August 01, 2010 01:29 AM UTC

Candidate diary HD 12 - Jake Williams for State House

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• by: wade norris

(Because there ARE other races this Primary season – promoted by ClubTwitty)

This week I got the chance to interview HD 12 candidate Jake Williams.

HD 12 is in  the County of Boulder including the towns of Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville.

In addition to his record of public service, Mr. Williams has the depth of knowledge necessary for solving the tough issues facing Colorado, such as fixing the budget, creating more jobs, and improving government.

Mr. Williams explains these views and the fundamental difference in philosophy on governing between himself and his primary opponent.

Question: Why are you running for office?

Answer: This is a great time to have a conversation with voters about what kind of State they want to have and what role State Government can play in it. I think Republicans and Democrats get the concept that you get what you pay for. Right now, the cracks are showing – in increased classroom sizes, in decreased investment in roads and bridges, and in our medicaid system failing. I am hopeful in this crisis we can actually see how we can have a rational conversation about funding services at an adequate level and making changes in our budget so we can meet those needs.

(because of budget cuts) …people are suffering as a consequence.

The budget is not just a sheet of paper with numbers on it. It is a moral document with real life consequences.

Question: Would you be willing to bring up and address Tabor?

Answer: Absolutely. The budget is our primary challenge we are facing in Colorado.

Question: Where are we going to get new jobs?

Answer: In the past 5 years there have been over 50 companies that have sprouted from technology at CU. Over 40 of those companies have operations in and around Boulder county. At the same time funding over the past decade for Research and Development to CU ha been on a downward trend.

(Me) So the very place that is creating jobs is getting less money?

(Jake) Yes, it makes no sense.

Question:What’s the main difference between you and your primary opponent – Matt Jones?

Answer:(my opponent) when he represented Adams county, he joined with Republicans to pass Arveschoug-Bird. This law limited General fund spending increases at 6%. The General fund is for Healthcare, Education, child protection, Senior Services, Medicaid, and services for people with disabilities. So it has been devastating. The combination of Arveschoug-Bird and Tabor has dragged down those services to a level that is almost last in the nation. That’s really formed a large part of the reason of why I am running now, because if we don’t reverse course, we will have a much dimmer future than we would have if we don’t reform our budget and reinvest in those services.

From his website:

Jake is currently employed by the Western Conservation Foundation, where he works to improve environmental public policy and to hold elected officials accountable on environmental issues.

As an advocate for working families at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Jake led successful campaigns to pass legislation at the State Capitol, including “whistleblower” protection for every nurse in Colorado and hospital infection reporting to help every patient in Colorado.

Jake has built unlikely bi-partisan coalitions among business leaders, medical professionals, consumer advocates, labor unions and others to make progress on health care reform and environmental protection.

Jake has helped scores of Democratic candidates win tough elections. As campaign manager for Kathy Hartman, he helped achieve the only victory for a Democrat in a Jefferson County Commissioner race in the past 16 years. As an advisor to Rep. Dianne Primavera, he helped Primavera win a State House seat that had never been occupied by a Democrat.

Jake is a loyal party activist who has worked to elect democrats to office, has experience crafting policy and has experience building broad coalitions. His Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics also equips him for working with our other expert financial leaders, such as Rep. Mark Ferrandino.

Our state can’t afford to rank last in vital services like Medicaid, Education and Healthcare. We need a leader who understands complex budget issues and who won’t vote for mistakes like Arveschoug-Bird. Vote for Jake Williams.