The high cost of housing and transportation play a significant role in reducing the opportunities Colorado families have to thrive and build communities, including in our district. We must actively promote pathways to home ownership, protect the rights of renters, and bring down costs through creative policymaking. There is much to do when it comes to providing greater transportation access to the residents of our district, and that will be a priority for me in the legislature.

 

Public transportation is a win-win-win. It’s a win for traffic congestion. It’s a win for the environment. And it’s especially a win for people who don’t have the resources to purchase, insure, fill up, and maintain a personal vehicle.

 

The I-25 Bustang Longmont Hub should open this fall, but it’s not accessible without a car. The entire east side of our district is without any sort of mass transit, and the west side is very limited. Taxpayers in the northwest metro region have been paying taxes since 2005 for a rail line to Longmont that still hasn’t been built. There is much to do when it comes to providing greater transportation access to the residents of our district, and that will be a priority for me in the legislature.

 

To expand access to affordable housing, we need more innovation in building, more efficiency in permitting, more public-private partnerships, and more flexibility in zoning. We need creative solutions that bring together state and local governments, builders, and residents—including property owners AND renters. I will continue the good work that the legislature has already done for renters’ rights, while also crafting policies that make home ownership accessible for more of our residents.

 

One of my natural skills, which I’ve honed as a leader in a national nonprofit where every dollar is important and must be accounted for is looking at situations and finding efficient, effective processes and solutions that make sense of complex conditions. I would bring these skills–along with my experience bringing together people from diverse political backgrounds–into play when approaching the housing affordability crisis in Colorado.