Senate District 25
Democratic candidate Mary Hodge said her focus in a second term would be on the economy. The incumbent from Brighton said re-examining restrictive regulations at the state level is the first step toward making a more business friendly environment, and she sees the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora as a major economic engine for the entire district.
“In the future, we still have to work on creating an environment that’s good for people trying to create jobs,” Hodge said, adding that funding for higher education plays a big role in that push.
With steady rounds of cuts to K-12 and higher education in the past four years as background, Hodge said a priority should be retooling legislation like the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights and the Gallagher Amendment, laws that have deeply impacted the structure and dynamic of education funding in the state. “We need to put more money into education. We need to make sure that the people who are educating our children are the best and the brightest,” Hodge said, adding that any major changes to the constitution would have to come in a piece-by-piece fashion.
“It all has to go back to a vote of the people and we have to be a part of the single subject rule. It’s going to be piecemeal.”
Overall, Hodge said her record and her work on past budgets are marks of pride in her time in office, achievements that merit a second term.
“I think the budget that we proposed was superior. The last two years have both gotten more votes than ever in recent history,” Hodge said. “I think I’ve done a good job of being a moderate, common-sense voice for the district. I think I would like to continue being that voice.”
Republican candidate John Sampson said he would not support a civil unions bill at the Legislature. The onus should be on Colorado residents to offer up a citizen-led initiative on civil unions instead of the Legislature passing a bill, he said. “I believe it’s an issue to be handled by the people of the state of Colorado,” he said. Sampson would oppose any new laws related to gun control. Instead, he would support a sentencing enhancement bill that would increase a criminal’s sentence by 10 years if they use a firearm to commit a crime. “Rather than punish the individuals who purchase firearms legally, you need to address the individuals who abuse that constitutional right,’ he said.
He believes that change in immigration reform should come at the federal level, not the state level. He said immigrant students who have lived and gone through schooling in the United States should be given a student visa by the federal government, he said. He doesn’t support offering in-state tuition discounts to illegal immigrants. He supports lowering taxes on businesses if it would help jumpstart the economy, and would like to see less regulations for oil and gas drilling companies. Those companies should only have to comply with one set of regulations at the state level instead of regulations at both the state and municipal level, he said. “We don’t need regulations to the point that it becomes overly burdensome for businesses,” he said.
Republican candidate John Sampson said the only legislation regarding gun laws that he’d consider proposing in the wake of the July 20 theater massacre would be a sentence-enhancement bill. That bill would add 10 years to the sentence of a criminal that uses a firearm to commit a crime. “Rather than punish individuals who purchase firearms legitimately for individual purposes, you need to address individuals who abuse that Constitutional right,” he said. He’s willing to give tax breaks to small businesses to help boost their ability to create jobs. He would not support a civil unions bill. Instead, he thinks the issue should be left up to the people to put forward a citizen-led initiative. He says undocumented students should be given the opportunity to apply for a student visa at the federal level, and if they’re granted a student visa, they should be able to attend college. “If that means they pay full-rate tuition, that’s what happens,” he said.
Good deeds and intentions led to a career on Capitol Hill for Mary Hodge
Mary Hodge’s journey in state politics started casually enough, with a casual offer to help a Garfield County candidate stuff envelopes and knock on doors.
Since she took that first step in the mid-1960s, Hodge has made local politics a constant focus. The casual campaigning for local candidates turned into a political career of her own. After eight years in the state House, Hodge won the Senate District 25 seat in 2008. The Brighton resident is seeking a second term representing a diverse district, one that includes stretches of Aurora, Brighton and Thornton.
“Its diversity is unique. We go from the Washington County line west – that’s entirely agricultural – to the urban and suburban,” Hodge said. “It’s a very diverse district. It has a lot of different ethnicities. It has a wide range of income level.”
For all its diversity, Hodge said residents in the district share a common focus for the upcoming election. Uncertainty about the state of the economy and the security of jobs has been a constant theme from constituents during this campaign season, Hodge said, and its one that would figure into her priorities if she were to win a second term.
“We still have to work on creating an environment that’s good for people tyring to create jobs,” Hodge said. “I think we need to look at unnecessary regulations,” she added, pointing to unnecessary and overly complicated policies in the state’s departments of health and labor. “Another thing for job creators is our education system. People don’t want to come to a place where their children can’t find good schools.”
Maintaining a well regarded education system is closely tied to budget restrictions, Hodge said. A structural fix to a constant series of cuts for K-12 and higher education is a priority, one that has to come with a re-examination of the funding structure spelled out in the state constitution. Even if it’s reform that comes in a piecemeal fashion, rethinking the Tax Payers Bill of Rights and the Gallagher Amendment are critical steps in repairing the funding system for education in Colorado, Hodge said. In Aurora, it’s a limitation that affects one of the city’s newest and most powerful economic engines: the Anschutz Medical Campus.
“Anschutz has been a huge boon; I think it brings a caché to being a member of the Aurora community,” Hodge said. “It’s been unfortunate that higher ed is not protected or mandated. They’ve taken the biggest, and that affects Anschutz.”
State senate candidate red-lining life and politics
John Sampson’s outlook on life changed on April 11, 2006 when he was diagnosed with oral cancer. A short time later, he underwent a grueling operation where doctors had to remove part of his tongue and two-dozen lymph nodes from his neck. After the procedure, Sampson chose to infuse his life with more horsepower. He began drag racing a Ford Mustang, and convinced his whole family to join in the fun.
Now, as the Republican candidate for Senate District 25, he is drawing parallels between drag racing and running a campaign.
“It takes determination, preparation and execution of a plan to do both,” he said. Good sportsmanship is also important, he said.
“We can run this race like you would run a race at Bandimere Speedway,” he said. “We can be competitors, but also be decent and civil.” His affinity for fast cars also played a part in his campaign slogan, “A driving force for Colorado.”
Sampson is used to adrenaline rushes, having spent years in New York serving arrest warrants on a metro fugitive task force for the U.S. department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve and the U.S. Coast Guard. He relocated to Colorado in 1985 and lived in Denver and Aurora before he moved to Strasburg to be closer to his granddaughters. Sampson, who received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Long Island University, now owns CSI Consulting and Investigations, which helps victims of fraudulent immigration marriage.
During the past few years, Sampson became increasingly frustrated with the state’s policies and gave serious thought to running for elected office. “I couldn’t complain about the way things were going unless I got actively involved, and that’s what motivated me,” he said. He says he’s the best candidate for the job because of his “common-sense leadership style” and his commitment to transparency.
“If elected, I’ll have an open-door policy,” he said. “I want to hear from the voters. They’re the ones I work for.”
Colorado State Senate District 25 candidates speak for themselves
Incumbent: Mary Hodge-D
Challenger: John Sampson-R
What makes you the most qualified candidate?
Mary Hodge:
I am a common-sense, moderate voice for the people of north Aurora where I worked for a number of years. I have the experience and the relationships to get things done.
John Sampson:
I’m the most qualified candidate because of my pragmatic approach to problem solving, my diverse professional experience, and my strong desire to bring both a servant-leadership style and Colorado common-sense solutions to Washington. I’m committed to finding bipartisan, sensible solutions like the proposals I have worked on with Republicans and Democrats in the Colorado state legislature. Along with other state legislators, I cut my take-home pay two percent, and I was on an audit committee that found over $70 million in savings for state government to help balance the budget. I want to take that same pragmatic approach to Washington.
Should the state revisit sentencing restrictions to reduce prison spending?
Mary Hodge:
The state should revisit sentencing restrictions to more adequately deal with prisoners and help them become better members of society. Reducing prison spending would be a nice side benefit.
John Sampson:
No. The primary function of government is to provide for the protection of its citizens. Sentencing restrictions would have the effect of lessening the consequences of criminal behavior.
Would you support creating a public school voucher program?
Mary Hodge:
No.
John Sampson:
Yes. School choice through vouchers is a viable means by which to ensure quality in education.
Should Colorado grant homosexuals the right to marry, create civil unions or neither?
Mary Hodge:
Without a change in our Constitution, homosexuals can’t be granted the right to marry. Civil unions is a poor substitute but should be granted.
John Sampson:
Article II, Section 30b and Section 31 address these issues. The legislature should not be involved in an issue such as this. The issue of same sex marriage, civil unions, domestic partnership, etc. should be resolved through a ballot initiative. I would support and respect whatever the people of our state deem appropriate on this.
With so many state “entitlements,” such as Medicaid and public schools, how can Colorado best increase spending on roads, bridges and other transportation projects?
Mary Hodge:
We must find an adequate funding source. There are several proposals in the works: vehicle miles driven, increase in the gas tax, etc. I’m willing to listen to any and all ideas to find a source that makes sense for Colorado. Finding a fix for the constitutional challenges: Gallagher, TABOR, Amendment 23 would also be helpful.
John Sampson:
First, public schooling is not an entitlement, it is one of the primary functions of state and local government. Having said that, entitlement spending needs to be reviewed just as spending on other issues. If sacrifices need to be made, all segments of Colorado need to be required to do their fair share.
Should the state increase regulation of fracking or ease off?
Mary Hodge:
The state is currently reviewing fracking regulations. I sense good policy will come from this as it did when we revisited other oil and gas regulations.
John Sampson:
Fracking has been proven to be safe when it’s done with care. I would like to see a uniform set of regulations that address the concerns of safety but at the same time reducing redundancy. Rather than having local governments issue their own regulations which would not be uniform throughout the state, a uniform state-wide regulation regarding fracking would ensure the public safety and health and at the same time, bring a certain level of consistency that those in the oil and gas business would be able to rely on while conducting business in this state.
Above all, what should the state do to improve student performance in public schools?
Mary Hodge:
Ensuring there’s a great teacher in every classroom, every year and adequately funding the mandates we’ve placed on schools.
John Sampson:
Hold teachers and administrators accountable. Have pay for performance initiated in order to motivate and encourage teachers to excel. We need to get back to basics and teach our children the skills they will need in order to succeed in life and in their chosen occupations.
In what ways could, or should, Colorado step up efforts to make life for illegal immigrants inconvenient so that they would leave the state?
Mary Hodge:
Without jobs to support them, undocumented individuals are already leaving the state. We have some of the strongest laws in the nation already in statute.
John Sampson:
I would consider introducing legislation in Colorado requiring Colorado businesses to use eVerify to screen new employees and prospective employees. I would also encourage institutions of higher learning to not give illegal aliens free tuition. I would ask that colleges, universities, and technical schools adhere to current federal immigration law. I believe that as a start, the mandatory use of eVerify would be a good first step.
What one thing could the Legislature do to create private sector jobs?
Mary Hodge:
The legislature does not “create” private sector jobs. We can create an environment that encourages job growth and new business. We’ve started by looking at duplicative and unnecessary regulation.
John Sampson:
Lower taxes on businesses, and reduce overly burdensome regulations on businesses.
Should Colorado work to increase a “cooling off” period for the sale of guns and ammunition, increasing the requirement to ensure the mental health of gun buyers?
Mary Hodge:
No.
John Sampson:
Both the US and Colorado constitutions provide an inalienable right for its citizens to keep and bear arms. Rather than making it more inconvenient or difficult for a citizen to exercise a constitutionally protected right, perhaps the better approach would be to have sentencing enhancements for those crimes in which a firearm is used thereby punishing those who misuse firearms rather than making it difficult for responsible citizens who wish to exercise their rights to keep and bear arms. There are more deaths attributed to motor vehicles than to guns, and yet it’s relatively easy to purchase a car.