State House District 53

Paccione cites first-term success

By Dan MacArthur
Correspondent

Haynes proud of history of service

By Dan MacArthur
Correspondent

Democrat Angie Paccione is seeking re-election to continue what she regards as her effective nonpartisan representation.

Paccione supports her contention by noting that she successfully passed six bills in her first term while most freshmen Democrats pass none.

"I love the Democratic Party, but I'm not bound to it, which means I'm free to vote my conscience, my convictions and the merits of the bill," she said. "I work well with the other side of the aisle. I brought sensible legislation. I didn't bring legislation that was partisan. I'm not down there to make a political point. I'm there to serve the citizens."

Paccione shares the belief that the budget will once again be the single biggest issue next session. She estimates that as much as an additional $450 million must be cut from upcoming budgets in addition to the nearly $2 billion cut in the last two years.

"It's such a crisis because we balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable members of the community, and the only place there is for flexibility in the budget is higher ed," Paccione said. "So vulnerable members of the community - seniors, kids, disabled, mentally ill - get it in the shorts, so to speak, then higher ed gets it."

At the same time, she said, the state will be refunding as much as $300 million of revenues in excess of what the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights allows it to retain. "That's absurd," Paccione said. "It would be one thing if the state were collecting an exorbitant tax rate, but we're not. We're one of the lowest tax rate states. If we could just keep what we take in we'd be fine."

Colorado State University already has taken a big hit losing some 300 jobs and 100 actual employees, Paccione said, and she fears the cuts will go deeper because "higher education is the only place in the budget where we have the flexibility to cut anything."

In addition to the personal trauma for those losing their jobs, Paccione said, the effect ripples through the community because CSU is its biggest employer and "economic engine."

If re-elected, Paccione said she would sponsor bills prohibiting access to child pornography and reforming the insurance industry. "The insurance industry is making a killing on the back of working families; we've got to rein them in," she said.

Paccione said her nonpartisanship most distinguishes her from her opponent, the former chairman of the Larimer County Republican Party.

"First and foremost I'm not a party hack," she said. "I'm not saying that in a disparaging way. There are some fabulous Republican representatives. But the Republican leadership has an agenda. The fact that my opponent is the party leadership tells me and tells voters that when it comes down to the vote, he's voting with the party."

Paccione, 44, is a native of the South Bronx who has lived in Fort Collins for 17 years. Formerly a professor in the CSU School of Education, she now is a research associate for the CSU Interwest Equity Assistance Center. She also played professional basketball from 1983 to 1985.

She earned her doctorate in education and human resource studies and master's in vocational education from CSU and bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford University.

Republican Ed Haynes wants to build more highways and improve funding for higher education while resisting the growth of government.

To accomplish those seemingly contrary goals, he said the legislature must see that tax revenues are spent for their intended purpose, promote business growth and ensure that government performs only essential services.

"We have to stay fiscally responsible," Haynes said. "If we need money for state government, we have to have the courage to ask the people for it."

Haynes advocates widening Interstate 25 to six lanes from Denver to Northern Colorado to improve safety and mobility. He said one way of making money available for such projects is ensuring gasoline tax revenues are applied to their intended purpose rather than being diverted to subsidize costly, inefficient and failing mass transit systems. From 1997 to 2001, Haynes said Coloradoans subsidized such systems with $1.5 billion.

The candidate said he doesn't know why there's not more outrage at the inappropriate diversion of highway users' tax funds. "I believe we ought to use the money we pay at the pump for expanding and improving our highway systems," he said.

Haynes said he is also committed to dealing with the crisis in higher-education funding. "What is the point of spending all this money on K through 12 and dumping our high school graduates into a system that can't take care of them in college in Colorado," he said.

Haynes said he would consider asking voters to revise the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights so the state could retain for higher education some of the revenues that otherwise would be returned under the measure - providing TABOR still mandated limits on state spending and a vote on every proposed tax increase.

Improving the business climate is another of Haynes' priorities. He said the best way to accomplish that is getting government off its back through tort reform and repeal of the personal property tax on business capital purchases.

"We need to have jobs," he said. "We need to do something to attract employers to Colorado and allow employers in Colorado to expand, and if that means we have to find ways to reduce government regulation and tax structure, I want to do that."

He is well qualified for the position, Haynes contended, by virtue of his lifelong career in government, his extensive community and public service and his experience as a parent.

"My life has the kind of breadth and experience that I think sets me apart from (my opponent). My whole life has been built around giving service and I want to continue doing that," he said.

Haynes, 59, of Fort Collins recently retired from 38 years of government service in a number of civilian capacities for the Army and Air Force. Most recently he was a computer security specialist with the Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service in Fort Collins.

He graduated from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, with a degree in business management, banking and finance. Haynes served 27 years in the Army Reserves, retiring as a master sergeant. He served on the executive board for the United Way federal campaign for eight years. He also served as chairman of the Larimer County Republican Party from 1999 to 2003 and vice chair for the two years previous.