December 16, 2017 01:11 PM UTC

Why I Support Jared Polis

by: NoMistakesJustHappyAccidents

Colorado is blessed with a host of qualified candidates running for Governor to replace John Hickenlooper. Here is my story to explain why I personally support Jared Polis.

Nearly 20 years ago, as a parent of three small children and an early childhood professional, I read an article about Colorado restricting Education students to a tiny list of acceptable majors including English, Math and Science. The proponent of the plan was a Big Oil and Gas corporate Republican named Bruce Benson, a well-known climate change denier, who believed public education was solely designed to produce workers who could count beans and label them — not as an incubator for innovation, creativity, social responsibility, multi-culturalism, interpersonal skills or intellectual curiosity.

I was grateful my birth state of MI had not had such a policy. As one of 9 kids who grew up in a working class home (my dad worked in an auto factory in Detroit), it was a high school history teacher that suggested I consider college. That teacher introduced me to his personal friend, Rosa Parks, who lived in Detroit at that time, and it changed my life. I went on to working to put myself through the most expensive public school in the nation — the University of Michigan. Had it not been for my social studies teachers who were passionate about history, psychology, foreign languages, social justice and the world around us — and who passed on that love to me — I would not have graduated from college and become a successful small business owner today.

While most of us were struggling with AOL dial-up in those days, there was a Wunderkid on the State Board of Education, Jared Polis. Jared was barely out of college himself and he had already been a hugely successful businessman who had literally put several industries on the world-wide web. Jared was the one who returned my call, commiserating about the short-sightedness of the then-current education policy under Benson’s leadership, and thanked me for being one of the roughly eleven people who actually read the State Board of Education minutes. Jared’s taking on Republicans like Benson on public education, while a still a young man himself, was nothing short of heroic.

Jared Polis could have walked away with his success, buying a yacht and sailing around the world, thinking of only himself, as so many, if not most, successful businessmen do these days. Instead, he invested his time, money, energy and love for Colorado into educational start-ups and non-profits. In 2000, he started the Jared Polis Foundation, committed to “creating opportunities for success by supporting educators, increasing access to technology, and strengthening our community.” The schools he supported provided quality educational services to immigrants, street kids, pregnant teens and others who desperately needed them. One of my friends recently told me, “My nephew would never have finished high school had it not been for the New America school. They went above and beyond to make sure he made it.” Jared has literally made many thousands of kid’s lives better as a result of his generosity. Jared knows public education matters, and he fights for it everyday.

Not only that, Jared is a quiet and modest philanthropist, investing in progressive non-profits and actions that help every person in our great state (as well as in other states!), and he simply does not talk about it, nor ask for credit. If you do not know about the extent to which he has devoted his life to service, read The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care) by Adam Schrager.

Since he started his public service, Jared has fearlessly stood on the side of just about every issue I care about — gender parity, marriage equality, protecting the environment, opposing the Iraq war, criminal justice reform, ethics in government, a free internet, services to people with disabilities, public education, and so much more. And while doing all of these things — he still makes himself accessible to his constituents through social media, technology and community events.

As an outspoken feminist in CO, friends have asked me why I am not standing with a woman candidate for Governor, which is a great question. I have nothing against any of the other candidates — in fact, I think there are a number of great options — and I always want more women in power in politics. Jared was raised by a feminist, in a household that values women and their accomplishments. Jared’s mother is a successful businesswoman in her own right. Jared is the only member of Congress I know, and the only candidate for Governor that I know, who has consistently hired women in key leadership roles on his campaigns and to work in his offices. I have every confidence Jared will represent me well — and with respect — as Governor, just as he has done in Congress.

Last, Jared Polis is a fighter who walks his talk. He cares about people, he puts his time and money and energy into fighting for them, and he is one of the most persistent, determined, tenacious fighters for his ideals of just about anyone I know. If his efforts are not working, he tries other means, and he will not quit until he has accomplished what he has set out to do. His lifetime of achievements is a testament to his determination.

My life in Colorado, and my children’s lives in CO, are better because of Jared Polis’s investments in our state. I believe Colorado needs a bold, ambitious, unapologetic Democrat to lead our state, so we can continue to be a light to other states and nations. Jared Polis has proven he is a leader who can do anything he sets his mind to doing — and I’m grateful what he sets his mind to is what’s best for all Americans. I am proud to support Jared Polis for Governor of Colorado!

Why I Support Jared Polis

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