Go to: Candidate Q&A home page • Denver Post Voter Guide
Alyssa Nilemo Dem
Residence: Town of Parker
Profession: Public administration/higher education
Education: Bachelor’s, Political Science, MSU Denver
Experience: Public administration in auxiliary services for higher education. History with early childhood education, disability services, and as an aide in a Colorado city manager’s office.
Campaign website
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Top three priorities are fully funded public education, affordable housing and supporting small businesses. I believe we need to invest in our educators and the buildings our students attend school in. I want to see a healthy housing pipeline where starter homes are accessible to working class folks and on the other end when folks are ready to downsize and access their equity they have the ability to find the home they need.
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?
I believe in people over politics and that many elected officials and politicians have forgotten what it means to serve community. You do not just serve those who voted for you but all of those impacted by your legislation and work. Some may be surprised that as a Democrat I speak highly of a Republican, Gov. Ralph Carr, in my stump speech. I believe truly in his example of being a principled politician and believe if we lean into hard conversations with kindness we can achieve more.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
I want to work on fixing our housing pipeline and hopefully improve costs of homes and the resulting tax burdens. I also want to work with unions and small businesses alike to get workers pay as robust as possible, while also encouraging healthy marketplace competition to help bring the price of goods down.
What should the legislature do when it comes to addressing greenhouse gas emissions and regulating oil and gas development?
The legislature must be focused on a just transition for those workers who have done so much to power our state through oil and gas. This should be coupled with a future forward look at what energy can look like, through renewables, sustainable practices and smart planning.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I believe that we make all ground actionable by leaning into tough conversations with kindness and understanding that issues are complex, so why wouldn’t the solutions be? I see too many in our current political climate far too comfortable with assumptions, not conversations, with demands, not compromises.
Anthony Hartsook did not return the questionnaire.
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