Issues
ISSUES
Here are a few issues I have worked on and will continue focusing on. Although we have many other issues that need our close attention, we, as policymakers, have to try to eliminate additional issues that may arise and I am ready to fight for our communities here in Colorado.
We are in an extraction economy and we need to move to a renewable energy economy and I have done that as a councilwoman in the City of Brighton. Competing on a national level, I worked in bringing Vestas Wind Turbine Facilities into Brighton and into my Ward specifically. Vestas is one of the energy industry’s global partners on sustainable energy solutions. They design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe. I worked on bringing two plants to Brighton, a 250,000 sq. ft. Nacelle Assembly Facility and a 425,000 sq. ft. Blades Manufacturing Facility and over 350 jobs to Brighton. In addition to my experience in this arena, at the request of other elected officials, I have had the opportunity to testify at the Environmental Protection Agency hearings regarding various environmental issues.
There continues to be a shortage of affordable housing in Colorado. As such, my experience in working with public-private partnerships in providing affordable housing including low income housing, affordable housing, affordable apartments, subsidized housing, Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher has been accomplished in Brighton. As a member of the Brighton Housing Authority, I helped in establishing public-policy to create low income and Senior Citizen Housing which helped to build the following: the Libretto Apartments, Brighton Village Senior Living, Brighton Village II. These policies are still in affect that have helped with the building of additional affordable units.
Immigration is vital to the protection of our citizens. I believe the U.S. Constitution states “insure domestic tranquility”. It gives citizens a right to a secure and lawful surrounding and expects the federal government to protect that right. It is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens pursuant to law. During the 2019 Legislative Session, I worked directly on policy regarding HB19-1124, Protect Colorado Residents from Federal Government Overreach. It guarantees *no arrest based on civil detainer; *no personal information to immigration authorities from probation; *advisement before immigration interview.
Transportation is vital to the success of our communities. However, the pertinent and critical issues are vehicles and the damage they cause, infrastructure whether being renovated or newly built, and operations – how functional are various modes of transportation. I have had the responsibility of being on the Board of Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), which set Regional Policies on public bus transit needs within the Regional Transportation District (RTD). Transportation needs to guide the State in defining how State and Federal funds are spent on transportation needs. Working closely with RTD to address public transportation especially in the less populated areas of RTD is a priority to me.
Healthcare should be an option for everybody, specifically, the right to maintain or restore physical, mental, or emotional well-being by trained, licensed professionals. I advocate for this right and have worked on this issue in the City of Brighton. Realizing that a high percentage of our employees did not have access to healthcare, we established a self-insured plan. With many individuals uninsured, the potential for additional problems exists. We were able to bring Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices into Brighton and negotiated services for our employees under our plan. In addition, the City of Brighton, Brighton School District 27J and Community Reach Center also worked together to provide mental health services within the Brighton Schools.