall maintenance. What role do you see Superior in mitigating the wild grasses in the open space?

INFRASTRUCTURE

• How would you improve the infrastructure of superior, such as roads?

Heather Cracraft – ENDORSED

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT

As the lawsuit progresses, I look forward to learning more about options to mitigate the residents’ concerns.

OIL AND GAS

I need to educate myself more on the details/costs/savings as a municipality in this area. It is important to focus on bettering ourselves each day when it comes to sustainability.

OPEN SPACE

As part of the Home Rule Charter Commission, we discussed the value of our open space and wanted to ensure its protection for the future and beyond. Open Space is one of the reasons that our community is such a wonderful place to call home.

YOUR AGENDA

If elected, my focus is to join the Board and bring my experience from 26 years in the community. I want to continue concentrating on development that sustains our local industries, strengthens our tax base, and supports our residents to maximize our community’s potential. 

CLIMATE CHANGE/NATIVE GRASS

I have volunteered to be a Wildfire Partner, working closely with our Town Staff on better practices for our homes and the open space that surrounds our Town. As a Marshall Fire survivor, I appreciate the county and its resources for more education. The science developing about that specific wildfire and how we can learn from it is important to pay attention to.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure has always been a top budget priority in Superior as the town has grown. It’s essential to develop a plan that addresses both short-term and long-term maintenance. After facing two natural disasters in the past 11 years, we’ve encountered challenges, but Superior’s staff is doing excellent work.

Mike Foster – ENDORSED

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT

I support the Town’s lawsuit. 

OIL AND GAS

We have been collaborating with the Town to provide more charging stations and actively pursued and supported the town’s efforts to seek federal funding to help us with this.

OPEN SPACE

Open space is meant to be preserved as open space. I would never have any plans to develop open space. 

YOUR AGENDA

My long-term priorities are the economy, the environment, and equity. 

CLIMATE CHANGE/NATIVE GRASS

I support the work that Boulder County is doing on fire research to identify and work to mitigate grassland fires and understand how fires operate in a grassland environment. 

INFRASTRUCTURE

The town has over $35 million in unfunded capital improvements projects, such as road maintenance, schools, parks, and playgrounds, which need to be renovated. I am supporting the town’s sales tax increase, which is on this November’s ballot.

Sandee Hammerly, Incumbent – ENDORSED

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT

The Rocky Mountain Airport has become an increasing problem for the Town of Superior due to noise and air pollution. Earlier this year, we filed a lawsuit against Rocky Mountain Airport and Jeffco to abate the public nuisance from piston-engine aircraft. I’m fully supportive of that action.

OIL AND GAS

As an individual town, our abilities are limited due to scarce resources. However, we benefit from a strong partnership with the Denver Regional Council of Governments, which should provide significant support in moving everyone in the right direction.

OPEN SPACE

Any open space in the town is restricted, and we can’t and won’t build on it.

YOUR AGENDA

As of Sept. 2024, the Town of Superior has issued 257 certificates of occupancy, meaning that we are about 65 percent rebuilt, but until every homeowner has returned home, our work’s not done. In addition, as a town, we need to make sure that we recover the federal dollars owed to us for recovery. 

CLIMATE CHANGE/NATIVE GRASS

This is a huge priority for our town. We have been doing as many things as we can with the budget. 

INFRASTRUCTURE

One of the things that we are trying to do is a sales tax increase and a bond issue. If it passes, we can fix these things sooner rather than later.

Gregory Horowitz – QUALIFIED

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT

I fully support the town’s position on the litigation, but I don’t think it’ll stop there. I believe that it is important that we come together as a community to find solutions that work for everyone. 

OIL AND GAS

With my background in sustainability, I see the need for this. We’ve already implemented (several initiatives), and I also understand the other point of view: some people just like it (natural gas) better. 

OPEN SPACE

It is important to preserve the open space and natural environment that we currently have. 

YOUR AGENDA

The people in the town have many opinions on many issues. I think there is a proper place to express those opinions so they can be addressed. 

CLIMATE CHANGE/NATIVE GRASS

We need native and adaptive grasses, so it’s important to maintain the natural and native adaptive grasses that we have here.

INFRASTRUCTURE

I think it is important to maintain our current infrastructure and investigate what we need to do to improve it.

George A. Kupfner – DID NOT RESPOND

Jason Serbu – DID NOT RESPOND

STATE AND LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES

ERIE COLORADO BALLOT MEASURES

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT BALLOT ISSUE 7B (Weld County Ballots only) – YES

This measure would integrate the Weld County portion of Erie into RTD, providing including a potential extension of the JUMP line to Erie High School, along with additional regional funding opportunities.

A tax increase of 1 cent per $1 purchase (or $1 per $100) would apply only to purchases made in the Weld County portions of Erie, as properties in Boulder County already belong to RTD and pay this tax.

Since Erie can only take the bus five times a day to Boulder, YS votes YES for transportation.

ERIE 3C: MARIJUANA MORATORIUM LIFTED/EXCISE TAX PASSED – YES

This proposed ballot measure will ask Erie residents to decide whether to impose a 5% excise tax on the retail sale of marijuana, encompassing both recreational and medical use. This tax rate is the most common among Colorado municipalities that allow marijuana sales.

If the measure passes, it will lift the moratorium as of January 1, 2025, permitting up to two retail marijuana stores to apply for licenses within the Town of Erie. YS recommends a YES vote. It has been 10 years sine marijuna was legalized and Erie is losing tax dollars to their neighbors.

ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL BOND MEASURE – YES 

This measure would enable the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) to borrow $739.8 million for several key initiatives, Build five new schools: a Montessori School in Longmont, a high school and CTE center in the Erie/Tri-Town area, a PK-8 school in Mead, and an elementary school in Erie, along with an expansion of Longmont’s Innovation Center. This bond does not raise taxes. YS endorses a YES vote.

CITY OF BOULDER BALLOT MEASURES

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2C – Council Pay, Ordinance 8640 – YES

A charter amendment to Section 7 proposing to: Increase council compensation from a per-meeting stipend to an amount based on Area Median Income (AMI) to better reflect the growing demands and complexity of council work. Elected Officials deserve to be paid, YS endorses a YES vote.

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2D – Executive Sessions, Ordinance 8641 – NO

A charter amendment to Section 9 and a new Section 21A to: Authorize the City Council to hold executive sessions in accordance with state law. Because we believe transparency is critical for government, YS votes NO.

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2E – Boards and Commissions Charter Cleanup, Ordinance 8639 – NO

A charter amendment to Section 130 to: Empower the City Council to establish by ordinance the terms and criteria for board and commission members, and to revise the language regarding the removal of these members. Considering Boulder has a bad track record for managing some of it’s more “controversial” commissions, we vote NO without clear protections for committee members.

COLORADO BALLOT MEASURES

Amendment 79 – YES

This is likely the most important ballot measure for Coloradans. Colorado Amendment 79 would add the right to abortion to the state constitution and allow public money for abortion services. This means abortions would be covered under the publicly funded Colorado Medicaid program, HealthFirst Colorado. YS suggests voting YES to protect the reproductive rights of Coloradans for years to come. 

Amendment 80 – NO

Colorado Amendment 80, the Constitutional Right to School Choice Initiative, proposes adding a right to school choice to the state constitution. If passed, it would:

• • • Guarantee school choice: Every K-12 child in Colorado would have the constitutional right to choose among various education options.
    • Parental control: Parents would have the right to direct their children’s education.
    • Broader educational options: School choice would encompass public neighborhood schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschools, and other innovations, allowing families to select the best fit for their child.

A NO vote on Colorado Amendment 80 protects teachers’ unions by opposing the expansion of charter schools and alternatives like vouchers for private and homeschools. These alternatives can divert funding from public schools, weaken teachers’ unions, and reduce protections and resources for educators in traditional public schools. Voting NO helps preserve strong public education and the rights of unionized teachers.

Amendment I – NO

Colorado Amendment I would change the rules for bail in first-degree murder cases. A NO vote on Colorado Amendment I would help protect people from being denied bail in first-degree murder cases, especially considering the high rate of wrongful convictions in violent crimes. Mistakes happen, and innocent people can be accused. Keeping the right to bail ensures that those wrongly accused still have a chance to defend themselves while awaiting trial. Voting NO safeguards the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Prop K – NEUTRAL

This ballot issue doesnt involve any earth-shattering changes. It requires citizen-led ballot initiatives to submit petitions one week earlier to qualify for the ballot. We are unsure the extra week makes a difference, but perhaps it is to counter against how much easier it is to citizen-led ballot initiatives on the ballot than other states. We are NEUTRAL on this one.

Prop 128 – NO

Like Amendment I, Proposition 128 seeks to make significant changes to the state’s judicial system. This initiative would alter when individuals convicted of certain violent crimes can apply for parole. Currently, in Colorado, those convicted can apply after serving 75% of their sentence and can earn time off for good behavior. Under the new plan, for crimes committed on or after January 1, 2025, individuals would need to serve 85% of their sentence before applying for parole, with no reduction for good behavior. YS suggests voting NO for Prop 128 for similar reasons to Amendment I. 

Amendment J – YES

Although Colorado legalized same-sex marriage in 2014, the state’s Constitution still defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Colorado Amendment J aims to remove this outdated ban, ensuring that marriage is no longer limited to heterosexual couples.

A YES vote reflects modern values of equality and respect for all couples, aligning the state constitution with the legal protections and rights of same-sex couples, and supporting fairness and love for everyone.

Prop 127 – YES

YS has received many letters to the editor urging voters to vote YES to ban the hunting of wild cats in the state. This initiative aims to ban trophy hunting, which is defined as intentionally killing, wounding, chasing, or trapping mountain lions, bobcats, or lynx.  Under this measure, mountain lions would no longer be classified as big game, meaning that any issues involving mountain lions and livestock wouldn’t qualify for damage claims with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Additionally, it would make it illegal to possess a bobcat or lynx, resulting in a misdemeanor charge that could lead to fines or jail time. 

Prop 130 – NO

This initiative aims to establish the Peace Officer Training and Support Fund, providing an additional $350 million for law enforcement in Colorado. The funds would be used to increase salaries for police officers, offer bonuses to attract and retain exceptional officers, hire more officers to address specific crime issues like gang activity and drug trafficking, and fund education and training, including use of force, physical fitness, and criminal justice studies.

Additionally, the initiative would create a $1 million death benefit for the family of a peace officer killed in the line of duty, with an estimated annual cost of $4 million. At this time, YS suggests voting NO, as we believe taxpayer money can be better spent on other departments such as education and public transit.

Prop 131 – NO

This initiative proposes implementing top-four primary elections and ranked-choice voting for various offices, including the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and governor. Currently, Colorado’s primaries are semi-closed, allowing only registered party members and unaffiliated voters to participate. Winners are determined by plurality vote, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins without needing a majority.

While ranked-choice voting is generally viewed positively by the left, politicians from the Republican, Democratic, and Green parties have all opposed this proposition for valid reasons. As YS reported earlier this year, the measure is backed by Kent Thiry, a wealthy Coloradan who seeks to inject more money into Colorado’s elections. For these reasons, YS suggests voting NO on Prop 131.

Prop KK – YES

Colorado Proposition KK proposes a 6.5% excise tax on the manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition, to be paid by dealers, manufacturers, and vendors. Revenue from this tax would support the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Cash Fund, funding essential programs such as:

• • • Crime victim services for those affected by violence.

• • • Mental and behavioral health programs for children and veterans.

• • • School security and safety programs to enhance student protection.

A YES vote ensures that those profiting from firearm sales contribute to community safety and support for victims. This initiative provides vital funding for mental health programs and improves school security, making Colorado safer for everyone. Voting YES on Proposition KK is a proactive step toward supporting public safety and well-being.