Q/A
State Sen. Garcia: Small wins, lasting impact
As the 71st General Assembly winds down, there’s still more to be done, but Pueblo’s wins, while small, may withstand the session.
The accomplishments at the Colorado State Legislature each year, at least recently, are left to cooperation. With a Republican Senate, with just a slight majority, and a House led by Democrats makes a bill signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper all the sweeter.
Few places in the state have a delegation as split as the legislature itself, but Pueblo is carried by both parties. The Steel City is also usually left wanting at the end of the legislative session, which runs January to May each year, as it is stuck somewhere between rural and urban. Its manufacturing base makes Pueblo a different economy than many of the regions represented by the majority of lawmakers.
So what got accomplished for the oddball town stuck in the middle of the urban-rural fights and lags behind the rest of the state?
The following is an interview with Sen. Leroy Garcia, assistant minority leader, on what was done for Puebloans, what politics came into play and what would be better addressed by local government.
What was the biggest win for Southern Colorado this year in the legislature?
I think I would point to several. It’s not simple to say that there was one. There were several that will have lasting impact. SB105, which was passed today. That brings about greater transparency for electric bills. The lobbying core from investor-owned utilities really fought hard to amend it and water it down and what was so great about the process is were able to fight that off to be able to remind our colleagues about the value of increasing transparency and the importance of why that transparency is important.
The other is the heroin legislation that will create a pilot program here in Pueblo County (to credential certain health workers to treat addiction related to opiates).
Being that it’s a pilot program, how do we keep that going?
What’s great here is that this will be impactful for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The grant will allow $500,000 to provide nurse practitioners and physician assistants the ability to provide additional treatments options. And once they receive those credentials — and as long as they maintain those credentials — they’ll be able to provide those treatments.
So it’s a real benefit to this community. I think what’s so good is that it expands upond the options and we talked about this committee in that one of the reasons Pueblo and Route County were both selected is — some people say it’s use, and that’s true — but the other reason is because we have such a good, grassroots, bottom-up approach to solutions. We have successful people like Dr. Nerenberg who created the needle exchange program. Look at the treatment Kirk Taylor has going on at the jail. Now, talk about somebody who’s transitioning out of jail and has access to somebody who can provide treatments.
We’re creating a process that will be sustainable.
I’ve heard some lawmakers say the urban-rural divide is worse than the party divide. True or false?
I think there’s some truth to that and it’s always dependent on where you live. I think we in Southern Colorado understand that because it’s easy for us to see the oldest section of I-25 in Colorado. It’s easy to see how little capital infrastructure going into our downtown, opposed to downtown Denver, right? We see skyscrapers going up there everyday.
But with that being said, I want to be fair in recognizing that we’ve had some good accomplishments. By no means, should we sit here and say we’re not getting anything. There are rural communities that are disintegrating and find themselves crippled by no economic opportunities, no funding, no diversified industries. Pueblo has been lucky and we’ve weathered it well. When you look to the number of legislators we have compared to, say, Aurora, we’ve done fairly well.
Our funding for the Colorado State Fair, for the Colorado Lottery, CSU-Pueblo, PCC. Funding for capital infrastructure as well as higher education has done very well. And we have strong advocates. Look at Rep. Daneya Esgar, who’s chair of the capital development committee. I serve on appropriations and the assistant minority leader. We have legislators — even if only a few — that are in key positions.
Are we doing as great as we could? No. But we also don’t have the number of legislators that Aurora has. We don’t have the same number of people moving into our city as Denver does.
Did having a fellow Southern Colorado lawmaker as president of the Senate, even as a Republican, help you accomplish anything this session?
The jury is still out at that one. That’s being fair knowing we’re in the last 20-some odd days left in the session. WE have some big pending items before us. We still haven’t resolved the budget. We haven’t taken up school finance. It doesn’t look like there are enough Republican votes to pass the transportation bill. We have not addressed the Hospital Provider Fee.
I could speak to his personal character. He’s a good man, who I have respect for and understand he has and works for the people who elects him. With that being said, I think the success we’ve been able to accomplish this year points back to what Coloradans want.
What issue do you hear about from constituents most?
Wow, that’s a good question. In Pueblo, I would say, obviously, that energy issues are extremely important. Transportation issues are important.
One of the things I love about serving in Pueblo is that people aren’t afraid to tell you about any issue that they feel is important. It doesn’t matter what it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the grocery store and it’s a single issue that really is a city council issue. People feel, and should feel, that connection with you.
How close are we, really, to extending the Southwest Chief Amtrak line along the I-25 corridor?
I think it’s building steam. Look, several years ago people thought that this was a dead dream and that line should be closed, that there was no reason to keep investing. Today, they realize that’s not true and what’s so great about the Southwest Chief is how collaborative the approach has been. It’s not just Pueblo, it’s rural communities. It’s Colorado and New Mexico and Kansas and New Mexico.
As we talk about it here in Pueblo. We recognize the value of having this North-South line. In Fort Collins they’ve been trying to build a line south for commuting. It’s a piece of the puzzle.
Because your district has faced a recall in the past, and Pueblo is maybe more purple than meets the eye, do you think you have to be more moderate as a legislator?
I don’t know, for me I’ve always been who I am. And I mean that because I’m born and raised in this community. I’m a Puebloan. If you go out and really talk to people in Pueblo you’ll find on any given issue they’re one way and another way on another issue.
I don’t know that I always subscribe to saying we should learn one way or another. I think we’re looking for somebody to get a job done. Somebody who’s willing to have some convictions and have some accountability.
Each year it seems there are jobs bills intended for areas outside of the Denver-metro area, do you think Pueblo sees the impacts those bills intend?
I do to a certain extent, yes. We have to be able to find that unique niche. I we do have a unique niche is some areas, I would say health care, specifically. Pueblo has a great opportunity for health care. It’s a regional hub for healthcare. And look at what the payout is for those investments — and not just nurses — but even in something like the psychiatric technician realm, or in other areas.
Look at Vestas — it’s proving to be unique. Some of those employers say we can’t attract and retain people fast enough. I think that’s a local challenge we have to address inside.
Is there anything the state can do?
I think some of this has to do with a local approach. It’s too big of a process for the state to fix a local challenge. When we really talk about how we can be most effective and agile toward it, the best response would come from us a community. It has to be a bottom-up approach, rather than some policy makes at the state saying ‘I think we understand this challenge better than you.’ Because I can assure you some of my colleagues wouldn’t understand what the challenge really is.
