State House District 18
Hello, I am Jonathan Dooley. I am running for the Colorado State House for District 18. I decided to run because of the proximity of the Waldo Canyon fire to my house and my volunteer work with the forest and waterway protection groups in the area. I would like to see Colorado enact a comprehensive forest management and fire mitigation program state wide. My second issue is Colorado will be enacting healthcare reform in 2024 and my 15 years of experience in the healthcare and rehab industry makes me uniquely qualified to work on the implantation of this program in the 2025 session. My third issue is we need to work on a statewide programs to fund school districts to pay teachers what they are worth and provide students with a quality education to allow them to succeed in life. Colorado should be leading the nation in student success. Thank you, Jonathan Dooley
Candidate Responses
1: Strongly Disagree
2: Somewhat Disagree
3: Does Not Apply to the Position
4: Somewhat Agree
5: Strongly Agree
Yes, entirely.
Yes, entirely.
- Education
- Energy, Environment, and Climate
- Healthcare
Do you believe that healthcare is a human right?
A society should be judged on how we treat those in need not by our GDP. Comprehensive Healthcare should be available for every citizen of the United States.
Will you support the expansion of Medicaid and the Colorado Health Care Option to cover more uninsured and underinsured Coloradans?
Not just the under and not insured. Colorado should have Comprehensive single payer healthcare available to every Colorado resident.
Will you create/support policy to address the rising costs of prescription drugs and medical services?
I would like to see Colorado lead the country in its state wide healthcare program. We need to directly negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies to provide medication to the Colorado State medical program.
Do you support access to comprehensive health care that includes reproductive freedom for people with uteruses?
No woman should ever have her body legislated. A woman should have 100% control over her body and access to medical treatment for her medical needs.
Will you ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to education, employment, health care, and social services in Colorado?
Persons with reduced abilities should have equal access period. I have spend the majority of my profession career in the Mobility industry providing wheelchairs and medical equipment.
Do you support the separation of church and state and the protection of religious freedom for all faiths and beliefs?
The separation of church and state is a fundamental principle that allows for the freedom of ideas and equality for all in this country.
Will you fight to address and correct the systemic racism and discrimination that affects communities of color in Colorado?
All Men (and Women) are created equal. We need for all of us to be treated that way.
Will you ensure that LGBTQ+ Coloradans are treated with dignity and respect in all aspects of society?
It should go beyond being treated with respect and dignity. We need a paradigm shift to where we don’t need to recognize that anyone is treated differently. We are all people. We are all deserving of the same basic human rights.
How will you protect and expand the civil rights and liberties of all Coloradans?
Remove any and all existing laws that restrict any civil liberties. Be a democrat. Bring in leaders of the communities and have their issues publicly addressed. Open communication and sunshine on all parts of the process to enact change. Open input and feedback on legislation prior to submission.
Cost of living, housing costs, and homelessness were the top issues in a recent Colorado Polling Institute Poll. What would you propose to remedy and address these issues?
Massive question and no simple answer. We need to address the underlying problems of drug addiction, profiteering, urban sprawl, TABOR, and limited restrictions on city planning. We need to address the infrastructure and how we can build smart communities ecologically sound and have the same quality of life in our state. Mass transit system, move away from the car mentality of planning. High speed rail and commenter rail systems will allow for us to have remote communities still be able to access the central urban areas easily and inexpensively will bring house prices down, open up availability and that will lower inflation as we have job opportunities follow the building of the communities
Do you support workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively, and earn a living wage?
100% union supporter. My wife is a Union teacher. We need to support Unions and support Union friendly legislation.
Will you work to reform the tax system to make it more progressive and fair?
No more tax cuts to the rich and then remove it from the lower percentages. I want to break up some on the monopoly’s operating in Colorado and have tax systems in place that are fair and not a give away to the business interests.
Will you fight to fully fund public schools?
Over fund schools. Colorado need to take its place as the leader in education and student success. The should be lead by state level initiatives that are enacted by the home rule districts.
Will you fight to ensure that every child has access to early childhood education, universal pre-K, and full-day kindergarten?
Yes. Student success is shown to increase with access to these programs.
Will you advocate for the expansion of public higher education opportunities and affordability?
We need to have opportunities for every student who wishes to go to college have accesss to state colleges for reduced costs that are affordable.
How will you support the implementation of high academic standards and assessments that measure critical thinking and problem-solving skills?
State standards required for graduation and programs to insure that these are available to all students.
Will you combat the climate crisis and advocate for renewable energy?
I am a Leave No Trace instructor. We need to move away from an oil based system of commerce and transportation. Hydrogen cells should be the forefront of single home power systems.
Will you protect Colorado’s water quality and quantity, especially in the face of drought and population growth?
We need smart legislation concerning water rights, forest management, waterway protection and smart water conservation projects.
Will you fight to preserve and enhance Colorado’s public lands, wildlife, and biodiversity?
My main platform is comprehensive forest management.
Will you promote environmental justice and ensure that all communities have a healthy and safe environment?
We need to stop treating everything as completely unique. Every community should share the common access to healthcare, fire protection, mental health care, drug addiction counseling, and personal safety support.
What is your position on the current immigration policies and practices of the United States?
The policies are lacking because of party line fighting and no funding authorized to fix the issues. It’s is all tied up in a political mess in DC because the GOP will not let the programs be funded to combat the problems.
How will you ensure that the state of Colorado is ready and robust to face the threats of natural disasters, cyberattacks, terrorism, and foreign aggression?
We are the home of all branches of the military and we should be working to insure that they stay headquartered here. We need to support local level outreach programs so that there is a knowledge of changes in the communities.
How will you ensure that Colorado is a state with social and economic safeguards to maintain a decent standard of living and adequate nutrition for our aging population?
I have worked with the elderly for many years as a medical equipment provider. We need to have comprehensive healthcare for all of Colorado and that includes the providing for medical supported housing and skilled nursing facilities.
