Bruce Baker, candidate for House District 35

Party: Republican

City: Westminster

Profession: Pharmacist, Investor, Army officer

Contact: brucebakercolorado@msn.com,

brucebakercolorado.com

What makes you the best choice for this office?

I know HD35 and challenges we face. I have the courage to fight for HD35's needs and the willingness to have the tough discussions with colleagues. On Westminster City Council, history has shown I was right in: opposing monopoly trash, resisting jamming in hundreds of apartments, speaking against subsidies to cronies of politicians in the New Downtown.

What can the Legislature do to ease the strain of rising housing prices on Colorado residents?

Rental housing will never be affordable. Rental housing will always be market priced; Only owner-occupied housing can be affordable. The Legislature should validate the power of cities to restrict occupancy in single-family zoned neighborhoods to only owners, no rentals allowed. Government programs for 'affordable housing' are scams that only serve a tiny fraction of needy people and enrich connected insiders.

What can be done to ensure the state's transportation system will be able to accommodate continued population growth?

First: Population growth must pay for the costs it imposes. No more free rides for developers. The legislature must impose, in overcapacity areas of Colorado, a road `tap' fee, similar to water tap fees cities charge. 

Second: RTD is a complete fraud and failure. We should direct part of those sales taxes to roads. 

Third: We must be adults and pay for the roads we use in gasoline/miles driven taxes.

What two issues demand more attention in the upcoming Legislative session than they received in the previous one, and why?

1. Ending government subsidies to connected insiders. Government has been corrupted by having two sets of rules, one for friends of politicians and one for everyone else.

2. Requiring population growth to pay the full costs it requires to be part of Colorado. In the mindless quest for growth, we are subsidizing the destruction of our quality of life in Colorado. The current population growth makes us worse off, every day and in almost every way!

​If elected, what must you accomplish in order for you to consider your term a success?

I define success as bringing matters of vital importance to public discussion. I could not stop the mandatory monopoly trash in Westminster. Regardless of all the thoughtful questions and challenges I tried to discuss with my colleagues on council, it was only when the public became aware that the terrible idea was stopped. 

If I could do this with population growth or selectively given out incentives to connected business, that would be a great success.