October 14, 2009 08:21 PM UTC

Angela Williams on the House District 7 Race

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• by: awilliams

Good morning Colorado House District 7 Democrats:

First, let me welcome Jon to the race.  Jon, you join a field of hard-working, progressive Democrats already in the race including Mark Mehringer, Blake Harrison and me.  As is the case with both Mark and Blake, you strike me as a smart, passionate, well-intentioned candidate.  I look forward to competing with you in a positive and issue-focused campaign.  

The people of House District 7and our state do indeed face extraordinary challenges.  As a single parent and civically-engaged small businesswoman who lives and works in this district, my personal, professional and civic experiences compel me to public service.  In meeting with people and families throughout our district for months, I’ve found most are hungry for a Representative who is accessible and who will listen, empathize and act on their behalf accordingly.  I intend to represent and serve the people, families and neighborhoods of this community as their voice and to collaborate and coalition build on their behalf.  

I also seek this seat to represent and serve those in our community least able to represent themselves – those among us whose voices the powerful special interests too often overwhelm – those in our community without the resources, time and experience to effectively navigate the State Capitol on their own.

From children to seniors, from college students to working professionals, woman and men, gay and straight, Anglo, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and African-American, from unemployed to working poor to wealthy, our community is exceptionally diverse and requires a trench worker who will work for and represent the people, families, schools, small businesses and neighborhoods of our district.

For example, school-drop out rates are disproportionately high in parts of our community and throughout the state.  Why?  In part, due to insufficient resources, but also because we refuse to acknowledge and own one particularly difficult reality.  

We know that despite our best efforts, many of our students will never attend, much less graduate from, a four-year college.  Yet we structure and fund mainstream public schools as if most students are college-bound.  As a result, we effectively “kick to the curb” many young people by making their middle school and high school experiences feel inaccessible and irrelevant.  Many students graduate (or not) ill-equipped to compete for jobs and career success.  We need our schools to offer multiple realistic and viable paths to success.  Of course, public schools need to prepare our students to continue their education to become doctors, nurses, teachers, wildlife biologists, renewable energy researchers, civil engineers, and so forth.  That said, our schools must also offer middle and high school students rigorous educational options that recognize our collective need for skilled carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, masons, bricklayers and other skilled crafts- and trades-people.

I believe we must transition existing middle and high schools to centers of rigorous college prep for the students and their parents who choose a 4-year college future – and into centers of rigorous trade/career prep for the students and parents who choose a non 4-year college future.

If we intend to reduce youth crime and graffiti while simultaneously increasing graduation rates and preparing our kids for success in tough, sharply competitive regional, national and international job markets, Colorado must find a way to provide incentives for public schools to make education more engaging, relevant and profitable to more students.  

We must bring private sector employers and substantive business, professional and union apprenticeship/mentorship programs into our schools to help persuade young people to go to collage and to help provide vital marketable skills to our non-college-bound future workforce.  In short, we must stop implying and/or suggesting that unless students secure four-year and advanced degrees they have failed.  

Integrating and leveraging public and private resources to prepare our young people for a life of competitive success in college and the workplace is but one reason I’m in this race.  Healthcare as a basic human right is another.  There is so much more.  

One final word on our race for State Representative:  I respect the fact, Blake and Jon, that you have decided to adhere to the voluntary campaign spending limits.  I suspect that the two of you perhaps run in wealthier crowds than I do.  I hope you will respect the fact that few of my campaign donors can afford the maximum $800 campaign contribution.  But also, because Mark declined to accept the campaign spending limits, I’ve concluded we poorly serve the public interest by allowing one candidate to raise and spend unlimited campaign dollars and dominate communication with voters while other candidates are under-funded and less able to effectively compete.

Please let the record reflect that if and when elected, I would love to work with you introduce substantive public finance legislation.  I abhor the existing campaign finance options, which too often have the effect of reducing candidates to beggars while eroding public confidence in our democratic institutions and government decision-making.  

That said and for obvious reasons, I find the prospect of de facto “unilateral disarmament” unwise.

Most sincerely,

Angela Williams

Democratic Candidate

State Representative

Colorado House District 7