About Kennedy: A structural engineer by trade, Kennedy has spend the last six years working as a legislative aide and policy assistant at the state legislature. He holds a master 's degree in political science, and a bachelor's degree in engineering. In 2011-12 Kennedy served as the Chair of the Jeffco Democratic Party.
More information: 720-938-3294; chris@kennedy4co.com; www.kennedy4co.com.
Why should voters choose you for this office?
Colorado has a bright future, but we face big challenges in education, energy, transportation, housing, retirement security, economic inequality, rapid growth, and more. We need a representative ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work on day one, and I believe my experience as an engineer, my work at the Capitol, and my involvement in this community since 2005 make me the best candidate for the job.
Describe an accomplishment that best illustrates your effectiveness as a leader:
In 2013, I helped Rep. John Buckner (D-Aurora) and Rep. Clarice Navarro (R-Pueblo) forge a bipartisan compromise to require more accountability for English-language-learner programs in schools and provide more professional development to teachers. We got past the partisan politics together and came up with a good piece of legislation that earned significant bipartisan support.
How can the two major parties better work together to ensure progress at the Capitol?
Most people don't realize how much bipartisanship we already have in Colorado. In 2013, 95 percent of the bills signed by the governor were passed with bipartisan support. Still, there are some significant differences of opinion on many policies. We must all be patient and willing to listen to different perspectives. Neither party can claim 100 percent of the good ideas.
What can be done to ensure the metro area's transportation system is able to keep up with the growing population?
We unfortunately do not have the revenue to adequately invest in our transportation infrastructure, let alone our public education system and other priorities. Colorado's government is already pretty lean. While we must always strive to do better, we must not pretend that cutting more waste cover our revenue shortfall. We need a serious conversation in this state about the services we expect of our government and how much we're willing to pay for them.
What issue deserves more attention during the 2017 session than it saw in 2016?
Though housing was a big topic in 2016, we've had very little debate about the impact of increasing housing prices on renters. Over the last few months, I have heard from dozens of people whose rents have gone up as much as 30 percent. These working people and seniors may lose their homes with nowhere else to go. We need to get serious about renters rights and building more affordable housing.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Chris-Kennedy,237717
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