CORRECTION: The responses to this week’s election guide questions from state Rep. Sara Gagliardi, House District 27, on Page 9, were responses from Mary Arnold, a candidate in House District 29. Mile High Newspapers regrets the error and strives to accurately serve our community. We will correct or clarify and misrepresentations submitted to us at 303-279-5541.
Sara Gagliardi
Party: Democrat
Age: 50
Occupation: State representative and LPN at Kaiser Permanente
Address: 11854 West 56th Drive Arvada, CO 80002
Background: Married 19 years to Jack, a civil engineer, three sons: Gordon, 30, married and two children; Chris, 29, married and 2 children; and Tony, 15, and student at Arvada West High School.
1) Please use three to five adjectives to describe your leadership style and, in one sentence, tell us why you are running.
Compassionate, experienced, and cooperative. I’m running for re-election to finish what I started last session — to provide affordable health care for all Coloradoans.
2) Do you see any problems with the structure and process of the state budget? If so, how would you remedy the challenges?
TABOR hamstrings the Legislature and forces us to cut back on funding for higher education, transportation, health care and youth programs, environmental concerns, and a whole slew of other issues. The long bill process is grueling, but it allows the Legislature to hammer out waste and follow every single dollar of taxpayer money so that we know we are spending wisely and with restraint and responsibility.
3) How would you rate the performance of the legislature in the past session on a scale of 1-10. Explain your answer.
I would give the Legislature 10 out of 10. Republicans and Democrats came together to write good legislation, and Gov. Ritter signed 11 health care bills at once for our building blocks to health care reform plan. My bill was part of this package, Senate Bill 135, which creates a standardized health ID card for patients, using 21st century technology for the electronic exchange of information, saving patients both time and money. Health care is my passion and as a nurse and a legislator I am proud of the job we did last session.
4) Please name one to three of your top priorities if elected?
Creating green collar jobs by infusing the renewable energy industry with talented Coloradoans, finding a health care solution that works for taxpayers, patients, and small businesses, and making our education system world class. The market can work to fix these problems, but we need to restructure government to make it efficient, cost effective and advantageous to Coloradoans, not just those sitting at the top of the economic food chain.
5) If you could pass or repeal one bill what would it be?
My main goal in the legislature is to guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for every Coloradoan. As a nurse and a legislator, I see how healthy families create a healthy work force and a healthy vibrant economy. Coloradoans need peace of mind that the health insurance they purchase will cover their health care bills when there is an unexpected illness or accident.