Dave Woolever

Republican Party

AGE
51
RESIDENCE
Aurora
PROFESSION
Educator
EDUCATION
EdD (leadership), MA (history), MAED (adult education), BA (education)
EXPERIENCE
I served 10 years in the USAF and nearly 14 years teaching courses in ethics, leadership and history at Johnson & Wales University (2008-2021).
WEBSITE • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
Supporting K-12 public school teacher pay increases and supporting academic transparency and school choice.

Supporting increases in manpower and training for our law enforcement agencies.

Protecting TABOR and working to reduce excess fees for small businesses.

The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
We can work together to increase teacher pay and make sure our schools are excellent by investing directly into the student. We can work to make our communities safer by supporting training and manpower resources for law enforcement. We can work to support our military veterans across a wide array of needs, including mental health services. We can work together to address environmental conservation, specifically water resources. We can work together to address healthcare accessibility. Finally, we should be working to attract businesses to our state as this would provide more jobs and strengthen our economy.

What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
I bring a willingness to collaborate and work together for the good of my district and the betterment of Colorado. My background as a military officer and college professor has enabled me to see an issue from various sides and be willing to find the common ground answer. We need our elected officials to put service before self and place the people of Colorado above partisan politics. I bring a centrist, objective approach to the legislative process with a willingness to listen to all sides of an issue.

What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
We need more homes: condos, townhouses, and single-family homes so that people can own a home. I will oppose any legislation that limits growth or supply of housing or adds additional cost to housing.

I do like and will support income-based housing for individuals earning below a certain threshold that allows them to rent a high-quality dwelling.

Furthermore, the legislature can ease housing costs by refusing to support any property tax/fee measures as this only adds to one’s expenses. Many hard-working families will be hurt financially due to any property tax increase.

Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
Fentanyl is deadly and has resulted in far too many tragic deaths involving its use. While no one wants to see unnecessary incarceration, many do not understand the dangers of this substance and are paying with their own lives. We as a society need to do a better job of sounding the alarm that fentanyl is dangerous, and therefore, possession of any amount should be criminalized to help achieve this awareness. In addition, we should also engage in education awareness so that people, especially those in the 18-45 age bracket, understand the dangers.

Eliza Hamrick

Democratic Party

AGE
60
RESIDENCE
Centennial
PROFESSION
CCSD high school history and government teacher
EDUCATION
BA in Secondary Education-History and MA in Education
EXPERIENCE
High school history and government teacher (Cherry Creek SD) for 32 years and decades-long supporter of teachers, students, and families in the community.
WEBSITE • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
1. Improving our education funding model. All schools should have the resources they need to prepare our children to compete in a global economy while ensuring that their social, emotional, and mental health needs are met as well.

2. Common sense gun legislation that keeps our communities safe from gun violence. Too many communities around Colorado have faced the consequences of elected officials refusing to take popular action to keep our families safe.

3. Supporting our working families through lowering the cost of basic needs like housing, childcare, and healthcare- including prescription drugs.

The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
Common sense gun legislation is one issue that both Democrats and Republicans can find common ground on, just like the U.S. Congress did. Mental health funding and accessibility is another issue where both Democrats and Republicans understand the importance of treatment, support, and accessible resources for those with a mental illness. It is important that legislators work together on issues on which we agree. We must focus on common sense solutions- not what divides us.

What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
As a high school history and government teacher in my district for over 32 years, wife of an Air Force veteran, mother, and grandmother, I will bring a solution-oriented perspective to the Capitol. I am a natural problem-solver, bridge-builder, and listener—all traits that will help me build bipartisan coalitions to tackle Colorado’s most pressing issues.

What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
Owning a home is part of the American dream. Owning a home has been one of the greatest drivers of wealth for the middle class. I will build upon the state’s housing grants and the revolving loan program and also incentivize construction by cutting excessive red tape. This will help us create good-paying jobs as we increase the housing supply. I will also continue funding the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority that has helped over 140,700 hard-working Coloradans be able to afford their homes.

Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
The bipartisan law attempts to treat those addicted while also punishing those who possess or deal this poison into our communities. It provides $10 million for emergency treatment services, including crisis stabilization and detox programs, and $5 million for a 3-year education campaign. These programs will play a crucial role in saving lives by keeping people away from fentanyl. I also support the study of how dealers are using the internet to distribute fentanyl and how we can most effectively prosecute them in order to keep our communities safe.

Kevin Gulbranson

Libertarian Party

AGE
66
RESIDENCE
Aurora
PROFESSION
Retired
EDUCATION
Some college
EXPERIENCE
Prior Outreach Director for the Libertarian Party of Colorado and Outreach Director of the LP of Arapahoe County. Senior Vice President of TracFone Wireless.

What are your top three priorities for the next legislative session?
Individual liberty
Personal responsibility
Minimum government

The chamber may see split Democrat-Republican control next year. On what issues do you see common ground with the opposite party?
 

What perspective or background would you bring to the chamber that is currently missing?
I have always been a leader in business and team builder.

What more can the state legislature do to ease housing costs across Colorado?
Cut property taxes

Do you support the current law on fentanyl possession and resources for treatment?
Yes

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How candidate order was determined: A lot drawing was held at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 3 to determine the general election ballot order for major and minor party candidates. Colorado law (1-5-404, C.R.S.) requires that candidates are ordered on the ballot in three tiers: major party candidates followed by minor party candidates followed by unaffiliated candidates. Within each tier, the candidates are ordered by a lot drawing with the exception of the office of Governor and Lt. Governor, which are ordered by the last name of the gubernatorial candidate.

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