Go to: Candidate Q&A home page • Denver Post Voter Guide
Rebecca Keltie Rep
Residence: Colorado Springs
Profession: Engineer
Education: Military and civilian degrees
Experience: My experience includes 21 years in the military, working with foreign leaders, government agencies and private sector business leaders.
Campaign website
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
– Education and parental rights
– Veteran and senior issues and programs
– Protecting business rights and smart development
Recent polling has shown trust in government hovering at historically low levels and stark partisan divides in views of election integrity. What will you do to bridge those gaps?
Offering mutual respect and having effective conversations without emotions. Election integrity is of utmost importance. It should be treated with the same level of security as our military.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Lowering taxes and fees is where we need to start. Cutting unnecessary spending and plugging leaks is next. When we are in times like we are in, pulling back and tightening the purse strings isn’t just needed, it’s of utmost importance. In addition, I would like Colorado join other states in removing taxes for our seniors on Social Security.
What should the legislature do when it comes to addressing greenhouse gas emissions and regulating oil and gas development?
Having worked in atmospheric sciences for nearly two decades, I know where the issues are and are not when it comes to climate challenges.
There’s nothing better than a “monster” under the bed to motivate people to loosen their wallets to get rid of it. Most of Colorado’s current legislators are unqualified to make such decisions. This is where experts must be brought in with realistic facts and reliable data without emotions or agendas. Until that happens, nothing should be done legislatively other than picking up our trash and cleaning up our local surroundings.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I believe once we put emotions aside there are more things we agree on than not. Let’s start there. With the new leadership elected this term I am hoping better conversations will be had with more open minds with the voices of the people of Colorado heard and honored.
Steph Vigil (i) Dem
Residence: Colorado Springs
Profession: Independent contractor
Education: Some college
Experience: Service industry, independent contractor
Campaign website
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Housing and transportation: Colorado needs housing for every budget and transportation for every lifestyle to ensure a good quality of life for all, a more vibrant economy, and a healthy, sustainable environment.
Worker empowerment: the way we work is changing, and we need new tools and protections to ensure that the future of work serves all Coloradans.
Civil rights: we’ve seen an increasingly hostile far right movement that’s already tried to overthrow an election and is undoing decades of progress via activist SCOTUS justices. Colorado must lead by defending our core values of self-determination, free expression, and robust civic engagement.
Recent polling has shown trust in government hovering at historically low levels and stark partisan divides in views of election integrity. What will you do to bridge those gaps?
Colorado’s election system is unparalleled, and it’s unfortunate that it’s become a partisan issue after all these years of serving us so well. I strongly encourage everyone to learn how the system works, and be skeptical of anyone who sows distrust without evidence, or insists that any election they lose couldn’t have been fair; that’s someone who just doesn’t want to earn your vote. Governments get their legitimacy from the consent of the people, and therefore every candidate for public office should want to maximize participation, support our election workers, and then get out there and earn the votes.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Over the last 20 years there has been a $50 trillion transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%, which has dealt a terrible blow to working families. We have simultaneously suppressed housing and transportation choices with overly restrictive land use policies, and put insufficient public investment into essentials like child care, healthcare, and higher education. If you work hard at any job, you shouldn’t be too poor to live. We must free up our housing market and promote infill development, strengthen working people’s right to collectively bargain, and hold big business accountable for their excesses.
What should the legislature do when it comes to addressing greenhouse gas emissions and regulating oil and gas development?
I’m proud that Colorado is a national leader in pursuing a just and equitable transition to all-renewable energy. The dust is still settling on the big agreement with oil and gas to pay extraction fees, but it’s promising to have dedicated funds for reducing emissions from transportation and buildings, and furthering our conservation efforts. Importantly, environmental damage does not hurt everyone equally: Black, indigenous, and other communities of color historically get hit with the worst air quality problems and other environmental hazards, and we must center those communities’ needs and voices as we move into a clean, renewable energy future.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I’ve observed a couple of such policy areas. One is preserving and protecting our beautiful state, and taking care of the great outdoors, even if we disagree on how exactly to go about it. Another area of common interest is having reliable and efficient public services. This is why I passed a bill to raise the bar on county coroner qualifications, for instance. There are a variety of opinions on what all should be public, but we do tend to agree that the public services we have should simply work, and deliver effective outcomes for residents whenever the need arises.
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