There is nothing like a good, old-fashioned town hall meeting — especially in the age of social media and online forums where political dialogue can devolve beyond constructive. Engaging in conversations, idea-sharing, and yes, even criticism, in-person is part of a healthy democracy. That is why, as your state senator, I have always prioritized holding town hall meetings with my constituents.
I just finished my annual post-session town hall Tour of the beautiful senate district I am lucky to serve. This tour took me to all 10 counties of Senate District 8 and I held 11 town hall meetings with various colleagues from the Colorado House who also serve those counties. We held meetings in Eagle, Idaho Springs, Frisco, Walden, Granby, Craig, Steamboat Springs, Rangely, Meeker, Glenwood Springs, and concluded in Central City.
We convened around 400 community members throughout this tour to discuss what happened at the legislature this year, celebrate some big wins for our rural and mountain communities, answer questions, and hear ideas for challenges that need to be addressed in the future. At every town hall, we talked about the major bills from this year that will benefit Western Colorado: water conservation, historic investments in education, boosting rural economies, supporting more affordable housing, and meaningful property tax relief, just to name a few. In Frisco, Speaker Julie McCluskie and I highlighted our work on HB24-1379 which has made Colorado the first state in t.