Mike Weissman is seeking his fourth term in the Colorado House of Representatives this fall, squaring off against retired Denver police sergeant William Walters.
Weissman’s district includes north and east Aurora, as well as parts of Arapahoe and Adams counties. In the surveys emailed by The Sentinel and other campaign materials released by the two, the candidates described different priorities in the fields of public safety, education and transportation, among other topics.
Walters, a career law enforcement officer, said he supported the repeal of Colorado’s Senate Bill 20-217, which stripped police officers in the state of qualified legal immunity, required them to intervene and make a report when other officers use excessive force and mandated that more police officers wear and use body-worn cameras.
He specifically objected to the expanded powers granted to the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training board, part of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, to punish police officers for misconduct. Walters’ campaign website accuses legislators of failing to focus on community safety and calls for greater public support for police officers.
“There are a lot of good ideas and worthy goals in SB20-217,” Walters wrote in the Sentinel survey. “But SB20-217 is a nightmare for our communities’ safety and our local control of law enforcement.”
Weissman stood behind SB20-217 and said in his survey that he was proud to have voted for a follow-up House bill which clarified how body-worn camera footage is to be handled and the relationship between police misconduct and POST certification.
“Talk of blanket repeal just misses the many important issues that were taken up in that bill and dismisses the concerns that communities of color, in particular, have had for a long time,” Weissman wrote. “I have also supported numerous measures over the years for peace officer mental health support. Everyone — from the police to the community — benefits when officers have this kind of assistance available.”
On his website, Weissman also talks about his record on education, bringing up bills he has co-sponsored or supported, like a 2022 bill that eliminated the cap on the number of high school students who can take advantage of free community college classes and earn a two-year degree, and bills that funded full-day kindergarten for all and area technical colleges.
Walters said in his Sentinel candidate survey that he would push the legislature to fund roads and schools before other priorities, but also said school curriculum should be scrutinized more, naming the teaching of “racism through (critical race theory)” as a particular concern.
“The state legislature should focus on ensuring that parents know what decisions their school boards are making and what is contained in their curriculum,” Walters wrote on his website. “Colleges and schools should never be used (to) indoctrinate children to any political agenda or demoralize our children.”
Walter also said he would like to see the state invest more in dilapidated roads but rejected the argument that the state’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is to blame for making it difficult for the government to raise and spend tax revenue.
Weissman said he supported “eliminating or modifying” the spending limits set by TABOR, while leaving intact the requirement that tax increases be sent to voters, which he said would help fund roads and schools.
On his website, he also describes bills that he supported which raised hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation needs, including the Regional Transportation District and transit in general.
“Around 100,000 people have been moving to our state every year for the last 10 years, but our roads have not been keeping up,” Weissman wrote. “More and more of us are spending more time in traffic and less time with our families as a result. Transportation is also a large source of climate pollution emissions, and we have to make it easier for Coloradans to get around in ‘greener’ ways too.”
Meet Mike Weissman
Mike Weissman
Democrat Mike Weissman is seeking his fourth term in the Colorado House of Representatives, serving the district that includes north and east Aurora as well as parts of Arapahoe and Adams counties. Weissman is an attorney and chaired the house’s judiciary committee and committee on legal services during the last legislative session. He was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2018 and 2020, most recently defeating Republican challenger Dustin Bishop by 22.4%. He lives in Aurora.
Mike Weissman Q&A
Should the state end partisan elections to the offices of state treasurer, secretary and attorney general, making them administrative positions nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state senate?
No. These offices should continue to be elected by voters. There are significant zones of discretion / policy judgment in each so that they are not truly and should not be merely administrative. Who is in these offices matters in terms of management of our state funds, our election administration, and enforcement of both civil and criminal laws. Those are major things, and voters should make those calls.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
Yes. Independent oversight is key to public trust. I think this is particularly important in communities, like Aurora, where public trust has been shaken by high-profile incidents of questionable police conduct. In turn, as a former Aurora police chief said, police-community trust is one of the foundations of public safety. This said, it’s reasonable that what independent review looks like might vary across the state. For example, a large city like Aurora might address the issue differently than a small, rural town.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
A few areas to focus on include price transparency, anti-competitive practices and access to primary care. Especially for as large a share of our economy as it is, price / cost information in health care is remarkably opaque, which makes it hard for people to evaluate options and react accordingly. In recent years the legislature has passed, and I have supported, measures to increase transparency of drug prices and of certain surgical procedures. Some areas of the state in particular have very few provider options and thus little competition. In health care as in other sectors of the economy, competition is one factor that can lead to lower prices. Where consolidations are proposed, the Colorado attorney general should aggressively use state law antitrust authority to review and, if necessary, aim to block these consolidations. I supported a bipartisan bill in 2020 to clarify this AG authority. Better access to and even increased spending in primary care will tend to save money in the longer term, through management of health conditions before they become acute. We should look at making primary care available in what might be considered non-traditional ways, say in school clinics. We also need to grapple with the reality that access is a big challenge in the rural parts of our state — there are many ZIP Codes in Colorado without a single doctor.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
This is basically true. In every state, including Colorado, when the economy is bad, the state has to reduce its spending to balance the budget — as we did in 2020 when COVID hit. However, in every other state, but not including Colorado, when the economy is good, the state can increase its investment in things like schools and transportation, or save for future downturns, or some of both. Colorado is in a different position than every other state in this respect due to 30-year-old language in our state constitution. We are in the bottom 10 in most rankings in terms of per-student investment in K-12 education, and dead last in teacher pay. The result of this is larger class sizes and teachers who aren’t paid enough to afford to live where or near where they teach, and find themselves compelled to leave the profession even though they care about it. It was not that way prior to the enactment of Article X, Section 20 of the state constitution 30 years ago, a.k.a. the “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.” I think the most important change to make to this 30-year-old law is to eliminate or modify the artificial constraint on simply being able to invest when the economy is good to meet public demands for things like better transportation and schools. Voters would still be able to vote on whether to increase tax rates.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
SB20-217 was positive and one of the most important pieces of legislation passed that year. It passed with 84 yes votes out of 100 — a strong bipartisan margin. Talk of blanket repeal just misses the many important issues that were taken up in that bill and dismisses the concerns that communities of color, in particular, have had for a long time. I also supported a follow-on bill, HB21-1250, that also had strong bipartisan support — 73 yes votes out of 100. Among other things HB 1250 included some adjustments sought by law enforcement, such as clarifications of the handling of body-worn camera video, and how POST (peace officer standards & training) certification intersects with improper peace office conduct. Outside of 217, I have also supported numerous measures over the years for peace officer mental health support. Everyone — from the police to the community — benefits when officers have this kind of assistance available.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
Right now, in Colorado one has to be 21 to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a long gun, including semi-automatic rifles. I would support raising the purchase age to 21 for semi-automatic rifles.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
I am still studying all the details of the ballot measure this year.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
No, and yes. I strongly, strongly supported HB22-1279, a.k.a. the Reproductive Health Equity Act, this year. Government has no place in telling women how to make these decisions. The Dobbs decision overturning Roe and Casey and making abortion rights subject to the political whims of states was an insult to the dignity and autonomy of women all over this country and a stain on the U.S. Supreme Court that will not soon fade.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I don’t really think in terms of unilaterally imposing laws because that’s not how this country is supposed to work. But I do think about how much better off a whole lot of people would be if 50 weeks of honest work a year — whatever that work is — paid a truly living wage.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I don’t know if I would name one, but I have been and will continue to be a proponent of looking at loopholes in our tax code and tightening or eliminating those where they don’t measure up. For example, just a few weeks ago, the non-partisan Office of the State Auditor released a report indicating that many tax breaks on the books are used seldom or not at all.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
Given strong local control provisions in our state constitution, outright bans are legally problematic. That doesn’t change the reality that we have to do more to confront increasing demands for water coupled with increasingly challenged supply. There has seldom been as much water in the Colorado River system as the Colorado River compact is predicated on and certainly not in recent years due to climate change and the increasing acidification of much of the interior west. Things like Aurora’s proposed limitations on turf grass in new construction and golf courses are a modest but helpful start. Other cities should follow suit. We should also continue to invest in helping existing homeowners replace turf grass with xeric / lower-water options. House Bill 1151 this year was an example of this. We may need to further amend the Common Interest Ownership Act (HOA law) so that HOAs can’t require homeowners to use water-intensive turf grass. Aesthetic standards can be maintained in a more water-wise way. Other western states have developed partnerships in which urban areas with water needs invest in useful but often expensive efficiency measures in agricultural areas so that farmers can continue to produce crops but there can be additional water available in urban areas. The Front Range has to meet its water needs without dewatering the western slope, San Luis Valley, or other rural areas.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
Yes; we have to continue to work on and invest in ways for people to get around in addition to driving. There are both state and local government roles here. The state can explicitly invest in a mix of options including transit and multi-use paths and not just road lane-miles — as we have done in recent years. Also, the state can incentivize transit-optimized housing within the broader context of affordable housing funding, as we have also started to do in recent years. Because local governments — cities and counties — control land use and planning / zoning issues, their decisions are also important here. For example, will local decisions allow and even encourage multi-family construction particularly near transit options like the R line?
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
Yes and yes. We have one of the most pro-voter and also secure election systems in the country, and frankly I wish more states followed our lead. Most votes are cast on paper ballots. Bipartisan teams of election judges oversee the process. Our laws make it easy to vote and as a result we have been one of the highest turnout states in the country — for voters of all parties, or unaffiliated — for many elections in a row.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Yes; President Biden won fair and square in 2020, period.
No. These offices should continue to be elected by voters. There are significant zones of discretion / policy judgment in each so that they are not truly and should not be merely administrative. Who is in these offices matters in terms of management of our state funds, our election administration, and enforcement of both civil and criminal laws. Those are major things, and voters should make those calls.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
Yes. Independent oversight is key to public trust. I think this is particularly important in communities, like Aurora, where public trust has been shaken by high-profile incidents of questionable police conduct. In turn, as a former Aurora police chief said, police-community trust is one of the foundations of public safety. This said, it’s reasonable that what independent review looks like might vary across the state. For example, a large city like Aurora might address the issue differently than a small, rural town.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
A few areas to focus on include price transparency, anti-competitive practices and access to primary care. Especially for as large a share of our economy as it is, price / cost information in health care is remarkably opaque, which makes it hard for people to evaluate options and react accordingly. In recent years the legislature has passed, and I have supported, measures to increase transparency of drug prices and of certain surgical procedures. Some areas of the state in particular have very few provider options and thus little competition. In health care as in other sectors of the economy, competition is one factor that can lead to lower prices. Where consolidations are proposed, the Colorado attorney general should aggressively use state law antitrust authority to review and, if necessary, aim to block these consolidations. I supported a bipartisan bill in 2020 to clarify this AG authority. Better access to and even increased spending in primary care will tend to save money in the longer term, through management of health conditions before they become acute. We should look at making primary care available in what might be considered non-traditional ways, say in school clinics. We also need to grapple with the reality that access is a big challenge in the rural parts of our state — there are many ZIP Codes in Colorado without a single doctor.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
This is basically true. In every state, including Colorado, when the economy is bad, the state has to reduce its spending to balance the budget — as we did in 2020 when COVID hit. However, in every other state, but not including Colorado, when the economy is good, the state can increase its investment in things like schools and transportation, or save for future downturns, or some of both. Colorado is in a different position than every other state in this respect due to 30-year-old language in our state constitution. We are in the bottom 10 in most rankings in terms of per-student investment in K-12 education, and dead last in teacher pay. The result of this is larger class sizes and teachers who aren’t paid enough to afford to live where or near where they teach, and find themselves compelled to leave the profession even though they care about it. It was not that way prior to the enactment of Article X, Section 20 of the state constitution 30 years ago, a.k.a. the “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.” I think the most important change to make to this 30-year-old law is to eliminate or modify the artificial constraint on simply being able to invest when the economy is good to meet public demands for things like better transportation and schools. Voters would still be able to vote on whether to increase tax rates.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
SB20-217 was positive and one of the most important pieces of legislation passed that year. It passed with 84 yes votes out of 100 — a strong bipartisan margin. Talk of blanket repeal just misses the many important issues that were taken up in that bill and dismisses the concerns that communities of color, in particular, have had for a long time. I also supported a follow-on bill, HB21-1250, that also had strong bipartisan support — 73 yes votes out of 100. Among other things HB 1250 included some adjustments sought by law enforcement, such as clarifications of the handling of body-worn camera video, and how POST (peace officer standards & training) certification intersects with improper peace office conduct. Outside of 217, I have also supported numerous measures over the years for peace officer mental health support. Everyone — from the police to the community — benefits when officers have this kind of assistance available.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
Right now, in Colorado one has to be 21 to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a long gun, including semi-automatic rifles. I would support raising the purchase age to 21 for semi-automatic rifles.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
I am still studying all the details of the ballot measure this year.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
No, and yes. I strongly, strongly supported HB22-1279, a.k.a. the Reproductive Health Equity Act, this year. Government has no place in telling women how to make these decisions. The Dobbs decision overturning Roe and Casey and making abortion rights subject to the political whims of states was an insult to the dignity and autonomy of women all over this country and a stain on the U.S. Supreme Court that will not soon fade.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I don’t really think in terms of unilaterally imposing laws because that’s not how this country is supposed to work. But I do think about how much better off a whole lot of people would be if 50 weeks of honest work a year — whatever that work is — paid a truly living wage.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I don’t know if I would name one, but I have been and will continue to be a proponent of looking at loopholes in our tax code and tightening or eliminating those where they don’t measure up. For example, just a few weeks ago, the non-partisan Office of the State Auditor released a report indicating that many tax breaks on the books are used seldom or not at all.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
Given strong local control provisions in our state constitution, outright bans are legally problematic. That doesn’t change the reality that we have to do more to confront increasing demands for water coupled with increasingly challenged supply. There has seldom been as much water in the Colorado River system as the Colorado River compact is predicated on and certainly not in recent years due to climate change and the increasing acidification of much of the interior west. Things like Aurora’s proposed limitations on turf grass in new construction and golf courses are a modest but helpful start. Other cities should follow suit. We should also continue to invest in helping existing homeowners replace turf grass with xeric / lower-water options. House Bill 1151 this year was an example of this. We may need to further amend the Common Interest Ownership Act (HOA law) so that HOAs can’t require homeowners to use water-intensive turf grass. Aesthetic standards can be maintained in a more water-wise way. Other western states have developed partnerships in which urban areas with water needs invest in useful but often expensive efficiency measures in agricultural areas so that farmers can continue to produce crops but there can be additional water available in urban areas. The Front Range has to meet its water needs without dewatering the western slope, San Luis Valley, or other rural areas.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
Yes; we have to continue to work on and invest in ways for people to get around in addition to driving. There are both state and local government roles here. The state can explicitly invest in a mix of options including transit and multi-use paths and not just road lane-miles — as we have done in recent years. Also, the state can incentivize transit-optimized housing within the broader context of affordable housing funding, as we have also started to do in recent years. Because local governments — cities and counties — control land use and planning / zoning issues, their decisions are also important here. For example, will local decisions allow and even encourage multi-family construction particularly near transit options like the R line?
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
Yes and yes. We have one of the most pro-voter and also secure election systems in the country, and frankly I wish more states followed our lead. Most votes are cast on paper ballots. Bipartisan teams of election judges oversee the process. Our laws make it easy to vote and as a result we have been one of the highest turnout states in the country — for voters of all parties, or unaffiliated — for many elections in a row.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Yes; President Biden won fair and square in 2020, period.
Get to know Mike Weissman
What’s the most Colorado thing you’ve done recently?
Over the Labor Day weekend, I hiked and managed to summit Ellingwood Point, one of our 14ers down in the Sangres. Got caught in a mix of rain and ice pellets on the way down, but it wasn’t too bad!
What is the last concert you attended?
A show at Nocturne, a jazz club in Denver that I like.
What restaurant do you frequent most?
Even before COVID we tended to like to cook in rather than go out. That said, Thai is one of my favorites, and two places I’ve gone to a lot over the years are Pearl of Siam and Bua.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
The magic necklace from Harry Potter that lets you go back in time and do multiple things at once has often seemed appealing. If that doesn’t count, flying.
What was the last book you read?
I tend to be in the middle of around half a dozen books at once. One of the last ones I finished was “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk.
What is your least favorite household chore?
Scooping out the kitty litter boxes (we have 3 cats).
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
Parts Unknown. It wasn’t really a show about food. It was a show about the complexities of different places in our world and all the people in it, and food was just an entry point to that. I wish Anthony Bourdain were still with us.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
I’m not much of a New Year’s resolution person, but any day of the year can be a chance to change our perspectives on things.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
Spend time in person with friends.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I can make a pretty good scratch pasta sauce. Key building blocks are lots and lots of garlic and onion, sautéed very slowly, and fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Over the Labor Day weekend, I hiked and managed to summit Ellingwood Point, one of our 14ers down in the Sangres. Got caught in a mix of rain and ice pellets on the way down, but it wasn’t too bad!
What is the last concert you attended?
A show at Nocturne, a jazz club in Denver that I like.
What restaurant do you frequent most?
Even before COVID we tended to like to cook in rather than go out. That said, Thai is one of my favorites, and two places I’ve gone to a lot over the years are Pearl of Siam and Bua.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
The magic necklace from Harry Potter that lets you go back in time and do multiple things at once has often seemed appealing. If that doesn’t count, flying.
What was the last book you read?
I tend to be in the middle of around half a dozen books at once. One of the last ones I finished was “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk.
What is your least favorite household chore?
Scooping out the kitty litter boxes (we have 3 cats).
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
Parts Unknown. It wasn’t really a show about food. It was a show about the complexities of different places in our world and all the people in it, and food was just an entry point to that. I wish Anthony Bourdain were still with us.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
I’m not much of a New Year’s resolution person, but any day of the year can be a chance to change our perspectives on things.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
Spend time in person with friends.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
I can make a pretty good scratch pasta sauce. Key building blocks are lots and lots of garlic and onion, sautéed very slowly, and fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Meet William Walters
William Walters
William Walters is a retired Denver Sheriff Department sergeant challenging a three-time incumbent for a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. His website says his priorities include supporting the police, improving road infrastructure and providing oversight of schools. He is a Republican.
William Walters Q&A
Should the state end partisan elections to the offices of state treasurer, secretary and attorney general, making them administrative positions nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state senate?
No. These elected officials should remain accountable to the people of Colorado. There is a check and balance issue of power. Making these offices appointments puts too much authority and power in the hands of the governor and the political party in office at any given time. It takes power away from the voters of Colorado.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
No. How many police agencies are there in Colorado? That is the number of independent oversight panels that could be established. How then would you regulate the newly formed independent oversight panels to keep the same standards across the State of Colorado? This would be one more costly layer of bureaucracy that would fail to address the real issues of policing and keeping our communities safe. It would be better to have a higher level of training standards for officers. It would be better to have better background checks on new recruits.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
I would bring back competition between providers, allowing the free market to operate and letting people choose their own doctors and providers.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
Thank God for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The real issue is our legislators are not held accountable. Why are we spending more money on new programs instead of first repairing our roads and funding our schools? We need to make sure the monies for schools and roads are fully funded before adding new ways to spend taxpayers’ monies. I would fight to make sure money is not diverted from the general budget until our school and road needs are filled. We also need more accountability from the school boards on how money is spent. I am for increasing teachers’ salaries, but did the school really teach our children the core subjects or did they teach racism through CRT? Are school boards spending their budgets on political agendas or on education in the classroom? I would do the same with our streets; repairs in our local communities need to come first. I would like to see new spending bills limited to actual monies available.
Colorado is mandated to have a balanced budget. I would like to pass legislation that as part of that balanced budget, new spending would be limited to monies collected two years prior.
Each year the state should publish how much was collected from all sources of income, taxes and fees. Then the following year the state should show that the money collected was put towards existing voter approved bills, Schools and roads would come first. If, after all current obligations were met, and the state can show there is un-allocated funds available from the previous year, that amount however large or small would be the monies from which all new spending would be limited to for the following year. Legislators would have to choose bills that only could be fully funded from the monies collected two years prior.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
As written, I would support the repeal of SB20-217. There are a lot of good ideas and worthy goals in SB20-217. But SB20-217 is a nightmare for our communities’ safety and our local control of law enforcement. This creates a whole new level of government control over the people of Colorado. Local law enforcement is held responsible by the voters, SB20-217 steals voters’ right to choose. If a sheriff or mayor (Denver, Broomfield) does not hold his officers in check the people can vote them out of office. SB20-217 takes control of law enforcement from our local elected officials (sheriffs and mayors) and gives it to P.O.S.T. I like most of the stated goals of SB20-217 like the wearing of audio / video devices. But I would not have placed criminal enforcement powers with P.O.S.T.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
No. The term “assault-style weapon” is stupid and reeks of ignorance about guns. The term misleads and conditions people not to think for themselves. Has anyone defined what an assault-style weapon is? Those (the far radical left) whose goal is to control and rule over you know they must disarm you. They use the news media to generate fear over so-called gun violence. Much the same way the wearing of masks was used to cause fear, the real science has shown masks were useless in stopping the COVID virus, but masks were very effective in controlling people, restricting their rights, their movements and gatherings. Gun violence is just violence of one person against another person. If we deal with the violent person and hold them accountable, we can reduce violence. Remove the word gun from gun-violence and what’s left, violence. Remove the words assault-style from assault-style weapons, what’s left, weapons. The idea is to ban all weapons and to control you with fear. Those pushing the ban of assault-style weapons have no intention to reduce violence or they would deal with the violent person, not the style of violence.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
No. Hallucinogenic mushrooms are often deadly with the first use. A hallucinating person is out of control and may harm themselves or others. I would compare hallucinogenic mushrooms to the drug fentanyl in that the person consuming them never knows death is knocking at their door.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
Yes, I am pro-life. The issue abortionists never deal with is the humanity of the baby in the womb and now even after birth. Yes, women have the right of choice in their decisions about their body and family, but what abortionists really want is to change their minds. Most abortions today are after the fact. After the fact that the woman and man made a conscious decision to enjoy sex and did not take precautions to prevent conception of their baby. They made their decision, and they want to take it back. But to take it back means murdering their child, and the abortionist nevers wants to deal with that reality. Notice how even in the above question, the topic of murdering the child is avoided by using the words decisions and health care provider. The fallback question for abortionist is what about rape and incest which are two horrible crimes. In the Bible, the Word of God teaches children should never be punished for the crimes of their parents, but not so with abortion. We hear of sexual assaults taking place across the nation daily, but of the few who are prosecuted how many are executed for their crime of rape or incest? Yet the abortionist is eager to execute their baby and they want others to join in their crimes.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I would bring back the death penalty for murder, kidnaping and rape.
I would make elections very secure, easy to register with photo ID.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I would end all COVID measures in state government offices, all hospitals and all schools.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
No. The state should help develop water sources instead of trying to stop growth of communities.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
The above statement makes assumptions, like that building roads is the only option that cannot be done better, that the poor air-quality is only caused by gasoline autos and that the solution to air quality is fewer gasoline autos. There are many things that contribute to Colorado air quality that cannot be influenced by Coloradans, like forest fires in western states, the sun or the hot magma spots melting the frozen tundra from below the surface. Any solutions to our air quality must be based on the reality that Colorado has unique circumstances to deal with, like the mountains that hold the air pollution over Denver. One energy source that should be explored is small nuclear power plants and the improvement of our electrical grid. The current power grid in Colorado is why electric autos are not a feasible solution to our air-quality. While electric cars produce less air-pollution in operation, they cause more pollution to manufacture and electric vehicles have limited range and cannot carry loads sufficient to supply the Colorado economy today nor in the near future. But this was the goal of shutting down gas and oil production in Colorado and the nation, to destroy the economy, not to switch to electric autos. They would have invested in the power grid and lowered the cost of electric autos before shutting down oil wells and forcing electric vehicles on us if air quality was the real goal. They would have developed electric trucks before electric cars. How long does the electric auto heater last stuck in a snowbank in the mountains? Where are the already in place charging stations for the few electric autos in use today? How long are the lines at the charging stations? Some people are installing charging systems in their homes that depend on our fossil fuel power plants. How much of our home heat comes from natural gas? How much electric power is needed to heat schools, or should we expect the children to wear winter coats and gloves in the classroom? Everything is dependent on fossil fuel directly or indirectly even electric autos, except power plants, which depend on fossil fuels.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
No. I used to believe in Colorado elections. Have you ever used the share feature or smart view on cell phones to steam a movie? The same technology to stream movies can be used to hack voting machines and computers that count the ballots. Until our election computers and voting machines are secure, it is hard to trust the election. Therefore, I will move to ensure that all election computers and voting machines will be hardened against wireless connections.
Voter rolls are kept forever, but they shouldn’t be. People move, people die and voter rolls constantly need to be updated. Mail-in ballots are sent to old addresses and to the dead, but not to fear some are actually returned for counting. If I am elected, I will submit legislation that after the presidential elections the voter rolls will be sealed and stored for legal election matters. Then 30 days after the presidential election people may register to vote for the upcoming local and state elections, and up to 30 days before the presidential election. This will help keep voter registration rolls clear of old information. I have seen too many names listed with the same address of a single house. Does every name get a mail-in ballot when only one family lives there?
I will accept the outcome of this election as announced, unless there is a recount triggered by a close margin, or there is some form of obvious voter fraud.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Where there is smoke there is most likely a fire. I do not know for sure if other states had voter fraud. If an election is secure and has been declared for a winner, then those election officials should have no reason not to allow the ballots to be recounted. But whenever, wherever, you see resistance to poll watchers being turned away or not allowed to get close to view the handling of ballots then there will be room for doubt.
No. These elected officials should remain accountable to the people of Colorado. There is a check and balance issue of power. Making these offices appointments puts too much authority and power in the hands of the governor and the political party in office at any given time. It takes power away from the voters of Colorado.
Colorado recently enacted far-reaching reforms affecting police agencies across the state. Mandating truly independent review of police-related deaths and injuries wasn’t among the new requirements created by Senate Bill 20-217. Should every police agency be required to create some type of independent oversight mechanism?
No. How many police agencies are there in Colorado? That is the number of independent oversight panels that could be established. How then would you regulate the newly formed independent oversight panels to keep the same standards across the State of Colorado? This would be one more costly layer of bureaucracy that would fail to address the real issues of policing and keeping our communities safe. It would be better to have a higher level of training standards for officers. It would be better to have better background checks on new recruits.
Despite many lauded changes in Obamacare, the cost of health care in Colorado and across the nation has continued to climb steadily, outpacing almost every other nation. What can the Legislature do to not just halt regular increases, but push down health care costs?
I would bring back competition between providers, allowing the free market to operate and letting people choose their own doctors and providers.
Many argue that the generally poor condition of Colorado roads and underfunded schools is due in large part because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which prevents legislators from raising taxes and caps tax revenues, returning “excesses” to residents. Why is this true, and what’s the solution, or why is this untrue, and how can Colorado better fund roads and schools?
Thank God for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The real issue is our legislators are not held accountable. Why are we spending more money on new programs instead of first repairing our roads and funding our schools? We need to make sure the monies for schools and roads are fully funded before adding new ways to spend taxpayers’ monies. I would fight to make sure money is not diverted from the general budget until our school and road needs are filled. We also need more accountability from the school boards on how money is spent. I am for increasing teachers’ salaries, but did the school really teach our children the core subjects or did they teach racism through CRT? Are school boards spending their budgets on political agendas or on education in the classroom? I would do the same with our streets; repairs in our local communities need to come first. I would like to see new spending bills limited to actual monies available.
Colorado is mandated to have a balanced budget. I would like to pass legislation that as part of that balanced budget, new spending would be limited to monies collected two years prior.
Each year the state should publish how much was collected from all sources of income, taxes and fees. Then the following year the state should show that the money collected was put towards existing voter approved bills, Schools and roads would come first. If, after all current obligations were met, and the state can show there is un-allocated funds available from the previous year, that amount however large or small would be the monies from which all new spending would be limited to for the following year. Legislators would have to choose bills that only could be fully funded from the monies collected two years prior.
Some local city lawmakers were elected on a platform that they would lobby the state to repeal SB20-217, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill. Has this legislation positively or negatively impacted policing in Colorado? Would you propose any changes?
As written, I would support the repeal of SB20-217. There are a lot of good ideas and worthy goals in SB20-217. But SB20-217 is a nightmare for our communities’ safety and our local control of law enforcement. This creates a whole new level of government control over the people of Colorado. Local law enforcement is held responsible by the voters, SB20-217 steals voters’ right to choose. If a sheriff or mayor (Denver, Broomfield) does not hold his officers in check the people can vote them out of office. SB20-217 takes control of law enforcement from our local elected officials (sheriffs and mayors) and gives it to P.O.S.T. I like most of the stated goals of SB20-217 like the wearing of audio / video devices. But I would not have placed criminal enforcement powers with P.O.S.T.
Would you vote for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons? Why?
No. The term “assault-style weapon” is stupid and reeks of ignorance about guns. The term misleads and conditions people not to think for themselves. Has anyone defined what an assault-style weapon is? Those (the far radical left) whose goal is to control and rule over you know they must disarm you. They use the news media to generate fear over so-called gun violence. Much the same way the wearing of masks was used to cause fear, the real science has shown masks were useless in stopping the COVID virus, but masks were very effective in controlling people, restricting their rights, their movements and gatherings. Gun violence is just violence of one person against another person. If we deal with the violent person and hold them accountable, we can reduce violence. Remove the word gun from gun-violence and what’s left, violence. Remove the words assault-style from assault-style weapons, what’s left, weapons. The idea is to ban all weapons and to control you with fear. Those pushing the ban of assault-style weapons have no intention to reduce violence or they would deal with the violent person, not the style of violence.
Having legalized and regulated recreational marijuana, should Colorado pursue legalization of recreational psilocybin, also known as hallucinogenic mushrooms?
No. Hallucinogenic mushrooms are often deadly with the first use. A hallucinating person is out of control and may harm themselves or others. I would compare hallucinogenic mushrooms to the drug fentanyl in that the person consuming them never knows death is knocking at their door.
Would you support legislation imposing restrictions on abortions, or should Colorado stay the course in preventing the government from making those decisions for women and their health care providers?
Yes, I am pro-life. The issue abortionists never deal with is the humanity of the baby in the womb and now even after birth. Yes, women have the right of choice in their decisions about their body and family, but what abortionists really want is to change their minds. Most abortions today are after the fact. After the fact that the woman and man made a conscious decision to enjoy sex and did not take precautions to prevent conception of their baby. They made their decision, and they want to take it back. But to take it back means murdering their child, and the abortionist nevers wants to deal with that reality. Notice how even in the above question, the topic of murdering the child is avoided by using the words decisions and health care provider. The fallback question for abortionist is what about rape and incest which are two horrible crimes. In the Bible, the Word of God teaches children should never be punished for the crimes of their parents, but not so with abortion. We hear of sexual assaults taking place across the nation daily, but of the few who are prosecuted how many are executed for their crime of rape or incest? Yet the abortionist is eager to execute their baby and they want others to join in their crimes.
If you could unilaterally write and impose any law you wanted, what would it be?
I would bring back the death penalty for murder, kidnaping and rape.
I would make elections very secure, easy to register with photo ID.
If you could unilaterally sunset any existing Colorado law, which would it be?
I would end all COVID measures in state government offices, all hospitals and all schools.
Should the state seek to prevent growth in communities that cannot prove sustainable water sources?
No. The state should help develop water sources instead of trying to stop growth of communities.
Colorado cannot pave its way out of highway and road congestion and the air-quality problems it creates. Should the state make a concerted effort to reduce overburdened roads and highways some other way? How?
The above statement makes assumptions, like that building roads is the only option that cannot be done better, that the poor air-quality is only caused by gasoline autos and that the solution to air quality is fewer gasoline autos. There are many things that contribute to Colorado air quality that cannot be influenced by Coloradans, like forest fires in western states, the sun or the hot magma spots melting the frozen tundra from below the surface. Any solutions to our air quality must be based on the reality that Colorado has unique circumstances to deal with, like the mountains that hold the air pollution over Denver. One energy source that should be explored is small nuclear power plants and the improvement of our electrical grid. The current power grid in Colorado is why electric autos are not a feasible solution to our air-quality. While electric cars produce less air-pollution in operation, they cause more pollution to manufacture and electric vehicles have limited range and cannot carry loads sufficient to supply the Colorado economy today nor in the near future. But this was the goal of shutting down gas and oil production in Colorado and the nation, to destroy the economy, not to switch to electric autos. They would have invested in the power grid and lowered the cost of electric autos before shutting down oil wells and forcing electric vehicles on us if air quality was the real goal. They would have developed electric trucks before electric cars. How long does the electric auto heater last stuck in a snowbank in the mountains? Where are the already in place charging stations for the few electric autos in use today? How long are the lines at the charging stations? Some people are installing charging systems in their homes that depend on our fossil fuel power plants. How much of our home heat comes from natural gas? How much electric power is needed to heat schools, or should we expect the children to wear winter coats and gloves in the classroom? Everything is dependent on fossil fuel directly or indirectly even electric autos, except power plants, which depend on fossil fuels.
Do you trust the election process in Colorado? And will you accept the outcome of this election as announced?
No. I used to believe in Colorado elections. Have you ever used the share feature or smart view on cell phones to steam a movie? The same technology to stream movies can be used to hack voting machines and computers that count the ballots. Until our election computers and voting machines are secure, it is hard to trust the election. Therefore, I will move to ensure that all election computers and voting machines will be hardened against wireless connections.
Voter rolls are kept forever, but they shouldn’t be. People move, people die and voter rolls constantly need to be updated. Mail-in ballots are sent to old addresses and to the dead, but not to fear some are actually returned for counting. If I am elected, I will submit legislation that after the presidential elections the voter rolls will be sealed and stored for legal election matters. Then 30 days after the presidential election people may register to vote for the upcoming local and state elections, and up to 30 days before the presidential election. This will help keep voter registration rolls clear of old information. I have seen too many names listed with the same address of a single house. Does every name get a mail-in ballot when only one family lives there?
I will accept the outcome of this election as announced, unless there is a recount triggered by a close margin, or there is some form of obvious voter fraud.
Do you believe the 2020 Presidential Election was absent of widespread fraud and fairly won by Joe Biden?
Where there is smoke there is most likely a fire. I do not know for sure if other states had voter fraud. If an election is secure and has been declared for a winner, then those election officials should have no reason not to allow the ballots to be recounted. But whenever, wherever, you see resistance to poll watchers being turned away or not allowed to get close to view the handling of ballots then there will be room for doubt.
Get to know William Walters
What’s the most Colorado thing you’ve done recently?
I went bowhunting for elk two weeks ago. I did not see anything.
What is the last concert you attended?
I have not attended a concert since my college days (1973).
What restaurant do you frequent most?
Saltgrass.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Fly.
What was the last book you read?
The Bible. I keep re-reading it.
What is your least favorite household chore?
Floor cleaning.
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
Star Trek.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
None.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
Went to a movie.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
My love of walking in the rain.
I went bowhunting for elk two weeks ago. I did not see anything.
What is the last concert you attended?
I have not attended a concert since my college days (1973).
What restaurant do you frequent most?
Saltgrass.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Fly.
What was the last book you read?
The Bible. I keep re-reading it.
What is your least favorite household chore?
Floor cleaning.
If you had to pick one television show to watch forever, what would it be?
Star Trek.
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
None.
What were you most excited to do after pandemic restrictions eased?
Went to a movie.
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
My love of walking in the rain.