As always, this midterm election cycle will expose the vulnerabilities of our political leaders and determine whether Colorado’s communities are ready to put their futures in the hands of new faces in the halls of government.
Candidly, we should be grateful for the opportunity. Our political leadership must be reminded that track records matter – voters don’t forget about the problems we are facing in our communities today. We are counting on candidates and incumbents to launch this election season by addressing our most pressing concerns.
Despite Colorado’s political leadership boasting a strong sense of direction for our state, we continue to face the same challenges month after month and year after year, with little forward progress to show. Take our rising crime rates, which have set Colorado apart as leading in property crime and motor vehicle theft in the U.S. If our politicians were steering the state successfully, we shouldn’t see these rates being the highest since 1994.
We need our leaders to buckle down on the issues that impact Coloradans, to help us feel safe and secure in our communities. What we don’t need to see is politicians getting distracted by elite-driven policies like technology regulation, which have swept up many leaders in the party. Spending energy on these policies is a misguided use of time and will only prevent real positive change from being realized for constituents throughout the state.
Every hour spent investigating technology companies – which notably employ tens of thousands of Colorado residents and support small business owners like myself – is an hour that could have been better spent by addressing the deeply-rooted issues driving crime and unrest across Colorado.
It begs the question of priorities, and that’s certainly something that will drive voter decisions in the coming months: what have you been working on, what issues have you been ignoring, and how effective have you been?
The bottom line is this: Colorado has spent decades positioning ourselves to attract top talent, leading businesses, and continued economic growth. We have successfully transformed and diversified our economy with the support of businesses that maintain investments here in Douglas County and beyond. If they’re going to be successful this November, our leaders, like Attorney General Weiser, need to focus on efforts that will continue this growth and improve our lives, and should stop wasting their time on niche, high-minded tech issues.