1 week Ago
Two well-known local politicians, Republican El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf and Democratic state Rep. Marc Snyder, are competing for the open state senate seat in District 12. The district, currently represented by outgoing Republican Sen.
Bob Gardner, is considered competitive, leaning 2% Republican, and encompasses areas west of town along with Manitou Springs and Fountain. It could be a key race because the state Senate is split 23-12 with Democrats only one seat away from holding a supermajority. VanderWerf polled the district and found illegal immigration is the no.
1 concern among residents followed by inflation and the economy. The county commissioner said if elected he would work to overturn House Bill 19-1124, a bill that prohibits local law enforcement from detaining suspects for violating federal immigration law. He would also like to increase penalties for engaging in drug and human trafficking.
He said he knows many immigrants are coming to the U.S. to work hard and will add to productivity, but the federal government needs to determine how to ensure people coming across the border are properly vetted.
On immigration, Snyder said he did not support limiting the interactions between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also supported continuing to hold illegal immigrants in Teller County because it would keep families closer together. A Colorado Court of Appeals found Teller County cannot hold illegal immigrants this summer.
Snyder said he believes there is likely a balance between Denver’s approach to providing services to illegal immigrants and El Paso County’s leaders asking faith-based organizations to limit aid. “We can’t lose our compassion and our empathy,” Snyder said. To help address the high cost of living, VanderWerf said he would work to diversify energy production and encourage the state to pursue geothermal and small nuclear energy sources.
He would also work to tackle the cost of housing by working to encourage the construction of condos, which have been limited by the threat of construction defect lawsuits. He would also like to see portable senior homestead property tax exemption extended to allow older people to downsize but to keep their lower property taxes. As an industrial engineer trained to achieve process improvement, VanderWerf would like to see a review of bills to see if they can be implemented in more cost effective ways.
He would also like to start a state modeling office to determine the most effective way to improve road infrastructure and evacuate areas in case of a wildfire. VanderWerf is also committed to fighting unfunded mandates if elected, and that’s attracted some Democrats to his campaign, he said. “When I am in the seat, I will defend local government,” he said.
On Front Range rail, VenderWerf said, the population densities are not there to support it. But sooner or later a second highway will be needed. The former mayor of Manitou Springs, Snyder said, if elected to the Senate he would work on a sustainable, predictable budget.
He noted rolling back the Gallagher Amendment created predictable spikes in property taxes and the need for the last two state legislative special sessions. He would like to see a big picture re-think of the state budget. “I would like to really look at how we do business as far as collecting revenues and making expenditures,” he said.
Snyder would also like to work on right-sizing regulations in Colorado to make it easier for people to start and expand businesses. He would also continue work on issues, such as making the theft of a firearm in Colorado a felony. After the sweeping public safety reforms in 2020, there are necessary tweaks to protect the public, said Snyder, who said he is among the most moderate Democrats in the Colorado House.
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