State House District 52

McCluskey wants to fix budget woes

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Kefalas champions ordinary interests

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Bob McCluskey of Fort Collins, Republican candidate for state representative from House District 52, said his experience as a legislator distinguishes him from his opponent. McCluskey is seeking election to his second term in the House.

"There's a difference between voting on bills versus working on just one area," he said.

McCluskey, 54, also points to his experience with community groups, his roots in Fort Collins and the fact that he owned a small business, the Poudre Valley Creamery.

In his first term, McCluskey sponsored a bill creating the Lacy Miller Law, which passed in two different versions. The second version makes it a felony to impersonate a law enforcement officer and a misdemeanor to possess unauthorized flashing lights for a vehicle. McCluskey also carried a bill to shift more than $1 million in job training funds, so that not only new businesses but existing ones as well can benefit from the funds.

The number one issue facing Colorado, McCluskey said, is the state budget crisis. He pointed out that the state is facing about $400 million in cuts and yet will have to refund about that same amount to taxpayers. McCluskey said the House did its part to try to modify the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR) and Amendment 23, by passing four referred measures that would have gone on the ballot. He voted for all four, he noted, but the measures were killed in the State Senate. "At least we kept the process going," he said.

A key issue related to the state budget is the plight of higher education, McCluskey said, and education of the workforce is a major issue for business. "If we continue to reduce funding for education, it will hurt economic development and reduce opportunities for our children," he said.

This past summer, McCluskey worked on an interim committee involved with business taxation. If re-elected, he plans to sponsor a bill that would provide tax credits for creating new primary jobs. These types of jobs, he noted, generally provide good pay and health insurance.

Health care is another "huge" issue facing the state, McCluskey said. With the number of uninsured people on the rise, he wants Colorado to look at ways of slowing the increase in health care costs, to keep it affordable for working families. McCluskey would like to join with other states to do group purchasing for Medicaid prescription drugs, an area where state costs have risen dramatically. As far as universal health insurance coverage is concerned, McCluskey said it's "an issue that's evolving."

The incumbent serves as chair of a new statewide group, the Colorado Health Care Mandates Commission. "People weren't clear about the consequences of health care mandates," he said, so now the commission must study any proposed new mandates first. The goal of the group, McCluskey said, is to reduce the cost of health care. If re-elected, he plans to sponsor a bill in the next session to reduce health care mandates.

The third major area of concern in the state is job creation, according to McCluskey. "We need to be more proactive," he said, and not just wait for the economic cycles to change.

Before being elected to the state legislature, McCluskey served a term on the Fort Collins City Council. He has also been involved with several community groups.

John Kefalas of Fort Collins, Democratic candidate for state representative from District 52, wants to "improve the lives of people, especially working families and more vulnerable community members."

"I care about people, and in my experience at the state legislature, I have often seen their interests are not represented," he said about his reason for seeking state office. "I will be a champion for ordinary interests."

Under the watch of the Republican Party, Kefalas said, Colorado has lost jobs, and there are more people living in poverty. "We can do a lot better as a state," he said.

Kefalas, 49, said he intends to "hit the ground running" if elected. He has worked with the legislature as a lobbyist for Catholic Charities and has also worked as a social worker, employment counselor and teacher. If elected, he plans to be "a year-round citizen legislator," working when the legislature is not in session on community organizing, listening to people and educating them about the issues. "I want to strengthen people's participation in the process," he said.

Kefalas sees jobs, health care and the state budget as the primary issues facing Colorado. The current fiscal crisis, he said, has important implications for higher education as well as services and programs provided by the state, and he views the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR) as the chief culprit.

Regarding TABOR, Kefalas said he favors keeping the requirement that voters must decide on tax increases, but he supports changing the formula used to determine spending limits. "In bad economic times you keep losing ground," he commented, referring to the ratcheting-down effect of TABOR on taxation and spending. Kefalas said the most realistic solution at present is a "de-Brucing" referendum on the 2005 ballot stipulating that the state can keep the surplus revenue over what TABOR allows.

"I'm not willing to see our social safety net, our public universities and colleges crash and burn. It's unacceptable," he said.

In the health care arena, Kefalas said Colorado needs to look at universal health care, with a single-payer system that would preserve consumer choice. Under such a system, one entity would be established by the state, with its administrative costs limited by law. Kefalas believes such a system would help small businesses, because health insurance premiums would be lower, and hospitals wouldn't lose so much money from treating uninsured people. "It would be more efficient and more humane," he said.

With the growth in Medicaid costs, Kefalas said, "We need to look at the health care issue as a whole, instead of piecemeal."

Kefalas wants to create and keep more jobs in Colorado by developing new industries that suit the state, such as renewable energy. He also wants to emphasize the rebuilding of the state's infrastructure, including a look at a commuter rail system, which would help the economy. And, he wants to do a better job of supporting small businesses by leveling the playing field.

In the past two years, Kefalas has led a coalition to establish a Colorado Housing Trust Fund, which would provide a reliable funding source for affordable housing. Kefalas added that he would bring a spirit of compromise to the legislature. "I have a track record of bringing people to the table who don't often sit down together," he said.