Candidate Profile: Ken Stickney (R)

Q: Please tell our readers a bit about yourself.

A. I am a 34-year resident of Boulder, with 33 of those years spent in House District 10. I worked as a software engineer here for more than thirty years, serving in roles as varied as individual contributor, senior director and program manager. While at Xilinx Inc., where I spent my last 20 years before eventually retiring, I was co-author on two patents.

My wife Jane and I were drawn to Colorado for its outdoor beauty, spending our free time cycling, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking and backcountry skiing for many years. We came to deeply cherish the beauty of Colorado. More recently, I have been active in the Boulder County Republican Party, and am currently the GOP House District 10 Secretary.

Q: What issues do you see as the most pressing, and what are your plans to fix them?

A. By far the most critical issue facing us, in my opinion, is the collapse of the state's economy under the lockdown, associated with attempts to mitigate the Coronavirus pandemic. Clearly the pandemic has been a terrible tragedy for those of us affected. However, our state has been thrust into a situation where we, as of April, have nearly 500,000 people who are unemployed.

I will address the economic crisis in the following ways:

**Fight for the immediate full opening up of the business economy, letting businesses and individuals determine the level of risk they are willing to tolerate, while restricting very large gatherings and actively protecting those at risk.

**Forgo my legislative salary and donate it to food banks and other charitable organizations.

**Request that the U.S. Congress and Administration amend the Payroll Protection Plan to allow businesses to have their loans forgiven if they spend no more than 40% on non-payroll expenses, instead of the current 25%, and lengthen the spending period to 24 weeks.

**Amend Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24 to require mandatory legislative approval for the extension of any emergency declaration by the Governor beyond 30 days, thereby guaranteeing accountability from all government branches.

**A license fee holiday of two years for all small businesses, along with reductions in other business- related fees and taxes.

The next most pressing issue is runaway spending by the State Government. The resounding defeat of Proposition CC in 2018 is a clear signal that spending is an important issue to Colorado voters. Despite TABOR, for the past 10 years the state budget has increased at twice the rate of inflation plus population gain. I propose reining in the budget by eliminating waste and superfluous programs while maintaining and enhancing essential services. Then we can lower taxes and fees on both businesses and individuals. Such tax cuts have been shown to increase business investment and consumer spending; they will launch a new wave of prosperity for all Coloradans.

Important Local Issues

For my district, the local issues that come to mind are improved infrastructure, protection of our natural environment, and jobs lost due to the shutdown. Infrastructure improvements are essential services, and I will work to maintain funding for them; I believe they are a key to a flourishing economy. I will ensure that our State Parks are sufficiently funded, for the enjoyment of all Coloradans. I will also work to revive the decimated tourist economy, which is essential to my district and the source of many jobs. Finally, I promise to listen and respond to all issues brought up by citizens in my district, and push for workable solutions.

Editor's Note: Colorado House District 10 candidate Edie Hooten-D did not respond to the Left Hand Valley Courier's request for an interview.