On the Issues

The Colorado I grew up in is too expensive for working people. Housing is the number one cost for most families. In my 6 years on the Greeley City Council, I have been an advocate for funding and building more affordable housing. That advocacy has led to great housing developments like StarRise Apartments and Hope Springs, among others. StarRise is providing permanent supportive housing for 58 of our formerly homeless neighbors, and Hope Springs will be the largest Habitat for Humanity Development in Colorado when it’s done. Most recently, I’m proud to say we also funded a year-round shelter for the first time in Greeley’s history.

At the state level, we need to make it easier to build projects like these. I will always fight for more funding for affordable housing. But we also need to make it easier for non-profit housing developers to apply for and administer state grants. We need to make sure we continue to fund permanent supportive housing, homeless shelters, and mental health supports to tackle the rapidly growing problem of homelessness across Colorado.

I am a product of Colorado’s public school system and a proud graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. We need to better fund education at every level in our state, from Pre-K through Higher Education. Classrooms with too many students and under-paid teachers do not lead to the outcomes our students need. Colorado needs to become a leader in paying teachers what they deserve. The state has made positive steps, like funding Pre-K and eliminating the budget stabilization factor; we need to continue to increase education funding at the state level.

Driving on state highways in Northern Colorado is a bumpy ride. CDOT needs more funding, but also needs to re-prioritize roads in our district. CDOT and the state have to work better with our region to help bridge the gap so local municipalities don’t have to shoulder so much of the burden. In my time on the Greeley City Council, I fought for and secured funding for projects like the 5th St overlay, increased funding to upgrade sidewalks, and funding for the 12th St Outfall (over $500m to address downtown flooding.) We need to fight for state funding for multiple Highway 34 overpasses and long-overdue improvements at Spaghetti Junction. 

How we fund these things matters. In Colorado, high income earners pay the same rate as you and me. Working families cannot and should not pay higher taxes right now. I am supportive of changes that set higher rates for Coloradans that make over $500k per year. With the structural state budget deficit we face, we should be asking Coloradans that can afford it to pay a little more–to pay their fair share. That is how we build an economy that works for all Coloradans.