Michelle Maksimowicz (Democrat) and Mark Waller (Republican) appeared at a candidate forum on Oct. 25. Both candidates are running for state representative House District 15, which includes part of Falcon.The Falcon Area Issues Roundtable hosted the forum, and Stefani Wiest, coordinating editor for The New Falcon Herald, moderated.Questions were prepared by The New Falcon Herald as well as submissions by the audience.What is working and what needs to change in HD 15? What are your priorities?Maksimowicz: I think we have a fine school district. CSAP test scores are near, at or above the state averages. They could be better, but they improve each year. I have a strong mission to work with our local school districts so that our students can be prepared for the 21st century. I have over 35 years of experience in education as a teacher and an administrator.However, our foreclosure rates continue to rise. We have now exceeded the 3,000 foreclosures we had in 2007. Twenty foreclosures happen each day in our county. Unfortunately, Stetson Hills in HD 15 is one of the three top areas for foreclosures.We need to think about more jobs for our people here. Unemployment in El Paso County is over 6 percent and it matches the state and the average for our nation.Creating jobs will be a top priority for me. We have to attract more businesses and high tech industries. We know that 80 percent of our economy depends on small businesses.We have to look at the Gallagher Amendment that’s strangling small businesses in our community.We need zero capital gains tax for small businesses and tax rebates for employers who offer health care to their employees. Middle class families needing help with health care is the No. 1 thing I hear about.Waller: We live in one of the most wonderful places in the world. We have a significant responsibility to manage it and grow it in the right way. My goal is to make sure this place remains a safe, happy and healthy place to raise our kids.One of the great things about our community is that it continues to develop and grow … if we’re not moving forward as a community; we’re dying as a community.We need to manage our resources against that growth. Making sure we have the water to support this area is going to be the No. 1 most crucial issue, as we think about growth in the upcoming years.We need to ensure we have the Southern Delivery System in place before we start growing out the Banning Lewis Ranch area in this community.I think the reason we’re doing so well in education is we’ve done such a great job of giving parents a choice in how they educate their children. Any time we can put that competition in the market place, we’re going to have a better opportunity of being successful.I agree that we need to get this economy turned around and I would do that by promoting economic incentive packages and tax credits for businesses.We need to make it easier for small businesses to operate in Colorado. We need tax incentives for small businesses. We need to provide tax incentives for folks that have to provide their own health care insurance.Current budget cuts in the county have decreased the availability of law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of HD 15. What will you do to ensure the safety of those residents?Waller: This is a county level issue. It’s going to be tough as state legislators to have a direct impact on this issue. We all know we’re talking about the 1 cent sales tax increase that has been put on the ballot by the county commissioners.Certainly the Taxpayer Bill of Rights needs to be tweaked and fixed, but one of the great things is that TABOR allows the citizens to choose how their tax dollars are spent. As a legislator, I believe it’s not my role to decide how you are going to spend your money.Maksimowicz: We’re in desperate straits, both in our county and our city. We’re $64 million behind in our debt for the county. TABOR is a major reason we’re in the state we’re in. Our sheriff’s department can no longer patrol. We need county sheriffs patrolling our areas and keeping us safe. I support our city and our county on Question 1A.Do you support or oppose TABOR?Maksimowicz: TABOR was put in (in) better economic times. I believe it needs to be tweaked. It’s strangling our county and city services and our infrastructure, streets, roads and bridges and certainly human services. We need to decide if this still works for us.Waller: Dr. Maksimowicz is right. It needs some tweaking, but I do support it. It’s right and just for citizens to choose how they are going to spend their money. It is a great check on government.
