Colorado ballots have been mailed out and Election Day is coming up real soon.
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House District 46 is currently represented by Daneya Esgar.
The candidates in this upcoming General Election for House District 46 are Daneya Esgar (D), Jonathan Ambler (R), John Pickerill (L).
We sent out a questionnaire to the candidates regarding the recovery of COVID-19 economic impacts, legislation they hope to introduce and what they think should be done to help fund our schools. Here are the responses from those who responded to our questionnaire:
Daneya Esgar
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: We should come together to be sure that we are looking at industries and small businesses, here in Colorado, that have been impacted. We also need to protect jobs by finding ways to incentivize employers who keep people employed. Colorado workers bolster our economy so we need to ensure that Colorado workers can stay working safely. This also ensures that families maintain housing and health insurance -- essential especially in these times. We need to make sure that communities and small businesses have the high-speed internet necessary in a more digital-centered economy. We need solutions that don't leave anyone behind. We need to be sure that employees that have been left without work, and have permanently lost their jobs during COVID have new opportunities to learn a new skill, and find new opportunities in the Colorado we all know and love.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: When I’m reelected, I won’t focus on one piece of legislation. We, as a state, need so much more, and there are no magic bills that will fix our health crisis or our economic freefall. And no single legislator can solve the issues this pandemic has given us. I will work with my colleagues to introduce a set of bills that will help Coloradoans recover and thrive. We as a state, as a legislature, must come together and work across the aisle to return Colorado to the state we all know and love, and even strive to make life better than it was before COVID-19.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: The school funding formula is broken in Colorado for a number of reasons. It’s a complex knot connected to our State Constitution, well intended ideas, and a state that is incredibly diverse in local resources. I have been working to untie this knot for years. I ran the legislation that put Amendment B, which would repeal the out dated Gallagher Amendment on November’s ballot, as a first step. I have also been working with my colleagues and education advocates to examine the inequities of our mill levees across the state. I want to crack open the broken mill levee system we have in our state and find an equitable solution for our kids. A child’s education and a teacher’s salary shouldn’t depend on the zip code they live in.
Jonathan Ambler
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: Eliminate all unnecessary spending including the $33 million used for K-12 state standards testing. Repeal SB19-181 and restore Oil and Gas Property values. Colorado voters voted 65% against this law in the 2018 election. This reckless legislature moved against the people and passed this law in an effort to strengthen their argument to repeal the Gallagher amendment.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: Authorizing the funding of Microschools. Local control of schools no longer exists in the state. HB19-1032, SB20-163, and SB19-1192 proves this point. Parents can no longer be guaranteed that sending their children to school will not result in their children being indoctrinated with social engineering. Allowing funds for a "one-room-schoolhouse" will improve teacher pay, lessen bureaucratic mandates, and improve individual learning. Microschools provide real school choice.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: Eliminate the negative factor and use those funds for funding microschools. Eliminate much of the bureaucratic mandates that make our schools needlessly expensive. Return local control so that parents can make real financial decisions regarding their children's education. End schools' role as a primary point of welfare services.
John Pickerill
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: The answer is simple and obvious: Immediately end all COVID-19 related restrictions on business owners.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: The governor shall not legislate via executive orders.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: The Colorado state budget gives more funding to public education than any other recipient. The problem is that classroom and teachers only receive a small percentage of that funding. A higher and higher percentage has been going to administrators and other non-credentialed employees.
