Governor Jared Polis to focus on affordable housing, crime, wildfire prevention if re-elected
Governor Jared Polis admits his first term in office hasn't been easy: "I had a lot more hair when I became governor," he jokes.
What is remarkable is that he has not lost his sense of humor considering all that has happened over the last four years.
He recalled how, just four months into office, he got a call of a deadly school shooting in Highlands Ranch: "The next day I went down to the hospital in Douglas County, visiting the kids who had been shot."
That same year, Colorado experienced the largest wildfires in state history, followed the next year by the most destructive wildfire ever and it came as Colorado was emerging from a global pandemic.
"There were some difficult and tough days," Polis said.
He gave weekly COVID updates and issued hundreds of executive orders, including a statewide mask mandate and vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.
"I think we led in a different way. We led by empowering people to make the choices that were right for them," Polis said.
He was criticized for being too heavy-handed by some and not restrictive enough by others: "You learn a lot on the job. I think I'm a better governor today than I was four years ago. I always wish that I had tomorrow's information today."
Despite unprecedented challenges, Polis says he accomplished many of his top priorities, including full-day kindergarten and an expansion of preschool: "Some people said, 'Oh you'll never get that done Polis. You're just saying that.' We got it done four years later."
He also touts advances in health care, including bills capping the cost of insulin, importing drugs from Canada, and creating a state-regulated health insurance plan: "We've really focused on cutting costs, saving people money."
But Republicans dispute that, saying Polis broke a campaign promise to reduce special interest tax breaks: "The challenge is in the legislative arena where they all have lobbyists and they all fight and you start wanting to get rid of 15 and by the time you're done you get rid of 5 and added 3 back in. So, what I want to do is keep making progress."
Critics note he also added billions of dollars in new fees, including fees to fund transportation even as the Colorado Department of Transportation announced just two new highway widening projects in the next ten years: "You could either do one more highway project or do 50 local projects to improve roads and reduce traffic and the question is always where do you get the biggest bang for your buck."
Polis admits most people are not better off financially today than when he took office. He blames federal policies for high inflation, but says, as governor, he can and will do more to promote affordable housing if re-elected: "What we need is greater density along transit corridors and close to where jobs are and less suburban sprawl."
He also plans to focus on crime in a second term. The state has the fourth fastest-growing crime rate in the country according to the FBI.
Critics point to laws polis has signed that have lessened penalties for some crimes like fentanyl possession and car theft, "Really to make Colorado one of the 10 safest states over the next 5 years means investment in more and better law enforcement, it means tougher criminal penalties and it means more work to prevent crimes before they occur. And that means more behavioral health, youth diversion, all these things that the data shows can help prevent a crime before it even occurs."
Preventing more devastating wildfires he says will also be a top priority: "The realities of a hotter, dryer climate and the realities of an increased population in the wildland-urban interface mean we really need to up our game and that's going to continue to be a priority for me if I get the opportunity to serve another term. I love the state of Colorado. I'm raising my kids here. I was born here. I want the state to be an even more amazing place."
For CBS News Colorado's profile of Colorado gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl, click here.
